Workers' Compensation

Recent Posts

Fighting Fire with Fire – The Impact of Obesity on Firefighter Health
Posted on 6 Sep 2014 by LexisNexis Occupational Injuries & Illnesses S

A sure sign of the concern mounting over the rate of obesity in the U.S. is the number of studies that are coming out analyzing the issue from a myriad of different angles. One of the most recent, Adiposity Predicts Self-Reported Frequency of Poor Health... Read More

Professional Employer Organizations (PEOs) In Workers Compensation
Posted on 17 Oct 2013 by Rebecca A. Shafer

by Rebecca Shafer, J.D. Professional Employer Organization (PEO) is a different approach many small and medium size employers take to obtain workers’ compensation insurance. The employer outsources the responsibilities of workers’ compensation... Read More

Insurer-Supported Engineering Controls Can Lead to Significant Reduction of Overall Workers’ Comp Claims and Costs
Posted on 19 Feb 2015 by Thomas A. Robinson

New study evaluates controls to reduce/eliminate workplace hazards Thomas A. Robinson, J.D., the Feature National Columnist for the LexisNexis Workers’ Compensation eNewsletter , is a leading commentator and expert on the law of workers’... Read More

Obesity in the Workforce – An Expanding Problem
Posted on 5 Sep 2014 by LexisNexis Occupational Injuries & Illnesses S

American waistlines are expanding, with the adult obesity rate estimated by some to be as high as 40%. The obesity rate in the workforce has historically been lower than that of the general population, but this too is on the increase. Obese workers reportedly... Read More

Affordable Care Act Case-Shifting Incentives May Result in Increased Medical Costs for Workers’ Compensation
Posted on 2 Oct 2015 by Thomas A. Robinson

As incentives within the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) push more and more patients toward so-called “capitated” health insurance plans—in which payments are “prospectively” made to health care providers... Read More

Premiums Charged by Hospitals for Treating Workers’ Comp Claimants - Study Verifies Different Costs in General Healthcare and Workers’ Compensation Systems
Posted on 16 Jul 2013 by John Stahl

By John Stahl, Esq. A recent report titled “Comparing Workers’ Compensation and Group Health Hospital Outpatient Payments” from the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) documented the premiums that hospitals charged... Read More

NCCI Addresses Workers’ Compensation Prescription Drugs Costs
Posted on 20 Sep 2011 by LexisNexis Workers' Comp Law Newsroom Staff

Increased Utilization of Predominantly Expensive Drugs Fuel Cost Rise An August 2011 research brief by the National Council on Compensation Insurance, Inc. (NCCI) analyzed the trend of prescription drugs constituting a disproportionately high percentage... Read More

Study Links Dow Jones Industrial Average and Workers’ Compensation Costs
Posted on 29 Sep 2011 by John Stahl

Do Insurers’ Returns on Investments Significantly Impact Premiums? By John M. Stahl, Esq. Realistic budgets and other benefits associated with accurately predicting the cost of providing workers’ compensation insurance coverage were factors... Read More

Workers Comp Cost Containment Starts With Post-Injury Investigation
Posted on 24 Oct 2013 by Rebecca A. Shafer

Employers often think they have completed their investigation of the new workers’ compensation claim when they have finished filling out the state required Employers’ First Report of Injury (FROI). The information on the FROI is a good start... Read More

Industry Bloggers Debate the Workers’ Compensation System
Posted on 8 Aug 2013 by LexisNexis Workers' Comp Law Newsroom Staff

At the recent California Coalition on Workers’ Compensation 11th Annual Conference in Anaheim, CA, industry bloggers Mark Walls ( Work Comp Analysis Group on LinkedIn), Robert Rassp ( The Rassp Report ), Rebecca Shafer ( ReduceYourWorkersComp )... Read More

The One-Two Punch of Benzodiazepines and Opioids on Workers’ Compensation Claim Costs
Posted on 7 Aug 2014 by Thomas A. Robinson

New study finds combined use of these drugs significantly increases workers’ comp costs Thomas A. Robinson, J.D., the Feature National Columnist for the LexisNexis Workers’ Compensation eNewsletter , is a leading commentator and expert... Read More

Successes and Failures of Fee Schedules: How Medical Providers Circumvent Fee Schedule-Related Revenue Losses
Posted on 1 Apr 2013 by John Stahl

By John Stahl, Esq. Any first-semester political science major can tell you that government regulation is a common method for controlling what a business can charge for goods or services. Fee schedules provide this price control regarding workers’... Read More

7 Things Employers Should Do to Avoid a ProPublica Report
Posted on 9 May 2015 by Rebecca A. Shafer

I am reading the ProPublica Report with great interest because there are so many things I agree with. After reading all the press brouhaha over this report however, I still regard the high cost of workers compensation (for those companies which do have... Read More

High Drug Costs Attributed to Premiums for Physician-Dispensed Prescriptions: Study Reviews Price Gap Reducing Reforms
Posted on 19 Jul 2012 by John Stahl

By John Stahl, Esq. The fact that many workers’ compensation claimants obtained prescription drugs directly from physicians was not the problem; the primary issue was that these medical professionals often charged much more than a pharmacy for... Read More

LexisNexis® Workers Compensation Law Community Podcast: Dr. Richard Victor on the Workers' Compensation System's Elephant in the Room
Posted on 14 Dec 2011 by LexisNexis Legal Business Community Staff

On this edition, Dr. Richard Victor, Executive Director of the Workers Compensation Research Institute, discusses the challenges of return to work opportunities for injured workers and the workers compensation questions presented by the unprecedented... Read More