From his research, Grossman discovered that skepticism towards medical authorities has been the historical attitude Americans have held through the majority of the country’s history. Instead, the deviation was the confidence and trust in science that held sway in the 1930s through the 1960s. In this episode of the Modern Law Library, Grossman discusses these historical attitudes with the ABA Journal’s Lee Rawles, and what these attitudes could mean for the country’s public health.

Grossman points out that views on medical choice don’t map directly onto political views. During the AIDS crisis in the 1980s and 1990s, liberal gay activists teamed up with anti-regulation conservatives to demand the FDA change its policies and let HIV-positive people try drug treatments that hadn’t yet completed the approval process. During the COVID-19 pandemic it appears conservatives are more likely to demand unproven drugs and treatments like hydroxychloroquine (touted by former President Trump) and the anti-parasitic drug Ivermectin, but there are numerous instances of vaccine hesitancy on either side of the political spectrum.

Choose Your Medicine takes readers back to the time of “heroic medicine,” where doctors advocated for extreme (and sometimes deadly) treatments like purgatives and bloodletting in the hope that some progress would be made towards cures. The book looks at pre-Civil War efforts to regulate the practice of medicine, and shows how they failed. It illuminates once-popular movements like Thomsonianism, practiced by followers of a 19th century herbalist named Samuel Thomson.

One chapter of the book deals with the changes brought by the 1970s health movements. A cautionary tale from that time is Laetrile–a “medicine” made from apricot pits–which was touted as a wonder drug that could fight cancer. In practice, Laetrile did no such thing. But not all lobbying for alternative treatments has been a failure: Supporters of medical cannabis have been able to completely shift laws and attitudes towards marijuana over a relatively short amount of time. Other alternative treatments like acupuncture and chiropractic practices have become mainstream and successful.

In this episode, Grossman–who started writing the book long before the COVID-19 pandemic began–discusses what it’s been like to see a new field of battle develop over medical choice. He talks about the constitutional theories advocates have used to push for therapeutic choice. He also shares a story he tells his students at the beginning of every semester: the story of a college student named Abigail Burroughs, who was dying from cancer and seeking an experimental drug.

• Common Vaccine Injuries
• National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act
• VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System)
• VICP (National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program)

Special thanks to our sponsor, Headnote.

They also discuss the Michigan Supreme Court’s order to replace mental health questions on the Michigan Bar Examination application. The change seeks to destigmatize mental health and encourage law students and new lawyers to seek mental health help when needed.

Visit www.michbar.org to view COVID-19 FAQs and resources.

Thanks to PwC Insights Officer, Alert Communications, Sanebox, and ROSS Intelligence for sponsoring this episode!

Olivia Ash is an ERISA compliance consultant at Compliancedashboard, LLC and is adjunct faculty at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis.

Jeff Zapor is an attorney and licensed professional counselor and a clinical case manager at the Lawyers and Judges Assistance Program at the State Bar of Michigan.

Dr. Bogdan Savych is a public policy analyst at the Workers Compensation Research Institute.

Special thanks to our sponsor, PInow.

David Leatherberry is a healthcare attorney and owner of Leatherberry Law in San Diego, CA.

Special thanks to our sponsors, Clio, Answer1, Lawclerk and Courtfiling.net.

Anne Brafford (JD, MAPP, PhD in progress) is a former equity partner at Morgan, Lewis, & Bockius LLP and the founder of Aspire, an educational and consultancy firm for the legal profession.

Visit Ringler to contact a consultant in your area about structured settlements.

On the Un-Billable Hour, host Christopher Anderson is joined by Dr. Teresa Albizu, founder and co-president of the R-A Pinnacle Group and Dr. Gerardo (Gery) Rodríguez-Menéndez, co-president of the R-A Pinnacle Group as they discuss attorney wellness, how to see the signs, strategies on how to cope with stress, and when an individual should seek help.

Special thanks to our sponsors, Answer1, Solo Practice University, Scorpion, and Lawclerk.

Justin D. Beck is an associate at Thomas, Thomas, & Hafer and concentrates his practice in the area of Workers’ Compensation.

