News Digest 7-16-2019

Quote of the day

“We’ve got an epidemic. It’s time to talk serious about how we take care of pain medical management patients.”

Terrell Phillips, president, Oklahoma Pain Society

Oklahoman

 

Jury finds against former Iowa gov in discrimination case

An Iowa jury has awarded the state’s former workers’ compensation commissioner $1.5 million in damages in his lawsuit alleging the state and its former governor, Terry Branstad, discriminated against him based on his sexual orientation. Des Moines Register

 

Pain doctor testifies in Oklahoma opioid trial

Closing arguments were scheduled for Monday in the state of Oklahoma’s lawsuit against opioid manufacturer Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries, for allegedly helping cause the state’s opioid crisis. One witness blamed Oklahoma’s workers’ compensation laws for driving doctors to prescribe opioids in some cases where they might prefer other treatment options for their patients. Oklahoman [with video]

 

Ohio BWC reports four convictions

The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation has provided details on the recent convictions of four people for workers’ compensation fraud, including for operating businesses without proper coverage. WHIO (Dayton, Ohio)

 

Former officer who was stabbed by terrorist denied workers’ comp

A Michigan police officer, who in June 2017 fought off a convicted terrorist at the Flint airport, says his insurance company has denied his workers’ compensation claim after he experienced panic attacks upon his return to work. The officer is teaming up with his state representative in an attempt to change state law to assist first-responders who have job-related mental illness. NBC25 (Flint, Mich.) [with video]