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Reserve Review Schedule – Are You Behind Or Ahead?

April 19, 2018 By JL Risk Management Consultants Leave a Comment

Reserve Review Schedule – Important Upcoming Date For January 1 Renewals

Vector Graphic reserve review schedule important date calendar

Public License – Italian Wikiversity

A reserve review schedule can save many headaches if your company has a January 1 renewal. January 1 remains the most popular date for renewals by far.

July 1st is the second most popular date. Most governmental entities renew on July 1st. Some governmental units have moved their renewals to January 1 over the past few years.

A few years ago, I published a set of articles centering on a reserve review timetable. I wrote a summary of the reserve timetable articles due to a few emailed requests.

The formulas are:

Time to Begin Reserve Review = Unit Stat Date – 90 days (at a minimum) or policy renewal date + 90 days
Unit Stat Date = 180 days (6 months) after policy renewal

The rating bureaus (NCCI, WCIRB, etc.) allow the extra six months for full claim reserve development. Remember that Total Incurred = Paid + Reserves. The total incurred figures will be reported to the rating bureaus.

Your target date to start a reserve review is usually three months after renewal. For January 1st renewals you are running 45+ days behind schedule. The upcoming Unit Statistical Date (Unit Stat Date) remains ever important. Your reserves for claims from the last three to four years peg to your Experience Mod on that date.

Claims departments usually review your reserves for reduction at closing. One phone call or email will not suffice for a good reserve review. Obtaining a full loss run just after renewal and starting then will give you a full six months to track, review, and if needed, negotiate reserves.

The recommended best method involves a year-round loss run reserve review and communication with the claims adjusters (by email) on a regular basis. Employers that begin a year-round review program are surprised when their reserves and eventually the E-Mod drops to an acceptable level.

There are many articles on how to do a loss run and reserve review in the articles I have written. For more info, you can click the Categories or Tags at the bottom of this article. Also, use the search box at the top right to find more articles on starting a reserve review schedule.

Insurance Academy – Presenting – Webinar Tomorrow 130 PM Eastern

April 18, 2018 By JL Risk Management Consultants Leave a Comment

Insurance Journal’s Insurance Academy Presentation by James J Moore

The Insurance Academy that is part of the Insurance Journal invited me to do a free-form presentation tomorrow at 1:30 PM Eastern.

I decided to do one on how sub-contractors and contractors have been shut out of contracts for a .01 too high-risk factor.

Yes, .01 can lose companies millions and turn the rating bureaus into quasi-credit bureaus. The Insurance Academy presentation is located here if you wish to sign up.

How did I come up with this topic? We receive phone calls and emails on this very topic weekly, if not daily. Bidding on contracts changed a few years ago when certain new contract clauses caused quite a stir.

The webinar description:

The newest trend in Workers’ Compensation works against any company or organization with an Experience Modification Factor (E-Mod or X-Mod) over 1.0. Public sector RFP requirements have been designating “no bidding” on contracts if the E-Mod is over 1.0 for years.

The trend has now spread to private employers on bids and subcontracts. This is currently a hot topic among agents and Risk Managers.

In this webinar you will be able to see how an E-Mod:

Can increase to an unacceptable level with just a few dollars of increased claims.
Affects Contractor coinsurance requirements
Decreases with a targeted Loss Run review
Can be “negotiated”

The webinar will also cover the E-Mod cycle and how to plan for the future E-Mod levels. Alternatives to the regular insurance marketplace will also be covered in detail.

The shocking part of the development is that agents, Risk Managers, and small business owners may not realize the Workers Compensation rating situation they are in until their bid is rejected by a governmental entity or prime contractor. We have many clients that have come on board with us just to stave off losing up to 80% of their business overnight.

Even if you cannot make the webinar, if you register, you can receive a recording of it to listen to later. It is free to members of the Insurance Academy.

Filed Under: Insurance Academy, Insurance Journal Tagged With: E-Mod, loss run review, webinar, X-Mod

XMod Formula Simplified(?) By California’s WCIRB

April 12, 2018 By JL Risk Management Consultants 11 Comments

California’s New XMod Formula Looks Simple – But Is It Really?

A new XMod formula was recently introduced by California’s Workers Compensation Rating Bureau (WCIRB). By the way, why is this important? As I have often mentioned in my articles, what happens in California may be coming to a Workers Compensation policy or claim near you. For instance, take the adoption of the 7219 Class Code by the NCCI – more on that next week.

Below is the new simplified formula. This formula was introduced in an upcoming 2019 Changes Module by the WCIRB.

New, Simplified Formula

The first $250 of every claim is excluded Reporting the cost of minor workplace injuries helps everybody.

I will cover the $250 loss exclusions in an upcoming article.

So let us look at what is missing in the new XMod formula. Expected primary losses are long gone. What happened to this very important part of the XMod or EMod equation? Why is it no longer in place?

The old very simple formula that is being used in most of the states besides California is basically:

Actual Primary Losses + Actual Excess Losses / Expected Primary Losses + Expected Excess Losses

The Expected Primary Loss now in California depends on the size of the company’s payroll. The Expected Primary Loss was eliminated to make it more of a floating number that is not set at any level. Most of the NCCI states set the level at $15,000.

As I have mentioned before on this change, we will have to wait and see how it affects smaller employers. One of my concerns is that when you float the Primary and Expected loss figures and base it on company size the small employers end up purchasing Workers Compensation per unit at a higher cost than a larger company.

However, all the rating bureaus have said for a long time that a larger amount of payroll spreads risks more efficiently. One wonders what further small tweaks the WCIRB will make to the XMod formula calculation.

Filed Under: X-Mod Tagged With: actual excess losses, actual primary losses, primary loss

Asia Workers Compensation Error Correction On Old Post

April 11, 2018 By JL Risk Management Consultants Leave a Comment

Philippines and Thailand Do Have Policies in Place – My Workers Compensation Error

A Workers Compensation error was made by me on one of my old posts. I had to correct the error once I realized that many Asia countries had Workers Compensation coverage. Even the countries that are referred to as “Third World” have some type of coverage.

The article that I wrote on the lack of WC coverages for Philippine and Thai injured workers in 2017 needs to be corrected.

SS Symbol Workers Compensation Error Philippines

The Philippines and Thailand both have a monopolistic fund administered by their governments. The funding in Philippines Pesos is as follows:

RULE V – EMPLOYER’S CONTRIBUTION

SECTION 1. Rate and amount. – Subject to the following conditions, contributions under this Rules shall be paid in their entirety by the employer and any contract or device for the deduction of any portion thereof from the wages or salary of the employees shall be null and void:
(1) For a covered employee in the public sector, his employer shall remit to the GSIS a monthly contribution equivalent to one percent of the actual wages or salary received by him as of the last day of the month but not to exceed P30 per employee. (ECC Resolution No. 1451 dated December 27, 1979).
(2) For a covered employee in the private sector, his employer shall remit to the SSS a monthly contribution equivalent to one percent of his monthly salary credit as of the last day of the month.

