Orlando resident Keith Jackson has been charged with workers’ compensation fraud and grand theft after claims that he falsely collected upward of $115,000 in benefits, according to the Division of Insurance Fraud within the Florida Department of Financial Services. The investigation revealed that Jackson incorrectly reported that his injuries were sustained while he was employed as an Orange County Corrections Officer. If convicted, Jackson could receive up to a thirty-year prison sentence. The state office that completed the investigation states that Jackson had claimed to have sustained back and foot injuries while participating in defense tactics training while working for the corrections department in Orange County. The investigation concluded that Jackson had omitted information and material regarding his medical conditions. As a business owner, you already know about the expenses involved in maintaining workers' compensation coverage for your company. Being prepared for an incident ...

The Division of Workers’ Compensation within the Florida Department of Financial Services has recently released a Notice of Proposed Rule Development in regard to Florida Workers’ Compensation Medical Services. The rule specifically applies to billing, filing and reporting. The function of the proposed rule workshop is to change the current rule as to not require insurers to issue and Explanation of Bill Review (EOBR) when they provide any reimbursement to pharmacies that are licensed under Florida Statute. If the insurer or their representative has a contract with a pharmacy prior to the administering of the service that determines the reimbursement and defines the specific amount to be reimbursed, the insurer would be not have to issue an EOBR to that specific pharmacy or provider. The initial text of the possible changes are as follows:  69L-7.602 Florida Workers' Compensation Medical Services Billing, Filing and Reporting Rule. (1) through (4) No Change. (5) Insurer Responsibilities. ...

In the wake of years of fighting to lower the cost of physician-dispensed drugs, Florida workers’ compensation insurers have reached an agreement with physicians and drug companies that is projected to lower drug costs by upward of $20 million.  Lawmakers passed the compromise (SB662) that will place a cap on what physicians can charge for prescription drugs they dispense to workers who are injured. With the new agreement in place, the reimbursement rate will be topped at 112.5 percent of the average wholesale price of the medication. There’s also an additional $8 dispensing fee. Insurers will have the opportunity to contract with physicians to lower fees. Reimbursements paid to pharmacies will remain at the drug’s average wholesale price plus an additional dispensing fee of $4.18. Based on the projected 2012 premiums waged by self insurers and workers’ compensation insurers, the legislation is anticipated to lower total insurance costs by 0.7 percent or $20 million ...

The outlets that companies can rely upon for employer-brand campaigns are vast. Their options include attending conferences, hiring consulting firms to complete audits and create potential plans and reading blogs for more ideas. They can also utilize Web-based data analysis tools to look at the results of their branding efforts. Here’s a list of a few of the available employer-brand analysis outlets: CareerBuilder: Corporate customers of the job website can utilize the new Recruitment Performance Portal dashboard option to look at how effective their job listings are compared with their competitors looking to fill similar jobs in the same location. The dashboard option comes at no cost to companies posting jobs in the U.S. Glassdoor: This workplace-review website allows job seekers to search upward of 14 million job listings and salary information at more than 250,000 companies. Employees also have the opportunity to anonymously rate their place of employment. Employers use the site to get a ...

Two Miami-Dade residents were arrested for contributions in the ‘Operation Dirty Money Scheme,’ including $35 million in fraudulent transactions.  John Diaz, 45, of Pinecrest Fla. Was arrested on suspicion of money laundering and organized scheme to defraud, both first-degree felonies. He was also arrested for money service business violations, a second-degree felony and two counts of workers’ compensation fraud. Mercedes Avila-Dias, 44, of Pinecrest was arrested on suspicion of two counts of workers compensation fraud. A total of $35 million in fraudulent transactions occurred at Diaz Supermarkets according to a Workers’ Compensation Fraud Task Force investigation. The supermarkets are a licensed money service business that Dias has owned and operated since 2006. $640,000 was seized in forfeiture as well as three vehicles after the Miami-Dade county issued search warrants at the supermarket locations and offices. According to the investigation, Diaz and Avila-Dias al ...