Vol. 6, Issue 19

Find Solutions & Strategies                 May 11, 2015

New Medical Provider Network Regulations
 
It's a new medical treatment paradigm
In This Issue
A Note From the Editor
Nat'l Workers' Comp Conference
new medical provider network regulations

It's a new medical treatment paradigm

 

Medical Provider NetworkThe 2004 workers' compensation reform package of SB 899 brought about many changes as to how employers were required to provide medical treatment to injured workers. The newly created LC 4616-4616.7 allowed employers to regain control of medical treatment by creating Medical Provider Networks subject to the Labor Code and the Administrative Director's regulations. (R 9767.1-9767.19) MPN Regulations--Post SB 863: Almost 10 years later, the legislature attempted to fix apparent deficiencies in the MPN system when it implemented the WC reform package of 2013 with SB 863. The Administrative Director implemented new MPN regulations which had two primary goals...read more.

what's really behind the decline in workers' comp claim rates?
New study suggests improved safety is only partially the answer given the considerable shift of care from workers' comp to private insurance coverage

 

Thomas A. Robinson, J.D., our Feature National Columnist, is the co-author of Larson's Workers' Compensation Law (LexisNexis).
 

A study recently published in American Journal of Industrial Medicine suggests that the decline in workers' compensation claim rates for musculoskeletal symptoms, disorders, and injuries observed in recent years is only partially the result of improved occupational safety practices and conditions in the workplace; the decline in claim rates also stems from considerable shifting of care over time from the WC arena to private insurance coverage. The study suggests that since an important segment of the reduction in claim rates comes via care shifting, and not just from improvements in safety conditions and practices, additional effort will be required if our society is to enjoy real reductions in the number of work-related MDSI injuries. As the study indicates, the true slope of the curve representing falling MSDI claim rates is not nearly as steep as some occupational injury experts have heretofore perceived...read more.

notice of correction: table 1 present value of permanent disablity

It has come to our attention that we inadvertently omitted the revised Table 1, Present Value of Permanent Disability, in the 2015 Edition of Workers' Compensation Laws of California. We apologize for the inconvenience and have included the corrected Table 1 for your use here.

california compensation cases

Cal Comp Cases

Defendant Improperly Terminated Home Health Care Provided Since 2007 (5/6/2015). Lexis.com and Lexis Advance subscribers can access the complete headnotes and summaries. Read it.
  
  
  
  
  
Cal Comp CasesApril Cal. Comp. Cases Cites Now Available. Lexis.com and Lexis Advance subscribers can access the complete headnotes and summaries. Read it.
california news headlines

eNewsletter archives

Take a deep dive into our past eNewsletters for 2015 and prior...warning - some links to articles may not work...report any linking problems to [email protected].