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Seven drugs comprise about 30 percent of the total pharmaceutical costs in Oregon's workers' comp system, according to the Department of Consumer and Business Services. Regulators have announced a new procedure aimed at curbing some of those costs.

Employers likely won't pay higher workers' comp rates for the next 18 months. The Workers' Compensation Rating and Inspection Bureau reached an agreement with other state officials to forego its proposed 6.6 percent rate increase.

Employers will see an overall decrease of 12.4 percent in voluntary loss costs after a ruling by the Bureau of Insurance. The approved changes go into effect April 1.

The Department of Business Regulation is deciding whether to increase or decrease advisory loss costs. NCCI had proposed an overall 3.9 percent increase while the attorney general is seeking an overall 0.6 percent decrease.

Alex Swedlow has been on the phone a lot lately. A report he coauthored on the use of Schedule II narcotics in the California workers' comp system generated national attention before the ink was even dry.

Insurers are breathing a bit easier now that the Utah legislative session has ended, apparently without passage of a controversial measure. S.B. 64 would have allowed the Workers Compensation Fund of Utah to establish a subsidiary company to write commercial property and casualty lines of insurance in Utah.

The Rate Bureau adopted and the Commissioner of Insurance approved the elimination of group claim reporting as an option for member companies reporting workers' compensation unit statistical data directly to the bureau or for member companies reporting data to the bureau via the National Council on Compensation Insurance.

More than 700,000 work-related eye injuries occur each year at a cost of nearly $500,000. With indirect costs, such as legal fees, judgments, and training new workers, the estimated total cost to businesses is approximately $1 billion annually, according to Prevent Blindness America.

Utilization has been a key factor in both medical and indemnity severity, according to the National Council on Compensation Insurance. In fact, the organization's latest research indicates they are more closely related than you might think.

The Department of Workers' Claims announced that it delayed implementation of the electronic data interchange claims release until March 28.

The Division of Workers' Compensation proposed to amend rules regarding insurance carrier medical electronic data interchange reporting.

The Division of Workers' Compensation revised regulations pertaining to ambulance services in the official medical fee schedule.

With their 2011 legislative sessions in full swing, many states are focused on their workers' comp systems this year. Here is a look at a few proposals and where they stand.

Nanotechnology and advancements in nuclear power are presenting new challenges for safety professionals trying to protect employees. They are just two examples of the many changes affecting occupational safety and health.

Temporary total disability durations have increased of late. The National Council on Compensation Insurance's latest figures indicate yet another impact of the recession on the workers' comp system.

Many of the reservists and National Guard members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan go back to their civilian jobs and find themselves struggling with the physical and emotional effects of combat. For unsuspecting employers, it can be jarring and confusing when a former model employee exhibits inappropriate behaviors.