Insight, analysis & opinion from Joe Paduda
For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong. Thank you, HL Mencken, for describing the problem inherent in picking a workers’ comp PBM based on how much they charge for drugs. It is … Continue reading The price of the pill is so last century
Read More...The California Applicant Attorney’s Association says there’s a BIG problem with UR in California, and a recent analysis by CWCI is flawed and inaccurate. I don’t see it. Greg Jones’ piece in yesterday’s edition of WorkCompCentral digs deep into the … Continue reading UR in California’s a BIG problem…or not
Read More...The week flew by, so I’m running to catch up on things I should’ve posted on earlier. Looks like mother Aetna is getting her arms around Coventry work comp; reports indicate about three dozen Coventry work comp IT folks were … Continue reading Friday’s catch up and quick takes
Read More...I’m only aware of three major work comp insurers (Travelers, BWC-Ohio, Washington L&I) that have pharmacists on staff; the North Dakota State Fund does as well. With pharmacy costs accounting for somewhere around 15% of total medical spend, that seems … Continue reading Why don’t workers’ comp payers have pharmacists on staff?
Read More...Lots happening this week – here’s a few notable events. First, WCRI’s webinar on physician dispensing, opioids, and physician prescribing patterns. A couple key takeaways: after FL banned doc dispensing of potent opioids, almost all the docs who were prescribing and dispensing … Continue reading Friday catch-up and heads-up
Read More...Here in no particular order are items of interest that have come up this week. Heath care spending growth in 2012 was a low 3.7 percent – the fourth consecutive year it has been under 4 percent. Moreover, health spending … Continue reading Friday fast facts and catch-up
Read More...Proving once again that I’m not smart enough to leave well enough alone, it’s time for my annual predictions for the coming year. I’m putting on my Carnac costume, examining tea leaves, and stopped by the butcher to get ready … Continue reading Work Comp Predictions for 2014
Read More...So far, not bad. Let’s see how my other prognostications worked out… Several more states will adopt clinical guidelines to help determine appropriate/medically necessary care. There’s no doubt clinical guidelines help reduce unnecessary, even dangerous care. A paper published by Medata … Continue reading Predictions for work comp in 2013; how’d I do – part 2
Read More...It’s that time of year – I get to revisit my predictions for 2013, an often-humbling experience for someone who spends far too much time out on the bleeding edge. So, here goes. Vendor consolidation – I said “we ain’t … Continue reading Predictions for work comp in 2013 – how did I do?
Read More...The feet have stopped throbbing, business cards have been entered into the CRM (aka contact database), and the whirlwind that is NWCDC has been left behind to be replaced by some general themes. Here are a couple of takeaways. Big … Continue reading Recapping the NWCDC
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