The occurrence of school shootings, store robberies and job-related fatalities have all contributed to the increase in cases of post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) in the workplace. This session at the RIMS 2019 Annual Conference and Exhibition discussed the need to address the issue on a broader basis. Speakers included: Dr. Teresa Bartlett, Senior Vice President, […]

Medical marijuana is now legal in 36 states, causing complex issues on construction job sites. In this session at the RIMS 2019 Annual Conference and Exhibition, Matthew Rodliff, Senior Claims Manager, Complex Construction Claims at Liberty Mutual, discussed the impact this trend could have on claims outcomes in a high-risk industry. Medical marijuana can increases […]

At the 2019 Executives in Workers Compensation Conference, a panel discussed pain management challenges and solutions. The speakers were: Mark Pew – SVP Preferred Medical Kathleen Collins – Senior Clinical Pharmacist, Craig Hospital Jamie Goff – Director of Workers’ Compensation Claims, BETA Healthcare Group Kevin Roberts – Partner, Hanna Brophy The opioid epidemic has evolved […]

At the 2019 Executives in Workers’ Compensation conference, Jeff Rush from California JPIA discussed pending legislation impacting workers’ compensation and liability claims in California.  California has single party rule, with a Democratic governor and Democrats having a super-majority in both houses of the California legislature. This single party system makes it very easy for the […]

At the 2019 Executives in Workers’ Compensation conference, a session talked about how advances in medical technology are impacting workers’ compensation. the speakers were: Constantine Gean, MD – Regional Medical Director, Liberty Mutual William Zachry – Senior Fellow, The Sedgwick Institute New technology can be both good and bad. It can create efficiencies and solve […]

At the 2019 Advisen Casualty Insights Conference a panel discussed the rapidly rising costs seen in workers’ compensation catastrophic injury claims. The speakers were: Mark Walls – VP Communications & Strategic Analysis, Safety National Michael Choo – Chief Medical Officer, Paradigm Thomas Ryan – Senior Principle National Practice Integrated Casualty Consulting, Willis Towers Watson Workers’ […]

At the 2019 California Self-Insurers Annual Conference, a panel discussed fraud in California Workers’ compensation. The speakers were: James Riddle – President and CEO, JLR Investigations John Riggs – Senior Manager Workers’ Compensation, The Walt Disney Company Jennifer Snyder – Head Deputy District Attorney Los Angeles According to one the panelists, these are what they […]

At the 2019 California Self-Insurer Association Annual Conference, Bill Armstrong from the Armstrong Law Firm highlighted some important recent California workers’ compensation case law. Young vs Splash Studio WCAB panel majority ruled that applicants home was employer authorized second job site and therefore injuries sustained traveling between home and other fixed work site was considered […]

At the 2019 California Self-Insurer Association Annual Conference, George Parisotto, Administrative Director from California Division of Workers’ Compensation discussed their ongoing activities. Medical Treatment Utilization Schedule The MTUS guidelines are an independent guideline that contains definitions and evidence based treatment guidelines. They include the ACOEM guidelines but can go beyond them. They are constantly looking […]

At the 2019 California Self-Insurer Association Annual Conference a panel discussed the costs of denied claims. The speakers were: Alex Swedlow – President, CWCI Bill Zachry – Senior Fellow, Sedgwick Institute Mark Priven – Director Specialty Actuarial, Bickmore Lockton Study The genesis of this session was a report that was published by Lockton last year. […]