Special thanks to our sponsors, Casepacer and PInow.

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Dr. Dave Preble is the senior vice president of the Practice Institute where he provides strategic vision and leadership for developing ADA policy.

Visit Ringler to contact a consultant in your area about structured settlements.

Dori Foster-Morales is a board certified marital and family lawyer and partner at Foster-Morales Sockel-Stone.

Mark Eiglarsh is the owner of the Law Offices of Mark Eiglarsh and also serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Miami School of Law.

Visit Ringler to contact a consultant in your area about structured settlements.

For lawyers seeking help with wellness issues, call the FLA hotline: 1-800-282-8981

Judy Rushlow, who served as the assistant director of FLA for twenty-two years, was appointed executive director by the Florida Bar Board of Directors in October 2017.

Molly Paris began her work with FLA in September 2017 in the newly and much needed role of outreach coordinator, but transitioned into the assistant director position in October 2017.

Joe Ankus has been a legal search consultant since 1991 and is the president of Ankus Consulting, Inc.

Bill Horton is a partner with Jones Walker. His primary focus is on the representation of individual and institutional healthcare providers.

Simeon Carson is the director of the Health Law Section at the American Bar Association.

Visit Ringler to contact a consultant in your area about structured settlements.

Visit Ringler to contact a consultant in your area about structured settlements.

Visit Ringler to contact a consultant in your area about structured settlements.

Special thanks to our sponsor, A.M. Best Company, Best’s Recommended Insurance Attorneys & Adjusters, including Expert Service Providers.

Special thanks to our sponsor, A.M. Best Company, Best’s Recommended Insurance Attorneys & Adjusters, including Expert Service Providers.

Visit Ringler to contact a consultant in your area about structured settlements.

Visit Ringler to contact a consultant in your area about structured settlements.

Peter Rousmaniere helps organizations and individuals as they negotiate through the troubling waters of hazards, uncertainty, risk, and insurance. He specializes in workers’ compensation, other corporate types of insurance, new risk management product design and implementation, information technology, and risk communication.

Special thanks to our sponsors, Casepacer and PInow.

Special thanks to our sponsor, A.M. Best Company, Best’s Recommended Insurance Attorneys & Adjusters, including Expert Service Providers.

Visit Ringler to contact a consultant in your area about structured settlements.

Visit Ringler to contact a consultant in your area about structured settlements.

Special thanks to our sponsor, A.M. Best Company, Best’s Recommended Insurance Attorneys & Adjusters, including Expert Service Providers.

Special thanks to our sponsor, A.M. Best Company, Best’s Recommended Insurance Attorneys & Adjusters, including Expert Service Providers.

Special thanks to our sponsor, A.M. Best Company, Best’s Recommended Insurance Attorneys & Adjusters, including Expert Service Providers.

In this episode of Workers Comp Matters, guest host Judson Pierce speaks with Workers Injury Law & Advocacy Group President Alan Pierce about the future of the American workers’ compensation system. Alan talks about the recent scrutiny that workers’ compensation has been under and how increased visibility has sparked a national conversation regarding the system’s effectiveness. He reflects on the 1911 enactment of state-based workers’ compensation systems and lists the safety-focused goals of the institution. Alan analyzes the federal government’s 1970s involvement in the system, mainly through the establishment of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the national commission report issued in 1972 that broadened and increased benefit coverage. He explains how costs associated with the system eventually increased as benefits expanded and how this led to system reform in many states. Alan closes the interview by discussing the recent challenges to the constitutionality of the workers’ compensation system in some states and an investigation of the problems with employer established alternative benefit systems.

Alan S. Pierce has served as chairperson of the American Bar Association Workers’ Compensation Section and the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Section on Workers’ Compensation Law. He frequently lectures on workers’ compensation issues around the nation, and in 2007 became one of the first attorneys in the country to be inducted as a Fellow into the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers of the American Bar Association.

Special thanks to our sponsors, Casepacer and PInow.

