The March issue of Occup Med (London) includes the article, Predicting Return to Work Following Treatment of Chronic Pain Disorder. The results of the study found early intervention and referred the keys to success. Results of the injured workers who participated in the interdisciplinary CPD treatment programme, 1002 clients met [...]
The April issue of Jarthoplasty includes the story, Workers' Compensation Patients After Total Joint Arthroplasty: Do They Return to Work? The results of the study indicates that receipt of workers’ compensation may impact recovery. The results of the study were: Clinicians identify patients receiving Workers' Compensation (WC) as unlikely to [...]
The journal Work in its 2013 issue carries as important article, Biopsychosocial Determinants of Work Outcomes of Workers With Occupational Injuries Receiving Compensation: A Prospective Study. The results of the study were as follows: RESULTS: The variables under investigation were: age, gender, duration of symptoms, pain severity, disability, work importance, [...]
The March 2013 issue of the Journal of Rheumatology includes the article, A Medicolegal Analysis of Worker Appeals for Fibromyalgia as a Compensable Condition Following Workplace Soft-Tissue Injury. The cases studied were appeals for fibromyalgia after soft tissue injuries. RESULTS: All injuries were of a soft-tissue type, without persistent [...]
Physicians determine causation in workers’ compensation cases primarily based on excluding other potential causes. The Journal of Occupational Medicine (London) ran an interesting article, How Physicians Allocate Causation: A Scenario Study With Factorial Design. The results and conclusion of the study are as follows: RESULTS: The nature of the [...]
The April 2013 issue of Orthopedics has an important article entitled Predictors of Oswestry Disability Index Worsening After Lumbar Fusion. Smokers and obese surgical patients do not fare as well when undergoing lumbar fusion. The authors identified patients with an increase in their Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) score after lumbar [...]
Workers' Compensation Psychological Testing By: Steven Babitsky, Esq. All psychological tests used to evaluate workers' compensation claimants are not of equal value. The objective psychological tests should be afforded more weight by judges and workers' compensation professionals. Some common psychological tests that are subjective include: BDI-II BSI 18 [...]
Reducing Workers’ Compensation Costs By: Steven Babitsky, Esq. Employers, insurers and self-insurers are constantly looking for ways to reduce Workers' Compensation Costs. One of the key decisions they make is the selection of a workers’ compensation attorney. The criteria worker's compensation professionals should consider are: Is counsel a problem solver [...]
RED FLAGS IN WORKERS' COMPENSATION CASES By: Steven Babitsky, Esq. What do workers’ compensation case managers and other professionals look for to identify claims that are likely to be difficult to resolve? Workers' compensation "red flags" may be the most efficient and cost-effective way to identify these claims early on [...]
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT AND CONFIDENTIALITY By: Steven Babitsky, Esq. Attorney Arthur Lambert, speaking at the SEAK National Workers Compensation and Occupational Medicine Conference, discussed the interplay between the ADA, FMLA, and Workers' Compensation laws. He discussed the confidentiality requirements of the ADA: The ADA's confidentiality requirements extend to medical [...]