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Florida DWC Gives Long-Awaited Nod to Surgical Center Reimbursement Manual

After almost three years of hearings, workshops and debate between insurers and medical centers, the Florida Division of Workers’ Compensation has given final approval to the 2020 reimbursement manual for ambulatory surgical centers. The manual and its reimbursement rates take …

Taking Care of Business: Opportunities Within Soft Workers’ Comp Market

Workers’ compensation is getting the job done. Premiums are decreasing, claims are stable, and retention is high. But even good news can present its own set of challenges, Burns & Wilcox indicated in its webinar, Navigating a Soft Workers’ Compensation …

WCRI: Injured Workers’ Emergency Room Use Varies Widely by State

PHOENIX โ€” Nearly a third of injured workers in Massachusetts sought treatment for strains and sprains in a hospital emergency room, while in California and Nevada only 10% did, according to a study by the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute. That …

Unlicensed Roofing Contractor in Florida Charged After Soliciting Homeowners

Florida authorities on Friday charged a man with unlicensed contracting, insurance fraud and failing to obtain workers’ compensation coverage on his workers, after he solicited Tampa-area homeowners for roof replacement work. John Sutton, doing business as Kaizen Construction Group, had …

Coal Miner Killed in West Virginia, Second Fatality This Year in the State

A coal miner died Wednesday in an accident at a northern West Virginia mine, Gov. Jim Justice said. Cecil Barker, 62, of Philippi, was working as a surveyor at Century Mining’s Longview Mine in Barbour County. Two other surveyors were …

Erwin to Keystone VP; Jones to Tennessee PBM Compliance Role

Keystone Names Erwin VP for Kentucky, Ohio Keystone Insurers Group, one of the largest participant-owned agency networks in the United States, has named Brian Erwin as state vice president for Kentucky and Ohio. Erwin comes to Keystone from WestBend Mutual …

WCRI: Consolidation of Health Care Driving Up Prices in Work Comp

Consolidation of physician services into larger groups owned by hospitals and health care systems is driving up the cost of care in workers’ compensation, according to a new study by the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute. “Medical markets are increasingly concentrated,” …

Alabama Jury: Delivery Worker to Get $1.9M After Fall at Dollar General Store

An Alabama jury has decided that Dollar General stores must pay almost $2 million to a delivery worker who was injured when a ramp collapsed at a store. Driver Jason Agee in 2019 was pushing a rolling cart full of …

Driver Flees After Hitting and Injuring Two Road Workers Near Atlanta

Two road construction workers were hit by a car and seriously injured in suburban Atlanta early Sunday. Police tell local news outlets that the men had gotten out of their vehicle under an overpass in Marietta to set up an …

WV Lawmakers Cap Damages for Deliberately Putting Workers in Harm’s Way

A bill that would cap some of the damages West Virginia workers and their families can receive if their employer deliberately puts them in harm’s way on the job is headed to the desk of Gov. Jim Justice. The Republican …