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Workers’ Comp Unwrapped
Workers' Comp Unwrapped with Aniq is your go-to podcast for uncovering the complexities of the workers' compensation system. Join Aniq, an experienced industry professional, as he breaks down the latest trends, tips, and case studies in workers' comp, making it easier for business owners, HR professionals, and employees to navigate. From understanding your rights to exploring key legal developments, Anique unwraps the essential information you need to know, all in an engaging and straightforward way. Tune in for insightful discussions, expert interviews, and actionable advice to help you manage workers' comp more effectively!
Episodes
116 episodes
Workers Comp Unwrapped Episode 512: AB 1293 QME Templates: How Standardized Reports Are Changing Med-Legal Billing Accuracy
A QME report gets written, submitted, and billed. Weeks later, the payment is reduced or disputed, not because the medicine was wrong, but because the report didn't clearly show what was done, what was required, or how it maps to the billing. I...
Workers Comp Unwrapped Episode 511:Authorized but Never Paid: How Payers Are Exploiting MPN Arguments to Deny Legitimate Claims
A provider gets a treatment authorized in writing. The treatment happens. Weeks later, the payment doesn't. Instead, a denial letter arrives claiming the provider was never actually in the carrier's Medical Provider Network to begin with — as i...
Workers Comp Unwrapped Episode 510: SB 216 Expanded the WC Pool: How to Bill for Licensed Contractor Injuries in California
SB 216 has been rolling out in stages since 2023, and it's already put a population of licensed contractors under workers' comp coverage for the first time in their careers — people who ran their businesses for years without ever generating a W...
Workers Comp Unwrapped Episode 509: SIBTF Reform Is Coming: What California Providers Treating Pre-Existing Condition Patients Must Do Now
Governor Newsom's veto of AB 1329 last October didn't kill SIBTF reform, it redirected it. Instead of a narrower legislative fix, the Governor ordered the Department of Industrial Relations and the Division of Workers' Compensation to build a c...
Workers Comp Unwrapped Episode 508: Summer Surge: Billing for Heat Injuries and Outdoor Worker Claims Under California WC in 2026
Every California summer brings the same seasonal spike — outdoor workers going down with heat exhaustion or heatstroke, and the claims that follow arriving on the desks of billers who handle maybe a handful of these a year and then forget the d...
Workers Comp Unwrapped Episode 507: Virtual Courtrooms 2.0: What Every California Provider Must Know About WCAB Hearings on CourtCall
Since March 3, 2025, every status conference, mandatory settlement conference, priority conference, and lien conference at the WCAB has been conducted on the CourtCall Video Platform instead of a telephone line. Trials, lien trials, and expedit...
Workers Comp Unwrapped Episode 506: The 10.4% Premium Push: How the WCIRB's Proposed Rate Hike Is Already Reshaping Payer Behavior
The WCIRB asked the California Department of Insurance for a 10.4% increase in advisory pure premium rates for September 1, 2026. The Commissioner didn't give them all of it — but the gap between what was requested and what was approved is itse...
Workers Comp Unwrapped Episode 505: Cumulative Trauma in California: What's Driving the Volume Surge and How to Build Airtight Billing
CT claims now account for more than one in four indemnity claims in California — and in 2025, they crossed into 31.6%, more than double their share fifteen years ago. The WCIRB has pointed to cumulative trauma as the single largest driver behin...
Workers Comp Unwrapped Episode 504: Getting Paid for DME in 2026, What the New Medicare Q2 Fee Alignment Means for Your WC Billing
The DWC's April 1, 2026 DMEPOS update didn't grab headlines the way the UR overhaul did — but for any provider billing durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, or supplies in a California WC claim, it changes real numbers on real i...
Workers Comp Unwrapped Episode 503: MTUS Drug List v.14 Is Live: What Changed, What's Out, and How to Bill It Correctly in WC
Two episodes ago it was the UR and IMR overhaul. Last episode it was the 10-day IMR clock for formulary drug disputes. In this episode, Aneeq and Angela turn to the drug list itself: MTUS Drug List v.14, effective April 30, 2026. It's built ...
Workers Comp Unwrapped Episode 502: The 10-Day IMR Deadline: How to Protect Drug Authorization Before the Clock Runs Out
Last episode we covered the full scope of the April 1, 2026 UR and IMR overhaul. This episode, Aneeq and Angela go deep on one piece of it that's already tripping people up: the compressed IMR deadline for MTUS formulary drug disputes. Ten days...
