Workers' Compensation

Recent Posts

The Year in Review: Top 10 Workers’ Comp Fraud News Stories
Posted on 7 Dec 2011 by LexisNexis Workers' Comp Newsroom Fraud Team

Workers’ compensation fraudsters come in all shapes and sizes. Here are 10 news stories from 2011 that caught our eye: 1. Grandpa Used Granddaughter to Sell His Workers' Compensation Drugs (OH) - Donald Fisher has pleaded guilty to one count... Read More

CWCI Estimates California Workers’ Comp Drug Testing Costs Hit $98 Million in 2011
Posted on 23 May 2012 by California Workers' Compensation Institute

A new California Workers’ Compensation Institute (CWCI) study finds that widespread use of narcotic painkillers to treat work-related injuries – including relatively minor injuries where their use is not supported by medical evidence -- has... Read More

Narcotics Use Mismanaged: Guidelines Ignored
Posted on 8 Jun 2012 by John Stahl

The most disturbing conclusion that the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) presented in a webinar entitled “Use of Narcotics and Compliance with Guidelines” was that many workers’ compensation claimants (claimants... Read More

Missouri: Court Dilutes Claimant’s Drug Cocktail
Posted on 15 Nov 2012 by Martin Klug

The Missouri court of appeals affirmed a decision to dilute a drug cocktail, but the decision came with a twist with a warning about attorney’s fees. In Noel v ABB Combustion Engineering , ED 98446 (Mo. App. 11-13-2012) the injured worker obtained... Read More

Trends in Workers’ Compensation Narcotics Use: Avoiding Early Use is Key
Posted on 6 Jun 2012 by John Stahl

By John Stahl, Esq. A May 2012 report from the National Council on Compensation Insurance Holdings, Inc. , (NCCI) addressed the conclusions of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) that “the overuse of opioid... Read More

Comfortably Numb: The Impact of Prescription Pain Medications on the Proper Determination of Permanent Disability
Posted on 19 Jan 2012 by Calif. WCAB Noteworthy Panel Decisions Reporter

It may be an unfortunate reality but narcotics are a common aspect of medical treatment within the workers’ compensation system. As pain is an extremely individual experience, it is difficult if not impossible to assess whether the medications prescribed... Read More

Prescription Drug Abuse in America (Part Three) - Strategies
Posted on 20 Nov 2011 by Stuart D. Colburn

By Stuart Colburn, Esq. This is the third part of a three-part series on prescription drug abuse in America. Part One explained “the problem”. Part Two identified the stakeholders involved with this epidemic. Part Three below discusses... Read More

High Costs of Longer-Term Opioid Use: Workers’ Compensation Study Finds Heavy Use Compounds Medical Issues
Posted on 4 Oct 2012 by John Stahl

Proof that “a higher use of opioids [among patients with occupational diseases] may … lead to addiction, increased disability or work loss, and even death” prompted the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute to conduct a study... Read More

Narcotics Use Mismanaged: Guidelines Ignored
Posted on 8 Jun 2012 by John Stahl

The most disturbing conclusion that the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) presented in a webinar entitled “Use of Narcotics and Compliance with Guidelines” was that many workers’ compensation claimants (claimants... Read More

Comfortably Numb: The Impact of Prescription Pain Medications on the Proper Determination of Permanent Disability
Posted on 19 Jan 2012 by Calif. WCAB Noteworthy Panel Decisions Reporter

It may be an unfortunate reality but narcotics are a common aspect of medical treatment within the workers’ compensation system. As pain is an extremely individual experience, it is difficult if not impossible to assess whether the medications prescribed... Read More

The Year in Review: Top 10 Workers’ Comp Fraud News Stories
Posted on 7 Dec 2011 by LexisNexis Workers' Comp Newsroom Fraud Team

Workers’ compensation fraudsters come in all shapes and sizes. Here are 10 news stories from 2011 that caught our eye: 1. Grandpa Used Granddaughter to Sell His Workers' Compensation Drugs (OH) - Donald Fisher has pleaded guilty to one... Read More

Trends in Workers’ Compensation Narcotics Use: Avoiding Early Use is Key
Posted on 6 Jun 2012 by John Stahl

By John Stahl, Esq. A May 2012 report from the National Council on Compensation Insurance Holdings, Inc. , (NCCI) addressed the conclusions of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) that “the overuse of opioid... Read More

High Costs of Longer-Term Opioid Use: Workers’ Compensation Study Finds Heavy Use Compounds Medical Issues
Posted on 4 Oct 2012 by John Stahl

Proof that “a higher use of opioids [among patients with occupational diseases] may … lead to addiction, increased disability or work loss, and even death” prompted the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute to conduct a study... Read More

CWCI Research Spotlights Fentanyl Prescribing Patterns in California Workers’ Comp
Posted on 28 Apr 2011 by California Workers' Compensation Institute

In a study published last month, the California Workers’ Compensation Institute found that the top 10% of doctors who prescribe extremely potent, highly addictive Schedule II opioids for injured workers in California account for nearly 80% of all... Read More

Missouri: Court Dilutes Claimant’s Drug Cocktail
Posted on 15 Nov 2012 by Martin Klug

The Missouri court of appeals affirmed a decision to dilute a drug cocktail, but the decision came with a twist with a warning about attorney’s fees. In Noel v ABB Combustion Engineering , ED 98446 (Mo. App. 11-13-2012) the injured worker obtained... Read More