Schedule/Sessions

Breakfast and Posters

Keynote

Dr. Andrew Kolodny is the Chief Medical Officer of Phoenix House, a nonprofit addiction treatment organization and he is President of Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing (PROP). Dr. Kolodny was previously the Chair of Psychiatry at Maimonides Medical Center in New York City.

Dr. Kolodny has a long standing interest in Public Health. Prior to his position at Maimonides, he was the Medical Director for Special Projects in the Office of the Executive Deputy Commissioner for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. For New York City, he helped develop and implement multiple programs to improve the health of New Yorkers and save lives, including city-wide buprenorphine programs, naloxone overdose prevention programs and emergency room-based screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT) programs for drug and alcohol misuse.

Session I - Medical Director Panel

• Speakers:

• Julie Fortune, Self Employed

• Marcos Iglesias, Travelers

• Jill Rosenthal, Zenith Insurance Company

• Bruce Sherman, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

Healthcare is changing rapidly and the future of medicine involves new and innovative technological approaches.  The Medical Director of the future is a skilled practitioner, and leader who is financially, politically, and technologically savvy.  They have the skills required to navigate complex situations ranging from employee health, workplace safety, the regulatory environment, data management and technology. 
 
This course engages the learner by challenging them to think about how a Medical Director can assist them in their work environment.

After completion, participants will be able to: Understand the role of a Medical Director Develop an awareness of how Medical Directors can assist claims and litigation professionals in the understanding and development of medical and pharmaceutical matters or litigated cases. Broaden their understanding of the current medical and pharmaceutical trends.  Recognize the future of medicine, including technological advancements

Session I - New Prosthetics and Treatment for Amputees

• Speakers:

• Chris Doerger, PT, CP, Ossur Americas

• Robert Donnelly, Semper Fi Fund

• Whitney Harris, Ossur Americas

• Gabe Martinez, Semper Fi Fund

• David McGill, Ossur Americas

• Tina Pernie, CLM

• Andrew Rosenthal, Self Employed

• Nick Stillwell, Never Say Never Foundation

• Christy Stover, Semper Fi Fund

This course informs the learner about the available new technologies in prosthetics.
 
After completion, participants will be able to:
  Understand how amputees can regain function and return to work. Identify various available computerized prosthetics in the marketplace. Understand prosthetic and amputation terminology. Understand the various timelines for healing depending upon the type of amputation and prosthetic device.  
 

Break and Posters

Session 2 - Health Care Reform: Impact on the PandC Insurance Industry

• Speakers:

• Amy Allen, Deloitte

• Tina Pernie, CLM

Health care reform is setting the stage for market disruptions that will likely impact claims medical costs and outcomes and fundamentally change the way insurance is bought and sold. We will examine potential disruptions and consider impacts on the P&C industry.
 

Session 2 - Return to Work/Claim Resolution

• Speakers:

• Tara Acton, Lumen Technologies, Inc.

• Ronald A. Mazariegos, Ambridge

• James M. Poerio, Poerio & Walter, Inc.

Returning an injured worker back to the workforce is crucial in the early stages, ongoing, and during the life of the claim. While many workers experience injuries or health conditions that they believe prevent them from working, many can in fact return to work with a few simple modifications to their work environment, duties or schedule. This course engages the learner by challenging them to think differently about return to work issues in order to achieve a superior claim outcome.
 
After completion, participants will be able to:
  Identify issues which may be preventing the injured worker from returning to work Identify appropriate legal avenues to explore regarding return to work issues Learn how to manage legacy claims wherein the claimant has been out of work for an extended period of time Identify appropriate resolution solutions Learn how to work with the carrier/employer in getting the injured worker back to work

Session 2 - The Role of Healthcare Extenders

• Speakers:

• Elizabeth Ganiere, EnergySolutions

• Arlene Guzik, Business Health Resources, Inc.

Lunch and Posters

Session 3 - Discipline and Safety: Lessons from the Inside

• Speakers:

• Brian Bellavia, Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, P.A.

• Donna Larson, Space Coast Health Foundation

Each state has procedures for ensuring that healthcare professionals meet the requirements for safe practice. Typically, the state board of medicine is given the responsibility by the legislature to license, monitor, discipline, and perhaps educate and rehabilitate health care professionals. This presentation will provide an overview of the medical complaint and disciplinary process. Patient safety will also be addressed.
 
The goal is to provide participants with: An understanding of the steps involved in the disciplinary process and the role of the liability insurance carrier. A better understanding of the disciplinary process from the insured physician’s perspective on resolution. An evaluation of the impact a disciplinary action can have on the liability action. A better understanding of quality assurance from a risk management perspective. A discussion of the reporting requirements for disciplinary actions Trends in patient safety  

Session 3 - Juror Decision Making Processes in Medical Malpractice Cases

• Speakers:

• Kelly Henderson, Allina Health

• Margaret Fonshell Ward, Ward & Herzog

• David Zehner, Zehner Trial Consulting

• Laura Zehner, Zehner Trial Consulting

This panel will explore the patterns in decision making for jurors in medical malpractice cases.  How jurors make decisions about liability, causation, damages, agency and other issues unique to medical malpractice cases will be illustrated with video clips from mock trial deliberations.  An attorney, hospital general counsel, insurance claims handler and jury consultant will explain how these repeated patterns in juror decision making influence how medical malpractice claims are handled. 
 
