© Copyright 2014
Sunbeam Health Group
Suncoast Urgent Care
All Rights Reserved
• Bizarre Workers Comp Stories…. (page 1)
• Workers Comp Costs …………………..(page 1)
• Did You Know?........... …………………..(pages 1 & 2)
2014
Volume I
• OSHA Fines Florida Co. For Failure To Provide Respiratory Medical Evaluations…..(page 2)
• Florida’s Medical Marijuana Law …… ……………………………………………………………………. (page 2)
“The Price Is Right”…Wheel Spin nets Work Comp Fraud
Getting the chance to spin the Big Wheel on a nationally
televised game show sounds like a great idea, right?...
Well, not if you are a postal worker collecting a $3,000/mo
income for a bad workers comp shoulder injury. Cathy
Caswell claimed that her injury prevented her from lifting
mail trays onto her truck and that she was “unable to
stand, run, reach, or grab.” However, that apparently did
not stop her from reaching up high, grabbing tight and
spinning the Big Wheel, not just once but twice, while appearing on the show. This
not-so bright idea caught the eye of investigators. Read More:
http://theweek.com/speedreads/index/260276/speedreads-woman-suspected-of-workers-comp-fraud-caught-on-the-price-is-right
Bay Area Woman’s Sex Act Reveals Work Comp Fraud
Surveillance video of a woman running in high heels and
performing oral sex in a public park landed her behind
bars. Modupe Adunni Martin, 29 was sentenced to nine
months in jail for performing the physical act while claiming to be too injured to work.. She was also ordered to
repay $79k in defrauded funds. Apparently two of her
treating physicians suspected she was exaggerating the
extent of her injuries. With the physician’s cooperation,
surveillance videos were taken which apparently
showed Martin walking with crutches into the doctor's
office, and then ditching them shortly thereafter. After the visit, Martin walked to a
public park without the crutches and ran a short distance in her high-heeled shoes,
before kneeling and performing oral sex on her boyfriend. Read More:
http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2012/12/14/bay-areas-womans-sex-act-reveals-workers-comp-fraud/
WORKER’S COMP COSTS…
SUNCOAST/EMPLOYERS TAKE CONTROL
Employers have a much better chance of controlling costs and
reducing case length if they develop a partnership with a medical
facility knowledgeable and experienced in the area of Worker’s
Comp. For example, the medical record produced directly after
an injury can contain information helpful to the employer.
2
Resist the “easy fix” temptation of sending employees to
emergency rooms , unless absolutely necessary. WHY?,..because E.R. costs
are much higher, reports tend to be less detailed and less specific and therefore
less useful for workers' comp purposes.
There is a reason Suncoast Urgent Care & Occupational Health has become the provider of
choice for so many Employers, Municipalities, PEO’s & Insurance Carriers…
It’s because we have the knowledge & experience.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL
Suncoast Urgent Care & Occupational Health
www.suncoastucc.com
OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK
Evenings/Weekends
Dudley Mays
Occupational Medicine Consultant
Ph: 727-372-3888 Office Ph: 352-684-3288
317-201-0423 (Cell) [email protected]
“It's hard to beat a person who never gives up.” ― Babe Ruth
DID YOU KNOW?
IMPORTANT D.O.T. NEWS
EFFECTIVE May 2014 IT BECAME
THE LAW…
Employers must now have ALL DOT exams
performed ONLY by a nationally certified
provider, who has met DOT/FMCSA/NRCME
requirements. To become a certified Medical
Examiner, providers have to;
Be licensed, certified or registered in
accordance with applicable state laws
and regulations to perform physical
examinations
Register on the National Registry System website and receive a unique identifier number
Complete the requisite training
Pass the medical certification test
Additionally, providers must now complete refresher
training courses every five years and successfully pass
the medical examiners’ certification test every 10 years
Suncoast Urgent Care providers
are DOT Certified and listed on the National Registry of
Certified Medical Examiners NRCME.
DOT Physical Examinations are performed
7-Days Week.
Opiate Abuse On The Rise
DID YOU KNOW?...
a standard 5, 8 or 10 panel drug test
will typically not detect
Oxycodone/Oxycontin
A National Diagnostics company recently
conducted a pilot study showing the positivity
rate for Oxycodone alone appears to be increasing by more than 100%.
DID YOU KNOW?...
