2021 CLM Workers Compensation and Retail, Restaurant and Hospitality Conference
- Schedule/Sessions
- Speaker Bios
- Travel/Hotel Accommodations
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Handouts
Session 1 - RRH - Big Brother is Watching Download Session 1 - WC - Changing the Employee Safety and Wellness Mindset to Reduce Workers’ Compensation Costs and Avoid Liability Download Session 1 - WC - Experts: The Impact that Your Choice Can Have On Your Worker’s Compensation Claim Download Session 10 - RRH - Physical Security in a COVID age Download Session 10 - WC - COVID-19 Changed the Workers’ Compensation Game Download Session 11 - RRH - Indemnification Provisions Download Session 11 - WC - This Job is Making Me Anxious: Mental Health Workers' Compensation Claims Download Session 12 - RRH - COVID’s Impact on the Insurance Industry from Premiums to Claims Download Session 12 - WC - Injury Causation Analysis and Worker’s Compensation Download Session 2 - RRH - Effective Alternative Dispute Resolution Strategies Download Session 2 - RRH - PTSD from First Responders Download Session 2 - WC - Telemedicine’s Role in Workers’ Compensation post COVID-19 Download Session 3 - WC - Premier Session: Compensability Now and Claims Handling Post COVID-19 Vaccine Download Session 4 - RRH - Covid19 Legal Concerns Download Session 4 - WC - Creative Claim Strategies: That Settles It Download Session 4 - WC - How Cyber and Crypto Currencies are Financing the Exploding Gig Economy. What it Means to Your Workers Comp Insurance Defense Download Session 5 - RRH - Human Trafficking Download Session 5 - WC - Inclusion Revolution - Beyond 2020 Download Session 5 - WC - Recovered Worker Results in Empathy ROI Download Session 6 - RRH - Masking a Risk Download Session 6 - RRH - Website and Internet Compliance Download Session 6 - WC - The Evolving Story of COVID and Workers' Compensation Download Session 7 - WC - Premier - Bouncing Forward: Recovering from the Emotional Trauma of COVID-19 Download Session 8 - RRH - Trial Prep Starts When You Learn of an Accident Download Session 8 - WC - Workers' Compensation and the Telecommuter Download Session 9 - RRH - The Impact of Covid19 Vaccine Download Session 9 - WC - Getting a Fix: A Contemporary View of Substance Use & Addiction Download Session 9 - WC - Workers’ Compensation Claims and Litigation Management in the Age of Technology Download - Sponsors
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Schedule/Sessions
2021 CLM Workers Compensation and Retail, Restaurant and Hospitality Conference
Session 1 - Big Brother is Watching – Surveillance Cameras to Manage Risk, Prevent Work Place Injuries, Protect Property and Defend Litigation in the Era of COVID-19
- Speakers:
Wayne Apfeld, Fluidra
Seymour Everett, Everett Dorey, LLP
Cathy Lara, Gallagher Bassett Services, Inc.
Insurance carriers, corporations, and businesses alike have been working to manage risk and anticipate potential litigation. Video surveillance ranging from business entrances to dash cam videos dominate every aspect of society. Surveillance cameras and video footage have become effective tools for managing risk, protecting property and successfully defending or preventing litigation. This cutting edge topic makes this a must attend session for risk managers, claim professionals, insurance professionals, in-house counsel and attorneys.
Back to topSession 1 - Changing the Employee Safety and Wellness Mindset to Reduce Workers’ Compensation Costs and Avoid Liability
- Speakers:
Anas Al-Hamwi, Walgreens
Jay Branderbit, Kent & McBride, P.C.
Susan DeCaro, Arch Insurance Group Inc.
Michele Punturi, Marshall Dennehey
Employees’ high-risk health issues often result in workers’ compensation claims and may expose employers to additional liability. This session will focus on changing the claims management mindset surrounding employee safety and wellness to drive down workers’ compensation costs and avoid liability exposure. Employers understand that employee safety and wellness programs can help reduce absenteeism, expedite return to work, reduce medical costs, mitigate claims, and lessen overall litigation. Today’s litigious environment, particularly considering COVID-19, calls for an innovative approach that might include self-reporting programs and dedicated medical case management teams to help employers spot issues before they become costly claims. Extending that mindset to also consider compliance issues involving the ADA, EEOC, GINA, HIPAA and ACA will go a long way toward mitigating liability and preventing claims.