SS is the Philippine Social Security system. All of their Workers Compensation claim rules are very similar to the US.

The one noticeable difference is the low amount of Workers Compensation rates available to employers. One percent is strikingly low except for Administrative Assistants. I think I know why the rates are so low. The medical benefits are full single payer.

The Philippines has PhilHealth. PhilHealth is the 24-hour health coverage (think socialized medicine) in the Philippines. From what I have read, the 24- hour coverage also encompasses Workers Compensation medical treatment.

Thailand’s workers compensation is very similar.

So there you have it, a workers compensation error corrected. I do not go back and correct the posts very often.

Filed Under: Philippines Tagged With: Philhealth, single payer, socialized medicine, SS, Thailand

Reevaluating Pain Management – Out Front Ideas Webinar April 10th

March 29, 2018 By JL Risk Management Consultants

Reevaluating Pain Management – Webinar On Post-Opioid Treatment

– Pain management is now moving to a post-opioid era. So many articles have been written that rethinks the epidemic. Recently, a study was published in the JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) where NSAIDS and Acetaminophen were more effective for pain reduction.

Public Use License – Wikimedia

OK, so what happens now? Do we take NSAIDS or Acetaminophen for pain?

A large portion of the WCRI Conference last week addressed opioids. One major finding was that opioids extended the length of the Total Temporary Disability period. The workers comp community has heavily covered opioid abuse over the last 3-5 years.

Out Front Ideas With Kimberly George (Sedgwick) and Mark Walls (Safety National) is sponsoring a webinar April 10th at 11:30 AM CST.

According to OutFront:

The workers’ compensation community has been working for years to address the appropriate use of opioid medications for pain. Now that we are moving away from opioids as the first choice of treatment, what are the alternatives for treating chronic pain? Pain is very subjective, and every individual responds to it differently, so there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution.

The panelists are:

Geralyn Datz, PhD, President and Clinical Director, Southern Behavioral Medicine Associates
Teresa Bartlett, M.D., Senior Medical Officer, Sedgwick
Patricia Cole, PhD, Shirley Ryan Ability Lab

A few of the subjects the panel will cover are:

The influential role that psychology plays in pain management.
How to define pre-pain treatment and how it can aid injured worker recovery.
Available alternative pain management techniques that can replace opioids.
The importance of patient engagement in chronic pain management.

You may register here (bottom of webpage) http://www.outfrontideas.com/

Their archived webinars can be found here. If I am not mistaken, there are 25 prior webinars for you to check out anytime.

The webinar will be worth your time. The cost is free as always with OutFront Ideas.

Filed Under: Opioid, Out Front Ideas Tagged With: JAMA, webinar

2018 WCRI Conference – Top 10 Things I Learned Over Two Days Time

March 27, 2018 By JL Risk Management Consultants

Top 10 Bits of Information From The 2018 WCRI Conference

The 2018 WCRI Conference was a smashing success – as every year. The data given out was next to amazing – as every year. I live blogged the 2018 WCRI Conference on this webpage. Please excuse typos, etc. as I was typing it as it happened. This year was tough blogging for some reason.

Boston Flag Picture 2018 WCRI Conference

Public Use License

The Top 10 takeaways<<never liked that word<< were:

The BLS is much more helpful than just spewing numbers and stats. You can talk to someone on the phone. This info came directly from the prior Director of BLS – found that out at happy hour. I may write an article on how to call them. They have digital librarians that will help you find the information – Cool!!! <<Data nerds take heart!!
The subject of Opioids can still dominate a conference. I thought this subject had passed, but there are a ton of studies out that rank them as less effective once thought
The attendance numbers at the conference were amazing with a winter storm in effect. The winter storm consisted of a few hours of snow which is not a big deal for Bostonians. I freaked out when I saw the snow going sideways. Many incoming flights were canceled. Next year’s conference is in Arizona.
Marijuana was a big subject at the 2018 WCRI Conference. An economist from the state of Georgia and his daughter pulled together some very incredible numbers. A father/daughter statistical team seemed cute until he produced tons of slides with great numbers. The numbers seem to show that states with relaxed marijuana laws had lower opioid user overall.
Stacking projections on top of projections lessen the accuracy of the final numbers. For example, if you are flying and making two connections, and the on time %’s are .9, .9, and .8 the likelihood of you being on time is multiplicative. You have only a 64.8% chance of being on-time even with those high numbers. Stop calling me a data nerd, please.
The panel was outstanding this year. Some people left early and missed a great panel. I blogged live as hard as I could for an hour to get all the info and questions. Dr. Ruser asked great questions and led the panel well. I have seen some panels where the moderator loses control and the panel goes right into the toilet – not in this case.
One of the smoothest presentations (you can tell that she does it for a living) was from the National Safety Council. I rarely compliment someones presentation at the end. I did tell her she was good at what she did – from voice inflection to hand gestures.
United Airlines uses in-airport clinics at their major hubs. The woman that runs the Risk Management Department had to absorb the Continental claimants in the merger. Mergers can be nightmares on the Workers Comp departments. The in-airport clinics go right along with my Six Keys To Saving On Workers Compensation Costs that I wrote in the 1980’s.
The conference is always a good one to network. This goes to show that you do not have to slap up 100 booths to have a conference where you can actually talk to people that are very receptive to communicating with you.
I blogged the whole conference live. This year was very tough for some reason. I infused the introductory material but it seemed to be too preliminary to provide any benefit. My wrist did swell for two days, but it was worth it to get out as much information as I could to the blog and newsletter readers.
Bonus – The people at WCRI are always more than gracious. The Director Dr. John Ruser, Andrew Kenneally, and Dr. Thumula went out of their way to talk to me and make me feel very welcome at various points during the conference.

I may have missed something in my Top 10. However, I did this from memory so it was what stayed in my mind for five days.

Filed Under: WCRI Annual Conference Tagged With: BLS, Dr Thumula, Dr. John Ruser, Six keys

WCRI 2018 Conference Boston MA – Blogging It Live

March 22, 2018 By JL Risk Management Consultants

It is now time for the WCRI 2018 Conference live blogging. Please excuse any typos. I am doing this live while the conference is proceeding. If you want to check out any of the blogging live conferences I have done check here.

