Insight, analysis & opinion from Joe Paduda
In the last couple weeks there’s been a wealth of new reports, analyses, and studies released about various aspects of the work comp world. Too many to give each the attention it deserves, so a synopsis of a few will … Continue reading Work comp’s latest and greatest – drugs, devices, and doctor participation
Read More...Update (correction re revenue figures) While flying home from LA yesterday, thru the miracle of airplane wifi I got a note from a colleague stating “MES contributed $13.2 million in revenues in the first quarter of 2011. MES had approx. … Continue reading Examworks – questions I hope someone asked
Read More...We usually find out about things first when there’s a report out of California; growing facility costs, surgical implants, physician repackaging, compound meds, narcotic usage are among the cost drivers that received wide-spread attention after publicity in California. Yesterday’s news … Continue reading Comp medical costs are back on the rise
Read More...That’s a question I’m hearing more often these days, often one of the first voiced by payers wondering why their medical cost trends are escalating. I’m not sure that’s the right question to ask in most instances, but the answer … Continue reading Workers comp bill review – what should your savings be?
Read More...The ongoing and far-from-resolved debate about whether or not health reform will erduce costs has generated lots of fear-mongering, wildly inflated claims, and far too little intelligent discussion. Jonathan Cohn’s attempt to add a bit more intelligence to that discussion … Continue reading Health reform and Medicare cost reduction
Read More...This always seems like a good idea in January, looks like a not-well-thought-thru idea in July, and by December morphs into a well-it-coulda-been-worse idea. But I’ve got a short memory, so here goes – in no particular order, predictions for … Continue reading What’s up for 2011 – predictions for work comp in the Next Year
Read More...So, how’d my predictions for 2010 turn out? Well, I won’t e jumping for joy – or out any windows either. Here’s what I predicted back in January for 2010, and a (mostly) objective assessment of the accuracy thereof. 1. … Continue reading How’d those 2010 predictions turn out?
Read More...According to AHIP, over the last ten years, private insurers’ hospital costs in California are up 159%. One hundred and fifty nine percent. Instead of an intelligent and helpful discussion of the causes and impact, there’s an all-too-familiary orgy of … Continue reading Health plans’ two-faced approach
Read More...A new study by Paul Ginsburg at the Center for Health System Change reveals what we on the inside of the insurance industry have long ‘known’: The balance of power in rate negotiations has moved decisively from payers to providers … Continue reading Provider bargaining power is growing – and that’s a problem
Read More...Two things – facility costs and pharmacy. We’ll get to pharmacy next week (I’m finishing up the Seventh Annual Survey of Prescription Drug Management in Workers Comp), but for now here’s a couple quick hits on the growing problem in … Continue reading What’s driving comp medical costs
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