Gracias Abogado Bader; Valio La Pena!!
El abogado Bader me ayudo, y aunque el proceso fue un poco largo, VALIO LA PENA! Gracias abogado Bader por toda su ayuda!!
Juan M.
Lawrenceville, GA
Notable Changes to Medical Fee Schedule (2009)
The State Board of Workers' Compensation (SBWC) recently posted a list of notable changes to the 2009 Medical Fee Schedule. Some of these changes include:
- CPT Codes - CPT Codes were updated with code additions, deletions, and revisions in accordance with the AMA.
- IME Rates - Rates for Independent Medical Examinations have increased to $600.00 for the first hour, and $150.00 for each additional 15 minutes.
- Physician Testimony - Rates for physicians giving testimony have increased to $600.00 for the first hour and $150.00 for each additional 15 minutes.
- Emergency Transportation - Ambulance and Air Services have been added to the Fee Schedule.
- Non-Emergency Transportation - Reimbursements for non-emergency transportation have increased by 1.7%.
- Home Health Services - Hourly rates for home health services have increased by 1.7%.
- Medical Records Charges - Reimbursement for copies of medical records remains unchanged from 2008.
- Pharmaceutical Charges - Reimbursement for pharmaceuticals remain unchanged from 2008.
You can see other notable changes that have been made to the Medical Fee Schedule by visiting the SBWC's website.
Buen Trabajo Garantizado!
Yo Gladis, estoy muy satisfecha con el abogado Seth Bader y Alejandra Silva por haberme ayudado en mi caso, y muy contenta por haber recibido una compensación satisfecha, y se los recomiendo que hacen un buen trabajo garantizado.
Gladis B.
Lawrenceville, GA
Norcross Chiropractor Sentenced for Fraud
Stephen Catterton, a chiropractor in Norcross, Georgia, was recently sentenced to prison for health-care fraud and possession with intent to distribute testosterone. According to U.S. Attorney David E. Nahmias, Catterton "lied to insurers about what services he was providing to patients, defrauding the insurers of more than $1.2 million."
Catterton was sentenced to three years and one month in prison, and was ordered to make full restitution to all of his victims. Of course, Catterton, and others like him, can never really make full restitution because, as Nahmias explained, "False claims like these . . . lead to higher health care costs for everyone."
Perfume-Aggravated Pre-Existing Condition Found Compensable
Jon Gelman, Esq., publisher of Workers' Compensation: Analysis of Trends and Developments in Workers' Compensation Law Throughout the United States, recently blogged about a New Jersey case in which a nurse was awarded workers' compensation benefits for a pre-existing pulmonary condition that was aggravated by exposure to perfume at work.
The facts of the case, as described by Gelman, are truly remarkable: The nurse was a 64-year-old woman who smoked one pack of cigarettes a day for more than 40 years, and, not surprisingly, suffered from a severe pre-existing obstructive lung disease when she began working for the employer. Subsequently, in the course of her employment, she had a severe reaction when a co-worker sprayed herself with perfume on two occasions, and she eventually became "oxygen dependent" and was forced to stop working.
According to Gelman, the court found that "[t]he air [that the nurse] had to breathe . . . to fulfill her contract of service, contaminated by a co-employee, was a condition of [her] employment . . . and thus a risk of "this" employment." For this reason, the court ruled that the nurse suffered a compensable injury that entitled her to workers' compensation benefits. Not surprisingly, the court also explained that "[e]mployers take their employees as they find them, 'with all of the pre-existing disease and infirmity that may exist."
Psychic Injuries Are Compensable, Rules GA Court
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The Georgia Court of Appeals recently affirmed well-settled law when it held that a school bus driver was entitled to workers' compensation benefits for depression, anxiety, and an adjustment disorder, all of which she developed after suffering an asthma attack in the course of her employment with the DeKalb County Board of Education. In so ruling, the Court rejected the school board's contention that the bus driver, Tracy Singleton, suffered from only mild depression and anxiety.
Georgia case law provides a two-part test for determining whether a psychological injury is compensable: first, the psychological injury must arise out of an accident in which a compensable physical injury was sustained; and second, while the physical injury need not be the precipitating cause of the psychological condition or problems, at a minimum the physical injury must contribute to the continuation of the psychological trauma.