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Captain Kenneth L. Dominguez MD, MPH (USPHS) is an epidemiologist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Captain in the U.S. Public Health Service. He completed a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, both a Medical degree and Masters in Public Health degree at Columbia University. He completed residency training in both Pediatrics and Preventive Medicine at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, California and at the CDC in Atlanta and trained as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer through CDC at the Puerto Rico Department of Health.

James G. Hodge, Jr., JD, LLM, is professor of Public Health Law and Ethics and director of the nationally-ranked Public Health Law and Policy Program at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Arizona State University. Through scholarship, teaching, and applied projects, Professor Hodge delves into multiple areas of health law, public health law, global health law, ethics, and human rights. Professor Hodge has a B.S. from College of Charleston, a J.D. from Salmon P. Chase College of Law, and a LL.M. from Georgetown University Law Center.

Visit Ringler Associates to contact a consultant in your area about structured settlements.

In this episode of Workers Comp Matters, host Alan Pierce talks with Dr. Roberto Feliz about pain management and Scrambler Therapy. Roberto opens the interview by defining chronic pain and shares that the body maintaining localized inflammation within the tissue is how acute pain transforms into chronic pain. He states that the continued bombardment of pain signals to your spinal cord and central nervous system forces the neurons in your brain to change and form new neural connections. Roberto explains that Scrambler Therapy, a pain management technique that blocks pain signal transmission and provides non-pain information to the affected nerve fibers, aims to deceive the brain into reading the pain signals in a different way. He analyzes what types of pain respond well to this therapy style and what pain types, like degenerative arthritis, do not. Roberto closes the interview with a comparison of how accepting private insurance and workers’ comp services are of this new therapy and discusses the cost and frequency of treatment.

Roberto Feliz, M.D. is a board certified pain management physician and anesthesiologist. Dr. Feliz is widely recognized for his clinical interests in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, neuropathic pain, Rhizotomy, epidurals and nerve blocks, opioid tapering and sports injuries.

Dr. Feliz earned his medical degree from Dartmouth Medical School. He completed his residency at Harvard Medical School at Beth Israel Hospital. He has a fellowship in pain management from Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital completed in 1993 and Massachusetts General Hospital in 1994. He currently serves as an impartial physician for the Massachusetts Workers’ Compensation Judges.

Special thanks to our sponsors, Casepacer and PInow.

Special thanks to our sponsor, A.M. Best Company, Best’s Recommended Insurance Attorneys & Adjusters, including Expert Service Providers.

Visit Ringler Associates to contact a consultant in your area about structured settlements.

In this episode of Workers Comp Matters, host Alan Pierce speaks with Rebecca Curtis about her work-related injury, her road to recovery, and the company she founded to help other injured workers like herself. Rebecca recalls her car accident during a trip home from a speaking engagement and how it left her with a spinal fracture and no feeling from the neck down. She opens up about her surgeries, having to learn to walk again, and the excellent workers’ compensation services and support she received. Rebecca also provides insight into her battle with pain management during her recovery process and how a program helped her to realize that there are many options available for pain management. She closes the interview with a discussion on how this experience inspired her to start her company, Take Courage Coaching, and dedicate her life to helping others struggling to manage chronic pain.

Rebecca Curtis is the founder of Take Courage Coaching. She is an international speaker on chronic pain management, has been a regular speaker at PAINWeek®, and trains, coaches, and travels extensively speaking to medical groups about the role of coaching in pain management.

Special thanks to our sponsors, Casepacer and PInow.

Special thanks to our sponsor, A.M. Best Company, Best’s Recommended Insurance Attorneys & Adjusters, including Expert Service Providers.

Visit Ringler Associates to contact a consultant in your area about structured settlements.

Special thanks to our sponsor, A.M. Best Company, Best’s Recommended Insurance Attorneys & Adjusters, including Expert Service Providers.

Special thanks to our sponsor, A.M. Best Company, Best’s Recommended Insurance Attorneys & Adjusters, including Expert Service Providers.

Visit Ringler Associates to contact a consultant in your area about structured settlements.

Special thanks to our sponsor, A.M. Best Company, Best’s Recommended Insurance Attorneys & Adjusters, including Expert Service Providers.

