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WCRI 2022 Conference Morning Day 2 – Great Speakers

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WCRI 2022 Conference Morning Day 2 – No Masks – Great Speakers

WCRI 2022 Conference Morning Day 2

Thu. Mar 17, 2022

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Keynote Speaker

Sandro Galea, MD, MPH, DrPH's profile

Dean and Robert A. Knox Professor
Boston University School of Public Health
BIO
Sandro Galea is Dean and Robert A. Knox Professor at the Boston University School of Public Health. He has been named an epidemiology innovator by Time, a top voice in healthcare by LinkedIn, and is one of the most cited social scientists in the world. His writing and work are featured regularly in national and global public media. A native of Malta, he has served as a field physician for Doctors Without Borders and has held academic positions at Columbia University, University of Michigan, and the New York Academy of Medicine.

With COVID-19 cases bottoming out across the country, attention is turning to Long Covid and how to prepare for the next variant. As a physician, epidemiologist, author, and dean of the Boston University School of Public Health, our keynote speaker on day two, Dr. Sandro Galea, is uniquely qualified to answer these questions and more.

Short- and Long-Term Consequences of COVID-19

Dr. Galea has been named one of Time magazine’s epidemiology innovators and has been listed as one of the “World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds.” He has published 18 books and over 850 peer-review journal articles. His most recent book, The Contagion Next Time, offers a four-part treatise on what it will take to prevent the next global health catastrophe. In his keynote address, he will discuss the short- and long-term consequences of COVID-19 while addressing the following questions:

  • What are the social and economic impacts of COVID-19 and Long Covid?
  • Of those who contracted COVID-19, how many will develop long-term symptoms?
  • What are the symptoms and treatment for Long Covid and how can employers support those who have it?
  • Can we expect another variant and, if so, when and how can we prepare?

WCRI 2022 Conference Day 2 Morning Chart on COVID Deaths

MERS, SARS, and Ebola infections had much higher death rates

  • MERS – 30%
  • SARS – 20%
  • Ebola – 40%

Greater than 95% of People Aged 65 and Up have been vaccinated

Boosters – not that large % received boosters

Inverse care law – the populations that needed the vaccine the most had the least, same with healthcare

COVID 19 ranked 3rd behind heart disease and cancer as the cause of deaths in 2020-2021

First time to incur life expectancy drop since World War II

WCRI 2022 Conference Day 2 Morning COVID Life Expectancy

Question – Herd Immunity – 95% herd immunity due to vaccines and exposure to COVID

Positives from COVID

  1. Realization of underlying health – comorbidities, etc.
  2. Better communications and not fracturing
  3. Public health was not prepared for pandemics
  4. Non-partisan solutions

State of the States: Selected Findings

WCRI 2022 Conference Morning Day 2

Thu. Mar 17, 2022
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Speakers

Rebecca Yang, PhD's profile

Senior Public Policy Analyst
WCRI

William Monnin-Browder's profile

Policy Analyst
WCRI
This popular annual conference session highlights the latest trends seen in WCRI’s core benchmark studies, which is a cornerstone research program at the Institute. The studies in this program examine the changes in the performance of individual state systems and provide meaningful interstate comparisons. Below are the two topics that will be discussed in the session.

WCRI Senior Public Policy Analyst Dr. Rebecca Yang will look at how the pandemic impacted income benefits across various workers’ compensation systems for non-COVID-19 claims, using preliminary findings from CompScope™ Benchmarks, 22nd Edition. The following are among the questions her presentation will address:

  • How did indemnity benefits per claim change across states for non-COVID-19 claims in 2020 with experience through March 2021?
  • What did the trends in duration of temporary disability benefits and wages for workers with injuries imply about the impact of the early COVID-19 pandemic period on the workers’ compensation systems?

WCRI Policy Analyst William Monnin-Browder will discuss key performance measures in the New York system in light of recent legislative and administrative changes, including the 2019 medical fee schedule change. The following are among the questions his presentation will address:

  • How did prices paid for professional medical services change after the Official New York Workers’ Compensation Medical Fee Schedule was changed in 2019?
  • Has the time from injury to first indemnity payment changed following the New York State Board of Workers’ Compensation’s Payor Compliance Project?
WCRI 2022 Conference - TTD Duration During Pandemic
(c) WCRI

Changes in Economic Conditions & Availability of Medical Care

  • Changes in Labor supply/demand
  • Delays in seeking medical care
  • Not reporting minor injuries
  • Not seeking medical care for minor Workers Comp injuries

Claims with TTD likely increased due to a drop in medical-only claims  that made the proportion of TTD claims to the total number of claims increase

All industries incurred a 6% increase in the TTD duration during 2020 and 2021

TTD Indemnity Benefits Increase Summary
(c) WCRI

State of the Workers’ Compensation System – 50 years after Nixon Study

Two articles appear on this website concerning the 1972 Nixon Administration Study – they are:

Nixon Administration Study

What would The WC Landscape Look Like If WC Was Federalized

 

Thu. Mar 17, 2022
11:20 AM – 12:20 PM
Moderator

John Ruser, PhD's profile

CEO
WCRI
Speakers

David Langham's profile

Deputy Chief Judge
Florida Office of Judges of Compensation Claims

Alan S. Pierce's profile

Partner
Pierce, Pierce & Napolitano

Bruce C. Wood's profile

Principal
WorkCompWorks, LLC

This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the report by the National Commission on State Workers’ Compensation Laws. Join our distinguished panel as they discuss where we are today, 50 years later.

