At the 2022 Washington Self-Insurers Association Annual Conference, Liz Fischer, Vice President, Senior Claims Consultant at Marsh discussed Evidence-Based Disability Guidelines and Best Practices. What Are Disability Guidelines? Evidence-based guidelines for medical management and disability duration include nationally-recognized treatments and return-to-work guidelines used to evaluate the necessity and/or effectiveness of medical care. While there are different evidence-based guideline tools available, all rely on extensive data collection and analysis to benchmark disability, treatment and claim costs outcomes. Some of the most frequently used guidelines include the Official Disability Guidelines (ODG), American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) and state-specific guidelines,
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Ergonomic principles can help your employees not only work safely and productively, but it also encourages health in their lives as well. The goal of ergonomics is to optimize how we work by designing a workspace that is conducive to better productivity and employee well-being.  At the 2022 WCR Conference, two experts discussed ergonomic risk management around remote work. Speakers included: Lisa Orr – Senior Human Factors Consultant, Sedgwick Dawn Watkins – Director, Integrated Disability Management, Los Angeles Unified School District The Importance of Ergonomics There are many benefits of emphasizing ergonomics in the workplace, including: Increasing comfort at work.
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What are the major reputational risk facing employers in today’s environment? At the 2022 WCR Conference, a group of expert panelists discussed the interplay of managing OSHA compliance risk and workers’ compensation. The speakers included: Jordan Hetherington – ARM – Workers’ Compensation Manager, Tesla Roy Park – Park | Guenthart Amir Sharifi – Sr. Manager, Workplace Risk, Tesla Claims Investigation A prompt and thorough investigation after a workplace accident is a necessity in developing a better outcome for the claim. Engaging with the employee and their supervisor throughout a review can build a clearer understanding of the accident’s cause and how it
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What is the smartest way to improve the claims process? At the 2022 WCR Conference, a panel of experts provided 60 practical tips and strategies in 60 minutes that can be used to ensure your workers’ compensation claims stay on the right track. Speakers included: Moderator, Stuart D. Colburn, Esq. Downs Standford P.C. Panelists: Edward Canavan, Hudson Claims Consulting Hon. Clint Feddersen Rafael Gozalez, Esq. Jeff Adelson, Esq. Heidi Bastien, Jacuzzi Sheri Lawrence, SoCalGas 60 Tips to Ensure Your Workers’ Compensation Claims Stay on Track Query the claims file to find out if the injured worker is a current Medicare
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We know that health is determined by more than just access to quality medical care. Social factors such as poverty, housing, and education can significantly impact health outcomes. These factors are known as the social determinants of health (SDOH). At the 2022 WCR Conference, a group of panelists discussed these social barriers to recovery and how we can help injured workers overcome them. The speakers included: Rafael Gonzalez, Esq. – Cattie & Gonzalez, PLLC Debra Livingston – CEO, ReEmployability Chad Beinschroth – Claims Manager, ABM Addressing Social Determinants of Health Accounting for up to 80% of the overall health of
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Workers’ compensation began as a system for injured workers in the early 1900s. Since that time we have seen numerous changes within each state system evolving to where we are today; however, the basic construct of workers’ compensation has remained the same. The last several years have ushered in many new practices within the workers’ compensation systems, some significant with others merely inconvenient, yet all have forced change in some fashion.  At the 2022 Workers’ Compensation Institute Conference in Orlando, a panel of claims experts discussed how employers can prepare for these changes to ensure that their programs are achieving
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The last few years have been major challenges for risk managers. Besides COVID-19, risk managers have had to face dramatic changes in business demands, supply chain and economic disruptions, the Great Resignation, court shutdowns, “yo-yoing” workers’ compensation costs, hard insurance markets, work-from-home and return-to-the-workplace issues. Some companies got bigger by growth or acquisition, some went through layoffs, workforce restructures or divestitures, but almost all companies are different today than they were in March 2020.  At the 2022 Workers’ Compensation Institute Conference in Orlando, a panel of risk managers at companies who have faced these changes discussed their experiences. Speakers included:
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How do you train managers on return to work and applying light duty restrictions? How do you know you’re selecting the right vendors and physicians? At the 2022 Workers’ Compensation Institute Conference in Orlando, an interactive session including audience members and an expert panel share the highs and lows of their return-to-work programs. Speakers included: Maxine Topper – Executive Vice President, Physicians Health Centers Rosa Royo – Director of Workers’ Compensation, Miami Dade County Public Schools Tish Cooke – Risk Manager – Workers’ Compensation, TopBuild What makes a strong return-to-work program? A successful program needs the support of everyone from
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At the 2022 PRIMA Annual Conference, a session discussed how to facilitate the transition from a long-time risk manager to a new person in that role. The speakers, all past PRIMA presidents, were: Sarah Perry – City of Columbia (retiring soon) Dean Coughenour – City of Flagstaff (recently retired) Daniel Hurley – City of Chesapeake (recently retired) There is currently a significant exodus of longtime public entity risk managers as a generation is reaching retirement age. These transitions are not always planned well in advance as situations arise that result in a rapid transition. Public entities tend to operate with
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At the 2022 PRIMA Annual Conference, a session discussed recent case law and legislative changes impacting qualified immunity for law enforcement officers. The speakers were: Benjamin Eggert – Wiley Rein LLP Steve Leone – Genesis Management & Insurance Services Corp Qualified immunity for law enforcement officers is receiving increased attention on state and federal levels as a response to high profile incidents involving potential police misconduct in recent years. There is also significant societal pressure to prosecute police officers for misconduct. A record 21 officers were criminally changed in 2021. This number may seem inconsequential, but prosecutions used to be
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