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Welcome to your weekly WCI Newsletter. We have selected the top stories that appeared on our website this week to help you stay up to date on what is happening in the world of workers' compensation and insurance. Enjoy.
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Given the Green Light: FL Firefighters Will Now Have Cancer Coverage
By Angela Underwood
here is a sigh of relief for first responders now that the Senate's workers' compensation bill has been amended to cover multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin's cancers.
It passed in March, and now Florida follows suit.
Read more.
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MT Bill Heads to Governor's Desk, Would Disallow WC Claims if Employee Isn't Truthful at Screening
By Liz Carey
A bill in the Montana Legislature would allow employers to deny workers' compensation claims for employees who fail to disclose relevant prior workplace injuries.
The bill,
SB 116, was proposed by Sen. Mark Blasdell (R-Kalispell) and would require employees to be open and honest in pre-employment questionnaires with regard to any injuries that may impact their ability to perform their jobs.
If employees don't disclose those prior injuries, and are injured on the job, the employer would legally be allowed to deny the claim, according to the proposed measure. The bill passed in the House and Senate and is now on its way to Gov. Steve Bullock's desk for signing.
Read more.
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Michigan Medical Marihuana Regulation Centralized in New Bureau
By the Bureau of Medical Marihuana Regulation
Michigan has centralized all aspects of medical marihuana regulation with the creation of the Bureau of Medical Marihuana Regulation (BMMR) housed in the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA). The new bureau combines the existing oversight functions of the state's patient and caregiver registry with the newly established statutory requirements for medical marihuana facility licensing.
"BMMR's organizational structure puts Michigan at the forefront of state medical marihuana regulation," said LARA Director Shelly Edgerton. "Many other states have various licenses and patient programs spread throughout different departments and agencies. The bureau's centralized services will enhance patient protections and make regulations more efficient for business customers."
Read more.
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Front End Focus
By Julius Young
Most of the focus of various workers' comp studies are on the "back end" of workers' comp.
By that, I mean studies on medical costs, the litigation process, indemnity cost trends, loss adjustment and medical cost containment expense, prescribing practices, provider abuse and the litany of other topics that I cover in this blog from time to time. These are the bread and butter topics that RAND, CWCI, WCIRB, WCRI, and other organizations analyze.
But the "front end" is something we must never fail to keep in mind.
The "front end" topics are worker safety, worker training, compliance with occupational health and safety regulations, corporate culture toward employees, claim incentives and other factors that drive injury claims in the first place.
Read more.
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Working to Understand the Opioid Crisis: OH Pharmacy Director Receives Governor's Award
By Angela Underwood
The stats on injured workers and opioid abuse are rising as you read this report.
Before receiving the award, for structuring a model pharmacy program and assisting injured workers in avoiding opiate addiction at a Statehouse ceremony today, Hanna took some time to speak with our news center about how the veteran pharmacist and his team lowered BWC drug costs by $46 million in just seven years, while simultaneously reducing opioid doses by 18.9 million to nearly half their 2011 levels.
Read more.
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