Quote of the day
“Reports indicate that violence — most often from patients and those accompanying them — results in injury, loss of productivity and pose serious safety concerns to health care workers across the country.”
Jason Haag
Iowa workers’ comp claimants face hearing delays
Injured Iowans seeking workers’ compensation are waiting longer to get their hearing dates as the Iowa Workers’ Compensation Commission transitions to a new online case management system. A moratorium on scheduling new hearings likely will continue for another four to six weeks, according to the agency’s commissioner. Daily Iowegian
Massachusetts man charged with insurance fraud
A Salem, Massachusetts has been man has been charged with with setting up a shell home healthcare company in order to fraudulently collect benefits under a long-term care insurance policy. Officials allege he collected money from an insurer by billing for treatment not rendered under his father’s long-term care insurance policy. WickedLocal
Judge allows ex-chem plant employee’s retaliation claim to continue
A federal judge has allowed a lawsuit against a Philadelphia chemical manufacturing company filed by an employee, who injured his back while running a resin mixer in 2015, to continue. The employee alleges his job was terminated as retaliation for making several workplace complaints. Pennsylvania Record
Michigan: County road agency wins workers’ comp award
The Charlevoix County, Michigan Road Commission recently received a statewide workplace safety award from the County Road Association Self-Insurance Fund for having one of the lowest employee injury rates among road commissions in the state. The fund services 69 out of the 83 road commissions in Michigan. Petoskey News
Essay: Preventing violence against health care workers
A 2016 General Accounting Office study reported that rates of violence against health care workers are 12-times higher than rates for the overall workforce. New federal legislation would require Fed-OSHA to issue a Workplace Violence Prevention Standard. Daily Messenger (Canandaigua, N.Y.)