At the WCRI Annual Conference, a panel discussed the labor shortage’s impact on their organizations. The panel was: John Ruser – WCRI (moderator) Ann Marie Watkins – Kaiser Permanente Steve Perroots – Marriott International Vance Ayers – International Union of Elevator Constructors Joan Vincenz – United Airlines Airline One of the big lessons from this […]

At the 2023 WCRI Annual Conference, Dongchun Wang from WCRI presented a study on the extended use of physical medicine (PM) to treat low back pain. Physical medicine includes therapeutic activities done by a physical therapist. This can range from active movement to the use of electrical stimulation. This study focused on claims involving lower […]

At the 2023 WCRI Annual conference, Jill Leonard from Louisiana Workers Compensation Corporation (LWCC) and Jeff Rush from California JPIA discussed the impact that severe weather events have on workers compensation. Hurricanes Employer/Employee challenges following hurricanes: Road closures. Extended power outages. Water outages or advisories. Limited access to workplace and utilities. Clean up often required […]

At the 2023 WCRI Annual Conference, Dr. Olesya Formenko from WCRI talked about how medical inflation impacts workers’ compensation. Growth in the Consumer Price Index from 2020 to 2022 was much higher than in previous years, averaging 6.4%. The average growth in the eight years prior to that was 1.6%. The price increases seen in […]

At the 2023 WCRI Annual Conference, internationally recognized MIT Economist David Autor opened the event talking about globalization and automation and their impact on jobs, the nature of work, and state workers’ compensation systems. Where will the future of work come from? 1. Insatiability People always want more “stuff.” The more people earn, the more […]

At the 2022 WCRI Annual Conference, Vennela Thumula from WCRI presented studies regarding the impact of prescription drug formularies in various states. A workers’ compensation drug formulary is a list of prescription drugs that can be prescribed and dispensed with no prior authorization. 17 states now have drug formularies for workers’ compensation with Texas implementing […]

At the 2022 WCRI Annual Conference, a panel discussed how the pandemic has changed the workplace. The speakers were: Denise Algire – Albertsons Companies Dan Allen – Construction Industry Service Corporation Craig Ross – Liberty Mutual Sebastian Negrusa – WCRI Vaccine Requirements Educational efforts around the vaccine have been successful in many industries, leading to […]

At the 2022 WCRI Annual Conference, Robert Hartwig, Associate Professor of Finance from the University of South Carolina, talked about a variety of issues impacting the economy and workers’ compensation. Inflation Overview and Impact The current drivers of inflation are rooted in pandemic-related supply chain disruption and monetary policy changes made in response to the […]

At the 2020 WCRI Annual Issues & Research Conference, a panel discussed the importance of mental health for injured workers. The speakers were: Dr Leslie Boden – BU School of Public Health Francis Callahan, Jr – MA Building Trades Council Mary Christiansen – Southern California Edison Dr Kenneth Larsen – New England Baptist Hospital Dr […]

At the 2020 WCRI Annual Issues & Research Conference, Dr L. Casey Chosewood from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) talked about their efforts around total worker health. Total worker health is defined as policies, programs and practices that integrate protection from work-related safety and health hazards with promotion of injury and […]