Insight, analysis & opinion from Joe Paduda
Leaving tomorrow for eight days away, so today’s a quick catch-up. First up, the news that there’s been a dramatic increase in investor interest in addiction rehab. The market for services will increase to $35 billion this year, up more than 50% over … Continue reading Pre-Vacation catch up
Read More...Quick takes from the blur that was NWCDC. MedRisk’s Restore presentation was sitting-room-only; the company’s new venture is a comprehensive approach to managing delayed RTW – Restore targets all factors including psychosocial issues and involves comprehensive physical therapy, opioid-withdrawal management, … Continue reading Leaving Las Vegas
Read More...I know, you are as tired of reading about physician dispensing in work comp as I am writing about it. At last, there’s some very good news. Quick refresher – docs dispensing drugs adds about a billion dollars in excess … Continue reading Physician dispensing in work comp; two victories!
Read More...Quick and clean – here’s what else was going on last week. First, hands OFF the Ebola panic button. Yes, a nurse who treated the Liberian man in Dallas has reportedly been diagnosed with the disease. That makes TWO people in this … Continue reading Monday catch up
Read More...Controlling drug usage in workers’ comp is – far too often – the proverbial pushing on the rope. Sure, PBMs and payers have done a remarkable job constraining costs and reducing the initial inappropriate use of opioids. Virtually all payers … Continue reading Drug formularies – much needed in workers comp
Read More...Today’s catch up leads off with some pretty grim news. Pennsylvania’s drug problem is getting worse. WCRI’s just-released report on physician dispensing drugs to work comp claimants in Pennsylvania provides a clear warning to the Keystone State’s employers and taxpayers – … Continue reading Friday catch up – Pennsylvania’s drug problem and other news
Read More...The cost of physician dispensing is far above the outrageous premiums the dispensers charge. The real cost includes: longer disability duration higher medical expense – over and above the excess cost of drugs higher indemnity expense more and longer use … Continue reading Physician dispensing in workers’ comp is killing your financials
Read More...This is the eleventh (!) year I’ve been involved in surveying workers’ comp payers to get their take on pharmacy management. Now that Yvonne Guibert (thank you Yvonne) has finished collecting the data, I’m working on the report. It’s going … Continue reading Survey of Drug management in work comp – quick take
Read More...WorkCompCentral’s Joey Berlin wrote up the details of a presentation on chronic pain treatment featuring Gary Franklin MD, Medical Director of Washington state fund L&I, Kathryn Mueller MD, Medical Director of Colorado’s Work Comp department, Noah Aleshire of the National Center … Continue reading Friday catch-up – the work comp world
Read More...Any time you have to mention urine in a blog post you know it’s going to be a tough one. There’s a kerfuffle in the world of urine drug testing, one of the more litigious and contentious industries I’ve ever … Continue reading The contentious and misunderstood world of drug testing
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