Several physicians concluded that Singleton's asthma attack was caused or aggravated by exposure to fire extinguisher residue and fumes from cleaning products on her school bus. In addition, a psychologist diagnosed her with an "adjustment disorder with depression" and concluded that she "has too much anxiety about driving the bus to be placed in that position, as it may not be safe because it could be unpredictable for her to do so.”
Continue Reading...Online Filing Now Available at the State Board
The State Board of Workers' Compensation recently announced that attorneys registered to use the State Board's online filing system can check claim files and/or file claim documents using a computer available in the 7th Floor lobby of the State Board's Atlanta office. This should be particularly helpful to attorneys waiting for hearings or mediations.
In addition to registering for the online filing system, the State Board asks that each attorney (not just each law firm) practicing Georgia workers' compensation email the following information to ICMSprep@sbwc.ga.gov:
- Attorney's Name
- Attorney's Georgia Bar Number
- Attorney's Primary Email Address
- Attorney's Alternate Email Address(es) [Maximum of Three]
- Attorney's Phone Number
According to the State Board's website, attorneys who register for the online filing system and provide an email address will be able to receive immediate electronic notifications of any document filed in a particular claim.
If you have questions regarding the online filing system, you likely will get your answer from Ms. Damaris Jones, Deputy Director of Process Improvement & Oversight. Her email address is jonesd@sbwc.ga.gov.
Mill Worker Killed in Accident at Golden Peanut Company in Asburn, Georgia
WALB News and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) recently reported that 24-year-old Keith Branch, an employee at the Golden Peanut Company, suffered a crushed chest after he was pinned between a railroad car and a tractor-trailer rig. He was rushed to Tift Regional Hospital where he was pronounced dead. According to both news outlets, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration were planning to investigate the cause of the accident.
Accidente Del Jardin Botanico De Atlanta Mata Un Trabajador De Construccion Y Deja Otros Heridos
Un trabajador de la construcción fue matado y varios otros fueron heridos el viernes temprano cuando un puente pedestre desplomó en la Jardín Botánico de Atlanta. Según informes, los trabajadores vertían cemento para la atracción nueva de "Caminata de Dosel" de Jardín -- un puente pedestre elavado de 45 pies de altura -- cuando el desplome ocurrió y dejando caer los trabajadores cuarenta pies.
Los trabajadores heridos fueron transportados por ambulancia al Grady Hospital o Atlanta Medical Center. Ni los nombres de los trabajadores heridos ni sus heridas exactas han sido hechos público; sin embargo, sus heridas incluyen magulladuras, heridas espinales graves, y heridas traumáticas de cerebro.
La causa exacta del desplome es todavía desconocida; sin embargo, el viernes por la tarde, los investigadores de la Administración Profesional de Seguridad y Salud (OSHA) investigaban cómo el accidente occurio y si estándares apropiados de seguridad fueron encontrados.
Si usted necesita un abogado de herida personal o abogado de compensación de trabajadores, usted puede girar al abogado Seth Bader, quien habla espanol. Para planificar una consulta gratis con el abogado Seth Bader, por favor nos llama al 404.917.9174.
Collapsed 'Canopy Walk' Leaves One Construction Worker Dead and Several Others Injured -- Atlanta Botanical Garden
One construction worker was killed and several others were injured early Friday when a pedestrian bridge collapsed at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. According to reports, the workers were pouring concrete for the Garden's new "Canopy Walk" attraction -- a 45-foot-high, 600-foot-long elevated walkway -- when the collapse occurred, dropping the workers as far as forty feet.
Injured workers were taken by ambulance to Grady Hospital or the Atlanta Medical Center. Neither the names of the injured workers nor their exact injuries have been made public; however, their injuries reportedly range from bruises to serious spine and traumatic brain injuries. The one known fatality was to Angel Chupin, a 66-year-old Hispanic male who apparently died of blunt force injuries.
The exact cause of the collapse is still unknown; however, on Friday afternoon, investigators from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) were investigating how the accident occurred and whether proper safety standards were met.
