At the 2017 PARMA Conference, a panel discussed disaster response planning for public entities. The panel was: Ken Hernandez – County of San Bernardino Steve Robles – County of Los Angeles Michelle Colosimo – Black Swan Solutions Ariel Jenkins – Safety National Disasters can be both natural disasters like earthquakes or floods and also man-made events such as mass shootings or bombings.  Public entity risk managers need to be mindful of not only their employee’s response to a disaster, but their responsibilities to the general public. The government needs to be able to continue to function through a disaster. One
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At the 2017 PARMA Annual Conference, a panel discussed current and emerging issues involving risk management for public entities and joint powers authorities in relation to the requirements and conduct of investigations, including investigations of reported incidents of discrimination, harassment, or safety violations. Essentially this session was about the fundamentals of investigations in these matters. The panel was: Lejf Knutson – Partner – McCormick, Barstow, Sheppard, Wayte & Carruth Dennis Timoney –  Chief Risk Officer – Special District Risk Management Authority James Wagoner – Partner – McCormick, Barstow, Sheppard, Wayte & Carruth Catherine Jones – Asst Professor, Occupational Safety and
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At the 2017 PARMA Annual Conference, Yvonne Lang and Nichole Minkow from the firm Pearlman, Borska, & Wax talked about the challenges associated with reasonable accommodation of disabled workers. Interactive Process Conundrum: California law requires employers to engage in a “timely, good faith, interactive process.” Required for all employees AND applicants for jobs. This obligation often interferes with management ideas of how to effectively run their business. Disability discrimination is the most common complaint filed with DFEH in California. Laws protecting disabled employees in California: Workers’ compensation Family medical leave act (FMLA) California Family Rights Act (CFRA) Americans with Disabilities
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Conference Chronicles will be blogging from the PARMA Annual Conference held February 12-15, 2017, in Anaheim, CA. The Public Agency Risk Managers Association (PARMA) was the first organization of its kind – formed to provide a forum for California public sector risk managers to share ideas on how to perform their duties in this emerging field. Today it has grown to an organization that spans the entire state of California, with members in Washington, Oregon, Colorado and Nevada, and is now comprised of over 600 members in six local chapters. Learn more here.

Telemedicine is a hot topic with lots of discussion around its potential to favorably impact workers’ compensation by improving medical care access, but to what extent is it actually feasible today? This session at the 2016 National Workers’ Compensation & Disability Conference featured viewpoints from an employer, vendor and carrier. Speakers included: Ann Schnure, VP Risk Management – Claims, Macy’s Jill Allen, President & CEO, Consumer Health Connections Paul Morizzo, Provider Networks Manager, Missouri Employers Mutual Telemedicine is the next generation of managing injured workers’ medical care and claims. In fact, the telehealth industry is predicted to grow to $34
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At the 2016 National Workers’ Compensation and Disability Conference, David Jones from Express Scripts, Inc., and Peter Greaney from WorkCare, Inc., presented a case study in how Express Scripts used telephonic case management to improve their claims results.  Express Scripts is a pharmacy benefit management service that is one of the largest dispensers of medications in the nation. Their headquarters features a state-of-the-art distribution center where all their mail-order prescriptions are filled. They have 120 locations in 35 states around the United States. A couple years ago, Express Scripts merged with their largest competitor, which more than doubled their workers’
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Return-to-work programs frequently get cited as essential claims management tools for helping injured workers recover while eliminating employer costs. Yet many employers have not implemented programs, perhaps fearing that the task is too daunting. This session at the 2016 National Workers’ Compensation & Disability Conference offered strategies to create a return-to-work program. Speakers included: Ann-Marie Amiel, Risk Manager, Columbus Consolidated Government Patricia Biegler, Director of Public Works, Columbus Consolidated Government Return-to-work programs can help reduce injured worker absences, reduce costs and improve employee morale. There are several elements to include in any successful return-to-work program. Internal Strategy: Create an accident-review
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At the 2016 National Workers’ Compensation & Disability Conference, Stuart Colburn from Downs Stanford P.C and Jacob Lazarovic, M.D., from Broadspire explained causation standards that can assist in defending soft tissue claims.  Causation standards vary significantly by jurisdiction. The exact same argument in two different states can result in two different results based on how judges in that state interprete the information. An important element of any causation argument is evidence-based medical guidelines. It is important to focus on these industry-accepted standards, which can be applied regardless of the jurisdiction.  NIOSH standards for determining causation: Is the disease present? What
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Medical treatment guidelines can improve worker health by helping doctors and nurses deliver proper care. Multiple pain guidelines exist and, as their use grows, there is a greater need for claims managers to learn how they are best applied. This session at the 2016 National Workers’ Compensation & Disability Conference illustrated the purpose of chronic pain management guidelines and showed how they are used. Speakers included: Joseph Paduda, Principal, Health Strategy Associates & author of the Managed Care Matters Blog Steven D. Feinberg, M.D., Pain Management Physician, Feinberg Medical Group Guidelines Overview About 100,000 people die a year due to
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This roundtable session at the 2016 National Workers’ Compensation & Disability Conference provided key strategies and tangible practices from this year’s Teddy Award Winners. Panelists included: Danielle Hill, Human Resources Compliance Manager, Hampton Roads Transit Jennifer Massey, Corporate Director of Safety and Health and Claims Management, Harder Mechanical Contractors Laurie English, Senior VP, Chief Human Resources Officer, Excela Health Hampton Roads Transit is a public transportation agency that did a complete overhaul of their workers’ compensation and safety programs. Hazards they face include driver accidents, passenger violence and overexertion. Their claims system had been doubling annually with little accountability built
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