Thursday WCRI 2018 Conference Schedule

Dr. Erica Goshen – Visiting Senior Scholar- School of Industrial and Labor Relations – Former Commissioner of BLS

FUTURE LABOR FORCE TRENDS AND THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY

WCRI 2018 Conference Commisioner Groshen picture

March 22, 2018 | 9:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.

Dr. Erica L. Groshen, former head of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

The labor market is getting a great deal of attention these days. This is not surprising as the enormous, complex market strongly affects peoples’ lives.

They are asking: Is the economy as tight as a 4% unemployment rate suggests? How are artificial intelligence, robots, driverless cars, gig work, and more-fissured workplaces changing work as we know it? Should we trust and support official labor statistics in the era of big data and “fake news”?

Dr. Groshen will answer those questions. She will look at a variety of measures to assess current labor market conditions. Turning to the future of work, she will argue that much of the hype about the future of work is either far too optimistic or too pessimistic. In addition, she will talk about how official statistics are more important than ever. They are the information infrastructure that we all need to see through the haze, so that we make good decisions for our companies, our communities and ourselves.

Major workforce issues –

Conditions

Unemployment rate = 4.1%, 10% in 2010

Formula # unemployed/(#employed + # unemployed)

U-4 Discouraged Workers

U-5 Marginally attached workers

U-6 Part-time for economic reasons

Quits > actually a sign of strength

U6 is now 8.2%

Long term unemployment = 20.7% Still very high

Quits = 2.2%

Layoff = 1.2%

Inflation adjusted hourly wage = 0.0 Flat

2.5% Compensation growth

Productivity 241.8% but hourly compensation 115.4% – companies holding their money

Future of Work

Gig work – Short Jobs –

Alternative Work arrangements – Multiple Employers or None
Contingent Work – Temporary

Reasons for growth of Gig Jobs

Efficiency
Fast pace of change

Transfers Risk from Employer to Worker

Weaker employer responsibility to protect workers
Less stability for workers
Less employer provided training

Mismeasurement of Gig Jobs may be due to misreporting by survey respondents

Contingent worker survey was last done in 2005, again in 2017 – needs to be update more often?

Artificial Intelligence

AI – replicates routine brainwork

Techno pessimists and optimists both wrong

Coming gradually to workplaces – increasing stress

BLS Mission

Labor Market Activity

Working Conditions

Price Changes in the Economy

Collect, analyze, and disseminate economic information

Support private and public decision making

Data needs to be AORTA- Accurate Objective

Users of BLS –

Feds
State and Local Government
Businesses
Households

Challenges –

Measuring dynamic economy
Maintain survey participation
Preserving public trust and independence
Protecting cyber-security and confidentiality

WCRI 2018 Conference

WHO IS READY FOR VALUE-BASED CARE?

March 22, 2018 | 10:35 a.m. – 11:20 a.m.

Dr. Randall Lea, WCRI

Healthcare reform has been associated with the emergence of new care delivery and payment models. Are stakeholders (payers, regulators, physicians, and health systems) prepared to use these post-reform models?

Major Theme – Stakeholder Readiness

Most providers were not that excited about value-based care:

No opportunities
Fee schedule attorney driven

Payers – not that enthused about value based care – could be faddish – not catch on

Regulators – self interest and educational

Conclusion – apprehension – but there is value based care in practice

Value based care needs a good regulatory environment

Payers +Regulators –

Do not change the current rules
Dispute resolution procedure

What providers would like use Value Based Care?

Autonomous
Innovative
Competitive Edge
Direct volume
Conservative and qualified

Who are the most important parties in VBC? Patients

VBC in Workers Compensation changes the rules when looked at as a formula

Providers want to create new VBC codes or Board of Physicians

Desired Providers Workers Comp Outcomes:

Return to work speed

Level of work

Stable and sustained Return to Work

Possibly Workers Comp can create a model that health insurance will follow as the main determinant of social/mental recovery is returning to gainful employment

SAVING LIVES—BUILDING A MODERN PHARMACY PROGRAM AMID A DEADLY EPIDEMIC

March 22, 2018 | 11:20 a.m. – 12 Noon

Dr. Terrence B. Welsh, Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation

In 2011, the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (OBWC) found that more than 8,000 injured workers were opioid-dependent for taking the equivalent of at least 60 mg a day of morphine for 60 or more days.

By the end of 2017, that number was reduced to 3,315, which meant 4,714 fewer injured workers were at risk for opioid addiction, overdose, and death than in 2011.

In this session, Dr. Welsh, OBWC’s chief medical officer, will discuss the initiation of the Bureau’s interventions to address the opioid epidemic, the impact of those interventions, and what the OBWC has on the horizon to build on its successes.

Ohio Workers Comp vs Opioids-

8,029 injured workers on opioids
47,680 inured workers receiving an opioid RX
73% of injured workers population receiving opioids
39.9 million opioid doses prescribed
58 inured workers > 1,000 mg of morphine

Progress Notes

Reduced heavy opioid use patients to just two (97% decrease)
Reduced 28% from 2012 – overall RX’s

Ohio BWC Backround

State Funded monopolistic carrier
Pharmacy management in house
100,000 claims per year

Closed Formulary -truly closed formulary – covered all RX’s for WC

Questions –

Tom Lynch – Lynch Ryan – 18 month treatment program – can that work for other organizations – Yes
Are we over-emphasizing the reduction of opioids? – No
Resistance from patients and physician how to handle – Still freedom of choice
Any limits? 30 doses / 7 days

SCENARIOS: WORKERS’ COMPENSATION 2030

March 22, 2018 | 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Dr. Richard Victor, The Sedgwick Institute

The pace of change continues to accelerate. Globalization, the delivery and financing of healthcare, the aging workforce, immigration, political dysfunction, and the need to repay the enormous underfunded public debt Boomers have incurred. These forces will shape the next several decades.

Workers’ compensation systems represent one of this nation’s most successful social safety net programs. Workers’ compensation has evolved in response to external change over more than a century. However, can it successfully continue to evolve when faced with the convergence of accelerating external changes? Will these forces create existential challenges to workers’ compensation systems?

In this session, Dr. Victor will examine the external forces, their effect on workers’ compensation, and alternative scenarios wherein workers’ compensation systems are more and less successful in meeting the challenges.

One of my favorite Workers Comp authors

100 Years of Success

Social Safety net element for 100 years

2030 Workers Compensation

WC Costs Triple

External Forces –

Dominant Forces –

Emerging Labor Shortages
Case shifting to non-oocupational health insurance

Millions of workers losing health insurance

Aging workforce
Federal immigration policies and practices

# of claims = use 100% an an index

2030 -73% of claims than 2017

Effect of Aging workers has little impact

Labor shortage caused by retiring Boomers

WC costs will increase:

Shortage of healthcare staffs delays medical care and RTW
WC industry firms shortages to handle claims

Future Labor Force = .7 % growth vs. 2017 at 3.0%

Job fill rates has now gone below 1.2% index

Why Injury Rate Increase?

