Quote of the day
"One theory was that with a really good guideline, then all physicians would be practicing the same, but that's not the case."
– Alex Swedlow, CWCI on the continued variation in physician practice patterns.
Gains from Reforms Eroding Quickly
An upcoming series of reports on the impact of the reforms has some disturbing news for supporters of the recent workers’ comp reform. Preliminary data show a significant spike in per-claim costs. Find out what costs drive the increases, in the current edition of Workers’ Comp Executive.
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Questionable Call on Data Exclusion
The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau’s actuarial committee made the tough call to exclude State Fund’s medical loss development data from its pure premium rate calculation. The move buffers the proposed increase, but was that the right call? Find out in the current edition of Workers’ Comp Executive.
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California Workers’ Comp Shapes the Nation
With an 18% market share, California workers’ comp shapes spending averages across the nation. See just how much the cost savings from California reforms lowered nationwide results. In this news roundup, also find out about enforcement sweeps at car washes and DWC’s new OCR forms for EAMS. Click here for details.
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Publius: You Are…
Is utilization review an intrusion into the sanctity of the physician/patient relationship, an effective tool to prevent unnecessary care or a little bit of both? Publius has a plan for making the process more effective but will the stakeholders in the system buy in? Click here to read about it.
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How to Control X-Mods
Get a lesson in helping to control X-Mods—experience modifications—as it’s practiced in California. What can you do as an employer or as a broker for your clients to help keep X-Mods accurate? Premium subscribers can find out by clicking right here.
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Employers Press CIGA in Court for Accountability
Employers with the bad luck to be insured by a bankrupt carrier say that they’re now being raked over the coals by the California Insurance Guarantee Association. Not so, says CIGA. The issue is now being litigated at the appellate level. Get the details and find out what it could mean for other employers, in the current edition of Workers’ Comp Executive.
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Readers Have the Floor on Medical Treatment Guidelines, SCIF
Recent articles on the Division of Workers’ Compensation’s proposed medical treatment guidelines and the lack of candor by the leadership at the State Fund generated responses from our readership. See what your colleagues are saying inside.
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SCIF Responds…At Least A Little
This publication has waged a well-documented campaign to test the State Compensation Insurance Fund’s professed commitment to becoming a more transparent organization, a position it has maintained throughout the legislative debate over SB 1145. Are things changing at last at this quasi-public agency?
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Workers’ Comp Bills in Limbo
Several workers’ comp bills sit on the governor’s desk, but there’s no danger yet of his signing them. Find out what the bills are, where employers stand, and how the Legislature will shift next year, in this issue of Workers’ Comp Executive.
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