Regulatory RoundupDecember 9, 2016

Regulatory Roundup is a weekly digest of

workers’ compensation news from around

the country.

Safety

Regular drinkers, irregular heartbeat?

Research has linked light and moderate alcohol use to better heart health. But a new study suggests that principle might not apply to an irregular heart beat condition known as atrial fibrillation. Researchers found that the risk of atrial fibrillation grows 8 percent for each daily alcoholic drink…MORE

Tips for a festive, safe holiday season

When you’re in a festive mood, every place looks like a good place for decorations. Tempting as it may be, refrain from hanging decorations on office fire sprinklers. Here are some more tips we can all follow to have a festive, safe holiday season…MORE

Safety Fraud

A workers’ compensation lawyer and preauthorization specialist are among the conspirators named in a federal indictment involving a five-year, $700 million health care fraud scheme. According to the indictment, the conspirators referred patients to Dallas-based Forest Park Medical Center (FPMC) in exchange for bribes, kickbacks and other inducements. …MORE

Dallas health care providerscharged in massive conspiracy

Opioid epidemic

The new face of substance abuse

When talk turns to substance abuse, we tend to think of shady deals that transpire between equally shady characters in dark alleys. It’s time to toss that narrative out the window. Today’s substance abuse epidemic is driven by a familiar cast of characters assuming historically unfamiliar roles…MORE

Heroin deaths surpass gun homicides

In 2015, nearly 13,000 Americans died from heroin overdoses. This marks the first time since at least the late 1990s that heroin overdoses have claimed more lives than gun homicides. The rise in heroin-related deaths mirrors an increase in opioid-related deaths, according to the CDC…MORE

Safety Legislative news

The Texas workers’ compensation system has benefitted from a 36 percent drop in non-fatal injuries since 2005 and a 56 percent drop in premium rates since 2003, according to TDI’s Biennial Report to the 85th Legislature…MORE

TDI report details stateof Texas workers’ comp system