Postal Service loss nearly halved
The U.S. Postal Service said on Wednesday that its net loss for the 2021 fiscal year was $4.9 billion, close to half of the $9.2 billion it lost during the previous year. The postal agency also noted that some of its costs had risen, including its compensation and benefits as well as transportation expenses. Workers’ compensation increased $1.4 billion the past fiscal year, while transportation costs were up $838 million. The Hill
Telehealth treatments for injured Florida employees declining in 2021, report shows
There’s been a steep reduction in the number of telehealth treatments for injured Florida employees in the first nine months of the year compared to the same time frame last year, a new Department of Financial Services report shows. Between January 1 and September 30, 2021, workers compensation insurance carriers have paid 29,517 telehealth bills submitted by an array of health care providers authorized to treat injured patients, from medical doctors and advanced registered nurse practitioners to licensed mental health counselors, a near 33 percent reduction from the telehealth workers compensation claims that had been submitted during the first nine months of 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Florida Politics
Appeals court upholds workers’ comp limit
An appeals court upheld the constitutionality of a workers’ compensation insurance limit challenged by a man who needed knee surgery nearly 19 years after being injured on the job. News Service of Florida/Jacksonville Business Journal [may require registration]
Utah nurse calls for safety changes after alleged assault at state hospital
A Utah nurse is filing a lawsuit against the state after she says she was punched in the face by a patient while administering medications at the Utah State Hospital. The lawsuit claims the hospital is understaffed and, therefore, dangerous. KSL