Employers relax hiring standards – hire less capable or with a weaker connection to the workforce
Recent Surveys 53% of managers hired people not really qualified
44 of employers are recruiting outside of the talent pool

Tight labor market increased indemnity claims by 5.3% – WCRI former study

Labor saving technologies will reduce labor force

Immigration and their Us-born offspring projected to drive growth of US Labor Force

After Brexit – 96% fewer European nurses ti Work in UK

Case-shifting – Dr. Victor wrote many article on this theory – Check one article here

Case shifting is not cost shifting

Case shifting does not require fraud

Case-shifting by inured workers increases claims by 25%

Rand Corp – 36% of high deductible people do not seek care

Uninsured workers have the strongest financial incentive to attribute their medical problem to work

The number of uninsured workers expected to increase as ACA provisions are repealed or weakened

Summary – cases increased by 55% by 2030 (Wow!)

State government has little influence

Solutions by state government are unlikely

May fracture the grand bargain
WC is too small
May meet successful constitutional challenge
Each year the legislators are becoming more polarized

Stakeholders may become more open to a paradigm shift if state governments have little effect

Who should be responsible for providing these benefits?

Employers – e.g. . ERISA opt plans
Workers – not sure what this would look like
Academics – OMG!
Hybrid approach

Employees + Employers work together

Union carve outs
Opt out with tort safety valve
Make claims organization accountable to both employers and workers – similar to group health insurance
Super carve out – both union and nonunion work place

IMPACT OF OPIOIDS AND PRESCRIPTION DRUGS ON THE WORKPLACE

March 22, 2018 | 2:50 p.m. – 4:05 p.m.

Dr. Bogdan Savych, WCRI

Jane Terry, National Safety Council

Joan Vincenz, United Airlines

In this session, Dr. Savych will discuss WCRI’s latest research on how opioid prescriptions impact duration of disability for injured workers.

Jane Terry from the National Safety Council will discuss the results from a recent survey they commissioned on how American employers are dealing with prescription drugs in the workplace.

Lastly, Joan Vincenz from United Airlines will share what her company is doing to address these important issues.

Dr. Savych – great variation in prescribing patters, 24 – 58% of workers with paid had TWO opioid prescriptions

Opiods – do they affect period of disability?

simulated random assignment using statistical measures
62% of cases had opioid RX in Philadephia
71% had RX for opioid in Harrisburg PA
251% Change in TTD Period due to opioid use
3 or more opioid RX – 52% increase in TTD period
Little effect of impact of small number or RX’s over short period

Jane Terry – National Safety Council

More than 70% of employers have been impacted by RX’s

28% of employers are unprepared to deal with the epidemic

33% of painkiller users do not know they were taking opioids

76% do not train employees to identify signs of misuse

29% of smaller employers are not prepared to deal with opioid RX effects

5 days less work days per year for non opiod using employees

Each employee who recovers from a Substance abuse disorders save an employer more than $3,200 per year

Every 24 minutes an American dies from a prescription opioid overdose

Last year 22,000 Americans died from RX opioids

Recommends Warn Me Labels to let pharmacist now if you are prescribed an opioid, then the pharmacist need to talk to you.

Joan Vincenz – United Airlines

United Airlines has Workers Compensation Mission Statement

Proprietary Statistics —–<<<<<<cannot blog them

Employees split among above the wing, below the wing, and flight attendants

Onsite clinics are invaluable – see my Six Keys #2

Questions –

What level is best to talk to / – State or Federal level – Answer – State level best, but most are out of session for this year

One or two RX’s are not that significant, but that varies from some of the other research. Answer – there are difference among studies, more questions than answers, need to have researchers talk to each other to figure out why the differences.

Adjournment of WCRI 2018 Conference for Thursday.

STATE OF THE STATES

March 23, 2018 | 9:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.

This session will feature selective findings from WCRI’s CompScope™ Benchmarks reports. With these studies, stakeholders, public officials, and policymakers can monitor their systems on a regular basis and make important interstate comparisons. By identifying incremental changes in system performance―either improvement or possible deterioration, goals can be set, improvements accomplished, and crises avoided.

The following are the titles and presenters for this session:

Trends in Physical Medicine Services

Dr. Rebecca Yang, WCRI

Findings for Tennessee from CompScope Benchmarks

Ms. Evelina Radeva, WCRI

Time From Injury To Medical Treatment: How States Compare

Ms. Carol Telles, WCRI

Tennessee Reforms and The Associated Data

Permanent Partial Disability

PPD Claims In Tennessee – Average PPD benefits were third highest in all study states

Before 2013 reforms TN had maximum PPD multiplier

Compscope(r) looked at TN with lagging data from 24 to 36 months during certain time periods

After 2013 reforms 24% decrease

Average PPD in 2013 14,090 After reform 10,708

TN created new court of WC claims in the reforms

TN claimant attorney decreased from 31% to 21% – Incredible Statistic

Rebecca Yang

From Compscope Medical Study

Shift from physical medicine from hospital to non-hospital

Fee schedules
Reimbursement Amounts

Hospital outpatient use decreased 6%

Cost Factor

Physical Medicine $41 -Oupatient
In hospital $60

Indiana

Physical Medicine Hospital outpatient decreased 9% after reforms

North Carolina

Physical Medicine Hospital outpatient – decreased 9% after reforms

Carol Telles

Time for the i injured worker to receive medical treatment

Faster the worker receives treatment the better the outcome

Administrative delays in the medical treatment system

Little variation in time to first medical treatment

Objective injuries and subjective injuries had great variation

Objective injuries = fractures, lacerations, contusions

Subjective injuries = sprains, strains, etc

Subjective injuries had a much greater delay in receiving medical treatment

Louisiana seemed to have the highest delay in providing medical treatment than other study states

North Carolina and California also had various delays

Wisconsin and Pennsylvania tended to had faster treatment timelines

NC CA, and Louisiana had more delays

Still more research needed in medical treatment delays between the states

Questions –

Have the researchers expanded the delay time study into other claims components – No

DO MEDICAL MARIJUANA LAWS CAUSE A SHIFT IN PRESCRIPTION DRUG SPENDING?

March 23, 2018 | 10:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.

Dr. David Bradford, University of Georgia

As medical marijuana remains a complex issue in both the workers compensation arena and elsewhere, we strive to find pertinent studies that will inform.

