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Companies are going to need older workers and their volumes of "tacit knowledge," which brings a wealth of institutional expertise to bear on behalf of an employer.

Those $1,000-a-day penalties sound improbable? At the very least, expect the CMS to be geared up to begin enforcing Medicare set-asides come January.

From keeping costs increases in check to issues of affordability to cracking down on fraud, reform has helped the industry.

There could be bright spots in the effects of federal healthcare reform for the workers' comp industry, says Joe Paduda.

A young anthropologist loops together safety variables, overhauls an antiquated claims process and forever alters his employer's claims strategy.

Experts urge workers' comp managers to focus on the medical portion of the claim, the pharmacy benefits manager and issues surrounding undocumented workers.

Thousands of companies throughout the country are using a 24-hour nurse on duty. In addition to reduced direct costs, the system results in a more congenial feeling for the injured employee, thus reducing litigation.

Before you waste hundreds or thousands of dollars investigating a potentially fraudulent workers' comp claim, make sure you're sending your investigator to the right house. That shouldn't cost more than about 25 cents, according to a former commander for the Connecticut State Police.

Staffing shortages are affecting workplace health and safety, according to a pair of recently released reports. A review of state occupational health and safety programs indicates at least one state's plan is less than par while another report says OSHA itself is not quite making the grade in protecting workers who report workplace health and safety violations.

Oregon, Texas, and Virginia

Medical costs are not created equally. Understanding your unique medical expenditures can help you identify solutions to bring those costs down, according to the medical director of one of the nation's largest third-party administrators.

California, Florida, Iowa, and North Carolina

Medication is not the best answer to treating injured workers with soft tissue injuries, according to a member of the American Board of Pain Medicine. A holistic system to treat the claimant can help the patient be pain free, get him back to work earlier, and save upward of $100,000 per injured worker.

Diagnostic radiology is among the fastest rising medical costs, increasing 20 percent annually. But many of these tests go unmanaged in the workers' comp system, calling into question their cost and quality.

Misconceptions about functional capacity evaluations may be costing you big bucks and an opportunity to help injured workers return to work safer and sooner.