National – The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) released its January 2025 Medical Inflation Insights report which highlights medical price inflation moderated more sharply than overall inflation in 2024. The Workers’ Compensation Weighted Medical Price Index (WCWMI) grew by 2.3% in 2024, down from 2.9% in 2023.
Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) released Changes in the Medical Workforce and Impact on Claims report. This report highlights the increasing role of nurse practitioners and physician assistants in treating injured workers during their first medical visits, a trend driven by physician shortages. Despite this shift, the report found it had minimal impact on claim costs.
The Department of Health and Human Services and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) released a final rule expanding the circumstances under which practitioners can prescribe Schedule III-V controlled substances via telemedicine. This rule will allow for an initial six-month supply of these medications to be prescribed through audio-only telemedicine encounters, provided the practitioner reviews the patient’s prescription drug monitoring program data. Once published, the final rule will be effective February 18, 2025.
Florida – SB 366 would enhance disability benefits for firefighters, law enforcement officers, and correctional officers by establishing a presumption that certain health conditions, such as heart disease, tuberculosis, and hypertension, are incurred in the line of duty unless proven otherwise.
Mississippi – SB 2744 is currently in the Senate. It would establish the Mississippi First Responder Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Suicide Prevention Task Force. The task force is designed to address the mental health challenges first responders face in the line of duty. These first responders include law enforcement officers, firefighters, 911 dispatchers, National Guard members, and emergency medical service personnel. The task force will assess the mental health needs of first responders, develop comprehensive support programs, foster collaboration between stakeholders, reduce mental health stigma, and recommend policy changes and potential legislative reforms.
Montana – HB 143, moved to the Senate this week. As a reminder, HB 143 seeks to repeal the statutory language restricting physician assistants to serve as treating physicians only in the absence of a licensed physician in the area.
Ohio – The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) proposed a 6% reduction in workers’ compensation premiums for private employers, potentially saving them around $60 million in the next fiscal year. If approved, this reduction will take effect on July 1, 2025.
Pennsylvania – Democratic State Representative Jason Dawkins introduced HB 183, a bill designed to support workers who suffer serious and permanent disfigurement to any body part. The bill proposes that these workers receive up to two-thirds of their wages for 400 weeks. Specifically, it increases the number of compensable weeks for permanent disfigurement injuries from 275 to 400 and removes the statute limiting these benefits to injuries of the head, neck, and face.
Tennessee – SB 289 would enable first responders to qualify for workers’ compensation benefits without the burden of proving that their job directly caused their post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Specifically, the bill establishes a presumption that if a law enforcement officer or emergency medical responder is diagnosed with PTSD as a result of responding to certain incidents, it is considered to have been incurred in the line of duty.
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