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Workers Comp Unwrapped Episode 501: The April 2026 UR Overhaul: How the New Rules Change Every RFA You File in California
Season 5 opens with the biggest regulatory shift utilization review has seen in years. In this episode, Aneeq and Angela break down the DWC's April 1, 2026 overhaul of the UR and IMR regulations — new URAC accreditation and disclosure requireme...
Workers Comp Unwrapped Episode 426: Mid-Year Compliance Check: What WC Providers Should Review Before Q3
In this episode of Workers Comp Unwrapped, Aneeq and Angela deliver a practical mid-year compliance check for workers’ compensation providers, helping organizations identify operational gaps, reduce denials, and prepare for the second ...
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Workers Comp Unwrapped Episode 425: 2026 So Far: Biggest Workers’ Comp Billing Trends and What’s Next
In this episode of Workers Comp Unwrapped, Aneeq and Angela take a mid-year look at the biggest workers’ compensation billing trends shaping 2026 and discuss what providers should expect as the industry heads into Q3 and Q4.Draw...
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Workers Comp Unwrapped Episode 424: Denial Trends in Mid-2026: What’s Driving Approvals & Delays Right Now
In this episode of Workers Comp Unwrapped, Aneeq and Angela provide a mid-year analysis of the workers’ compensation landscape, examining the denial trends, approval patterns, and payment delays that are shaping provider operations acr...
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Workers Comp Unwrapped Episode 423: 2026 Tech Stack for WC Providers: Tools That Actually Help
In this episode of Workers Comp Unwrapped, Aneeq and Angela take a practical look at the 2026 tech stack for workers’ compensation providers and break down which tools are actually improving workflows and which ones are adding unnecessary compl...
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Workers Comp Unwrapped Episode 422: Combating Workers’ Comp Fraud: What Payers Flag in 2026
In this episode of Workers Comp Unwrapped, Aneeq and Angela explore one of the most sensitive and closely monitored areas in workers’ compensation today: fraud detection, payer flagging systems, and how providers can build defensible documentat...
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Workers Comp Unwrapped Episode 421: Navigating OSHA Compliance for Medical Practices in WC
OSHA compliance is becoming a much bigger focus for medical practices handling workers’ compensation cases in 2026. From infection control and workplace safety to employee training and documentation standards, healthcare providers are facing in...
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Workers Comp Unwrapped Episode 420: Coordinating Multiple Providers Without Triggering Denials
Managing workers’ compensation cases involving multiple providers can quickly become complicated. When physical therapists, chiropractors, pain specialists, surgeons, and other providers are all treating the same patient, even small documentati...
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Workers Comp Unwrapped Episode 419: Overcoming UR Denials in 2026: Authorization Appeal Strategies
In this episode of Workers Comp Unwrapped, Aneeq and Angela tackle one of the most frustrating challenges facing providers in 2026: utilization review denials and the growing complexity of authorization appeals in workers’ compensation...
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Workers Comp Unwrapped Episode 418: Telehealth in Workers’ Comp: Billing and Compliance in 2026
In this episode of Workers Comp Unwrapped, Aneeq and Angela dive into how telehealth is changing the workers’ compensation landscape and why billing and compliance have become more challenging in 2026.Drawing on her 15 years of experienc...
Workers Comp Unwrapped Episode 417: Cannabis in Workers’ Comp: New MTUS Guidelines
In this episode of Workers Comp Unwrapped, Aneeq and Angela unpack one of the most debated topics in modern workers’ compensation: cannabis related treatment and the evolving MTUS guidelines.Drawing from her 15 years of industry...
Workers Comp Unwrapped Episode 416: Silent PPO Contracts: How to Identify and Fight Back
In this episode of Workers Comp Unwrapped, Aneeq and Angela unpack one of the most overlooked revenue threats in healthcare billing: Silent PPO contracts.Angela draws from her 15 years of industry experience to explain how provi...
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Workers Comp Unwrapped Episode 415: Case Study: How One Clinic Cut Denials by 35% in 60 Days
In this episode of Workers Comp Unwrapped, Aneeq and Angela dive into a real-world case study of how one clinic reduced claim denials by 35% in just 60 days—without a major tech overhaul.Angela draws on her 15 years of industry ...
Workers Comp Unwrapped Episode 414: AI in WC Billing: Predicting Denials and Improving Approvals
AI is helping transform workers’ comp billing by predicting claim denials before they happen. Aneeq and Angela explain that most denials are not random but caused by repeat issues like coding errors, missing information, and outdated fee schedu...
