Insight, analysis & opinion from Joe Paduda
A comment by David Deitz MD on last week’s post is well worth your read. Referring to ProPublica, Dr Deitz said: describing the use of guidelines and other evidence-based tools as a cut in benefits is not just misleading, it … Continue reading Workers’ comp: anecdote v data
Read More...Is set for release at a public meeting in Washington this Wednesday, October 5, at 10 AM. While the content has been closely held, sources indicate topics include: increasing inadequacy of benefits, restrictions on medical care for injured workers, new procedural … Continue reading The Department of Labor’s report on workers’ comp
Read More...What drives workers’ comp is employment – more specifically, payroll, industry type, and claim frequency. Employment is the end-all and be-all of workers’ comp – for premiums and policies on the front end, and getting work comp patients back to work … Continue reading Work comp’s future is not what you think it is
Read More...Legislators in Oklahoma carefully crafted their Opt-Out legislation, seeking to address concerns about Constitution issues, fairness to workers, and redress, Despite that intent, the state Supreme Court ruled the law is unConstitutional. Therein lies a lesson for advocates and detractors … Continue reading Opt-Out – unneeded, unnecessary, and ill-conceived
Read More...WCRI’s report on variations in hospital outpatient costs is yet more evidence of the wide and seemingly nonsensical variations in work comp regulations, fees, payments, and practices among and between states. Among the findings: an eight-fold variation in costs from the … Continue reading Workers’ comp hospital costs – implications for payers
Read More...And those two often don’t match up very well. Example. Work comp insurance companies benefit when medical and indemnity costs are lower than expected. So, lower medical costs = better “outcome” for the company. Many – if not most – … Continue reading Companies need strategies, Execs need success
Read More...For the last five plus years, the investment community has been all over workers’ comp services. Lately, not so much. What’s going on? From PMSI’s purchase by HIG to APAX’ acquisition of Align and One Call to form One Call … Continue reading What’s happened to all the private equity interest in workers’ comp?
Read More...How an investment firm can own a physician dispensing company and a work comp program administrator. ABRY has acquired a controlling interest in NSM, an insurance program administrator focused on, among other things, selling work comp to smaller employers. Yawn, right? … Continue reading Help me understand…
Read More...Premiums are SKYrocketing! Deductibles are HUUUGE! Insurers are DROPPING OUT! Can’t we all just chill for a minute? Truth is, premiums in the individual marketplace today are lower than they were a couple years ago. Yes, rates are going up, but the … Continue reading ACA – a little perspective on who’s going to win
Read More...Sometimes you read things that make you squirm a bit; this article was one of those times for me. The piece, entitled “How to Stop People Who Bog Things Down with Bureaucracy”, had me nodding my head as I replayed … Continue reading The success killers
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