News Digest 11-11-2020

Ex-orthopedic surgeon pleads guilty to fraud and identity theft charges
A former orthopedic surgeon who was previously convicted of healthcare fraud has pleaded guilty to additional charges of wire fraud, health care fraud and aggravated identity theft. In his guilty plea, the a Hopewell Junction, New York resident acknowledged assuming the identity of a licensed orthopedic surgeon and obtaining more than $876,000 in payments for reviewing patient files in connection with health care appeals and workers’ compensation cases. Westchester & Fairfield County Business Journals (White Plains, N.Y.)

 

Ohio BWC to distribute dividends to businesses, school
The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation has voted to return $5 billion in dividends to the state’s business community. Niles City Schools will receive $325,000. WFMJ

 

Washington: Proposed workers’ comp rate increase for Amazon fulfillment centers moves forward
The Washington Department of Labor and Industries has proposed a new risk classification specifically for fulfillment centers, removing them from the broader warehousing classification. The proposal would raise workers’ compensation insurance rates for fulfillment centers 15 percent next year, while rates for other warehouses would fall 20 percent. L&I insurance actuaries noticed that between 2014 and 2018, Amazon fulfillment centers saw a marked increase in workers’ comp claims, while general merchandise warehouses and grocery distributors saw claim frequency trend downward. Seattle Times

 

New Mexico man endures long delay for workers’ comp
A New Mexico man who was injured in October 2015 while working on a gas line in New Mexico when nearly 70 pounds of solid metal struck him in the head, causing him spinal cord trauma, has spent years struggling to get the medical care he needs in the state’s workers’ compensation system. KRQE (Alburquerque)

 

COVID-19 adds more than 5,000 Minnesota’s workers’ comp claims so far in 2020
Workers’ compensation claims related to COVID-19 raised Minnesota filings by more than 5,000 between March and September 2020, even as most recent workplace fatality numbers fell according to the 2020 Minnesota Workplace Safety Dashboard, the state’s annual workplace safety report. The report also found that falls remain a leading cause of injuries, and agriculture remains one of the state’s most dangerous sectors. Fillmore County Journal


Q&A: Can employers require a COVID vaccine?

Rebecca Demaree, a partner with Cornelius & Collins, discusses some legal questions surrounding the expected COVID-19 vaccine. Nashville Post