Visit Ringler Associates to contact a consultant in your area about structured settlements.

In this episode of Workers Comp Matters, Alan Pierce interviews Mark Zientz, claimants’ attorney for Stahl v. Hialeah, about the history of state workers’ compensation laws, legislative changes made in the 1970s, and the potential ramifications of three Florida cases pending at the appellate level. Together, they discuss contributory negligence vs. comparative negligence states and the creation of an OSHA commission to study the adequacy of workers’ compensation laws in the 1970s. Pierce and Zientz then move on to current cases in Florida, including Westphal v. St. Petersburg, Castellanos v. Next Door Company, and Stahl v. Hialeah Hospital. These cases question whether the compensation system is still an adequate replacement for the tort system which it supplanted. In other words, is workers’ compensation in Florida no longer constitutional?

Mark Zientz is an attorney in Miami, Florida, an emeritus member of the executive council of the Workers’ Compensation Section of the Florida Bar, and former vice chair of the Workers Comp Rules committee of the Florida Bar. He is also an arbitrator for the NFL players association management council. Mark is a very active practitioner in the field of workers’ compensation and is currently working on the case of Daniel Stahl v. Hialeah Hospital.

Special thanks to our sponsors, Casepacer and PInow.

Special thanks to our sponsor, A.M. Best Company, Best’s Recommended Insurance Attorneys & Adjusters, including Expert Service Providers.

Visit Ringler Associates to contact a consultant in your area about structured settlements.

Visit Ringler Associates to contact a consultant in your area about structured settlements.

Special thanks to our sponsor, A.M. Best Company, Best’s Recommended Insurance Attorneys & Adjusters, including Expert Service Providers.

Visit Ringler Associates to contact a consultant in your area about structured settlements.

Visit Ringler Associates to contact a consultant in your area about structured settlements.

In this episode of Workers Comp Matters, Alan Pierce interviews attorney Martin Buzz Schneider, who represents insurers and companies in workers’ compensation claims, about Section 28 of Massachusetts’ workers’ compensation statute and the nature of serious and willful misconduct.

Topics Include:

• Quid pro quo system of workers’ compensation
• Section 28: the double compensation section
• Insurer and employer payment
• Armstrong’s case
• OSHA regulations, safety rules, and citations
• Adam Carey’s case: minor labor laws
• Burden of proof on injured employee’s lawyer
• Company prevention

Martin Buzz Schneider is an attorney with the law office of Martin B. Schneider PC. Buzz practices workers’ compensation law in Massachusetts. His firm primarily represents insurers, self-insurers, and companies in the defense of workers’ compensation claims.

Special thanks to our sponsors, Casepacer and PInow.

In this episode of Workers Comp Matters, Pierce and Yang discuss low and high fee schedules, how workers’ compensation fee schedule rates compare with Medicare and group health reimbursement rates, and why lower rates do not necessarily result in lower overall costs. Yang explains how lack of access to care, indemnity benefits, and litigation can lead to higher workers’ compensation costs when fee schedules are set too low. Additionally, in some jurisdictions, medical providers have recovered costs through physician dispensing, changing treatment or billing behavior, and denying care to workers’ comp patients. However, Yang says, if the fee schedule level is too high, there is a problem of medical cost containment. Tune in to hear more about the importance of carefully balancing fee schedule rates for workers’ compensation.

Dr. Rebecca Yang is a senior public policy analyst at the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute. She is one of the lead authors of Compscope, which studies the benchmark performance of state workers’ compensation systems. Yang has co-authored numerous studies that examine the prices paid for medical services in workers’ compensation across the states, including the medical price index and various other cost indices. She conducts research on the effect of fee schedule reforms in particular states such as Illinois and California. She is a lead technical expert for Compscope and she received her PhD from the University of Texas at Dallas.

Special thanks to our sponsors, Casepacer and PInow.

Visit Ringler Associates to contact a consultant in your area about structured settlements.