Back to topSession 1 - Experts: The Impact that Your Choice Can Have On Your Worker’s Compensation Claim
- Speakers:
Fernando Branco, MD., FAAPM&R, Midwest Employers Casualty Company
Aubrey Kuchar Noltemeyer, Kightlinger & Gray LLP
Robert A. Luskin, Chartwell Law Offices
Mary Miller, ArlingtonRoe
Experts: the impact that your choice can have on your worker’s compensation claim – picking the right experts for your claim. The who and how of an expert’s opinion making a big impact on the outcome of your work comp claim.
2021 CLM Virtual Workers Compensation and Retail, Restaurant and Hospitality Conference
Session 2 - Effective Alternative Dispute Resolution Strategies in Employment Litigation Matters
- Speakers:
Robert Bernstein, Laner Muchin, Ltd.
Cindy Braun, Great American Insurance Group
Carrie Graziani, The Hanover Insurance Group
In this session, experienced Employment Practices Liability insurance executives and experienced employment defense counsel (the panelists will also add a seasoned in-house employment law counsel to their panel) will discuss their vast experiences as it relates to alternative dispute resolution proceedings (mediations, settlement conferences, etc.) in the context of employment litigation matters. The panelists will discuss real life case examples to illustrate effective strategies they have employed in these proceedings to achieve the best results for insureds/clients, as well as tactics they have learned through their experiences over the years to most effectively deal with difficult or challenging parties to the litigation. The panelists will also discuss from a threshold standpoint, the considerations they look to in evaluating whether mediation or another form of alternative dispute resolution is appropriate for the particular matter at hand and the timing of engaging in such a proceeding.
Back to topSession 2 - PTSD from First Responders to Front Line Workers
- Speakers:
Brad Gronke, Gallagher Bassett Services, Inc.
Lindsay Huffman, Amerisure Mutual Insurance Company
Nikoleta Lamprinakos, Robbins Schwartz
Jennifer Rizk-O'Lynnger, Nyhan, Bambrick, Kinzie & Lowry, P.C.
PTSD is not just something that can affect those that have experienced battle. Originally known as terms like Shell Shocked in recent years PTSD has been discussed and legislation passed impacting it's compensability for First Responders. This session will use lessons learned in the First Responder Risk Management space. This session will show ways to apply those lessons to the PTSD claims being filed by other Front Line Workers that have been impacted by COVID-19.
Back to topSession 2 - Telemedicine’s Role in Workers’ Compensation post COVID-19
- Speakers:
Dena Abdallah, Marsh
Candace McPherson Hodge, The Parking Spot
David Willis, Vernis and Bowling
Health care will be forever changed by the pandemic. Although telemedicine was becoming more widely accepted in the WC arena prior to 2020, COVID-19 has made it more of a required offering. This course will discuss the recent increase in adoption of telemedicine since COVID-19, how employers and employees are responding to telemedicine treatment, the cost/benefit analysis of telemedicine and the legal ramifications of that adoption.
Back to topSession 3 - Premier Session: Compensability Now and Claims Handling Post COVID-19 Vaccine
- Speakers:
Kristian Cross, Self Employed
Jay Gates CPCU,ARM, AIC , Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.
Melissa Icban, ARM, Sedgwick
Patrick Sodoro, Sodoro Law Group
Work from home, telemedicine and other things are here to stay. This session will address many of the questions which may become common, such as:
- Can you mandate your employees be vaccinated?
- How do you set your employees up for success while working from home?
- How are states viewing COVID-19 compensability, from the reporting aspect through the legal nuances involved with causation and treatment?
Session 4 - COVID-19 Legal Concerns: What’s Top of Mind for the Retail, Restaurant and Hospitality Industry?
- Speakers:
Jennifer Brooks, Hamilton, Miller & Birthisel LLP
Karen Campbell, Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, LLP
Melisha Zeigler, Liberty Mutual
Hotel owner/operator have a common-law duty to warn customers, vendors, 3rd parties, such as professional/personal contacts of employees, if employee tests positive for COVID-19, is experiencing symptoms or may have come into close contact with someone who tested positive, and does any such duty depend upon whether the 3rd party may have come into contact with affected employees? Companies liable if an employee infects others? Have a common-law duty to take measures to protect/prevent employees from spreading to customers, vendors or other 3rd parties? Scope of duty change if customers include especially vulnerable populations? Measures can companies take to reduce risk of tort liability during phased re-openings? Compliance with federal, state, or local re-opening guidelines provide a defense to such suits? Common-law duty to take measures to protect employees from coming into contact with or being infected while on the job? Scope of duty change if employees perform essential services for the public? Institute a COVID-19 and/or antibody testing program for employees returning to work, could face suits from employees or 3rd parties alleging that the program or testing itself was inadequate or inaccurate? Scope of federal preemption and immunity from suits under Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act.
