In a seventeen-page opinion rendered October 19th, the First Circuit Court of Appeals decided the Barber case, which has been stewing for several years and sought permanent injunctions against a range of Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration (OWCA) procedures.
The Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) recently issued a FlashReport on initial treatment delays for workers’ comp patients across 18 study states. Louisiana consistently had some of longest wait times among the study states. Read on for local response to the data.
The meeting of the Workers’ Compensation Advisory Council (WCAC) on February 23rd focused almost exclusively on changes to the Medical Treatment Guidelines (MTGs) Title 40, Chapter 23 and 27, as published in a Notice of Intent (NOI) in the February 2017 edition of the Louisiana Register.
Dr. Meredith Warner, MD, MBA, of Warner Orthopedics and Wellness in Baton Rouge, is a foot and ankle surgeon, pain specialist and Veteran who treats workers’ comp patients with a keen eye toward return to work. Louisiana Comp Blog sat down with Dr. Warner to discuss her work and the provider experience in Louisiana’s workers’ comp system. Read on to get Dr. Warner’s thoughts on why more education is needed on all sides.
Today (10/28), the Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC) held a public hearing on the proposed updates to the Medical Treatment Guidelines. The lengthy revisions are primarily based upon Colorado’s MTGs, as were the initial iteration, which took effect in 2011.
At the October meeting of the Workers’ Compensation Advisory Council yesterday, members addressed concerns about UR review, reimbursement for surgical implants, the pending status of a new OWC Medical Director, and the upcoming public hearing for the 200+ page update of the Medical Treatment Schedule.
The August meeting of the Workers’ Compensation Advisory Council (WCAC) held yesterday at the LABI conference center in Baton Rouge centered around the potential implementation of a closed formulary for workers’ comp based on the Work Loss Data Institute’s “Official Disability Guidelines.”
Traumatic brain injuries can occur in nearly every industry and are notoriously difficult to predict on the provider side and the carrier side. While treatment differs from patient to patient, injured workers in particular need support to cope with the variety of symptoms, some of which can be devastating. Louisiana Comp Blog discussed TBI with Dr. Kevin Bianchini, PhD, ABPN, of Jefferson Neurobehavioral Group and got his perspective on the Louisiana workers’ compensation system and the challenges that come with treating work injuries.
Yesterday, LASIE hosted its annual Open Forum and Legislative Recap in Baton Rouge. The event included a variety of speakers addressing everything from the recent 19th JDC decision declaring parts of the MTG process unconstitutional to the organization’s first self-insured health presentation since LASIE decided to open the Association to all lines of self-insurance. However, the highlights were two issues at the forefront of comp community concerns: the upcoming gubernatorial election and the update to the medical fee schedule from the Office of Workers’ Compensation. Scott Angelle opened the forum with a rousing speech in support of self-insurance and the workers’ comp industry.
A recent decision out of the 19th Judicial District Court in East Baton Rouge declaring parts of the OWCA’s statutory and administrative scheme unconstitutional could have significant implications for the future of the Louisiana Medical Treatment Guidelines passed in 2011 and the medical review process for disputed treatment. Local attorneys spoke to Louisiana Comp Blog about their initial reactions.
