At the RIMS 2017 Annual Conference and Exhibition, this panel of healthcare risk professionals discussed the most-prominent workers’ compensation challenges and solutions facing the industry today. Speakers included:  Rich Reynolds, Manager – Workers’ Compensation, Providence Health & Services Paul Posey, CEO, Ascension Care Management Martin King, Director, Corporate Risk Management, Kaiser Permanente Mark Walls, Vice President Communications & Strategic Analysis, Safety National Kimberly George, SVP, Corporate Development, M&A and Healthcare, Sedgwick Violence against healthcare workers is getting a lot of attention these days. It’s a growing problem that is hard to manage. With OSHA’s new reporting guidelines, it is gaining
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Ariel Jenkins, Director of Risk Control, Safety National and Kip Teitsort, President/CEO, DT4EMS LLC conducted a session at RIMS 2017 Annual Conference to discuss emergency medical service personnel and the violence they are exposed. Everyday they are threatened by assault, this attack could come from a violent patient, angry bystander or even an upset family member. The effects of being exposed to violence are anxiety, PTSD and insomnia. According to the CDC the annual number of violent event that led to EMS individuals being treated in emergency rooms has increased from 2,100 in 2008 to almost 2,600 in 2014. Is
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The first topic in the spotlight on Tuesday in the Wellness ZENter at RIMS was employee resilience. Kimberly George, SVP, Corporate Development, M&A, and Healthcare at Sedgwick, talked with Molly Doyle, Chief Product Officer at meQuilibrium, about the importance of resilience. Resilience is about the ability to handle the natural challenges and opportunities that come your way in order to respond in the most productive and positive way, and achieve the best outcome. Molly explained that the human body is not designed to accommodate 24/7 stress. The symptoms of stress can be seen in how we respond to difficult situations.
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This session at the RIMS 2017 Annual Conference and Exhibition explored the 2017 findings of the joint Marsh/RIMS annual study titled Ready or Not, Disruption is Here. Speakers included:  Brian Elowe, Managing Director, Global Risk Management, Marsh Laura Langone, Senior Director, Risk & Insurance, PayPal, Inc. Carol Fox, Vice President Strategic Initiatives, RIMS Technology is rapidly reshaping businesses and industries. This year’s report is a result of focus groups with risk executives in a variety of industries to understand how the risk of disruptive technologies are being addressed. Some key findings included: 1. A disturbing percentage of risk managers are
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“Sitting is as bad as smoking.” 10,000 Americans a day turn 65, increasing the possibility of comorbid conditions on claims. Claims with a comorbidity diagnosis are increasing. A comorbid diagnosis can give the provider, injured worker and payer more realistic expectations for return to work and recovery. Eric Patten, Director of Clinical Management and Complex Care, One Call Care Management, and Richard Graham, Director, Workers’ Compensation, SEPTA, discussed what they referred to as “Pandora’s box” of comorbid conditions at the RIMS 2017 Annual Conference. Some common comorbid conditions are obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, and insomnia. Mental health issues
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Companies are increasingly asking their risk leaders to move into areas traditionally outside the realm of insurance, claims and risk control. This session at the RIMS 2017 Annual Conference and Exhibition illustrated how to take on the responsibilities and the knowledge that come with new duties in governance, compliance, ethics and audit.  Speakers included:  Lance Ewing, EVP Global Risk Management, Cotton Holdings, Inc. Jennifer Santiago, Director Risk Management & Investigations, Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation Corporate governance is a system of rules, practices and processes by which a company is directed and controlled. Governance is a key element of risk management as
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Employee health took center stage during Monday’s Wellness ZENter presentations at RIMS. Dave North, President and CEO at Sedgwick, kicked off the day with a corporate wellness discussion with Shawn Leavitt, Senior Vice President of Global Benefits at Comcast. They highlighted the importance of wellness for individuals and populations, and how health and productivity impact business performance. The risk management industry has built an entire infrastructure around trying to take care of injured employees in an efficient way, but it has become complex for the employee with multiple phone numbers to call and forms to fill out. Accolade offers a
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During a session at the RIMS 2017 Annual Conference, Kevin Glennon, VP of Clinical Programs, One Call Care Management, and Markie Davis, Risk Manager, State of Colorado, discuss medical marijuana. As the push for legalization continues, let’s explore the hailstorm of medical, legal and regulatory questions this brings. Federal Law The Controlled Substances Act categorizes marijuana as Schedule 1 substance, with a high potential for abuse and no legitimate therapeutic uses, possession for personal use is a misdemeanor, cultivation and distribution are felonies. Currently 28 states now have legalized marijuana for medicinal use. Since marijuana is a schedule 1 substance
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Although a great deal of attention is paid to cost control initiatives in the workers’ compensation and healthcare arenas, liability costs are escalating for many organizations. This session at the RIMS 2017 Annual Conference and Exhibition discussed the factors driving increasing claims and litigation costs. Speakers:  Alan Gier, Global Director, Corporate Risk Management & Insurance, General Motors Company Anthony DeFelice, Casualty Practice Leader, Aon Corporation Andrew Barberis, Global Claims Officer for Excess Casualty & Healthcare Professional Liability, AIG Morgan O’Rourke, Director of Publications and Editor-in-Chief, RIMS The casualty market has been challenging for a long time. The industry hasn’t experienced
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At the RIMS 2017 Annual Conference, Timothy McCarty, AVP Risk Control, Trident Public Risk, and Jennifer Stancil, Risk Management Specialist, New Hanover County, discuss distracted driving, how to understand the problem and its risk management implications. We live in a society that we are very busy so we try to do everything in the car. So many distractions can occur while we are driving. This is very dangerous. There have been improvements over the past several years. These improvements include roundabouts and railing on the side of streets and highways. Fatals are still up 8% in 2015. This will continue
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