Back to topSession 4 - Creative Claim Strategies: That Settles It
- Speakers:
Scotty Benton, Sedgwick
John Kamin, Bradford & Barthel, LLP
Jim Roach, Hennessy & Roach P.C.
Nina Rose, Builders FirstSource, Inc.
Every day employees head off to work and have something unexpected happen. One thing job-related accidents have in common is they create a disruption in someone’s life. Slower than anticipate healing, uncertain job security, or ongoing financial obligations can be magnified by a convoluted and complex claims process. An employer’s response to a workplace accident and injury can have a significant impact on employee experience, corporate reputation, and marketplace performance. A claims approach with a strong customer focus is of paramount importance. Impressions are formed at the time an incident is reported and continue throughout the recovery and rebuilding process. Employers should always be looking for creative ways to settle workers’ compensation claims. Settlement is a way for injured employees to move on with their lives, return to work in some productive capacity, and resume the joys of everyday living. It is important that everyone on the employer’s claims team including the claims adjuster and defense attorney understand the company’s claims philosophy and objectives heading into settlement discussions. Using practical examples and illustrations, this session will identify and describe valuable tools and strategies that can be used to elevate the claims experience and share creative claim strategies designed for settlement.
Back to topSession 4 - How Cyber and Crypto Currencies are Financing the Exploding Gig Economy. What it Means to Your Workers Comp Insurance Defense
- Speakers:
Wayne Brinkman, Aon
Curtis DeVries, Fraudsniffr
Rebecca Kassel, PMA Companies
Patrice A. Toland, Post & Schell
Value transfer apps such as Venmo, Zelle, and Cashapp have all removed most of the questions (specifically the purpose of the transaction) regarding value transfers that were included when these apps first launched. Currently these apps only record “on this date, x transferred a specified amount of value to Y.” There is no documentation as to the purpose of the transaction. The challenges involved with this new method of transfer are daunting. This panel will address issues that revolve around the challenge workers compensation income claims face in the absence of any paper trail or tax records to support the claimant submissions.
Back to topSession 5 - Human Trafficking: The Silent Risk
- Speakers:
Brittany Harvey, Aon
John Loyal, Cipriani & Werner, PC
Kimberly Mehlman-Orozco, Freedom Light
Marisa Trasatti, Cipriani & Werner, PC
This session will discuss an overview of the shifting landscape of civil claims involving third party claims arising from alleged human trafficking. The audience will learn about evolving case law and legislation, how the insurance industry is responding to the uptick in related claims, and how technology is used to combat trafficking.
Back to topSession 5 - Inclusion Revolution - Beyond 2020
- Speakers:
Bert Dizon, Cardinal Captive Strategies
Kellie Howard-Goudy, Collins Einhorn Farrell PC
Rebekah Ratliff, JAMS ADR
Are we a reflection of the people we strive to help in WC and elsewhere in insurance? Do we run to problems for everyone equally? Inclusion is not a noun, but it is a verb. As claims professionals, we can achieve better outcomes by achieving cultural competency, decreasing the stress in the claims process by eliminating micro and macro aggressions and unconscious bias. Join us for a discussion on the D&I efforts in the WC arena at carriers, TPAs, law firms and other service providers.
Back to topSession 5 - Recovered Worker Results in Empathy ROI
- Speakers:
Beth Burry-Jackson, Sedgwick
Katie Hensley, Cottingham & Butler
Kirsten Kaiser Kus, Downey & Lenkov LLC
Thomas Ryan, Self Employed
Kimberly Simmons, Fidelity National Financial, Inc.