Workers Comp Matters host Alan Pierce attended the conference and sat down with two panelists to further discuss their panel topics. Dongchun Wang of WCRI discusses her research, the frequency and cost of physician dispensing and how it impacts workers compensation claim costs. The study analyzed reforms in the regulation of physician’s ability to dispense drugs across several states. Dr. Vennela Thumla of WCRI talks about her study on the relationship between physician dispensing and unnecessary opioid use (only in the state of Florida). She explains why this research is important and gives examples of opioid alternatives that emerged after a particular reform.

Ms Dongchun Wang is an economist at WCRI. Her research focuses on medical practice patterns and medical care delivered to injured workers. She is the lead author of several studies that evaluate physician dispensing reforms in a number of states in recent years and of several other WCRI studies on utilization of workers’ compensation pharmaceuticals and prescribing patterns of opioids. During her tenure with WCRI, she has participated in earlier editions of the CompScope benchmarks and several public policy studies. She holds a master’s degree in applied economics and did her graduate work in applied econometrics, labor economics, and industrial organization at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Dr. Vennela Thumla is a policy analyst at WCRI. She conducts research examining costs, prices, and utilization of pharmaceuticals in state workers’ compensation systems, focusing on prescribing patterns of opioids and physician dispensing. She is also involved in a research project examining the self-reported outcomes of injured workers, including recovery of health and functioning, speed and sustainability of return to work, and access to care. Dr. Thumula received her Ph.D. from the University of Mississippi, School of Pharmacy.

Special thanks to our sponsors, Casepacer and PInow.

Drew Trimble is a featured author for The National Law Review where he wrote an article titled “The Law of Mandatory Flu Shot Requirements.” In addition, he is an associate at McBrayer, McGinnis, Leslie & Kirkland, where he focuses on general litigation, employment law and criminal defense. Prior to that, he worked for the United States District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky as a law clerk to Judge Gregory F. Van Tatenhove. Among the numerous issues he handled there were criminal law, employment law, contract disputes, medical malpractice, and civil rights.

John Tocci is a regular contributor to the Massachusetts Bar Journal where he wrote an article titled “Mandating flu immunization of health care workers: Not the best medicine.” In his practice life he handles a wide spectrum of employment law matters and manages his firm’s employment counseling and litigation practice. Finally, John is the current chair of the Massachusetts Bar Association Labor & Employment Section Council.

Jeremy Byellin is a writer for the Thomson Reuters Legal Solutions Blog, where he wrote an article titled “The Legal Status of Mandatory Vaccinations.” He is a practicing attorney who focuses on family law and estate planning. He resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with his wife, who is also an attorney, and two children.

The prevalence of chronic pain across the United States is certainly associated with the overuse of opiates, opioids, and narcotics, three words that are used interchangeably. While there are requirements surrounding the improper prescribing of highly-addictive pain relievers, they have been widely unenforced. The question remains, how do we address an individual’s problem of chronic pain without causing widespread opiate addiction issues.

In this episode of Workers Comp Matters, Alan Pierce interviews Dr. Joel Morton about the association between chronic pain and opioid addiction, alternative treatments to long-term opioid prescription, and how his company, Summit Pharmacy, works to help injured workers and has guidelines to recognize potential overuse. Dr. Morton describes the need for a mental evaluation of a patient for depression or a history of addiction before prescribing highly addictive products. He discusses alternatives such as anti-seizure medication, anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxants, and antidepressants as well as cognitive behavioral therapy, physical therapy, exercise therapy, and acupuncture. In the end, Dr. Morton says, it is the chronic pain issue that the medical, legal, and criminal community need to address.

Summit Pharmacy is a mail-order pharmacy that works alongside injured workers and attorneys to help them manage the claim and filling patients’ prescriptions regardless of claim status. Listen to this interview to learn more about the company.

Dr. Joel Morton is the medical director of Summit Pharmacy, Inc. He graduated from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1988 and he is a board-certified family physician. He has had extensive experience as a physician in charge of workers compensation clinics in North Carolina and throughout the United States. Dr. Morton also has training in sports medicine. He is a recently retired lieutenant colonel in the US Air Force reserve and he served active duty in Iraq in 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Special thanks to our sponsor, Case Pacer.

