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- The American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) released a new report, “Trust, Ethics and Governance: How Safety Leaders Are Thinking About and Using AI,” examining how safety leaders are adopting artificial intelligence in environmental health and safety (EHS) programs. Survey results show that 86% of organizations are exploring or implementing AI, with applications ranging from incident analysis and training to predictive analytics and compliance monitoring. The report also identifies key adoption barriers, including data quality, resource constraints, and trust concerns, while emphasizing that human oversight remains critical as AI use continues to grow across the profession.
- MyMatrixx will host a complimentary webinar examining the growing role of topical medications in workers’ compensation and the unique clinical and cost challenges they present. The session will explore how these therapies are being utilized across claims, including emerging concerns related to safety, physician dispensing, and overall cost impact. Speakers will discuss approaches for identifying high-cost outliers, evaluating therapeutic alternatives, and managing topical medication utilization within workers’ compensation programs. The webinar is scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, 2026, from 3:00–4:00 PM Eastern Time. While the webinar is complimentary, advance registration is required to attend.
- Broadspire shared highlights from National Comp 2026, held September 29 in Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas. For those unable to attend, the company compiled perspectives from several of its leaders on trends and issues discussed during the conference. Topics include communication throughout the claims process, analytics and technology in claims management, and evolving approaches to medical management and client engagement. The recap offers an overview of several themes and discussions that emerged during this year's event.
- National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) released the latest edition of its Medical Inflation Insights report, a quarterly update on how a multitude of inflation metrics are trending while providing insights on how these trends could impact workers’ compensation. The report found that medical inflation remains moderate, with NCCI's Workers’ Compensation Medical Price Index (WCWMI) expected to trend upward into the 2.0% to 2.5% range over the coming quarters. The report also noted that hospital outpatient prices are returning to more typical growth patterns, while prices for existing drug therapies continue to decline despite the growing presence of newer drug formulations in workers compensation.
Texas – Workers’ Compensation Research and Evaluation Group (REG) of the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) released the 2026 edition of its Workers’ Compensation Network Report Card. The report compared outcomes for injured employees receiving care through certified workers’ compensation networks versus those treated outside of networks and found that, overall, network claims performed better across several key measures. Specifically, injured employees in networks generally received care more quickly, reported higher satisfaction with their medical treatment, returned to work sooner, and incurred lower health care costs than non-network claimants. The report also found that network participants experienced better access to care and stronger return-to-work outcomes, reinforcing the value of Texas’ certified workers’ compensation network model.
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