When it comes to claims strategies, knowledge is power – the more injured workers know about the claims process, the better the outcome is likely to be, for both employer and employee. It starts with medical literacy and the ability to understand health information and navigate the system. Injured workers need to know where to seek care, how to complete forms, what an injury or condition entails, what treatment options are available, and why it is important to comply with care instructions. Telehealth makes medical follow-up more convenient and increases adherence to prescribed treatment plans. Injured workers also need to understand the claims process and their legal entitlements. Increased employee engagement, advocacy techniques, and ongoing communications around the claims process are ways to increase an injured employee’s literacy. Mobile apps and custom portals make it easy to access additional resources related to recovery and benefits. When quality care is rendered and negative external factors are minimized, an injured worker is better able to focus on healing, recovery, and returning to an active and productive lifestyle. In this session, speakers will talk about the value of knowledge, key advancements impacting injury and recovery, and share proven tactics underlying successful outcomes and results.
Back to topSession 6 - Masking a Risk: Could Wearing a Face Covering Play a Role in Slip, Trip and Fall Claims?
- Speakers:
Brian Donnelly, Cullen and Dykman, LLP
Brian Eves, Unknown
Angela Levitan, ARCCA, Inc.
Greg Vacek, Chubb
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are performing tasks wearing a face covering. Depending upon the style of face covering and how it is being worn, it is certainly foreseeable that the face covering could obscure a part of the lower visual field, especially when walking. Obstructions to the lower visual field have been shown to decrease task performance, and visual distortion of ground-level objects is associated with increased fall rates.
In this presentation, a human factors expert will discuss the effects wearing a face mask can have when walking. And as we all may be wearing masks for the foreseeable future, we will also have an attorney and an insurance professional on hand to provide their perspectives on the potential for increased mask-related legal and insurance claims in the months ahead and how those cases will be handled.
Session 6 - The Evolving Story of COVID and Workers' Compensation
- Speakers:
Rafael Gonzalez, Cattie & Gonzalez
Fred Karlinsky, Greenberg Traurig LLP.
David Langham, State of Florida
This session will look at regulatory orders, legislative actions, and judicial decisions that have directly impacted the administration of workers' compensation in relation to COVID-19. We will examine the diversity of these actions and how the market reacted.
Back to topSession 6 - Website and Internet Compliance for the Hospitality Industry
- Speakers:
Adam R. Bialek, Wilson Elser
Joanne Daley, Nationwide Insurance Company
Patricia Kocsondy, Chubb
David Levitt, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP
Website usage is fraught with legal risks for the unwary. Potential pitfalls will be discussed, including privacy issues, ADA compliance and accessibility issues, intellectual property issues, proper Terms of Use issues, and advertising issues. Specific examples to be discussed is ADA accessibility booking and reservation methods and avoiding trade dress infringement.
Back to topSession 7 - Premier Session - Bouncing Forward: Recovering from the Emotional Trauma of COVID-19
- Speakers:
Lindsey Mills, Smith Mills Law P.C.
Claire Muselman, Self Employed
David Vittoria, Carisk Partners
Alaa Zuaiter, Berkley Environmental
This presentation will cover factors impacting our mental health during this pandemic and how they may prevent our ability to recover fully from the emotional trauma experienced. It will also share healthy ways we can help ourselves manage the emotional trauma we may be experiencing. Finally, this presentation will provide helpful resources and guidance on what to do if you are sick, how to take care of your emotional health and share ways to help family, friends and our communities during this stressful time.
Back to topSession 8 - Trial Prep Starts When You Learn of an Accident: Putting Your Company and Employees in the Most Favorable Light from Inception Through Depositions
- Speakers:
Joseph Baiocco, Wilson Elser
Lee Brading, Lockton Companies, LLC
Janet Paranteau, Upbound Group, Inc
Eric Wagman, Dean & Fulkerson
As Plaintiff’s attorneys try more and more to make claims and lawsuits about the company and the employees, they make less and less about any accident or actual damages sustained by plaintiffs. Accordingly, risk managers, claims professionals, and lawyers need to be lazar focused, from the instant a claim comes in through depositions, on appropriately handling evidence preservation and training employees to be good “faces” of the company. Plaintiffs’ attorneys often are successful in making a case about a big bad company and their employees. Cases become about procedures that were or were not followed and community safety with little regard to liability and damages. This is often done when a plaintiff’s liability position, amount of sustained damages or both, are relatively weak.
