Advanced-care practitioners treated injured workers in 37% of nonemergency visits for evaluation and management, more than double the 18% reported in 2013, according to the Workers Compensation Research Institute. The institute has been studying the rise of advanced-care practitioners working with injured employees, a trend experts have said is the result of physician shortages, especially in rural areas. Such professionals…
“Overexertion,” “falls,” and “struck-by and object or equipment” are the costliest workers compensation injuries, accounting for more than half of the $58.8 billion spend, based on 2022 data, Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. revealed in its safety report released Tuesday. The study named “overexertion involving outside sources” as the top cause, accounting for $13.7 billion in costs, largely due to “manual…
Heat-related workplace injuries double when temperatures rise to just 80 or 85 degrees Fahrenheit and increase more than sevenfold when temperatures exceed 90 degrees, according to a new report by the Workers Compensation Research Institute. Unsurprisingly, such injuries are more common during summer months and disproportionately affect outdoor workers. Men and younger workers are at greater risk, and Southern states…
The Indiana Supreme Court held that a trial court should have dismissed a teacher’s case alleging she was fired in retaliation for contemplating filing a workers’ compensation claim because she failed to allege the district was exclusively motivated by a desire not to pay the claim. A trial court denied the district’s request for summary judgment, and a jury concluded…
A decade’s worth of injury data shows injured workers are taking longer times to recover, just as workers compensation claims frequency continues to decline, according to a report released Tuesday by The Travelers Cos. Inc. Travelers’ data showed there were 1.2 million claims received during the past five years, down from 1.4 million from 2015 through 2019, yet highlighted areas…
The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission on Wednesday issued a notice to attorneys and all self-represented litigants that the use of artificial intelligence and recording devices is prohibited during proceedings. The notice addresses procedural rules for monthly status calls, pre-trial trials, oral arguments and review call conferences. It states that the use of any AI device or software during arbitration status…
Litigation over how much of an alleged work injury falls under workers compensation and how much is related to an existing degenerative condition is likely to rise as the workforce ages and medical screenings are interpreted differently, legal experts say. A report released late last month by the Workers Compensation Research Institute found that degenerative comorbidities, such as disc disease…
The workers compensation industry has mostly rejected covering increasingly popular weight-loss injections, but that hasn’t stopped doctors treating injured workers from prescribing the drugs to patients, according to experts. Sedgwick Claims Management Services Inc. saw a 46% increase in prescriptions for drugs such as Ozempic, WeGovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound, but “very few” are approved by workers compensation payers, according to…
An Illinois appellate court said an injured worker’s subjective complaint of pain was sufficient evidence to support a determination that her repetitive trauma claim was compensable. Dora Potts claimed a repetitive trauma injury to her left shoulder over the 14 years she worked as a dental hygienist for Tazewell County. A doctor in April 2019 diagnosed her with acute pain…
Illinois lawmakers are considering a bill to create rules for employers whose workers are exposed to extreme temperatures. S.B. 2501, introduced Friday, calls on the state’s director of labor by Jan. 1, 2026, to adopt rules to establish “excessive heat and excessive cold standards” for when temperatures fall below 40 degrees or above 90 degrees. The bill provides guidelines on…