In this session, Dr. Bradford will share the results of his recent studies looking at the effect medical marijuana programs have on prescription drug spending. These studies review data from Medicare Part D and Medicaid and focus on drugs used to treat clinical conditions for which marijuana might be a potential alternative treatment.

Although Dr. Bradford’s studies look at the impact of medical marijuana on other social insurance programs, but not workers’ compensation, the results are suggestive of what might be found in workers’ compensation for work-related conditions.

Dr. W. David Bradford – University of Georgia

The effect of marijuana laws cause a shift in RX spending?

Intense policy debate – 9 states had medical marijuana on ballots

91% of Americans say that it is OK to have medical marijuana

Most states approved medical marijuana in 2014-2015

48 states have some type of medical marijuana policy

Oregon allows 24 ounces of marijuana

Marijuana is still a Schedule I drug – along the lines of LSD and Heroin

Study of 10,000 studies was performed by National Academies of Science – The Health Effects of Cannabis showed that it does have benefits

Are the cannabis policies just a backdoor to recreational access?

132,000,000 observations
Medicare Part D data used
When marijuana laws are enacted, RX’s reduced by a significant amount
-1,826 RX’s per day for pain
I f all states enacted Medical marijuana laws, the savings to Medicare D would be over $1 Billion

Medicare + Medicaid savings would be $3.4 billion if all states enacted MML.

9% reduction in opioids in states that have MML.

Mortality from opiates overdoes significantly reduced with MML.

25% reduction in opiate overdoses in New York (?)

THE WORLD OF WORK IS CHANGING―FAST. ARE YOU PREPARED?

March 23, 2018 | 11:05 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Denise Algire, Albertsons Companies

Charlie Kingdollar, General Reinsurance Corporation (GenRe)

Judge David Langham, Florida Office of Judges of Compensation Claims

Steve Tolman, president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO

This session will leverage the panel’s insights as they identify future trends and predict implications for the workers’ compensation system, including how system features like safety, insurance, and the workplace will be impacted.

The following are some of the questions they will address:

Will robots take our jobs?
Will the workplace be safer with automation or less safe with undertrained independent contractors?
How will we insure the new workplace?
Will new legal cases arise around independent contractors and on-the-job injuries?

Roundtable Panel

AI – Views on how it changes the Workforce – Ruser

Algire – Will actually create more jobs, use automation in the heavier manual labor jobs Less injuries with automation, no 100% automation of truck drivers

Kingdollar – Robotics will replace white collar jobs, too. Truck drivers will be replaced by autonomous vehicles

Tolman – clearly threat to middle class, great if workers share in the prosperity, driverless cars not good automation, downward pressure on jobs and wages

Langham – attrition, same as the agrarian to industrial switch, 20th century law for 21st century decisions, job goals should be 5 years spans

Gig Economy – Effect on workforce – Ruser

Kingdollar – temporary situation

Tolman – Uber/Lyft should count contractors as employees, how do we allow Uber to come into a city with no regulations

Langham – Legislative response – TN passed laws that made Uber drive independent contractors, FL just passed laws on independent contractors , Grubhub in CA ruled not employees, but Uber drivers are – Which laws are interpreted – State of Federal? Labor is cheaper in other countries due to less regulations

Algire – GenX and GenY workers are used to short term span of work, should benefits be portable?

Saffety – Workplace safety – Ruser

Tolman – President Trump signed Executive Order that companies do not have to keep list of injuries(?), safety is not as important now, Gig economy has lowered safety

Ruser – uptick in MA and US death rates – due to opioids

Kingdollar – nanotechnologies – nanomaterials- certain companies provide no safety, 300 studies

Shifting demographics – Ruser –

Algire – quite a concern for older workers, increased injury frequency in the first 6 months, to be competitive grocery retailers are now using apps to shop for groceries, workers safety has changed, motor vehicles accidents increased

Langham – immigrants effect (Ruser) – immigrants stay very close to their communities – undocumented workers are being exploited by company owners from the same country, workers comp claims not reported then they go on public assistance, consumer are going to drive the change

Tolman – undocumented workers not even being able to seek treatment due to current immigration laws , retail businesses are facing tsunami of job losses due to automation

Kingdollar – average retirement age has increased greatly for Baby Boomers, still employed

Legal Challenges – Ruser

Langham – FL cap on benefits at 104 weeks ruled unconstitutional, states are now capping WC benefits, many claimant attorneys would rather be in a tort system, challenges will be repeated in other jurisdictions, decisions have been made on opioids,

Tolman – MA WC Board has a monitoring area for opioids, pharmaceutical companies have ruined workers, opioids should be banned,

Other observations – Ruser

Algire – Automation actually helps workers, will create more and different jobs, need to better educate workers

Kingdollar – White collar jobs – Japanese life insurer cut employees by 30% due to AI, 44,000 man-hours cut by Zurich UK

Langham – Change is coming, only constant will be change, how we react to changing workplace will be key, naive to think things will always be the same

Tolman – should be paying attention to all levels of government, no respect for human capital, allow workers to share in the prosperity of job change

Questions –

Steven Porches (?) has been doing studies in the area for many years – no bad behavior but instead adaptation

Exposure to nanomaterials i everyday living – would a claim be accepted?

Algire – engage all stakeholders, communication is the main required skill , OSHA has looked at severity of injuries when working with automation, customer service from retailer’s biggest mistake is to reduce service to a level where people will order online

Kingdollar – $2,5 billion in lost premium in WC, it is the concentration of nano-materials

Langham – WC job injuries and transferable skills analysis are appearing in claims, re-employing the injured workers is becoming more difficult ,

Filed Under: WCRI Annual Conference Tagged With: BLS, Labor Trends, medical marijuana, monopolistic state fund, Ohio, Ohio BWC, Ohio's state-run monopolistic, opioids, Return to work, United Airlines, Value based healthcare, Workers Compensation Insurance

2018 WCRI Annual Data Conference Two Weeks Away In Boston – Going?

March 8, 2018 By JL Risk Management Consultants

2018 WCRI Annual Data Conference – Workers Comp Info Found Nowhere Else

The 2018 WCRI Annual Data Conference is one not to miss if you have anything to do with or are affected by Workers Comp data procurement.

picture of boston 2018 wcri annual data conference skyline

Public Use – Dxyuan

I have attended the last four and will attend the one this year as part of the press. WCRI is an acronym for Workers Compensation Research Institute.

My actuarial and statistical background makes this one of my go-to conferences for good independent data.

I have live-blogged the presentations each year. I will attempt to do so this year. Sometimes my wrists wear out too quickly trying to type in enough information. However, my blogging does not take the place of being there live.