The following are some potential questions our panel will address:

  • To what extent were the recommendations in the report addressed, particularly the ones deemed essential? Has the landscape changed since 1972 to make some of those recommendations impractical or obsolete?
  • Speaking in terms of the “grand bargain,” how is today’s system both succeeding (providing for) and failing employees and employers?
  • One measure of how well a system is functioning is how well it handles a major disruption. How has the system handled the COVID -19 pandemic so far?
  • The two main components of the delivery of benefits to workers in the workers’ compensation system are the provision of wage replacement benefits and the delivery of medical care. If a commission were convened today, what would be deemed an essential recommendation in each of those categories?

Permanent Partial Disability – great discrepancies among the states according to John Burton

The Nixon Commission failed to address Temporary Partial Disability benefits TPD – Alan Pierce

Massachusetts had heavily reduced workers comp benefits in the 1980s. – Alan Pierce

19 recommendations made by Nixon Administration – Bruce Wood

An existential crisis in workers comp – 1990s – Bruce Wood

State legislatures failed to deal with Permanent Partial disability – Bruce Wood

Nixon commission recommended no limits on TTD – Bruce Wood

Short window of time to work with – troubled by the fact that there was a short study period, no follow up, no studies, no university endowments to procure studies – Judge Langham

State legislatures do not work in balance, more of a pendulum between employee protections and employer protections. – Judge Langham

Only the larger employers are listened to by state legislatures – Judge Langham

Role of Federal Government in Workers Comp – should be a continual process – minimum standards bill not the answer – Alan Pierce

Federal administration of WC is not the answer – Judge Langham

Would Workers Comp look like SSDI – inefficient – Bruce Wood

The representation of the general public and small businesses were not included in the 1972 commission.  No minorities, only one woman, no small businesspeople – Judge Langham

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James J Moore - Workers Comp Expert

Raleigh, NC, United States

About The Author...

James founded a Workers’ Compensation consulting firm, J&L Risk Management Consultants, Inc. in 1996. J&L’s mission is to reduce our clients’ Workers Compensation premiums by using time-tested techniques. J&L’s claims, premium, reserve and Experience Mod reviews have saved employers over $9.8 million in earned premiums over the last three years. J&L has saved numerous companies from bankruptcy proceedings as a result of insurance overpayments.

James has over 27 years of experience in insurance claims, audit, and underwriting, specializing in Workers’ Compensation. He has supervised, and managed the administration of Workers’ Compensation claims, and underwriting in over 45 states. His professional experience includes being the Director of Risk Management for the North Carolina School Boards Association. He created a very successful Workers’ Compensation Injury Rehabilitation Unit for school personnel.

James’s educational background, which centered on computer technology, culminated in earning a Masters of Business Administration (MBA); an Associate in Claims designation (AIC); and an Associate in Risk Management designation (ARM). He is a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) and a licensed financial advisor. The NC Department of Insurance has certified him as an insurance instructor. He also possesses a Bachelors’ Degree in Actuarial Science.

LexisNexis has twice recognized his blog as one of the Top 25 Blogs on Workers’ Compensation. J&L has been listed in AM Best’s Preferred Providers Directory for Insurance Experts – Workers Compensation for over eight years. He recently won the prestigious Baucom Shine Lifetime Achievement Award for his volunteer contributions to the area of risk management and safety. James was recently named as an instructor for the prestigious Insurance Academy.

James is on the Board of Directors and Treasurer of the North Carolina Mid-State Safety Council. He has published two manuals on Workers’ Compensation and three different claims processing manuals. He has also written and has been quoted in numerous articles on reducing Workers’ Compensation costs for public and private employers. James publishes a weekly newsletter with 7,000 readers.

He currently possess press credentials and am invited to various national Workers Compensation conferences as a reporter.

James’s articles or interviews on Workers’ Compensation have appeared in the following publications or websites:

  • Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS)
  • Entrepreneur Magazine
  • Bloomberg Business News
  • WorkCompCentral.com
  • Claims Magazine
  • Risk & Insurance Magazine
  • Insurance Journal
  • Workers Compensation.com
  • LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites
  • Various trade publications

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