Today, Tuesday, June 28, 2022, is my last official day as CEO of WorkersCompensation.com. After almost 23 years I am leaving the company I helped found, and am saying farewell to a team of associates for whom I have tremendous love and respect. It is a time of mixed emotions, as I have thoroughly enjoyed…
For Return to Work, Tennessee Offers Ample REWARD
With record low unemployment, the “great resignation,” and staffing shortages almost everywhere, the timing of the Tennessee Bureau of Workers’ Compensation’s rollout of a new Return to Work program could not be better. Called “Return Employees to Work and Reduce Disabilities (REWARD), it is a comprehensive effort that involves training and support for employers looking…
Longer Life Means Having a Leg to Stand On
Another cutting-edge health study has been published, and unlike so many we have generally lampooned here in the past, this one may have some merit when it comes to determining the condition of one’s health. Researchers publishing their findings in the British Journal of Sports Medicine report that middle-aged people who can’t stand on one leg for…
Displaying Disapproval of the “Dis” Mentality
At the California Coalition of Workers’ Compensation Conference in Anaheim a couple of weeks back, one of the presenters made a comment that resonated with me. The topic was related to innovative claims management practices and had shifted to discussions of return to work and the role of physicians. One of the panelists made an…
The Art of the Tumble
Accidents can happen in the blink of an eye, as can other mistakes in the workplace. A recent minor mishap reminded me that when an error or accident occurs, the best thing you can do is accept the reality and roll with it as best you can. Sometimes, literally. It is a maneuver based on…
The Injured Worker as a Piggy Bank
We have written before about the misaligned incentives often found in workers’ compensation. I have referred to it as “treating injured workers for fun and profit,” reflecting situations where actions and processes are applied that may not be in the best interest of the worker, but financially benefit the people who are supposed to be helping them.…
Remote Monitoring System for Physical Therapy Is an Absolute Plus
Late last year, after my second knee replacement surgery, I wrote about my early experienceswith the Plethy Recupe© system. Plethy Recupe provides “easy to follow personalized at-home care programs for all musculoskeletal conditions with recovery metrics.” Recupe is for all musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions both non-surgical and surgical. At the time of that writing, I had only used…
When Failed Spine Surgery Leads To Murder
There was another tragic mass shooting this week in Oklahoma. As mass casualty events go, however, this one was different than many. Most of the mass shootings that have occurred in recent months have been essentially random attacks with little intent other than the illogical desire for great destruction. This one in Tulsa, on the…
Creating Artificial Stupidity Out Of Artificial Intelligence
It was, in my opinion, one of the best sessions at this year’s Annual Insights Symposium produced by NCCI last month. “Human Factors – Expanding the Science of Predictive Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI),” was presented by James Guszcza, Research Affiliate with the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. Guszcza…