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WorkCompAcademy Weekly News


Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: Silicon Valley AI Company Makes InsurTech Top 100 List. Screenwriters Union Fighting Off Industry Wide AI Adoption. Specific Findings Required for Ordering One Carrier to Pay CT Benefits. SJDB Voucher Not Required in Total Disability Case. Rise in Occupational Silicosis Triggers 17 L.A. Lawsuits and Cal/OSHA Action. Former Modesto Doctor Pleads Guilty to Illegally Prescribing Opioids. NLRB Reverses Discipline Rules for Egregious Protected Activity Misconduct. Proposed Amendments to QME Regulations in Final Stages. $22M Donation to UCSD Health for AI Healthcare Launch. Rochelle Walensky Abruptly Resigns as C.D.C. Director.

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Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: CorVel Announces AI Powered Claim Processing Initiative. Google AI Technology Passes US Medical License Exam. WCAB Finds Rule 10133.31(c) is “Antithesis of Substantial Justice”. Court Reinstates Billing Class Action Against Modesto Hospital. 187 Tow Truck Employees Recover $2.9M in Wage Theft. Beverly Hills Surgeon Resolves Fraud Claims for $24 Million. Merced Family Charged in $2.1M Payroll Fraud Schemes. NFL Faces CA/NY Attorney Generals Hostile Workplace Investigation. OSHA Announces Program to Reduce, Prevent Workplace Falls. AMA and 100 Provider Groups Fight Cigna Fee Schedule.

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Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: Failure to Prove Regulatory Compliance Ends Employer Medical Control. Arbitration Agreement Legalese & Unreadable Fine Print Is Not Unconscionable. Toluca Lake Man Accused of Impersonating a Doctor for Several Years. Bakersfield Pain Management Physician Sentenced for Tax Evasion. $1.47M Settlement Resolves Poultry Processor Wage Theft Citations. New Federal Workers Comp Program OIG Audit Shows Epic Failure. LA Metro Union Station Resolves “Long List” of ADA Violations. Legislature Seeks to Lower Burden of Proof to Discipline Physicians. ChatGPT Answers Beat Physicians in JAMA Internal Medicine Study. Sedgwick Launches OpenAI GPT-4 Tools for Work Comp Claims.

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Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: Communications With QME About Depo Fees Cannot Be Ex-Parte. NFL Successfully Defends Players’ “Painkiller Culture” Lawsuit. 9th Circuit Rejects Arbitration of Amazon Spying-on-Drivers Case. Hearst Resolves 56 Misclassified Employee Class Action for $1M. Cal/OSHA Pursues Criminal Prosecution Following Confined Space Deaths. Beverly Hills Surgeon Sentenced to 7 Years for $355M Insurance Fraud. Owners of Fresno Security Business Accused of $1.6M Premium Fraud. Orange County Doctor Arrested for $153M Insurance Fraud. Pharmaceutical Mergers and Acquisition Activity Leads to Higher Prices. JAMA Study on Telehealth Triggers Support From CDC.

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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).

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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.

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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?

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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.

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