13th Annual National Workers' Compensation and Disability Conference® & Expo

Risk & Insurance,  Sept 1, 2004  

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CR3: Beyond Catastrophic Cost Control

Jo Carter, Director Network Services, Paradigm Health Corporation. Richmond, Va.

Sarah Morrison, Director, Multi Specialty Unit, Shepherd Center, Atlanta, Ga.

Managing workers' comp claims for catastrophic injuries can be a mystery. For example, how do you know how many hours are needed for attendant care--the largest cost in these cases? This session offers insight from experts at a nationally known facility exclusively devoted to brain and spinal cord treatment and research and a specialized complex case management firm. You'll gain insight to help you judge the rehabilitation process for the most severely injured workers, plus get hands-on information about what you should expect to see on a weekly basis and tools to help you manage these claims.

IDM4: Return to Work: The Incentive/ Disincentive Management Connection

Richard Pimentel, Senior Partner, Milt Wright & Associates, Granada Hills, Calif.

Numerous companies have seemingly solid return-to-work (RTW) programs that just don't work. But why? In many cases, the employers forgot to consider the antiquated built-in corporate disincentives to get injured workers back to work early and never installed incentives to encourage supervisors at the local level to participate in the program. In this session, you'll learn about the many disincentives that thwart potentially effective RTW programs and what you can do to create incentives at your company.

LI3: You Are on Trial: Cross Examination of the Expert Orthopedic Witness (Part II)

See LI3 description to the left.

Thursday, Nov. 18

Concurrent Seminars

SEMINARS 2-3:15 p.m.

CM5: The Most Effective Use of IMEs

Dr. Brian Grant, President and Medical Director, Medical Consultants Network, Inc., Seattle, Wash

Assessing complex workers' comp and disability claims can be challenging, especially when emotional and social factors are involved. Costly mistakes can be made without a thorough understanding of the scope and limitations of these claims. But a high-quality independent medical exam (IME) can make all the difference. In this session, you'll find out what to look for in IMEs, who should do them, and the big problem in medical legal exams. After this session, you'll be able to sort through the confusion to properly manage a claim and best assist your claimant.

CR4: Workers' Compensation Medical Cost Drivers

Barry Llewellyn, Senior Divisional Executive--Regulatory Services, National Council on Compensation Insurance, Hoboken, N.J.

Medical costs in workers' compensation have escalated to double-digit annual rates, largely due to prescription drugs. Find out what portion of workers' comp medical costs is actually from pharmaceuticals and how that's changed in recent years. In this session, you'll also learn about the types of prescription drugs being used and what factors affect their costs. Finally, you'll gain insight into actions taken by public policymakers to address these issues.

IDM5: Reasonable Accommodation: The Core of the ADA