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Category: Weekly Podcast News

March 4, 2024 – News Podcast


Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: Exclusive Remedy Ends Injured Worker’s Lawsuit Against QME. Gig Hospitality Company to Reclassify Workers in $2.1M Agreement. Late Payment Ends Employee Arbitration – Justice Wiley Dissents. Two Former U.S. Marines and Nurse Practitioner Sentenced in $65M Fraud. Surveys Show California Business Climate Remains at All Time Low. The EEOC Announces Filing Deadline for 2023 EEO-1 Component 1 Data. DWC Launches Free Online Education Modules. Medical Board COVID Misinformation “Gag Law” Battles End in California. WCRI Publishes “Medical Cost Containment: A National Inventory, 2024”. Change Healthcare Cyberattack Disruption Continues for Sixth Day.

February 26, 2024 – News Podcast


Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: Supreme Court to Resolve Conflicting Decisions on ER Fees Class Actions. Court has Jurisdiction Over Employer’s Assets in Premium Fraud Case. Injured Worker’s $8.2M Verdict Against Alleged Employer Reversed. Fake Doctor Attempts to Open New Practice 2 Weeks After Prison Release. 7 Restaurant Industry Convictions for Insurance Fraud and Wage Theft. Bipartisan Coalition of 39 States in Support of Pending PBM Legislation. California Invests $18 Million in Grants to Prosecute Wage Theft. UCSF Launches Comprehensive Study of Long COVID.

February 19, 2024 – News Podcast


Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: One Call Accused of Using Interpreters With Fake Names & Badges. Whistleblower Cases Accuse Kaiser of Massive Billing Fraud. Quest Diagnostics Pays $5M for Illegal Hazardous Waste Disposal. Solana Beach Pharmaceutical Company Resolves Kickback Case for $750K. North Hills Family Arraigned in $192K Auto Insurance Fraud Scheme. Insurance Commissioner Publishes “First Wave” of Insurance Market Reforms. FTC and HHS Probe the Role of Pharmaceutical Middlemen. Cal/OSHA Toughens Rules On Workplace Lead Exposure. FDA Grants Priority Review of Psychedelic Drug for PTSD. APCIA Announces Award Winners Among 2024 Class of Emerging Leaders.

February 12, 2024 – News Podcast


Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: WCAB Declines to Extend Premises Line Rule for Injured Worker. Lien Claimant’s Market Rate Analysis Inadequate to Justify Additional Fees. Jury Awards $1.675 Million in an EEOC ADA Discrimination Case. $1 Million Settlement for Warehouse Workers in Inland Empire. Employer Costs and Attorney Fees Awarded Only in Frivolous FEHA Cases. No Extraterritorial Application of California & Federal Whistleblower Law. $40 Million Statewide Medical Insurance Scammers Sentenced. Census Bureau Drops Controversial Disability Statistics Proposal. Report Shows Record Healthcare Sector Bankruptcies in 2023. UCSF Health To Buy Two Bay Area Struggling Hospitals.

February 5, 2024 – News Podcast


Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: WCAB Panel Reviews Criteria to Set Aside C&R for Incompetence. Opinion Defines When Ending Forced Arbitration Act “Dispute” Arise. Insureds May Video Record Participants During Examination Under Oath. SoCal Man Sentenced for $6M Used and Counterfeit Medical Device Fraud. Ethics Ratings of Nearly All Professions Down in U.S. NCCI Releases Q4 2023 “Upbeat” Quarterly Economics Briefing. CWCI Reports Workers’ Comp Inpatient Care Declined by 51.1%. DWC Annual Report of Inventory for Claims Due by April 1. Researchers Discover Potential Non-Opioid Treatment for Chronic Pain. Pomona Valley Hospital Overbilled $1.4M For Prescription Meds.

January 29, 2024 – News Podcast


Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: WCAB Rejects Psychologist’s Psyche Claim Against Dept. of Corrections. S.F. City Attorney Battles U.S. News & World Report Over Hospital Ranking. CEO of Whittier Health Clinic Sentenced to 10 Years for Billing Fraud. Cheesecake Factory Settles SoCal Wage Violations for $1M. Study Shows VA Healthcare More Efficient, Less Costly & Better Results. Technology Industries Dominate 2024 J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference. Sedgwick Introduces it’s Connect 2024 Industry Trends Agenda. NSC Expands Workplace Safety Grant Programs by $260K.

January 22, 2024 – News Podcast


Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: Arbitration Battles Now Targeting Auto Insurance UIM Claims. Trial Courts Lack Power to Reject “Unmanageable” PAGA Litigation. NCCI Reports Workers’ Compensation System is Strong and Healthy. New CMS Rules Targets Access to Health Records. Google’s Articulate Medical Intelligence Explorer (AMIE) Outperforms Doctors. 32% of Academic Physicians Plan to Leave Workforce, Fueled by Burnout. Hospital and Health System Financial Pressures are Key 2024 Issue. CMS Announces Move to Innovation in Behavioral Health (IBH) Model.

January 16, 2024 – News Podcast


Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: Severability and Poison Pill Clause Makes Arbitration Agm’t Null and Void. 9th Circuit Revives Rest Break Class Action Against California Retailer. School District Prevails in Employee Termination for Cause Case. Plaintiff Attorney Thomas Girardi is Malingering and Competent to Stand Trial. DOL Publishes a Guide to the New Independent Contractor Test. Budget Deficit Threatens Healthcare Worker $25 Minimum Wage Law. 18 Years of Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest Taint DSM-5 Mandated by LC 3202.3. NIH Partner to Open Neural Clinical Trials Ecosystem in Bakersfield.

January 8, 2024 – News Podcast


Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: Farmers Senior VP of Claims Awarded $24M for Employer Retaliation. Uninsured Comp Ruling Allows Homeowners to Avoid Illegally Problems. California Workplace Indoor Heat Prevention Rules Expected in March. Understanding “Kinesiophobia” is Valuable Tool for Claims. WCIRB Releases Third Quarter 2023 Experience Report. DWC Accepting Applications for Qualified Medical Evaluator. UCLA Purchases 700,000 Sq. Ft. Space for Immunology Research Park. Prices Set to Increase This Year on Over 500 Prescription Drugs.

January 1, 2024 – News Podcast


Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: WCAB Orders Issued More Than 60 Days After Pet for Recon are Void. Employer Excess Insurance Policies May Cover Whistleblower Litigation. 9th Circuit Vacates it’s Decision on AB5 and Grants En Banc. Activision Resolves SoCal Harassment Case for $54 M. L.C. 139.32 (b) Held Unconstitutional in Applicants Attorney Prosecution. Philips Respironics Pays $2.4 Million for Giving Kickbacks to Sleep Labs. Three Charged With Fraud Tied To Insurance Company Collapse. Former WCJ David O’Brien Peacefully Passed Away at 95.