Back to topSession 8 - Workers' Compensation and the Telecommuter
- Speakers:
Stefanie Bailey, Diversified Maintenance Systems, LLC
Randy Conner, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
Scot Corrigan, Sompo International Insurance
M. Shane Sumrall, McGriff
Lauren Tice, McGriff
There has been significant and steady growth in teleworking, remote work, and flexible workplace arrangements. In this presentation, we will examine how to handle claims where employees do not commute or travel to a central place of employment. We will also examine employer challenges particular to the telecommuter, as employees' homes have increasingly become an extension of the employers' premises, causing the employer to face exposure for work-related claims attributable to remote work areas they do not control. There are several concerns related to these types of claims, beginning at the initial investigation stage. We will discuss the different tests associated with these claims applied by different states, and real-world examples from courts around the United States.
Back to topSession 9 - Getting a Fix: A Contemporary View of Substance Use and Addiction
This presentation will cover a contemporary biopsychosocial framework that recognizes the importance of many interacting influences and a collaborative and comprehensive approach to treatment that addresses all factors. This model includes the use of emerging vocabulary/terminology and belief systems and retains the proven elements and techniques of each of the preceding models while eliminating some previous--and erroneous—assumptions.
Back to topSession 9 - The Impact of COVID-19 Vaccine on the Retail, Restaurant and Hospitality Industry
- Speakers:
Nick Grinnell, Sompo International Insurance
Kawania James, Hall Booth Smith, P.C.
Ryan Sandstrom, Self Employed
There are many questions surrounding what is legal and compliant when it comes to the covid-19 vaccine and how it can affect all aspects of your organization. How will it affect your claims, policies, and operations? How will we move forward and run our businesses in this new environment? Let these legal and industry experts discuss potential impacts of the COVID-19 vaccine provide timely information and guidance regarding these key questions.
Back to topSession 9 - Workers’ Compensation Claims and Litigation Management in the Age of Technology
- Speakers:
Jeff Heaser, Astrus Insurance Solutions
Jennifer Morris Jones, Cranfill Sumner LLP
Dorothy Riviere, Bardavon Health Innovations
Caryn Siebert, Gallagher Bassett Services, Inc.
Technology is no longer a novel concept within our society. It is ingrained as an aspect of everyday life both at work and at home. With wearable devices such as Fitbits and Smart Watches, as well as social media, employees and employers are utilizing technology in unprecedented ways. This presentation will focus on both an overview of legal and medical breakthroughs, challenges, and strategic management of technological utilization in workers’ compensation claims. Specifically, it will focus on how technology can be utilized to monitor employee performance and safety, enhance post-injury care, and create additional opportunities for employees to return to work. It will also examine various issues and barriers from both the employer/administrator/insurer and the injured worker points of view that must be considered when using technological advances in the workers’ compensation claims management process.
Back to topSession 10 - COVID-19 Changed the Workers’ Compensation Game
- Speakers:
Amy E. Bilton, Nyhan, Bambrick, Kinzie & Lowry, P.C.
Jonathan Spadea, Chartwell Law Offices
Melissa Spinazzola, Amerisure Mutual Insurance Company
The COVID-19 pandemic caused a drastic transformation in the workforce, with more people working from home than ever before. The advantages are clear - employers enjoy decreased costs and expenses, while employees enjoy greater flexibility with their schedule. It is equally clear, that once the pandemic ends, many employees and employers will continue to operate remotely. This brings new challenges to employers and their insurance carriers as the nature of workers’ compensation changes with its workforce. In this presentation, we will examine these issues and their effect on the administration of workers’ compensation claims. With an eye towards the future, we will evaluate past decisions wherein courts have found employers liable for injuries occurring at home. Given the lack of supervision and witnesses, these injuries can prove difficult to defend, as the nature of work injuries change as well. The entanglement of the work and home environments present liability for mental injuries, in addition to the “traditional” physical injuries one typically associates with workers’ compensation. This is especially true for those employees juggling familial obligations during the pandemic.
Back to topSession 10 - Physical Security in a COVID Age
- Speakers:
Stephanie Burnstein, Segal McCambridge
Lynn Rivera, Resnick & Louis, P.C.
Patrick Thantacheva, Diversified Restaurant Group, LLC
This session will focus on how governmental restrictions impact the role of physical security for the retail restaurant and hospitality industry. It will explore whether security has an obligation to ensure proper COVID precautions are being taken by third-parties on site; how to properly addressed guests who refuse to comply with the requirements; and best practices concerning job responsibilities. Further, the panelists will explore whether a reduction in security force exposes the industry to new foreseeable risks and whether the decreased amount of visitors actually imposes more strict requirements for security.
