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Payments for dermatological agents continue to increase while payments for opioids continue to decline, according to a report released Thursday by the Workers Compensation Research Institute. WCRI said the increase in payments for such drugs applied to skin, usually for pain, is driven by the dispensing of higher-priced products from doctors’ offices and mail-order pharmacies. The report examined state trends…

A push to make staph infections a compensable, occupational illness is underway, with Illinois lawmakers passing legislation in 2021 and New York considering similar measures this year. Caused by the bacteria methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, staph infections are common in health care settings, where they are compensable under workers compensation law in many states. The latest trend, however, is…

Many COVID-19-related workers compensation claims are denied, according to recent data that shows a third to half are deemed to not involve workplace contraction of the virus. Often workers don’t press the claims after the initial denial and experts say questions over compensability have kept claim counts and costs low. “The trend is that most employers are denying claims because…

A former Belleville nursing home employee claims she was wrongfully terminated after filing a worker's compensation claim. Kelnesha Nelson filed a complaint in the St. Clair County Circuit Court against St Paul's Senior Community LLC, doing business as St. Paul's Senior Community. According to Nelson's complaint, she was an employee at St. Paul's Senior Community in Belleville on Oct. 16,…