At the 2018 SAWCA All Committee Conference, a panel of carrier representatives discussed a wide variety of issues that are impacting the workers’ compensation industry. The panel was: Tom Hebson – York Risk Services Group Mark Walls – Safety National Shawn Mackey – Midwest Employers Tom Glasson – AIG Recent Election Impact on Workers’ Compensation […]

At the 2018 SAWCA All Committee Conference, a session discussed the state of the Grand Bargain of workers’ compensation. The speakers were: Wade McGuffey – Attorney, Goodman, McGuffey Beth Aldridge – Commissioner, Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission Rita Hedrick-Helmick – West Virginia Workers’ Compensation Board Scott Beck – Chair, South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Commission Amy Kingston […]

At the 2018 SAWCA All Committee Conference, a session discussed presumption laws in workers’ compensation. The speakers were: Karl Aumann – Chairman, Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commission Robert Stokes – Attorney, Flahive, Ogden & Latson (Texas) Many states have presumption laws for first responders including firefighters, police officers, and EMTs. The purpose of these presumption laws […]

At the 2018 SAWCA All-Committee Conference, a session discussed how recreational and medical marijuana is impacting regulators, the medical community, and businesses in Colorado and Maine. The panel was: Paul Tauriello – Director, Colorado Division of Workers’ Compensation Kristi Kelly – Director, Marajuana Industry Group Dominique Mendiola – Colorado Director of Medical Coordination Paul Sighinolfi […]

At the 2018 Comp Laude Gala, the Alliance of Women in Workers’ Compensation hosted sessions focused on rethinking pain management. The panel for this session was: Mark Walls – Safety National (moderator) Patricia Cole PhD – Shirley Ryan Ability Lab Marcos Iglesias MD – Broadspire Alan Pierce – Pierce, Pierce & Napolitano Becky Curtis – […]

At the 2018 Comp Laude Gala, the Alliance of Women in Workers’ Compensation hosted sessions focused on rethinking pain management. The panel for this session was: Anita Breedlove – One Call (moderator) Maja Jurisic, MD – Concentra Frank Lovecchio, DO – Banner Health Chrysten Shea – AkosMD Dawn Watkins – LAUSD Pain by definition is […]

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. […]

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 […]

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. […]

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 […]