AOHC Encore 2023-210 The COVID-19 Workers' Compensation Experience

Video Transcription
Video Summary
In this video, Dr. Taylor discusses the workers' compensation experience related to COVID-19. She is a stakeholder on the Workers' Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) committee and explains that the WCRI conducts research on worker outcomes and important issues in workers' compensation. Dr. Taylor also mentions that she will not be discussing off-label use of medications for COVID-19.<br /><br />She highlights some of the unique challenges posed by COVID-19 in determining the causation of occupational illnesses. She asks participants about their involvement in treating acute COVID-19, determining causation, and performing impairment ratings. She also asks about the percentage of participants working for insurance companies.<br /><br />Dr. Taylor provides an overview of COVID-19 workers' comp data, including COVID and non-COVID cases and post-COVID claims. She emphasizes the emergence of telemedicine during the pandemic and discusses how its use panned out through 2021. She shows a risk pyramid for COVID-19 occupational exposure and discusses the challenges in determining work-relatedness.<br /><br />Dr. Taylor explains that some states implemented presumptive laws for compensability, while others required a positive COVID-19 test. She also mentions legal presumptions of compensability and the burden of proof on employers. She discusses how COVID-19 impacted medical trends, such as the suspension of elective surgeries and the expansion of telehealth services.<br /><br />She shows data on the prevalence of COVID-19 and long COVID among workers' compensation claims. She notes that long COVID prevalence was highest among workers hospitalized during the acute stage of the disease. Dr. Taylor also discusses the utilization of telemedicine in workers' compensation claims, including trends and reimbursement. She highlights the impact of telemedicine on different types of injuries and conditions.<br /><br />Finally, Dr. Taylor shares data on the closure rates and costs of workers' compensation claims related to COVID-19. She mentions the need for further research on denied long COVID claims and the impact of pre-existing conditions. Dr. Taylor concludes by inviting questions and comments from participants.
Keywords
workers' compensation
COVID-19
WCRI
occupational illnesses
telemedicine
compensability
medical trends
long COVID
telehealth services
closure rates