In this episode of Workers Comp Matters, Alan Pierce interviews attorney Steven Brown at the Workers’ Injury Law and Advocacy Group’s Conference. Brown talks about the differences between FECA benefits and state laws. Pierce and Brown discuss total disability versus partial disability, indemnity benefits and medical benefits, rates based on income, and the problems with the federal system of workers compensation benefits. In addition, Brown tells listeners about claims examiners, the first line of payment, and how the DFEC addresses denial and appeals. For any lawyer or federal employee interested in this area of workers compensation, Brown addresses how these laws work and the administrative process.

Steven E. Brown, PLC is an attorney who represents injured workers out of Westlake Village, California. He is active in several nationwide attorney groups in the area of federal employee rights and benefits, including Workers’ Injury Law & Advocacy Group as chair of FECA Section, National Employment Lawyers Association, and FECA Law & Advocacy Group. Brown received his BA from Columbia University and his JD from the University of Southern California.

Joseph E. Allman is an experienced trial lawyer who represents injured individuals in personal injury, products liability, construction accidents, federal workers’ compensation, social security disability and black lung cases. He is also experienced in labor and employment law, representing unions and employees in employment litigation in state and federal court. He is admitted to the State Bar of Indiana, Federal District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana, United States Courts of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court.

Special thanks to our sponsor, PInow.

Visit Ringler Associates to contact a consultant in your area about structured settlements.

Gary Phelan is a shareholder at Mitchell & Sheahan, P.C. where he represents employees and employers in a wide range of matters, including disability and age discrimination, family responsibilities discrimination, wrongful termination, and severance negotiations. Mr. Phelan was recently the attorney for a Connecticut family whose little girl was not allowed to attend school for fear that she had been exposed to Ebola during her trip to a family wedding in Nigeria. The case received nationwide attention.

Professor John Thomas of Quinnipiac University School of Law teaches health law and intellectual property. He has been published over 170 times on topics such as gun violence, health policy, politics, autism, juvenile justice, and music. In addition, he has spoken on health law topics across the U.S. and internationally. Thomas is a freelance writer and guitar player with a recent literary work titled “Kalamazoo Gals: A Story of the Extraordinary Women and Gibson’s “Banner” Guitars of WWII.”

Special thanks to our sponsor, Clio.

In this episode of Workers Comp Matters, Alan Pierce interviews William Troupe, an expert attorney in the field of workers compensation and Social Security Disability. They discuss Social Security Disability and the interrelationship with workers compensation, and the varying laws concerning offsets of different benefits. They also discuss the formula of benefits received relative to Average Current Earnings (ACE) and auxiliary beneficiaries such as spouses and children. While this is all information that an employee should know, it is necessary to seek out an expert lawyer in any disability case that prevents someone from returning to work.

William Troupe is an attorney and owner of Troupe Law Office in Peabody, MA. He has 40 years experience in representing injured workers and their families both in workers compensation and Social Security Disability cases. He is intricately involved with various bar associations and frequently lectures at continuing legal education programs. Troupe was recently inducted in the College of Workers Compensation Lawyers.

Special thanks to our sponsor, PInow.

Visit Ringler Associates to contact a consultant in your area about structured settlements.

Visit Ringler Associates to contact a consultant in your area about structured settlements.

Visit Ringler Associates to contact a consultant in your area about structured settlements.

Visit Ringler Associates to contact a consultant in your area about structured settlements.

Goldberg is a solo practitioner in McLean, Virginia. A past President of the American Health Lawyers Association, he teaches Health Law and Health and Information Technology as an adjunct professor at American University, Washington College of Law, and George Mason University School of Law.

Michael Gruber recently finished Medical Treatment Guidelines: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. He is a practicing attorney for Pasternack, Tilker, Ziegler, Walsh, Stanton, and Romano, LLP, where he handles workers compensation cases for the firm. In 2012, Mr. Gruber was named as the chairman of the Workers’ Compensation Committee of the Brooklyn Bar Association and he is a member of numerous workers’-compensation-centered organizations.