This is not a commercial for WCRI. This is one of the conferences where the toll is worth the drive, so to speak. By the way, the personnel at WCRI have treated me professionally yet friendly in any of my interactions with them.

From WCRI’s HQ –

My comments are italicized

#1) Content: WCRI’s conference is a leading workers’ compensation forum that will have you talking for months about what you learned. We have put together an agenda that focuses on some of the most significant issues facing the workers’ compensation system today and for years to come, delivered by thought leaders and experts from across the country. Click here to see the agenda.

I have learned a ton from this conference. For example see this article on the variation of attorney fees across the states. Everyone’s jaw dropped on this presentation .

#2) Networking: From public officials and labor representatives to claims administrators and risk managers, they all come to WCRI’s conference to learn about the latest trends and network with other like-minded people who believe in data to make better decisions and improve the system.

#3) Continuing Education Credit: Learn from leading workers’ compensation professionals while you earn continuing education credit. The conference has been approved for 7 hours of continuing education credits for Certified Disability Management Specialist (CDMS), Certified Case Manager (CCM), and Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC).

I actually use the hours to help fulfill my hourly commitment to my ChFC designation.

Filed Under: WCRI Annual Conference Tagged With: CCM, CDMS, ChFC, CRC, live blogging

Opioid Study Shocker – Or Was It Really A Surprise Conclusion

March 6, 2018 By JL Risk Management Consultants

Opioid Study Shows No Improvement over Nsaids or Acetaminophen

A recent opioid study – great article in the Los Angeles Times – indicated that after a yearlong study opioids showed no great improvement in lessening pain than over-the-counter painkillers.

chemical diagram of opioid study paracetamol

Public Use License

Another recent study indicated the same result. I am unable to find that article presently. Who would have thought that hydrocodone was not more effective than ibuprofen?

What made this study different was that it was a clinical trial, not just some researchers going through anecdotal data. The original article from the Journal Of American Medicine can be found here. I highly recommend reviewing the study abstract – just amazing.

The clinical trial opioid study involved 240 patients. This number may seem small. Then again, the study consisted of a pure clinical trial which hold much more weight with a limited number of patients.

The findings were:

In this randomized clinical trial that included 240 patients, the use of opioid vs nonopioid medication therapy did not result in significantly better pain-related function over 12 months (3.4 vs 3.3 points on an 11-point scale at 12 months, respectively).

This study does not support initiation of opioid therapy for moderate to severe chronic back pain or hip or knee osteoarthritis pain.

In my personal experience, I had assisted two friends home from outpatient surgeries. Each of them had a RX for hydrocodone. It did not lessen their discomfort.

However, much to my amazement – rapid release acetaminophen had a greater pain-reducing effect. The rapid release stopped their pain in its tracks after trying a few doses of hydrocodone.

I published this article on opioids in July 2017. It is one of the most popular reads when I post it to LinkedIn. The data in that study showed that a very large percentage of opioid users were actually mentally ill.

I am sure more studies are planned in this controversial topic.

Filed Under: Opioid Tagged With: acetaminophen, hydrocodone, Ibuprofen, JAMA

88th Annual North Carolina Statewide Safety Conference May 15-17 2018

March 1, 2018 By JL Risk Management Consultants

The 88th Annual North Carolina Statewide Safety Conference is being held in Greensboro, NC.

I am the Treasurer of the North Carolina Mid- State Safety Council. That is how I am involved with the Annual North Carolina Statewide Safety Conference. Actually, I have been attending this conference since the late 1980’s.

This is one of the most economical Conferences out there for safety. The full program is below. Attendance is only $100 for three full days or $35 per day. See you there.

Vendor Registration Here

Attendee Registration Here

2018 Tuesday Program

THE 88th ANNUAL North Carolina STATEWIDE SAFETY CONFERENCE

Joseph S. Koury Convention Center

Greensboro NC

MAY 15 – 17, 2018

“On the Horizon…”

PROGRAM

TUESDAY SESSIONS – May 15, 2018 “CERTIFICATION DAY”

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION – 8:00 am – 5:00 pm – Heritage Room – 3^rd Floor Atrium EXHIBIT HALL CLOSED during Exhibitor Set-up – 4:00 pm – 9:00 pm

NCALGESO WORKSHOP – 8:45 am – 12:00 pm – VICTORIA A

Moderator: Angie Whitley, President, NCALGESO, Kernersville, NC

8:45 – 9:00 “Welcome and Announcements”

Speaker: Angie Whitley, President, NCALGESO

9:00 – 10:45 “Active Shooter Prevention and Response”

Speaker: Captain Terry Hairston – Raleigh Police Department, Owner Defend and Protect Inc., Raleigh, NC

10:45 – 11:00 “Break”

11:00 – 12:00 “Active Shooter Prevention and Response Cont.”

Speaker: Captain Terry Hairston – Raleigh Police Department, Owner Defend and Protect Inc., Raleigh, NC

WATER/WASTEWATER OPERATORS WORKSHOP – CLOSED SESSION ($40.00 per person) – 8:00 am – 4:00 pm – BLUE ASHE Sponsored by Eastern Environmental Management

(6 hours Professional Growth – Pre-registration REQUIRED)www.ncsafetyconference.com

Moderators: Stephanie Glasgow, OWASA, Carrboro, NC – David Vann, Coty, Sanford, NC

Speakers: NC Safety Conference Volunteer Staff

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY & HEALTH WORKSHOP – 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm VICTORIA A

Co-sponsors: North Carolina Department of Labor; Eastern Carolina, North Carolina, Tar Heel, Triad & Western Carolina ASSE Chapters

Moderator: Tom Wilder, Safety Education Specialist, NC Department of Labor, Raleigh, NC

1:00 – 2:00 “OSHA Update”

Speaker: J. Edgar Geddie, Ph.D Health standards Officer, NC Department of Labor/OSH Division, Raleigh, NC

2:00 – 2:15 “Break”

2:15 – 3:00 “Recognition Program Update”

Speaker: Carlene Harris, Recognition Program Consultant, NC Dept. of Labor/OSH Division, Raleigh, NC

3:00 – 3:45 “Consultative Services Update”

Speaker: Kevin Obarr, Bureau Chief, Consultative Services Bureau, NC DOL/OSH Division, Raleigh, NC

3:45 – 4:00 “NC Statewide Safety Conference Welcome”

Speaker: Dennis E. Parnell, Executive Director, NC Statewide Safety Conference, Inc., Roanoke Rapids, NC

2018 Wednesday Program

WEDNESDAY, May 16, 2018

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION – 8:00 am – 4:30 pm – Heritage Room – 3^rd Floor Atrium