Suncoast Urgent Care & Occupational Health
offers new expanded opiate panels incorporating the detection of these additional opiates
and analytes? For just a few dollars per test.
you can strengthen your company’s drug test
program. For more information Contact Suncoast
Urgent Care & Occupational Health - Dudley Mays 317201-0423 (Cell) [email protected]
(Did You Know Continued page 2)
DID YOU KNOW?
Florida Based Company Racks Up Big $$ OSHA Fines
OSHA Required Respiratory Protection
© Copyright 2014
Sunbeam Health Group
Suncoast Urgent Care
All Rights Reserved
...per OSHA regulations, employers must provide Medical Evaluations for workers required
to use respirators. A Written Program, Annual Fit Testing & Training are also required.
.
Florida Based Company
Racks Up Big $$ Fines
DID YOU KNOW...
gross vehicle weight of more than
D.O.T. Drivers
One Florida employer, was just
reminded that OSHA is quite serious about compliance with the
Respiratory Protection Standard.
Southern Grouts & Mortars, recently racked up multiple OSHA
violation fines. Among other violations, four repeat violations, with
fines of $29k were handed down
for failure to provide a respiratory protection program that included medical
evaluations and fit testing.
To be in compliance employers
must provide medical evaluations
for workers who use respirators.
Annual Fit Testing & Training are
also required.
NOTE: A repeat violation exists when an employer previously has
been cited for the same or a similar violation of a standard,
regulation, rule or order at any other facility in federal enforcement states within the last five years.
Source; U.S. DOL Nov. 13, 2014
...for a driver to be covered under the
DOT drug and alcohol testing requirement of FMCSA, that driver must
1) operate a Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) in commerce and
2) be subject to the commercial
driver’s license requirements of 49 CFR
383 .
FMCSA identifies specific criteria
which classify a vehicle as a CMV. (49
CFR 382.107)
• (1) Has a gross combination weight
rating or gross combination weight of
11,.794 kilograms or more (26,001
•(2) Has a gross vehicle weight rating
or gross vehicle weight of 11,794 or
more kilograms (26,001 pounds or
more), whichever is greater; or
•(3) Is designed to transport 16 or
more passengers, including the driver;
or
• (4) Is of any size and is used in the
transportation of hazardous materials
as defined.
"How do I know if I am subject to the
U.S. Department of Transportation
drug and alcohol testing regulations?"
greater , inclusive of a towed unit(s)
with a gross vehicle weight rating or
http://www.dot.gov/odapc/am-i-covered
or
more),
The following services and
programs are available to
your Company or
Organization
HEALTH & SAFETY
• W ORKERS COMP
INJURY TREATMENT
• EXPOSURE MONITORING
• OSHA SURVEILLANCE
• FIRST RESPONDER/CPR/
FIRST AID TRAINING
MEDICAL
EVALUATIONS
, Ste 104
whichever is greater; or
To answer this question, DOT developed the
following decision tree to assist you in determining if you are covered or not.
pounds
DIRECTORY OF
SERVICES
34609
4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds),
• EMPLOYMENT/DOT EXAMS
• DRUG TESTING DOT, FLDFW )
• BREATH ALCOHOL TESTING
• SURVEILLANCE EXAMS
• RESP CLERANCE EXAMS
• AUDIO/VISION TESTING
• Ability To Work Exams
• PHYSICAL/OCCUPATIONAL
THERAPY REFERRAL
whichever
is
DRUGS & ALCOHOL JUST DON’T
WORK
...AT WORK...
Florida’s Medical Marijuana Marijuana is still illegal on the federal
Law Did Not Pass ...this is old level, and employers would still have
news for those interested but, even if
it had passed, employers who prohibit
marijuana use by employees would
still have been able to enforce their
policies. “The employer could have
said I don't care about your prescription, you're fired anyway,” according
to a blog quoting Brett Schneider,
who heads the labor law practice at
Weiss Serota Helfman in Fort Lauderdale.
been able to require drug testing to
support their No-Drug or Alcohol
workplace policies. According to
Consultant, Dudley Mays, one only
needs to look to the Oregon Supreme
Court, who already ruled [in a 2010
case involving Emerald Steel Fabricators] that employers do not have a
duty to accommodate employees'
use of medical marijuana.
Dudley Mays is a Consultant with Suncoast
Urgent Care & Occupational Health