CEO Perspectives: Risk, Safety and Leading from the Top
At the 2015 IRMI Construction Risk Conference, the CEOs of two construction firms discussed how they view risk, the role of risk management and their roles in establishing risk management expectations in their organizations. The speakers were Charles Bacon III (Chairman & CEO of Limbach Facility Services LLC) and Thomas Gilbane Jr (Chairman and CEO […]
Evolution of Workers’ Compensation: Challenges and Alternatives
At the 2015 SIIA Annual Conference, Chris Mandel and Edward Canavan from Sedgwick discussed the evolution of workers’ compensation and challenges to exclusive remedy. They also talked about alternatives to workers’ compensation. Workers’ compensation in the United States started just over 100 years ago. One of the events that helped push this forward was outrage […]
The Importance of Mental & Behavioral Health within Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
At the 2015 Paradigm Innovation Symposium, Teresa Ashman, PhD, ABPP-Rp, FACRM, Director of Neurorehabilitation Psychology, Shepherd Center, presented a session discussing the importance of addressing psychological issues in the treatment of catastrophic injury claims. The best chance for a successful recovery following a catastrophic injury, such as a spinal cord injury (SCI) or traumatic brain […]
Why Mental Health Matters in Workers’ Compensation Systems
At the 2015 Paradigm Innovation Symposium, Renée-Louise Franche, PhD, RPsych, Clinical Psychologist and Consultant in Work Disability Prevention and Occupational Health, presented a session discussing why mental health issues are so important in workers’ compensation. Mental health issues in injured workers can no longer be ignored. These conditions are increasingly being recognized as potential risk […]
A Culturally-Sensitive Employer’s Perspective: Why Does This Matter?
At the 2015 Paradigm Innovation Symposium, Harry L. Spencer, Vice President, Compensation, Benefits & Corporate Social Responsibility at JetBlue Airways, presented a session about how mental health issues can impact employers. Mental health issues can directly and indirectly impact a business. A staggering percentage of the U.S. workforce has behavioral health and/or substance use disorders […]
Understanding the California Medical Treatment Utilization Schedule (MTUS)
At the 2015 California Coalition on Workers’ Compensation Conference, Denise Zoe Algire from Safeway and Dr. Lawrence Miller from Anthem Workers’ Compensation presented a session entitled California MTUS: Past, Present Future. The primary goal of adopting treatment guidelines should not be cost containment. The primary goal should be to expedite the injured worker receiving the […]
Defending Psych/Stress Claims
At the 2015 California Coalition on Workers’ Compensation Annual Conference, Dr. David Hall and Marc Liebowitz from the law firm Laughlin, Falbo, Levy & Moresi presented a session titled, “Psych/Stress Claims – How Not to Go Crazy Just Because Your Employee Did.” This session addressed the interplay between medical and legal issues in California with […]
What is a Formulary and How Does a State-Adopted Formulary Work For You?
At the 2015 California Coalition on Workers’ Compensation Annual Conference (CCWC), a panel discussed the pros and cons of a state-adopted pharmacy formulary. Panelists included Dr. Bernyce Peplowski and Alex Swedlow from CCWC and Brenda Wood and Karen Caterino from Healthcare Solutions. A workers’ compensation formulary is designed to be specific for industrial injuries and […]
California Workers’ Compensation – North vs South
At the 2015 California Coalition on Workers’ Compensation Annual Conference, a panel discussed the huge disparity in claims costs between northern and southern California. The panel consisted of: Alfonso Moresi – Commissioner, Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board and partner in law firm Laughlin, Falbo, Levy and Moresi Richard Newman – Chief Judge for the California Department […]
CCWC Legislative and Political Update
The 2015 California Coalition on Workers’ Compensation Annual Conference (CCWC) kicked off with a Legislative and Political Update presented by Paul Yoder and Jason Schmelzer from CCWC. In the last year, there have been four out of 40 members of the State Senate who were suspended for misconduct. This resulted in the Democrats losing their […]