EXHIBIT HALL OPEN – 8:00 am – 4:30 pm – 3^rd Floor Atrium

GENERAL SESSIONS

EARLY BIRD SESSION – 8:00 am- 8:30 am- VICTORIA A

Moderator: Dennis E. Parnell, Executive Director, NC Safety Conference, Inc, Roanoke Rapids, NC

8:00 – 8:30 “Benchmark: Non-recordable Programs in Rehab to Reduce Worker’s Comp Costs”

Speaker: Leslie Aldrich, ATC, CEAS, Director of Employer Services, Benchmark Rehab Partners, Atlanta, GA

8:30 – 8:45 Visit the Exhibits

WORKERS’ COMPENSATION SESSION 8:45 am – 10:15 am – VICTORIA A

Sponsored by Faztek, LLC

Moderator: Dennis E. Parnell, Executive Director, NC Safety Conference, Inc., Roanoke Rapids, NC

8:45 – 10:00 “Safe 4 the Right Reasons”

Speaker: Dale Lesinski, Vice President, Sales and Training, DiVal Safety, Buffalo NY

10:00 -10:15 Visit the Exhibits

10:15-11:15 “Why our safety meetings stink”

Speaker: Judy Trent, Training Division Coordinator, Sales and Training, DiVal Safety, Buffalo NY

11:15 – 12:00 NC Statewide Safety Talk Competition – Regional Safety Contest Winners, AWARDS AND DOOR PRIZES

Moderator: Charles R. “Buster” Dawson, NCSC Staff, NC Safety Conference, Inc.,Wilson, NC

12:00 – 1:30 Visit Exhibit Hall

ASSE LUNCHEON – 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm – COLONY BC

Moderator – Adam Coffey, Western Carolina Chapter President, Hickory, NC

Luncheon Tickets Required – Tickets available at ASSE Booth # 02 in the Exhibit Hall or from your local ASSE Chapter President

“TBA”

Speaker: TBA

INDUSTRIAL SESSIONS – 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm

(1) BLUE ASHE –

Moderator: Harry Kagel, Safety Coordinator, Spirit Aero, Kinston, NC

1:30 – 2:15 “Creating an Effective Safety Campaign”

Speaker: Dale Lesinski, Vice President, Sales and Training, DiVal Safety, Buffalo NY

2:15 – 2:30 Visit the Exhibits

2:30 – 3:15 “Safety is a Tool for Life”

Speaker: Ron Goodrich, Motivational Speaker & Trainer, DiVal Safety, Buffalo, NY

(2) TANGLEWOOD

Moderator: Tim Spittle, Safety Manager for Biltmore Company, Asheville, NC

1:30 – 2:15 PESTICIDE APPLICATORS CONTINUING CERTIFICATION CREDIT – (1 Hour each session Credit for ALL Sub-classes)

“Pesticide Update Part 1”

Speaker: Travis Snodgrass, NCDA&CS Structural Pest Control & Pesticides Division, Raleigh, NC

2:15 – 3:15 Visit the Exhibits

3:15 – 4:00 “Pesticide Update Part 2”

Speaker: Travis Snodgrass, NCDA&CS Structural Pest Control & Pesticides Division, Raleigh, NC

(3) SANDPIPER

Moderator: David Bell, Safety Coordinator, Lenox China, Kinston, NC

1:30 – 2:15 “Hand Protection – Cut Protection to the Next Level”

Speaker: Michelle Glukowsky, Regional Sales Manager, Protective Industrial Products Baltimore, MD

2:15 – 3:15 Visit the Exhibits

3:15 – 4:00 “Rooftop Fall Protection-“Understanding the Rooftop Fall Hazards and OSHA Regulations”

Speaker: Paul Sperling, Fall Protection Specialist, Bluewater Manufacturing, Houston, Texas

(4) AUGUSTA A

Moderator: Buford Ellis, Corporate Account Manager, CA Short, Shelby, NC

1:30 – 2:15 “Safegagement”

Speaker: Jeff Ross, President/CFO, C.A. Short Company, Shelby, NC

2:15 – 3:15 Visit the Exhibits

3:15 – 4: 15 “Safegagement”

Speaker: Jeff Ross, President/CFO, C.A. Short Company, Shelby, NC

(5) AUGUSTA B

Moderator: Michael Bingham, EHS Professional, Duke Energy, Franklin, NC

1:30 – 2:15 “Overhead Crane and Hoist Operation”

Speakers: Brian Payne, Director of Training, Engineered Systems, Duncan, SC

2:15 – 3:15 Visit the Exhibits

3:15 – 4:00 “Fall Protection”

Speakers: Brian Payne, Director of Training, Engineered Systems, Duncan, SC

(6) COLONY A

Sponsored by NC Trucking Association, Safety and Human Resources Council

Moderator: Ashleigh Sholar, Membership Development Specialist, North Carolina Trucking Association, Raleigh, NC

1:30 – 2:15 “Fatigue is Dangerous. You Can Make a Difference”

Speaker: Michael Trufant, Division Manager, Aeroflow Healthcare, Inc., Asheville, NC

Learn how to recognize deceptive behavior during an interview, how to create an environment where the truthful person can exist, but creates a lot of problems for the liar.

2:15 – 3:15 Visit the Exhibits

3:15 – 4:00 “Fatigue is Dangerous. You Can Make a Difference”

Speaker: Michael Trufant, Division Manager, Aeroflow Healthcare, Inc., Asheville, NC

EXHIBIT HALL CLOSES – 4:30 pm

2018 Thursday Program

THURSDAY, May 17, 2018

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION – 8:00 am – 4:00 pm – Heritage Room – 3^rd Floor Atrium

EXHIBIT HALL OPEN – 8:00 am – 3:30 pm – 3^rd Floor Atrium

GENERAL SESSIONS

EARLY BIRD SESSION – 8:00 am- 8:45 am- VICTORIA A

Moderator: Fletcher Bizzell, Executive Board Member, NC Safety Conference, Inc., Mount Olive, NC

8:00 – 8:45 “Achieving Organizational Excellence through Improvements in Safety”

Speaker: Danny Smith, Senior Safety Consultant, SafeStart®, Belleville, Ontario Canada

8:45 – 9:15 “Break”

EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT SESSION – 9:15 am – 12:00 pm – VICTORIA A

Moderator: Fletcher Bizzell, Executive Board Member, NC Safety Conference, Inc., Mount Olive, NC

9:15 – 10:00 “The Missing Link in Risk Assessments-Part 1”

Speaker: Danny Smith, Senior Safety Consultant, SafeStart®, Belleville, Ontario Canada

