A recent noteworthy panel decision, Turner v. PT Gaming , addresses three interrelated issues on QME reporting and service of reports and whether they provide grounds for a new PQME. The majority, in this split opinion, concludes per Alvarez v. WCAB, 187 Cal. App...
There is a great deal of uncertainty these days concerning what constitutes an appropriate request to replacement a Panel of Qualified Medical Evaluators (PQMEs) from the Department of Industrial Relations Medical Unit. When the initial PQME selected is deemed...
Oakland - The number of qualified medical evaluators (QMEs) who resolve disputes over California workers’ comp claim issues such as the extent of an injured worker’s permanent impairment fell 20% between January 2012 and September 2017 according to...
Any information or opinions contained in this commentary are not necessarily endorsed by LexisNexis® or its affiliates or by the LexisNexis® editorial consultants who review panel decisions. Recently, a Workers’ Compensation Administrative Law Judge...
In early 2017, a PQME referral company hosted a continuing medical education (CME) program for its panel QME physicians in the Southern California area. The first three hours of the six hour program featured an applicant’s attorney, a defense attorney, and...
In Parker v. DSC Logistics , 2016 Cal. Wrk. Comp. P.D. LEXIS --, the WCAB panel rescinded the WCJ’s finding and held that the applicant forklift driver, who filed separate claims for a 10/30/2009 injury to his back, a 3/31/2014 injury to his back and neck...
Here’s the latest batch of advanced postings for the July 2016 issue of Cal. Comp. Cases. Lexis.com and Lexis Advance subscribers can link to the case to read the complete headnotes and summaries. © Copyright 2016 LexisNexis. All rights reserved...
LexisNexis has picked the top “noteworthy” panel decisions issued by the California Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board during the period January through June 2016. The list features a number of decisions addressing utilization review time deadlines...
When policy, practice, and punishment collide and the art of discretion By Brad Wixen, Esq. In the case of Chaides v. The Kroger Company , 2016 Cal. Wrk. Comp. P.D. LEXIS --, the Panel Qualified Medical Evaluator (QME) on the case evaluated the applicant...
When an employee disputes an MPN physician’s release from care, is the employee entitled to choose to resolve the dispute with the treating physician’s diagnosis or treatment by either obtaining a second opinion within the MPN or by selecting a panel...
LexisNexis has picked the top “noteworthy” panel decisions issued by the California Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board during the period July through December 2015. The list features a number of decisions addressing the assignment and reporting...
By Julius Young, Esq., Richard M. Jacobsmeyer, Esq., Barry D. Bloom, Co-Editors-in-Chief, Herlick, California Workers' Compensation Handbook This 2016 edition is the 35th edition of Herlick, California Workers’ Comp Handbook (hereinafter “Herlick”...
A revision of the QME regulations was approved by the Office of Administrative Law in August 2015. One controversial part of these new regulations was the removal of neuropsychology as a designated QME specialty. Labor Code Section 139.2 provides the statutory...
In Hernandez v. Fremont Bank, 2015 Cal. Wrk. Comp. P.D. LEXIS --, the WCAB affirmed the WCJ’s finding that the applicant bank teller, who alleged that she suffered psychiatric injury as a compensable consequence of an orthopedic injury, was entitled to a...
Here’s the latest batch of advanced postings for the September 2015 issue of Cal. Comp. Cases. Lexis.com and Lexis Advance subscribers can link to the case to read the complete headnotes and summaries. © Copyright 2015 LexisNexis. All rights reserved...