Average medical payments for California workers compensation claims increased sharply between 2005 and 2011, although medical cost containment has shifted some medical payment expenditures, the California Workers’ Compensation Institute said Monday.
Oakland, Calif.-based CWCI analyzed data from 1.9 million California workers comp claims between January 2002 and September 2012. Average medical payments for indemnity claims rose to $6,845 in 2011, up 60.2% from $4,273 in 2005, CWCI said.
Meanwhile, average medical payments for all California workers comp claims climbed to $2,543 in 2011, up 51.7% from $1,677 in 2005.
Average payments for indemnity claims that included pharmaceuticals and durable medical equipment between 2005 and 2011 rose 187.6% to $801, the report said. Average pharmaceutical and durable medical equipment payments for all California workers comp claims during that time increased 171.3% to $276.
The report showed that medical treatment represented 73% of medical payment costs in 2011, compared with 79.4% in 2005. However, medical cost containment expenses represented 13.9% of medical payment costs in 2011, compared with 11.6% in 2005.
CWCI said early analysis of 2012 claims showed that average medical payments for workers comp claims showed “marginal” declines in the first three and six months after an occupational injury.
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Information provided by: http://www.businessinsurance.com/article/20130827/NEWS08/130829850?tags=|305|304|92
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Confined spaces (such as storage tanks, ship compartments, pits, silos, wells, sewers, boilers, tunnels and pipelines) can be dangerous places. According to OSHA, accidents in confined areas kill an average of 70 American workers a year and injure hundreds, primarily due to atmospheres that were flammable, toxic, or corrosive.
To make sure that your employees know what they should do – and, just as important, not do – in case they need to deal with confined space emergency – safety experts recommend that they follow these guidelines.
What workers should do:
First, report the situation immediately to your supervisor, who will notify an emergency rescue team. If the people inside can rescue themselves safely, keep in contact with them throughout the procedure, and help them in any way possible without entering the space. If a rescue by an outside party is needed – and you’re trained, equipped, and authorized to do this – go ahead. If the emergency calls for a rescue team, let those inside the space know that help is on the way, keep in touch with them, and wait for the team to arrive.
What workers should not do:
Never let other workers attempt a rescue unless they have the training, equipment, and authorization to do so. Don’t allow anyone except the designated rescue team to enter a confined space in an emergency. Don’t leave the entry point to the confined space until the rescue team arrives.
We’d be happy to work with you on training your workers to deal with a confined space emergency – just give us a call at Scurich Insurance Services!
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For any business with employees! Special updates, and advice on holding down Workers Comp claims.
Scurich Insurances can provide commercial packages, farm bureau discounts, farm packages, workers compensation, professional liability, umbrella, group benefits group life & health personal auto , home, life, health and much more. We can also help you plan wisely and guide you in the evaluation of risk management, We serve Watsonville, California and surrounding areas. We represent over 50 Insurance carriers to better protect your business.
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America is a tired country. About 20% of us average less than six hours of sleep a night, and the percentage of those who sleep eight hours or more keeps declining. The problem is worse for the ever-increasing number of employees who work nontraditional schedules. According to one nationwide study, 44% of shift workers are sleep deprived (compared with 29% of day workers).
Sleep deprivation in the workplace leads to poor concentration, absenteeism, accidents, errors, injuries – and fatalities.
In 2012 an American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine task force developed these guidelines to help businesses manage the risks of workplace fatigue:
- Staffing. Set shifts that minimize the need for employees to work additional hours.
- Shiftwork. Reduce fatigue for night shift workers by setting schedules so that they can recover from sleep deprivation by sleeping at night and/or napping during the day.
- Employee training and sleep disorder management. Teach workers about the impact, and health risks of sleep disorders. Screen them for symptoms through a questionnaire or physical. Employees should learn how to how to wake up at the same time every day, and avoid alcohol or caffeine before bedtime. Treatments for sleep disorders t include behavior modification, continuous positive airway pressure (C-PAP) equipment, and medication.
- Workplace conditions. To increase employee alertness change such factors in the environment as light, temperature, humidity, noise, and ergonomic design. Provide breaks for food, exercise, conversation and – if possible – naps.
- Individual risk assessment. Give managers authority to encourage rest breaks, shift dangerous activities to others, or use a buddy approach to improve alertness. Make sure that workers can identify such signs of excessive fatigue as yawning, a drooping head or eyelids, or lapses in attention.
To learn more about how you can help your workers fight fatigue in the workplace, just let us know at any time. At Scurich Insurance Services, we’re here to serve you.
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Scurich Insurance Services is proud to announce the launch of our latest and greatest promotion! We will be giving you a chance to win a brand spanking new iPad. All you have to do is fill out our simple survey and you will instantly be entered into our promotion drawing.
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You’re probably doing everything you can (from detailed job descriptions through physical exams to comprehensive workplace safety programs) to minimize job-related injuries.
However, accidents happen, despite your best efforts. The sooner employees injured on the job return to work, the less it costs your Workers Compensation insurance company to treat them, the lower your “experience mod” – and your premiums.
The first step in the process is to make sure that workers report any injuries to their supervisor as soon as possible – definitely before the end of their shift.
Once an injury is reported, it’s essential to get the proper treatment. To find a list of board-certified occupational physicians in your area, go to www.acoem.org. If no specialist is available, choose a doctor who is familiar with the physical demands on workers in your business and knows what type of jobs you can provide to transition injured employees back to their full-time positions. If the doctor knows you will offer transitional duty to these workers, he or she will be far more likely to let them go back to work, rather than send them home to sit on the couch and watch infomercials for attorneys at 1-800-SUE-THEM.
Once these employees return to transitional jobs, they’ll be far more likely to work hard so they can get back to their full-time position – which means they’ll be more productive. The bottom line: a “rapid return” program can turn transform injured workers from liabilities into assets. What’s not to like?
Our agency’s Workers Compensation specialists stand ready to offer their advice on developing such a program tailored to your needs. Just give us a call at Scurich Insurance Services!
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