• The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) released part two of its Annual Insights Symposium video edition, which includes NCCI experts’ key insights on large claims (over $1million) and medical trends in work comp.- Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) announced a free webinar to discuss findings and answer questions from Insights into Medical Inflation in Workers’ Compensation. The webinar is scheduled for September 6th at 2pm. To register, click here.
- A new WCRI study addresses the following questions, among others: “what is the prevalence of long COVID among workers with COVID-19 and what are the costs of long COVID claims?” Ramona Tanabe, President and CEO of WCRI said “Among all workers with COVID-19 claims, 6 percent received treatment for long COVID conditions, some more than a year after the initial infection. At an average of 18 months of post-infection experience, these workers received more than 20 weeks of temporary disability benefits and received about $29,000 in medical care.”
- Liberty Mutual Insurance released their 2023 Workplace Safety Index citing overexertion as the most expensive workplace injury ($12.8 billion annually) followed by falls on the same level ($9 billion), falls to a lower level ($6 billion), struck by object or equipment ($5.1 billion); other exertions, such as awkward postures ($3.7 billion); exposure to harmful substances ($3.4 billion); vehicle accidents ($2.6 billion); caught or compression by machinery ($2 billion); slip trips or falls ($1.9 billion); and pedestrian-vehicle accidents ($1.6 billion).
- The U.S. Labor Department announced it is extending the deadline for public comments on proposed amendments to federal standards intended to protect miners from respirable crystalline silica and silica dust. Comments were set to close "set permissible exposure limit of respirable crystalline silica” as well as replace requirements for respiratory protection.
Earlier this week, the Industrial Commission of Arizona (ICA) announced Gaetano Testini was appointed by Governor Hobbs as the new Director of the ICA. He has been with the Commission for the last eight years and served as an Administrative Law Judge and Chief Legal Counsel.
The Workers’ Compensation Commission and FAIR Health are soliciting comments on proposed changes to the medical fee schedule and rules and the deadline is August 31st. They will use these comments to draft the 2024 proposed medical fee schedule. The Commission must submit potential changes to the fee schedule every two years to the Legislature. Comments may be submitted to okfeedback@fairhealth.org.
Industry Update – Harford Mutual Insurance Group received final approval from the Maryland Insurance Administration to merge with ClearPath Mutual Insurance Company, formerly KESA of Kentucky. Post merger the company will be renamed to Clearpath Insurance Company or “Clearpath Specialty.” The merger is effective August 4, 2023.
The Texas Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) is asking for comments from users of its dispute resolution services through September 15th. The division manages disputes on a legacy computer system that requires modernization, and they want input. The 12-question survey can be found here.
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