ARE YOU OVEREXPOSING YOURSELF IN SOCIAL MEDIA?

Today's post comes from guest author Laurel Anderson, from Causey Law Firm.

By Laurel Anderson from Causey Law Firm

     Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram and other wildly popular social media websites have transformed how people both connect with each other and obtain information about other people. It has also created a change in the legal arena. For our clients who are currently applying for or receiving workers’ comp time loss benefits, or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, our advice is to keep in mind the importance of privacy settings for both written information and photos on their individual accounts. While a Washington State law went into effect this weekend barring employers from requesting access to Facebook passwords, if your privacy settings are not tight, curious parties can randomly obtain information about you.

While a Washington State law went into effect this weekend barring employers from requesting access to Facebook passwords, if your privacy settings are not tight, curious parties can randomly obtain information about you.

     From our experience, you can now assume that claims managers, employers, and defense attorneys will search for information on the internet regarding your personal life that can impact your claim for benefits. Please make sure that any outdated information regarding your activities is removed from your personal page. Do not use social media to vent about your employer or state agencies that are the decision-makers in your claim. You may be under the impression that only your friends can see your personal page, and that you have some right to privacy. However, be aware that all of the content on your walls, including photos and instant messaging, could be potentially discoverable by your employer or opposing counsel in a litigated case if the content is relevant to your claim for benefits.

     The risk is somewhat less in the SSDI arena since there actually is an agency directive to ALJs and DDS adjudicators that they are not to use social media to research claimants. We nevertheless warn our SSDI clients concerning social media, as we are not convinced that agency people are always playing by the rules, or that those rules may not soon change.

Photo credit: lindes / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA

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Medical Transparency: Resistance is Futile

Today's post was shared by WorkCompCentral and comes from daviddepaolo.blogspot.com

John Green, one of the vlogbrothers, posted a video blog on YouTube that so far has racked up over 2 million views, entitled "Why Are American Health Care Costs So High?" The bottom line take-away from this manic, though entertaining (and I assume accurate) review of the United States health care system is the reason why costs are so much higher in the US compared to the rest of the world is ... Because they can... John argues that there is no central pricing control like other countries, that consumers will pay whatever they are charged because, basically, they don't know any better, and there is no transparency in health care pricing. Maybe that's true. I don't know, I'm no expert on health care costs, or health care for that matter - hell, I'm no expert on anything. But it does make sense that health care pricing should be a factor in most medical care decision situations where there is time to make an informed judgment about a procedure - which is most of the time. Some medical businesses are starting to advertise their prices and it's causing some debate in medical circles. The Surgery Center of Oklahoma, owned by its roughly 40 surgeons and anesthesiologists, drew national interest and sparked a bidding war as several other medical facilities in Oklahoma posted their prices according to media reports. Pricing transparency is gaining momentum. North Carolina passed a law requiring hospitals to provide prices on 140 common medical procedures and services. In May, the federal...

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To Promote Wellness, Public Health Departments Are Launching Apps. Will They Work?

Employee health concerns will soon be advanced by technology. Knowledgeable use of "apps" will assist workers' in identifying occupational conditions and hazards. Today's post was shared by RWJF PublicHealth and comes from healthland.time.com

Courtesy of Alabama Department of Public Healt The Alabama Department of Public Health is venturing into the mobile universe as the first state with a health app for residents. “Normally Alabama comes in last when it comes to health indicators, but we were one of the first states to be on Facebook and Twitter and YouTube. This is just another goal for us,” says Jennifer Pratt Sumner, the director of the digital media branch of the department. The app, which is free to download from Google Play or iTunes, brings all of the social media feeds put out by the various public health divisions into one place. It also provides health news alerts and information about wellness events, such as the annual Alabama Youth Rally. Some recent tips included educational conferences open to the public, and tips on safely consuming shellfish in the state. (MORE: Two-Faced Facebook: We Like It, but It Doesn’t Make Us Happy) “As more and more Americans use their smartphones to gather health information, I think we’ll see a greater number of health departments rolling out their own apps,” says Alexandra Hughes, an account director at Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, who wrote an analysis on social media effects entitlted “Using Social Media Platforms to Amplify Public Health Messaging” [PDF]. “Consumers are already flocking to apps to do things like count calories, prepare healthier...

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