Why Workers’ Comp Claims Drag On and On

February 26, 2014

Any employer who has dealt with legacy claims understands the financial strain it can cause.  Does the term ‘creeping catastrophic claims’ resonate?  When you look below the surface, there are a multitude of reasons for a  workers’ compensation claim to stay open for an extended period of time. Inadequate training, inappropriate handling at the beginning of the claim,  too many claims assigned to a single adjuster and claim handling by a TPA that no longer values your business are just a few of the reasons behind the increased financial burden of the ‘old dog’ claims.   This article highlights and explains many of the reasons legacy claims drag on, and offers strategies that can intercept the downward spiral.

If you ask the third party administrator (TPA) adjuster why any particular claim is still open, the adjuster will recite the employee’s medical condition and possibly the industrial commission ruling on the particular claim.


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Opioid Therapy: Red Flags That Warrant Intervention

February 24, 2014

Signs that opioid therapy is being abused in a workers’ compensation claim can be difficult to pinpoint. The behavior may not seem consistent due to the nature of the injury, so sometimes it can go undetected.  This article provides 5 basic criteria to assist in recognizing potential abuse in opioid therapy…

“Early warning signs of potential abuse or misuse frequently go unnoticed because some characteristics seem insignificant when considered in isolation. However, when multiple attributes are combined, they can reveal serious risks for inappropriate drug utilization. In order to identify characteristics that should raise red flags, the prescription data must be monitored from multiple perspectives.”

With a Pre-MSA review model that evaluates medical records from all prescribers with the Rx filling history from all sources to identify potential intervention triggers, Tower MSA Partners seeks to identify and address issues before MSA and settlement, and to remain involved until resolution is achieved.  The 5 triggers included in this article are among the behaviors / triggers we seek to identify with each claim,  and are a great starting point to build you own criteria to stage claims for early intervention.


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Opioids As They Were Intended…. Comfort At End of Life

In an environment where we cringe each time we see  one more article on opioid use, it’s easy to forget the primary reason these medications were developed …. pain management in terminal illness and at end of life.  David DePaolo’s recent post was both powerful and informative. He contrasts the peace that opioids can bring for those who are at the end of their fight with disease and pain against the abuse of these medications by those who put financial gain above appropriate care.  Please take a moment to read this great post, and if you are angered by what physician dispensing is doing in workers’ compensation, go to www.supportprop.org   (Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing) and become a subscriber.

I believe that most physicians in our industry strive daily to do what is in the best interest of their patients. When we see studies such as this, I hope we will be motivated to take action, while reminding ourselves that these are the outliers.

The Sun is Shining — By David DePaolo

Specialty Pharmacy Invades Workers’ Compensation

February 22, 2014

According to a recent issue of Workcompwire, “specialty medications”, drugs that may require special handling, distribution, administration and patient management, are beginning to have a significant impact on workers compensation.  With specialty conditions such as hepatitis C, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis occurring through direct or indirect contact by healthcare or emergency workers, specialty medications, at costs that can exceed $1,000 per day, may become standard protocol.

Currently there are more than 5,000 new medications in the drug pipeline globally, and 70 percent of those are potential first-in-class medicines – those that use a different mechanism of action from any other already approved medicine. Many of these first-in-class medicines will be considered specialty medications once they complete phase III approval by the FDA. For several years, the pipeline for specialty medications has been far more robust than that for non-specialty medications.


Read more at Workcompwire