State governments are responding to the opioid epidemic. Recently, the New Jersey governor signed new legislation that limits prescribers’ capacity to provide first-time opioid prescriptions for more than five days. The New Jersey state senate passed…

Carfentanil is a synthetic opioid that is 80 times more potent than fentanyl and 8,000 times more potent than heroin. Having been created and used as an elephant tranquilizer in China, it has now found its way into the hands of the public. This dru…

For the past several years, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has been providing the industry with vague hints about liability Medicare set-aside arrangements (LMSAs). The absence of clarity left the liability community unable to…

Sedgwick is proud to support the Association of Claims Professionals (ACP) to advance our industry and sustain future growth and positive outcomes. The companies that make up the ACP are leaders in the claims management industry and include indepen…

Health Affairs is the leading peer-reviewed journal addressing health, health policy and health care - including cost, quality and access. Since the early 1980s, health research published in the journal has been used to shape policy nationally. To my…

The power of the process Consistently using the Official Disability Guidelines (ODG) in workers’ compensation return to work management is a good industry practice, but there’s power in taking a step beyond. Investing additional time to fully unde…

It’s a topic that gets much buzz – how will the cloud of legislation surrounding recreational and medical marijuana use impact businesses, specifically when it comes to compensability for workers’ compensation? I am sure you have all caught up on n…

Brian Gifford, PhD, Director of Research for IBI, discusses paid parental leave trends. On January 18, I attended the Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI) Paid Parental Leave and LOA Regional Event in San Jose, California. The topic of the day was th…

On December 8, I hosted a webinar along with Donna Hardaker, former Director, Wellness Works Mental Health America of California and Heather Holladay, Integrated Health Manager Pacific Gas and Electric Company. It was a fantastic discussion on a topi…

2017 is here and poised to challenge and change our industry in many areas. I think we can all agree the technological advances are moving at an unprecedented pace. The terms artificial intelligence, drones and wearables are changing our lives. Sti…

Make prescription drug control one of your highest priorities Pharmacy spend has been, and will continue to be, a hot-button topic for a cross-section of the healthcare industry. Workers’ compensation is no exception. Opioids, in particular, conti…

A recent ruling by the California Court of Appeal (Castro-Ramirez v. Dependable Highway Express, Inc. (2016) 2 Cal. App. 5th 1028) increases the sphere of influence of the state’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) to include reasonable accommo…

The story is simple and familiar to any experienced property claims professional: a pipe breaks flooding the restaurant downstairs causing it to close for two weeks, or a worker unknowingly drills through a pipe while working on a customer’s equipm…

As we look back on 2016, many of us could agree that it has been one of the most stressful years on our cohesive fabric as a nation and one that has seen natural disasters and struggles happening around the world. At Sedgwick, we believe that caring …

Nearly all businesses have interest in consumer experience. Whether you fly an airline, shop at a retailer, visit a website, or frequent an eatery, businesses care about your perception of their services and the products you consume. Negative experie…