The Workers' Comp "Deep State" -- Oregon MCOs

In May 1990, then-Gov. Neil Goldschmidt called the state Legislature into a special session to adopt laws to control, what he said, were runaway costs of the workers’ compensation system. Goldschmidt was a secretive man who paid little attention to people who disagreed with him, preferring a "behind closed doors" corporate model of decision making – gather your loyal lieutenants, tell them what to do, and declare success.

A former corporate executive, the one-term Governor was a hot mess of ethically challenged behavior.

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Seth Revoal
Does Your Doctor Know?

As many as 8 out of 10 graduates of medical schools "failed to demonstrate basic competency in musculoskeletal medicine," according to a 2006 study published by the American Osteopathic Association and updated in 2017.

Does your attending physician know how to heal your muscle strain or sprain? Maybe not.

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Seth Revoal
While Stopped At A Traffic Light

While stopped at a traffic light, a billboard caught my eye. Pleasant people gazed back at me, advertising hope, help, and hard-hitting action. They were lawyers.

The pitch isn’t anything new. Attorneys have been advertising for years. Decades will pass before they stop (if they ever do) but the practice of legal advertising remains controversial.

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Seth Revoal
Injured Workers: Is Medical Care A Noble Promise Or An Empty One?

The Oregon Legislature has stated that the foremost objective of our workers’ compensation law is "to provide, regardless of fault, sure, prompt and complete medical treatment for injured workers ... ." ORS 656.012(2)(a).

A noble sentiment, but is it an empty legal promise? I hope not, but more and more it seems that medical treatment is the number one legal headache for injured workers.

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Seth Revoal