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      • VALDEZ
        05/30/12
        The wait for a ruling in Valdez is over.

        The California Court of Appeal, Second District, Division 7 has spoken in Elayne Valdez v. WCAB and Warehouse Demo Services. The Court reversed a WCAB holding that precluded use of reports from non-MPN treating physicians under all circumstances.
      • DAHL
        05/27/12
        After the Court of Appeals holding in Ogilvie, many of us have been waiting to see what the WCAB would do.

        How would the WCAB interpret the 1st DCA's Ogilvie decision?

        In its decision the Court of Appeals rejected the mathematical formula that the WCAB had developed for p

      • THE GREAT DIVIDE
        05/22/12
        Sometimes there is a great divide between what an injured work can receive in the workers' comp system and in the civil justice system.

        Being a no fault system, workers' comp was not designed to "make workers whole". Although workers' comp benefits are payable reg

      • AB 1687
        05/20/12
        If there is one thing that leaves injured workers frustrated, it's the procedures that frequently result in treatment denials.

        Between 2005 and 2010, medical cost containment expenses almost quadrupled. That includes expenses for utilization review and bill review.

        Insur

      • DEPARTMENT OF INSURANCE HEARING TODAY
        05/15/12
        The California Department of Insurance will be holding a hearing today in San Francisco on the WCIRB mid year filing requesting a hike in the advisory workers' comp rate.

        THe insurance market is not required to follow WCIRB recommendations or the rate finding of CDI. Rates continue t

      • ASCs
        05/13/12
        Do ambulatory surgery center owners do more surgery? If so, is that bad?

        What are the implications for workers' comp?

        On an anecdotal level, I recently had minor hand surgery at an ASC. The facility was incredibly efficient, with far less bureaucracy than I had experienced

      • EVERY GOOD PLAY
        05/13/12
        Every good play has its scenic backdrop.

        Shakespeare's Hamlet had its Elsinore Castle in Denmark. South Pacific had its Bali Ha'i.

        So it will be this year with California workers' comp, which will be on the table as the legislature struggles with deficits spinnin

      • LESS CONCENTRATED
        05/08/12
        California's workers comp market is becoming less concentrated, with 25 insurer groups having at least a 1% market share.

        That's according to data compiled by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and the California Department of Insurance.

        According to

      • TROLLING SOCIAL MEDIA
        05/06/12
        Should judges be free to mine information on social media sites that pertain to claimants?

        In an era when so much personal information may be found on the internet, is it appropriate for judges to do internet research about the parties appearing in their courtrooms?

        I'm no

      • SMOOTH SAILING
        05/06/12
        It was smooth sailing at the legislature this week for Christine Baker and Rosa Moran.

        Both easily won confirmation to their posts as head of the DIR and the DWC.

        By all accounts, Moran and Baker work well together.

        With reform efforts on the horizon, the political

      • LOOKING AROUND
        05/01/12
        The DWC listening tour is now over.

        Yesterday I had a chance to catch one of the final sessions in Oakland.

        It was interesting that the only specific mention of monetary savings I heard yesterday came from comments by SCIF's representative. SCIF claims that they project ov

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