After this panel, participants will:
 

Understand how a focus group format can be used to evaluate a medical malpractice case

Know what a “patient perspective” is and how it influences juror evaluation of evidence in a medical malpractice case

Realize the difficulties entailed in making agency arguments

Evaluate the factors that can lead to a “runaway jury” on damages

Understand how liability arguments influence damage arguments

Discover the most effective methods for preventing large damage awards

Be able to evaluate the effectiveness of different defenses based on a set of criteria relating to how likely jurors are to process the arguments

Session 3 - Pain, Pain Go Away: Alternatives to Drug Therapy

• Speakers:

• Angela Henderson, ESIS

• Ramnik Singh, MD, Unknown

• Linda S. Van Dillen, CompAlliance

Physicians appear to be jumping the gun when it comes to prescribing spinal cord stimulators or pain pumps as a solution to chronic pain. Patients will start a trial of a stimulator (for example) and when that treatment regimen fails the stimulator, is removed and the patient is relegated to a lifetime of oral medications. At what point do we intervene and look for alternative methods to managing these pain issues once traditional methods have been considered? Who will police the ordering physician and intervene on behalf of the patient? Are there steps we can take to introduce new treatment therapies into the regimen before invasive methods are attempted?

This session is designed to engage the audience in discussion of a topic that will likely affect a large segment of our aging population.  Upon completion participants will be able to:

·     Identify evidence-based criteria for the diagnosis of chronic pain
·     Evaluate medical necessity of mechanical interventions for pain management
·     Identify additional treatment options available to mechanical interventions
·     Determine the use of functional pain management facilities as an alternative treatment program
·     Recognize the benefit of the intervention of physiatry specialty in early diagnosis and treatment

Break

Session 4 - Forensic Pharmacy and MSA

• Speakers:

• Lori Davis, ISO Claims Partners

• Mark Popolizio, ISO Claims Partners

• Kevin Puckett, KP Underwriting, LLC

• Jessica Smythe, ISO Claims Partners

Prescription drugs continue to be a major cost driver on the WC-MSA front.  Rising RX costs and CMS RX allocation approaches are resulting in significantly higher WCMSAs. This presentation focuses on the causes of the current RX challenge and what can be done to reduce WC-MSA RX amounts, including the use of rated ages and structured settlements.  The panel will also address how the SMART Act changes MSP compliance and examine the growing Medicare Advantage menace.
 
After completion, participants will be able to:
  Understand CMS’ current approach to WCMSA calculations Identify potential measures which could help mitigate WCMSA RX costs Create a checklist of what documents CMS requires related to WCMSA RX calculations and efforts aimed to reduce RX allocation Better understand the role rated ages play in the WCMSA process Identify what records and information are needed to obtain rated ages Understand how the SMART Act changes MSP compliance and what it means to every day claims handling Identify current issues and challenges related to Medicare Advantage plans  Learn the new “evidence based” standard of review employed by the new CMS Workers’ Compensation Review contractor

Session 4 - Social Media and Medicine

• Speakers:

• John Browning, Spencer Fane LLP

• Michael Caspino, Busch & Caspino

• Elizabeth Ganiere, EnergySolutions

Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, LinkedIn…the ever-growing list of social media platforms creates both opportunities and challenges for healthcare providers. They can provide tremendous marketing opportunities and build a sense of community among patients. They also can contribute to litigation and cause massive headaches for attorney and claims handlers.
Upon Completion of this course, the participant will be able to:
  Better understand the pivotal role of social media in fact investigation/case discovery in all types of claims and litigation. Appreciate the significant evidence preservation issues that are presented when dealing with electronically stored information (ESI), including social media content. Know how to make use of evidence obtained from social networking sites and other online resources in jury selection as well as overall case evaluation and strategy. Understand where the ethical boundaries are drawn with respect to the use (or misuse) of social media and other online resources by claims professionals and defense counsel in litigation  
 

Break and Posters

Session 5 - Dazed and Abused: An Overview of Medical Marijuana and its Impact on Claims Management

• Speakers:

• Kathryn Bronstein, Ameritox

• Rachel Brozina, Lester Norton Law

• Scott Yasko, Hiscox

The rise and legalization of marijuana for medical purposes is a relatively new phenomenon but it is not one that is going away anytime soon. Marijuana or Cannabis is already having a societal affect as it is legal medically in 20 states and DC (with pending legislation in 4 states) as well as legal nearly across the board in both Washington and Colorado. This session is designed to engage the audience in a thought-provoking topic in order to better prepare claims professionals to deal with the implications of such legislation.
 
Upon completion, the audience will: Have the ability to identify and understand important case law on medical marijuana as well as its legal standing in key states. Have gained the knowledge of what is on the horizon as far as medical marijuana and where the legalization is taking claims management. Understand what medical marijuana is, what it is used for and the different types of administration of the drug. Have ideas of how to manage a claim where medical marijuana is present. Understand the unique importance and role that urine drug monitoring plays in the management of a claim where medical marijuana is present.  

Session 5 - Malpractice and Never Events

• Speakers:

• Mark Gelman, Eraclides Gelman Hall Indek Goodman Waters & Traverso, LLC

• Albert Luther, Suite 200 Solutions

• Thomas Rockwell, Rockwell & Kaufman, LLC

Healthcare delivery is complex and errors are sometimes made. Healthcare errors are further complicated when they occur during the treatment of a work-related injury. Determining what medical issues are related to the injury and what are related to a malpractice event can be challenging.
 
Upon completion of this course, participants will:
  Understand the interplay of malpractice and workers’ compensation Placing liens in the case of malpractice Understand the role of the independent medical examination Develop strategies for understanding when malpractice has occurred Understand subrogation rights and statutes of limitations