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Category: Weekly Podcast News

April 17, 2023 – News Podcast


Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: O.C. Restaurant Loses Battle For COVID Closure Insurance Coverage. L.C. 515.7 Limiting Wage Statement Claims is Not Retroactive. San Diego Surgeon Faces Murder Charges following Patients Death. 12 Suspects Face 110 Felonies in Disability Insurance Fraud Scheme. Five Defendants Face WorkComp Premium Fraud Charges. California Chamber of Commerce Published 2023 List of “Job Killer Bills”. Auditor Suggest State Bar Improve Integrity of Attorney Probes. Is New CRISPR Technology Drug Cost Effective at $1.9M for a Single Dose? Aggressive Marketing Pays Off For Specialty Drugmaker. Newsom v Wallgreens – Walgreens Seems to Be Winning (So Far).

April 10, 2023 – News Podcast


Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: Homeowner is Employer of Uninsured Licensed Contractor’s Worker. WCAB Panel Affirms WCJ Discretion to Deny PD Overpayment Credit. Judge Allows L.A. Ballot Initiative to Cap Hospital Executive Pay. Co-Employee Named in Tort Action Can Exercise Employer’s Arbitration Rights. Garden Grove Pharmacist Resolves Fraudulent Billing Claims for $4M. California Nurses Association Sponsors A.B. 1156 Presumed Injury Law. VA Delays Rollout of Troubled $16B Electronic Medical Records System. The Joint Commission Annual Review Shows 19% Sentinel Event Increase. Telehealth Utilization Increased Nationally in January 2023. Labor Department Survey Shows Reduction in Telework.

April 3, 2023 – News Podcast


Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: MSP Manual Update Requires Providers to Identify and Bill MSAs. City of L.A. Retail Industry Fair Work Week Ordinance Starts April 1. Carson CA Facility Closes After $838,800 Cal/OSHA Citations. WCIRB Study Shows Experience Rating Improves Workplace Safety. San Diego Doctor Pleads Guilty to $2M Insurance Fraud. Congressman Seeks to Plug Fraudsters “Shocking Loophole”. Evidence in 17 YouTube Videos Leads to Insurance Fraud Arrest. Burned Out Healthcare Workers Considering Leaving the Industry. P&C Insurers 2022 Underwriting Losses Soar and Net Income Shrinks. GPT-4 AI Technology Easily Passed the Multistate Bar Exam – What’s Next?

March 27, 2023 – News Podcast


Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: CMS Pursues Law Firm for Conditional Payment Reimbursement. 9th Circuit Revives Uber Constitutional Challenge to AB-5. National Firefighters Union Battles Cancer Causing Protective Gear. Executive/Owner of 100 Insurance Companies Faces $2B Fraud Indictment. Court Affirms $8.2M Restitution Calculation in Premium Fraud Case. O.C. Pharmacy Director Sentenced to 9½ Years for Kickback Scheme. WCAB Ends COVID Special Rules in New En Banc Decision. CWCI Study Shows Medical Treatment Patterns Have Stabilized. Bay Area CompScience Startup Inks Deal to Bind Insurance in 10 States.

March 20, 2023 – News Podcast


Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: Insurance Carrier Resolves Policy Dispute Class Action for $6.2M. Covid Misinformation Law Entangled in Conflicting Lawsuits. No Liability For Off Worksite, Weekend Sexual Misconduct Between Friends. Uber, Lyft, DoorDash Prevail in AB 5 – Prop 22 Appeal. PEO Owners Plead Guilty to $54M Insurance Fraud Scheme. CSLB Stings Show Abundance of Unlicensed and Uninsured Contractors. Probes Reveal Decades Long State Bar Unethical Conduct. No ACOEM/MTUS Adoption Yet of New CDC Opioid Guidelines. Nurses Across the State Protest Working Conditions. Feds Move to Rein In Health Insurance Prior Authorization Rules.

March 13, 2023 – News Podcast


Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: WCAB Orders Bifurcated Trial in NFL Contested Jurisdiction Case. Good Faith Belief of Compliance Precludes Penalties & Attorney Fees. PAGA Penalties Expanded to Include Sick Pay Act Violations. No Equitable Contribution Between Employer’s GL and Comp Carriers. Jury Convicts Orthopedic Surgeon for Kickbacks After Six-Day Trial. Home Health Care Provider Cited for $9M for Employee Misclassification. Santa Ana Recovers $96K From Police Officer Convicted for Comp Fraud. Fraud Resulted in Doctors Implanting Fake $16,000 Pain Devices. Insulin Pricing Controversies Move From Drug Makers to PBMs. JAMA Study Shows Increasing Surgical Procedures in Outpatient Settings.

March 6, 2023 – News Podcast


Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: Carrier and Defense Firm to Face Applicant Fraud/Slander Lawsuit. NLRB Limits Confidentiality & Non-Disparagement Severance Agreements. Employer Fined $27K For Water Not Close Enough to Workers. California COVID-19 State of Emergency Ends February 28th 2023. DEA Proposed Rules for Permanent Telemedicine Prescribing. Anti-Inflammatory/Anticonvulsant Drugs are Significant Comp Cost Drivers. WCIRB Publishes New Industry Profile Series on Healthcare. Amazon closes $3.9B Buyout of Health Company One Medical. Wallmart, Best Buy, Dollar General Announce Health Care Expansion. $2.6B in Major Hospital Construction Under Way in Sacramento Area.

February 27, 2023 – News Podcast


Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: Interpreter Must Show Evidence of Fees in Same Geographic Area. SCOTUS Rejects J&J’s Appeal of $302M Deceptive Marketing Penalty. SCOTUS Clarifies FLSA’s Salary-Basis Test for Highly Paid Worker. So. Cal. Chiropractor and NBA Players Sentenced for Healthcare Fraud. California Legislature Proposes 2,600 New Laws This Year. Section 111 Claim Reporting – Civil Monetary Penalty Rulemaking Delayed. Companies May Now Use Federal Voluntary Self-Disclosure Policy. Expanded Authority for Nurse Practitioners Effective on January 1.

February 20, 2023 – News Podcast


Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: Commercial Traveler Rule Applies to Workers Assisting Firefighters. Employment Law Arbitration Cases Queue up in Cal Supreme Court. Ninth Circuit Strikes Down California Ban on “Forced Arbitration”. “Yellowstone” actress Q’orianka Kilcher’s Comp Fraud Case Dismissed. Estimated EDD Fraud Losses Increased to Nearly $40 Billion. Pharmacist Sentenced to 2 Years in Prison For Faked Prescriptions. Supermajority of Physicians Now Employed by Corporate Entities. Half of California Hospitals Are in the Red, – Some Are Closing. WCRI Says Work Comp Medical Outcomes Worse than Other Payors. 350 MDs Lobby Congress for AMA Recovery Plan for America’s Physicians.

February 13, 2023 – News Podcast


Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: Retired NFL Players File Class Action Over Rejected Disability Claims. Privette Doctrine Exceptions Save Injured Worker’s Tort Action. No Total Immunity for County Hospital’s Employee PAGA Case. SCOTUS Raises the Bar for Opioid Pill Mill Doctor Criminal Convictions. Silicon Valley Online Pharmacy Startup Resolves Fraud Cases. EEOC Updates Employer Guidance on the ADA and Hearing Disabilities. NCCI Reports on Inflation and Work Comp Medical Costs. COVID-19 Prevention Non-Emergency Regulations Now in Effect. New Contracts Awarded as Centene Pays $596M to 13 States for Overbilling. CMS Lets Health Plans Keep Billions of Dollars in Excess Payments.