Tag: mpn

By Posted on Posted in Medical Provider Network, PDRater No Comments Tagged with ,
Finally! An up date!
Look up! Dates!

A few weeks ago I e-mailed an Applicant attorney friend of mine ((I’ll call him “Z.”)) and got back a one word response.  I jokingly chided him for being so chatty.  His response was thus:

No new blog = minimal response

Well, for Z and everyone else out there, here’s a new blog post! ((There are two kinds of blog posts I really hate to read.  Blog posts that apologize for infrequent posting and blog posts that talk about the frequency of blog posts.))  Over the weekend I updated several aspects of the website.  ((Photo courtesy of Agent Smith))  Here’s a short summary:

  1. Updated MPN / Medical Provider Lists.  I’ve added a lot more MPN names, links, and passwords.  If you have some new ones, please send them over.  I’ve also improved the link structure to help prevent broken links.
  2. Updated workers’ compensation calculators.  I’ve added a few small features that should make the calculators work a little better.
  3. Improved site speed.  I’ve added a little extra website-internet-magic-mojo that should improve the entire site’s performance.
  4. Something new!  I’m working on a brand new calculator.  If you like playing with calculators, kicking-tires, and dishing out criticism, drop me a line and ask to be a beta tester.
  5. Finally, if you see any weirdness over the next few days, please drop me a line and let me know so I can take care of it!

But, enough about me!  How are you?

By Posted on Posted in Insurance, Medical Provider Network, Medical Treatment, PDRater, Workers Compensation Resources No Comments Tagged with , , , ,
medical provider network maze
MPN's - a-maze-ing!

One has to wonder which would have given Kafka a bigger headache – MPN’s or voice mail message systems.  ((I think I dislike voice mail message systems more…))  ((Photo courtesy of marcelgermain))  Finding a medical provider within an MPN is no walk in the park.  ((Heck, I’m a defense attorney and I’m not crazy about Medical Provider Networks.))

I get frustrated when I need to find a medical provider within an MPN.  If I’m very lucky, I get lost in a maze of badly laid out pages or meaningless search screens.  If I’m not so lucky the MPN website has changed, moved, or no longer exists.

Anyhow, I wanted to extend a “thank you” to all the users of this website who help me maintain my Medical Provider Network website page.  It seems like just about every week some kind person sends me a new MPN website link or updated MPN password.  ((Once an insurance company sent me their updated MPN page!))

By Posted on Posted in Free, Medical Provider Network, PDRater, Workers Compensation Resources No Comments Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
This Medical Provider needs net work
Wanted: "Net work" for MPN's

I’ve updated the Medical Provider Network lists as of 6/5/2009.  Most of the updates to the MPN lists page are contributed by loyal users of this website.  What’s interesting about the latest update is that it was actually contributed by an insurance company themselves! ((Photo courtesy of júbilo·haku))

One thing I’ll never understand is why so many MPN lists have logins and passwords.  The whole point of a website is to make that kind of information available.  Its not like these lists of MPN doctors and providers are secret, right?  If anything, making these website more user friendly and more navigable will enable people (injured workers, applicant attorneys, defense attorneys, and judges) to actually find physicians and help smooth the operation of the system.

In any case, I think this is a great first step.  I would love to offer everyone a unified source for all California Medical Provider Network websites, logins, and passwords.  It would be even better to have the insurance companies and third party administrators just send me the updated information for their links as they update their sites.

By Posted on Posted in Medical Provider Network, Workers Compensation Resources No Comments Tagged with , , , , ,
Doc-in-a-box
Doc-in-a-box

I began maintaining a list of MPN providers about a year ago specifically because I find them so frustrating. ((Photo courtesy of aussiegall)) (Explanation of the photo on the right ((A “doc-in-the-box” is a derragotry phrase for a physician who is, for lack of a better term, in someone’s “pocket.”  Doctor Who is a is a British sci-fi television show about someone called “The Doctor” who travels through time in a police box.  The photo on the right with the caption is my attempt at humor.)) ) Admittedly, a year ago I was an Applicant’s attorney, but that’s besides the point.  Even as a workers’ compensation defense attorney and I’m still frustrated by MPN lists.

In order to find a treating physician with an MPN you need to have a conflagration of events.   The right Medical Provider Network link to the right website for the right carrier with the right password.

According to the Division of Workers’ Compensation website, there are 1,334 official and approved Medical Provider Networks for California.  Unfortunately, the Division of Workers’ Compensation list of MPN’s is almost completely worthless since it doesn’t include a website link or other useful information about these various Medical Provider Networks.  The most useful part about the DWC’s list of MPN’s is that it will tell you whether or not a particular employer/self-insured/insurance company has an MPN.  There is a lot of amount of duplication on the official MPN list.  I would estimate there are really only about 500 or so unique Medical Provider Networks operating in California.

In any case, I’m maintaining a list of Medical Provider Networks links and passwords.  If you know of any additional MPN websites, logins, or passwords, please drop me a line and let me know.  Right now, I’m looking for updated links and passwords for:

  • Concentra MPN (Medical Provider Network)
  • CorVel MPN (Medical Provider Network)
  • Keenan & Associates MPN (Medical Provider Network)

Hopefully workers’ compensation professionals on both sides will find this information useful.

By Posted on Posted in PDRater, Technobabble, Website Updates No Comments Tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,
This baby monkey has nothing to do with workers' compensation at all.
This baby monkey has nothing to do with workers compensation at all

This website was recently re-launched on July 6, 2008 in a “blog” style format using WordPress to power everything except the calculators. ((Photo courtesy of nycgeo.))

On July 23, 2008 this website was all of one year old.  That day I made a goal of posting something ((Admittedly, sometimes nonsense.)) every single weekday. ((Even on holiday-weekdays.))  Today is the 100th post on this site and I can’t help feeling somewhat accomplished. ((I’m not exactly ready for NaNoWriMo, but you need to walk before you can run.))

As any website regular can tell, I’m constantly tinkering with this site.  I fully understand constant change might be somewhat disorienting.  On the other hand, I’m making these changes in an effort to improve the appearance and usability of the website.

Most recently, I moved the Medical Provider Network and Links sub-pages to be their own ((Top level)) menu options.  These pages seem to be things people use a lot and really deserve their own spot at the top.  Then again, I don’t want the top menu to be too cluttered.  There’s really no one great solution to this dilemma.

Other changes I’m considering:

  1. Moving the EAMS and WCAB search functions to their own page.  Some users ((I suspect mostly non-attorneys.)) use these functions exclusively and probably don’t appreciate the dozen or so other calculators.
  2. Combining the Blog and Articles pages.  I haven’t done this so far because I doubt people want to sift through my technobabble to learn something about workers’ compensation.

While I have you here:

Drop me a line and let me know.