National – According to News Medical Life Sciences, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will release updated and expanded recommendations for clinicians providing pain care for adult outpatients with both short- and long-term pain. The new publication will aim to replace the CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain released in 2022.
The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) has released an updated a version of its Court Case Insights interactive dashboard. This tool offers a comprehensive nationwide overview of court cases reported by NCCI’s legal team that could affect the workers’ compensation system. The dashboard allows users to access court cases by state, court, or year, providing detailed summaries of cases all in one convenient location.
The National Safety Council (NCCI) released a White Paper and a Survey this week:
- A new white paper titled Accounting for Non-Physical Risk Factors in MSD Prevention was released by NCCI. This paper highlights the importance of addressing non-physical risk factors to prevent musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). It categorizes these risks into three main areas: organizational, psychosocial, and behavioral.
- NCCI conducted the 2024 Annual Carrier Executive Survey to identify key issues for 2025. This survey included insights from over 100 workers’ compensation executives. According to the survey results, the financial health of the system and medical inflation emerged as the top two concerns, followed by economic uncertainty and the evolving workforce and workplace.
Ohio – The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) is launching the Workforce Safety Innovation Center (WSIC). This initiative will provide safety grants ranging from $150,000 to $2 million, depending on the project track, to develop personal protective equipment (PPE) and personal protective technology (PPT) that enhance workplace safety.
Oregon – The Oregon Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) will hold a public meeting on November 19th at 10 am in Salem, with a Zoom option available the week before. The meeting will cover the legally mandated biennial review of attorney fees and a presentation on attorney fee data. The board welcomes early comments, which can be sent to katelyn.crowe@wcb.oregon.gov.
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