Critics of how prescription painkillers are administered in the U.S. are calling on health officials to phase out hospital procedures and questionnaires used to manage pain. They say the current system inadvertently encourages the overprescribing of addictive drugs like Vicodin … Source: Claims Journal

Imagine sitting at your desk writing a quote for an insurance policy and suddenly the lapel of your coat begins angrily buzzing, snapping you out of a daze and causing you to quickly straighten up and become alert. The midday … Source: Claims Journal

The jewelry industry experienced a 14.7 percent decline in crimes, according to the 2015 Annual Crime Report released by the Jewelers’ Security Alliance. The total number of crimes against the industry decreased from 1,381 in 2014 to 1,177 in 2015. … Source: Claims Journal

The Illinois Court of Appeals recently considered whether an insurance company was obligated to defend its insured in a wrongful death claim involving methadone intoxication notwithstanding the fact that the insurer’s homeowner policy contained a controlled substance exclusion. In Skolnik … Source: Claims Journal

Developers want to bring life back to a former Six Flags theme park at the edge of New Orleans, La., a tourist attraction long rusting away into an overgrown and ghostly spot of abandoned and vandalized amusement rides. In 2005, … Source: Claims Journal

The employee vs. contractor debate has the potential to have a major impact on the insurance industry, according to a pair of experts speaking on the topic on last week at the annual Risk Management Society conference held in San … Source: Claims Journal

Next winter could be cold across the northern U.S. as odds increase that a La Nina will replace the fading El Nino in the Pacific Ocean. A La Nina watch was issued Thursday as the warming across the equatorial Pacific’s … Source: Claims Journal

About 85 million Takata airbag inflators that haven’t been recalled are inside cars and trucks now being driven in the U.S. and would have to be replaced if the company can’t prove they are safe, the government said Wednesday. The … Source: Claims Journal

State laws that require drivers who’ve been convicted of drunk driving to pass a breathalyzer-type test before starting their cars saved an estimated 915 lives between 2007 and 2013, according to a study published in the American Journal of Public … Source: Claims Journal

A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 knocked over houses in southern Japan on Thursday evening, and police said people may be trapped underneath. There were no immediate reports of casualties from the 9:26 p.m. quake, and no … Source: Claims Journal