Average number of weeks of temporary disability increased
- Indemnity benefits per claim grew 10 percent for 2020 non-COVID-19 claims evaluated in 2021 (2020/2021 claims) after being mostly stable since 2015 in New York, according to the WCRI .
- Medical payments per claim decreased by 5 percent in 2020/2021, following anincrease the previous year.
- Both the increase in indemnity benefits and decrease in medical payments per claim in 2020/2021 likely reflect the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on non-COVID-19 claims.
- The average number of weeks of temporary disability increased 9 percent (about one week) in 2020/2021, which may reflect economic conditions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Registered nurse admits to $4M fraud
- A registered nurse and nurse practitioner fraudulently billed commercial health insurers and Medicare nearly $4.4 million for services that he falsely claimed to have provided in Rhode Island, New York, and Florida.
- Alexander A. Istomin pleaded guilty in federal court in Rhode Island to an eleven-count information charging him with health care fraud, mail fraud, aggravated identity theft, and other crimes.
- Istomin admitted that he routinely submitted fraudulent claims for in-person patient services that he falsely claimed to have performed at his offices in Rhode Island, New York, and Florida.
- In some instances, the patients that Istomin claimed he met with in person were out of the country at the time of the alleged visits.
Workers lost jobs after attempt to unionize
- Amy’s Kitchen, a California-based manufacturer of organic convenience foods, closed its new San Jose plant less than two years after it opens.
- More than 300 workers lost their jobs after they had been in the process of organizing with Unite Here Local 19, which represents food service and hospitality workers in Silicon Valley.
- The workers had gone public with allegations of dangerously fast lines, lack of access to restrooms and drinking water, locked fire exits, and managers who were unresponsive to safety concerns.
Workplace stress can lead to chronic illness
- Employee burnout is high and great resignation is being felt throughout all employment sectors, according to new research from the University of Louisville.
Stress and related burnout remain a leading cause of employee resignation, especially among younger workers.
- In a recent survey by Deloitte, about 46% of Gen Z and 45% of millennial workers reported feeling burned out by their work environments.
- Stress can negatively impact employee health but it also can impact worker retention with a number of both Gen Z and millennials reporting that they hoped to leave their jobs within two years.