You are a happy claims adjuster who has been diligently working on your claims: processing payments, making compensability decisions, authorizing appropriate treatment and engaging in the numerous other activities that make up your busy week. You’ve just finished processing your final time loss payment of the day and updated your diary list. You are on […]

Do you have a rotator cuff tear? I do. The fraying and small tear of the suprasinatus tendon in my right shoulder probably occurred as a result of repeatedly throwing a baseball at the highest velocity my 16-year-old arm could deliver and regularly attempting to lift “just five more pounds” above my previous personal best […]

Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common nerve compression disorder of the upper extremity, affecting 5 percent of the working population.[1]   On average, carpal tunnel syndrome accounts for 30 days of lost work.[2] A study reported in the June 4, 2014 issue of The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery provides support for simultaneous left […]

A self-insured employer is certainly entitled to waive an overpayment of benefits. In general, however, overpayments of workers’ compensation benefits are debts that should be repaid. Unfortunately, it is the rare claimant that voluntarily agrees or has the immediate means to voluntarily repay the debt.

Physiological shock, also known as circulatory shock or simply shock, is a failure of the circulatory system to provide adequate amounts of blood to the vital organs and peripheral tissues for introduction of oxygen and nutrients and removal of metabolic wastes. Shock is typically caused by significant blood loss and a concomitant reduction in cardiac and pulmonary performance and efficiency. This article briefly outlines the symptoms of physiological shock and the medicolegal and administrative considerations for determining whether an injured worker may suffer from compensable physiological shock.