At the 2018 Comp Laude Awards and Gala, a panel discussed the challenges of managing complex claims. The panel was: Eddy Canavan – Sedgwick Tamara Ulufanua-Ciraulo – Stater Brothers Darin Hampton – International Paper Susanne Walden – Scripps Health Dawn Watkins – LAUSD One of the challenges in managing complex claims can be employee unions. Too often an injured worker will seek advice on their claim from the union rep which can lead to litigation and add unnecessary challenges to the claim. They have worked with their unions to encourage them to refer people with questions about their claim to
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At the 2018 IAIABC Annual Conference a panel discussed efforts to control inappropriate opioid use in workers’ compensation claims. The speakers were: Dr Gary Franklin – Medical Director, Washington State Department of Labor and Industry Dr Dinesh Govindarao – Chief Medical Officer, State Compensation Insurance Fund Joe Paduda – Principal, Health Strategy Associates The opioid epidemic has lead to over 200,000 deaths. Hundreds of thousands of individuals have become dependent or addicted to these medications. These opioid addictions are having a big impact on both group health and workers’ compensation. The first step in controlling inappropriate opioids is to prevent
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At the 2018 IAIABC Annual Conference, regulators from the attending jurisdictions discussed some current issues of interest. Challenge of Technology: There is a lot more we could be doing with regard to technology. Part of the challenge to this is an aging workforce (on the regulatory and judicial side) that is somewhat resistant to change. Technology requires funding and it is very challenging for state agencies to secure additional funding. Our state’s court system has already modernized to allow for online docketing and interaction with litigants. We should be able to modernize our entire system in a similar fashion. Funding
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At the IAIABC Annual Convention in Williamsburg, VA, Celena Thompson, clinical psychologist with the Hampton VA Medical Center discussed how the VA diagnoses PTSD. With more states considering PTSD legislation under workers’ compensation, it is important for legislators and regulators to consider coming up with rules around the diagnosis of this condition. The VA’s diagnostic criteria for PTSD is as follows: Criterion A: The person was exposed to death, threatened death, actual or threatened serious injury or actual or theatened sexual violence in the following ways: Direct exposure. Witnessing the trauma. Learning that a relative or close friend was exposed
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At the 2018 Workers’ Compensation Institute conference in Orlando, FL, the Alliance of Women in Workers’ Compensation presented a half-day session focused on helping people gain a greater understanding of business financial acumen. The session featured a panel discussion with leaders in the workers’ compensation industry. The panel was: Veronica Cressman – SVP, ESIS Artemis Emslie – AGM Holdings, Inc Delphia Frisch, COO, Genex Services LLC Brooke Evans, Founder, CFO Alliance (moderator) Financial acumen is the language of business. Learning this can be like learning a foreign language and it takes time to master. The goal of the session is
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There are several benefits associated with including the essential physical job demands on job descriptions. This session at WCI’s 2018 Workers’ Compensation Educational Conference provided tips to correctly craft essential job demands. The panel included: Carrie Manges, PTA, Regional Work Comp Specialist, CORA Physical Therapy Jaime Sigurdsson, CEAS, Director of Workers’ Compensation, CORA Physical Therapy Katherine Jones, Human Resources Generalist, City of Winter Park By distinguishing the essential versus marginal functions, and determining the physical demand requirements for both weight and position, the employer can properly match the worker to the job and prevent injuries due to inability to perform
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During this session at the 2018 WCI conference, a panel of experts explore how risk managers can influence employee wellness through the entire life cycle of the claim and in the pre-incident and post-incident stages as well. The panel included: Gregory J. McKenna, Senior Vice President, External Affairs, Gallagher Bassett Services, Inc.(moderator) Brad Reese, Director of Risk Management, Asbury Automotive Group Paul Koziatek, CPCU, ARM, Coca Cola Beverages of Florida, Senior Manager, Enterprise Risk Management Marti Dickman, Vice President, Risk Management, Advanced Disposal, Inc. When it comes to return to work programs, create a program where there is some type
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Opioids are associated with many physical, psychological and socially adverse consequences and have reached epidemic proportions in the United States. Despite the danger they pose and lack of literature to support their efficacy in chronic pain, opioids continue to be prescribed frequently to injured workers. This session at WCI’s 2018 Workers’ Compensation Educational Conference explored alternative treatments for chronic pain management. The panel included: Eric Patten, Senior Director of Clinical Services, One Call Marcos A. Iglesias, MD, MMM, FAAFP, FACOEM, Senior Vice President/Chief Medical Officer, Broadspire Mark Pew, Senior Vice President, Product Development & Marketing, Preferred Medical Contrary to most
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Thanks to technology, the investigative community is experiencing a renaissance period. This session at WCI’s 2018 Workers’ Compensation Educational Conference explored social media monitoring software and its positive impact on claim outcomes. The panel included: Steve Cassell, President & CEO, Command Investigations Andrew Olwert, President, Next Level Administrators David Shoaff, Manager, Claims, Red Lobster Steve Figliuolo, Senior Consultant, Risk Management, Chick-fil-A Corporate The majority of workers’ compensation claims are legitimate and the employees want to get back to work, however, there is a small percentage of claims that are exaggerated, misrepresented or just opportunist. New technologies are emerging to help
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New technologies are reshaping the world in which we live, and advancements are accelerating faster than at any other time in our history. Further, this trend is expected to continue. From expanded data-mining capabilities, to the use of telemedicine for treatment, to expanded communication channels, technology is changing the way that organizations protect and care for today’s workers. The panel for this session at the 2018 WCI conference included: Scott Westman, CPCU, CRM, CIC, ARM, SCLA, Senior Vice President – Casualty Operations, Sedgwick Claims Management Services, Inc. (moderator) Dave Loyless, Senior Risk Manager, TBC Corporation Nathan Hughes, Director Risk Management,
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