Insight, analysis & opinion from Joe Paduda
Here’s what’s up this week: 1. I’m at the Physician Dispensing Summit today in Boston hosted by PMSI and Progressive Solutions. There are around a hundred attendees including regulators, payers, physicians, researchers, retail pharmacy chains, and other stakeholders. Among the … Continue reading A very busy week – physician dispensing, WCRI, and the sequester
Read More...After failing to approve model language developed by many volunteers working many hours over many months, the IAIABC’s Executive Committee came out with a press release discussing their decision. First, kudos to the EC for the release. This is a … Continue reading Opioids – the IAIABC responds, and others do too…
Read More...The International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions is the trade group for workers’ comp regulators, the folks who have assumed the responsibility of advancing “the efficiency and effectiveness of workers’ compensation systems.” By failing to approve model language … Continue reading Opioids and the IAIABC’s need to lead
Read More...As governors look more closely at the benefits – and costs (political and financial) of the Medicaid expansion slated to begin next January, more and more are deciding it isn’t such a bad thing after all. Ohio’s governor has been … Continue reading Medicaid expansion will…expand.
Read More...There’s yet more evidence that treatment patterns vary significantly across providers. Today’s evidence comes courtesy of two academic institutions and Medrisk, Inc. (consulting client) which reported significant differences in the type and duration of physical therapy provided to workers’ comp … Continue reading Variations in medical care – it happens in PT, too.
Read More...I’ve long avoided getting into the Medicare Set-Aside issue for a bunch of reasons; it’s highly esoteric, requires deep knowledge, is ever-changing, can get pretty nasty and getting educated about MSAs would come with a high opportunity cost – I … Continue reading Medicare, MSAs, the SMART Act, and your taxes
Read More...is research that helps us understand why things are the way they are. And while we rarely get to make out with supermodels like the guy in the SuperBowl ad (word is it took 45 takes to get it “right” … Continue reading What we nerds love…
Read More...The good folk at WCRI have produced a very useful – and very timely – analysis of outpatient facility costs, cost drivers, regulatory mechanisms, and trends in 20 key states. Timely because the upcoming changes to Medicare and Medicaid’s hospital … Continue reading Work comp hospital costs – what WCRI’s report says, and what it means
Read More...Oh this is getting fun! Earlier this week WorkCompCentral published a column ostensibly written by a physician attacking me for exposing the dangers, both physical and financial, inherent in physician dispensing of repackaged drugs. I say ostensibly because the column … Continue reading Physician dispensers are getting desperate
Read More...Let’s start off the week with another warning on the perils of marijuana. Specifically, if you try to feed grizzly bears while stoned, they may try to eat you. And that would be a compensable injury. This actually happened in … Continue reading Bear mauls stoned worker, judge adds insult to injury.
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