Back to topSession 11 - How to Maximize Investigation of Workplace Injuries
- Speakers:
Lyndsey Canning, Sodoro Law Group
Michelle Greene, North American Risk Services NARS
Hope Remetta, Berkley Industrial Comp
Libby Valos Moss, Kightlinger & Gray LLP
This panel discussion will instruct employers/risk managers/adjusters regarding the steps of conducting a proper investigation of workplace accident, the effect of the investigation on the employee’s claim and employer’s defense and how to best utilize the results of a good investigation.
Back to topSession 11 - Indemnification Provisions: How They Work and Don't
- Speakers:
Joshua Ferguson, Freeman Mathis & Gary, LLP
Margaret Hackbarth, Constellation
Cathleen Rebar, Rebar Kelly
Peter Russell, CapSpecialty
The panelists will discuss the dos and don’t of drafting indemnification provisions as well as pass-through tenders. Further the session will explore when a defense obligation is trigger, what particular types of language is required and how counsel is assigned when a defense obligation is owed to multiple parties under the same indemnification clause. The expert panelists will review various contractual provisions and scenarios to illustrate the impact of indemnity language including additional insured and insurance requirements.
Back to topSession 11 - This Job is Making Me Anxious: Mental Health Workers' Compensation Claims
- Speakers:
Geralyn Datz, Southern Behavioral Medicine Associates, PLLC
Denna Flemming, AF Group
Conley Knott, Austill, Lewis, Pipkin & Maddox, P.C.
Christine Westberg Dorn, Mooney, Lenaghan, Westberg Dorn, L.L.C
This presentation will provide insight into mental health claims in workers' compensation--from PTSD following an armed robbery to depression and anxiety resulting from a traumatic physical injury.
Back to topSession 12 - COVID’s Impact on the Insurance Industry from Premiums to Claims
- Speakers:
David Beckley, McGriff
Alicia DePalma, Lockton Companies, LLC
Jeff Vita, Saxe Doernberger & Vita, P.C.
The Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the insurance industry. All aspects have been negatively affected from rising premiums which have contributed to the hardening market, to uncertainty over underwriting the specific risks posed by Covid-19, and ultimately to the unique claims disputes which have erupted in nationwide litigation. The hospitality industry has been particularly hard hit. This panel will address each of these issues within the context of the hospitality industry starting with an understanding of Covid’s impact on insurance pricing and the potential long-term effect on coverage. Next, the panel will examine Covid’s impact on certain types of coverage including worker’s compensation, premises liability, and employment practices liability insurance with a focus on the various claims disputes which are being closely watched by policyholders and insurers alike. The program will conclude with an assessment of the future impacts on hospitality insurance highlighting best practices to maintain necessary coverages and protect your company’s assets.
Back to topSession 12 - Injury Causation Analysis and Worker’s Compensation
- Speakers:
Austin Folley, BRC - Biodynamic Research Corporation
Brenna Hampton, Hanna, Brophy, MacLean, McAleer & Jensen
Dorothy Stolle, Boeing
Association does not necessarily equal causation and individuals will make a variety of injury claims related to worker’s compensation, to include headaches, neck, and back pain, etc.… however, often the injury claimed has no association with the job or is not actually an injury, but instead represents a lifetime of degenerative changes.
Back to topSession 12 - The Ultimate Care Package
- Speakers:
Tara Acton, Lumen Technologies, Inc.
Tammy Bradly, Coventry
Tracey Davanport, Sedgwick
William Pipkin, Austill, Lewis, Pipkin & Maddox, P.C.
A caring and employee-centric approach for injured workers continues to dominate claims conversations. Advocacy has left an undeniable mark on how employers approach work-related injuries today. While advocacy programs can take many forms, many techniques focus on making the injured employee a priority and showing concern for the individual’s overall health and well-being. This can involve taking time to explain the claims process and available benefits, the use of technology to improve communications, and providing access to additional resources such as behavioral health, surgery case managers, or pain management specialists. It can also involve added measures of convenience such as medical transportation, direct banking deposits and family assistance. While such measures have been shown to improve an injured employee’s overall claims experience, a complete care package approach can also generate financial dividends by reducing litigation rates, medical costs and claim durations. These results are accomplished by lessening uncertainty, improving medical care, and speeding recovery, and offering timely access to information and resources. Speakers will share practical suggestions from their early adoption of advocacy techniques, talk about the evolution of their programs in recent years, and share results and outcomes they have seen from this approach.
Back to topNo Learning Objectives Available