10:00 – 10:30 “Break”

10:30 – 11:55 “The Missing Link in Risk Assessments-Part 2”

Speaker: Danny Smith, Senior Safety Consultant, SafeStart®, Belleville, Ontario Canada

11:55 – 12:00 “NC Safety Conference, Inc. Update”

Speaker: Dennis E. Parnell, Executive Director, NC Safety Conference, Inc, Roanoke Rapids, NC

12:00 – 1:30 Visit the Exhibits

INDUSTRIAL SESSIONS – 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm

(8) COLONY BC Moderator: Bill Walker, MSOS, CPEA, CRM, Vice President, Risk Management, SPC Mechanical Corp., Wilson, NC

1:30 – 2:15 “Business Continuity / Disaster Management – How to improve your Company by being ready for the unexpected. Part 1”

Speaker: Dan Warnock, Risk Control Manager, Senn Dunn Insurance, High Point, NC

2:15 – 2:30 Visit the Exhibits

2:30 – 3:15 ““Business Continuity / Disaster Management – How to improve your Company by being ready for the unexpected. Part 2”

Speaker: Dan Warnock, Risk Control Manager, Senn Dunn Insurance, High Point, NC

(9) TIDEWATER

Moderator: Wendy Shepherd, Occupational Safety, NC State University Environmental Health and Safety, Raleigh, NC

1:30 – 2:15 “Training Millennials”

Speaker: Holli Singleton, Assistant Director of Health and Safety Services, Industry Expansion Solutions

NC State University, Raleigh, NC

2:15 – 2:30 Visit the Exhibits

2:30 – 3:15 “Training Millennials”

Speaker: Holli Singleton, Assistant Director of Health and Safety Services, Industry Expansion Solutions

NC State University, Raleigh, NC

(10) TANGLEWOOD

Moderator: John Lemire, Director of Loss Control, Forestry Mutual, Raleigh, NC

1:30 – 2:15 “How One of America’s Safest Companies Approaches Safety”

Speaker: Joseph Wheatley, Vice President, EnPro Learning System, Charlotte, NC

2:15 – 2:30 Visit the Exhibits

2:30 – 3:15 “How One of America’s Safest Companies Approaches Safety”

Speaker: Joseph Wheatley, Vice President, EnPro Learning System, Charlotte, NC

(11) SANDPIPER

Moderator: Tammy Rumsey, Property Manager, Templeton Properties, Elizabeth City, NC

1:30 – 2:15 “Employee Response to an Active Shooter”

Speakers: Donny Hawkins & Mike Britt, Owners, Sentinel Security Group, Chesapeake, VA

2:15 – 2:30 Visit the Exhibits

2:30 – 3:15 “Factors that Affect Safety and the Overall Performance of an Organization”

Speaker: Leslie McNeill; Personal and Business Coach, J&L Services, LLC, Research Triangle Park, NC

(12) AUGUSTA B

Moderators: Matthew Schweitzer CIH, CSP, Safety Manager, City of Greensboro, Greensboro, NC

Denise Kennedy, Piedmont Natural Gas, Charlotte, NC

1:30 – 2:15 “Return to Work…How to Test for Defensible Return to work?”

Speaker: Sam McKelvey PT, MBA, CEAS, Restoration Physiotherapy, Inc., Charlotte, NC

2:15 – 2:30 Visit the Exhibits

2:30 – 3:15 “Properties of Natural Gas/Natural Gas Safety”

Speaker: Todd Koontz, Technical Training Specialist, Piedmont Natural Gas, Charlotte, NC

EXHIBIT HALL CLOSES – 3:00 pm Exhibitor Door Prize and Grand Prize Drawings will be held in the Exhibit Hall at 3:30 pm. You must be present to win Grand Prize Drawing.

4:00 pm “Closing Comments” Dennis E. Parnell, Executive Director, NC Safety Conference, Inc.

—End of North Carolina Statewide Safety Conference—

Filed Under: NC Safety Conference Tagged With: Greensboro, NC Mid State Safety Council

Reserve Review Schedule – Important Upcoming Date For January 1 Renewals

Insurance Journal’s Insurance Academy Presentation by James J Moore

California’s New XMod Formula Looks Simple – But Is It Really?

New, Simplified Formula

The first $250 of every claim is excluded Reporting the cost of minor workplace injuries helps everybody.

Philippines and Thailand Do Have Policies in Place – My Workers Compensation Error

Reevaluating Pain Management – Webinar On Post-Opioid Treatment

Top 10 Bits of Information From The 2018 WCRI Conference

The Top 10 takeaways<<never liked that word<< were:

Thursday WCRI 2018 Conference Schedule

FUTURE LABOR FORCE TRENDS AND THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY

Conditions

Future of Work

Artificial Intelligence

BLS Mission

Users of BLS –

WCRI 2018 Conference

WHO IS READY FOR VALUE-BASED CARE?

SAVING LIVES—BUILDING A MODERN PHARMACY PROGRAM AMID A DEADLY EPIDEMIC

SCENARIOS: WORKERS’ COMPENSATION 2030

100 Years of Success

Labor shortage caused by retiring Boomers

Why Injury Rate Increase?

Case-shifting – Dr. Victor wrote many article on this theory – Check one article here

Summary – cases increased by 55% by 2030 (Wow!)

IMPACT OF OPIOIDS AND PRESCRIPTION DRUGS ON THE WORKPLACE

Jane Terry – National Safety Council

Joan Vincenz – United Airlines

STATE OF THE STATES

Tennessee Reforms and The Associated Data

From Compscope Medical Study

Indiana

North Carolina

Carol Telles

DO MEDICAL MARIJUANA LAWS CAUSE A SHIFT IN PRESCRIPTION DRUG SPENDING?

Dr. W. David Bradford – University of Georgia

THE WORLD OF WORK IS CHANGING―FAST. ARE YOU PREPARED?

Roundtable Panel

2018 WCRI Annual Data Conference – Workers Comp Info Found Nowhere Else

From WCRI’s HQ –

Opioid Study Shows No Improvement over Nsaids or Acetaminophen

The findings were:

2018 Tuesday Program

THE 88th ANNUAL North Carolina STATEWIDE SAFETY CONFERENCE

(6 hours Professional Growth – Pre-registration REQUIRED)www.ncsafetyconference.com

2018 Wednesday Program

GENERAL SESSIONS

INDUSTRIAL SESSIONS – 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm

(1) BLUE ASHE –

2018 Thursday Program

THURSDAY, May 17, 2018

GENERAL SESSIONS

INDUSTRIAL SESSIONS – 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm

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