Social media is a leading form of communication today, yet the workers’ compensation industry has been a slow adopter. In this session at the 2015 California Workers’ Compensation & Risk Conference, leading industry social media experts discussed how industry stakeholders can utilize and benefit from these tools. Speakers included: Tom Kerr, Senior Product Marketing Manager at GENEX Services Jonathan Mast, Director of Social Media at Sedgwick Dana Wolfe, Senior Director at Paradigm Outcomes With so many options, where do you start? You don’t have to become a super user overnight. It is best to start with one or two outlets
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Top industry bloggers debated the hottest issues facing the workers’ compensation and risk management industry at the 2015 California Workers’ Compensation and Risk Conference. Speakers included: Moderator: Mark Walls, Vice President Communications & Strategic Analysis at Safety National David DePaolo, President at WorkCompCentral.com, LLC Robert H. Wilson, President & CEO at WorkersCompensation.com, LLC Thomas A. Robinson, Writer/Contributor at LexisNexis Michael Gavin, President at Prium Is the grand bargain of workers’ compensation eroding? Robinson: Exclusivity is still relatively resilient. That portion of the grand bargain is still doing relatively well. The Oklahoma Option is threatening to bleed into neighboring states, but
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This panel at the 2015 California Workers’ Compensation & Risk Conference shared a fresh approach for how employers can properly select and establish a winning long-term relationship with their third-party administrator (TPA). Panelists included Kurt Leisure, Vice President, Risk Services at The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated, and Katrina Zitnik, Senior Vice President at Sedgwick. The historical TPA selection process is not necessarily the best approach for today’s business. In fact, it can be a major waste of time for everyone involved. The arduous task of completing RFPs and sifting through all of the responses drains time and resources and, usually, leaves
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This session at the 2015 California Workers’ Compensation & Risk Conference highlighted the criteria measured in profile audit reviews and how employers can ensure compliance. Panelists included: Moderator: Michael W. Sullivan, General Managing Partner at Michael Sullivan & Associates LLP / Sullivan on Comp Drenée Miners, AVP/ Governmental Affairs at Gallagher Bassett Edward E. Canavan, Workers’ Compensation Practice and Compliance at Sedgwick Claims Management Services, Inc. The Audit Unit is part of the Division of Workers Compensation (DWC) that is tasked to make sure injured workers and dependents are receiving timely benefits. The Audit Unit routinely conducts profile audit reviews
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At the 2015 California Workers’ Compensation & Risk Conference, Jon Wroten, Chief at Office of Self-Insurance Plans, provided an status update on self-insurance in California, highlighting recent growth and future strategy for continuous improvement. 4.6 million California workers are covered by a self-insurance plan, which is a 15% increase over the last year. There is $192 billion of insured payroll, with 272,298 of total open claims. Self insurance was designed to be an alternative. To be an alternative, it has to be attractive and business friendly in California. The numbers are starting to show that California is beginning to understand
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This panel at the 2015 California Workers’ Compensation & Risk Conference dove into current issues and best practices with regards to Medicare Set-Asides (MSA).  Panelists included: Moderator: Mark Walls, Vice President Communications & Strategic Analysis at Safety National Kristine M. Wilson, Esq., MSCC, Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel at Tower MSA Partners Jake Reason, Vice President, Medicare Set-Aside Services at EK Health Russell Whittle, Vice President of MSP Compliance at Examworks Clinical Solutions Tony Comas, Member at Burns White, LLC Should you submit and MSA to CMS for approval or not? It depends. It is based on your client’s
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This session at the 2015 California Workers’ Compensation & Risk Conference connected wellness and injury prevention in the workplace, including the importance of creating a corporate wellness program. Panelists included: Sue Parks, CEO at iCount Wellness Michael Simmons, MAOM, CSRM, Director, Risk Management at Riverside Community College District There are a lot of health issues in our workforce. The biggest risk factor is that we all are aging, so risks and costs are increasing. This is why it is so important to have a preventative strategy in the workforce. There are two categories of health issues that are affecting the
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This panel at the 2015 California Workers’ Compensation & Risk Conference discussed the best practices in managing catastrophic claims to achieve the best possible outcome while proactively managing costs. Panelists included: Denise Evans, Director of Workers’ Compensation Claims at Staffmark Sherri Hickey, Director of Medical Management at Safety National Karen M. Derrico, RN, BSN, CCM, CDMS, VP Workers’ Compensation and Critical Care Division at Best Doctors, Inc. Stanley E. Smith, SVP/Managing Partner at Adva-PAC  Catastrophic injury claims such as brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, severe burns or major amputations are life-changing events for injured workers. If these claims are not
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This session at the 2015 California Workers’ Compensation & Risk Conference illustrated the latest trends related to cyber security and the new insurance products that are being developed in response to them. Panelists included: Scott Ritto, Senior Director, Risk Management at Kilroy Realty Corporation Jeff Phillips, Managing Director at PwC James Patterson, Cyber Specialist/Western Region, Executive Liability at AIG Tina Tabb, Senior Vice President at Marsh FINPRO The cyber challenge now extends beyond enterprise. Technology-led innovation has allowed business models to evolve, creating a dynamic environment that is increasingly interconnected, integrated and interdependent. Cybersecurity encompasses information technology, operational technology and
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The risk manager is very often the hub that manages everything around various aspects of a company’s workers’ compensation program, but they are only as effective as the understanding and support that they can gain from the C-Suite. This session at the 2015 California Workers’ Compensation & Risk Conference highlighted how to communicate and change the perceptions of C-Suite decision makers. Speakers included: Michael Simmons, Director, Risk Management at Riverside Community College District Ron Gray, Director of Risk Management at AccentCare Inc. A risk manager’s job description often includes words like “predict” and “forecast”. Over the years, the role has
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