WCRI 2025 Conference Friday Sessions
The WCRI 2025 Conference Friday sessions covered many great topics for a data geek like me. Check out the first day’s presentations here.
The average attention span for presentations and reading text has reduced from 20 minutes 20 years ago to six seconds. With that in mind, I decided to cover the WCRI 2025 Conference sessions the same as yesterday. A summary of the slides appears below. I attempted to include the self-explanatory slides instead of loads of text.
The links for the presenters’ bios are provided for recognition of their efforts and in case you would like to contact them with questions.
WCRI 2025 Conference Friday Session 1
Threats to Healthcare Access in Rural America
Mark Holmes, PhD
Thomas W. Lambeth Distinguished Chair in Public Policy
Professor, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health
Director, Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
[email protected]
All slides below in the first presentation are copyrighted by Dr. Mark Holmes and UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.
WCRI 2025 Conference Friday Session 2
The State of thee States session provides such good information every year that I have attended the WCRI annual conferences.
State of the States = Great Info for WC Industry
Presenters – Dr. Vennela Thumula, WCRI and Will Monnin-Browder, WCRI
What I noticed was the pandemic effect on these numbers was significant as expected with some notations that I made during the presentation. One of the shockers for me was that states with fee schedules were among the states with the highest medical costs.
Recovery from the pandemic likely resulted in the very rapid growth for indemnity and medical payments. I think the numbers will change greatly for the indemnity and medical payments as we move away from the pandemic.
All slides from Session two are copyrighted by Workers Compensation Research Institute – WCRI, Cambridge, MA
WCRI 2025 Conference Friday Session 2 – More State of the States
Effect of Recreational Marijuana Legislation on Workers Compensation
Recreational Marijuana Legalization (RMLs) increased injuries by 8%. Due to the studies being preliminary, there were no slides available.
RMLs reduced medical payments per claim. Decreased RX payments per claim
Decreased opioid claim payments – this subject will be one of the most debated points in the future – my comment
Oklahoma has highest medical marijuana pharmacies per capita
WCRI 2025 Conference Friday Session 3 – Panel Discussion
Discussion on COMPlex Topics
Moderator – Andrew Kenneally, WCRI
Panelists –
Billy Dycus – TN AFL-CIO
Nancy Kelly, RN – Averitt Express
Randall Lea, MD, WCRI
Melissa Zaparanick – The Hartford
Washington DC effect –
- rural hospital crisis – Dr Lea
- government not efficient – Dycus
- access mainly walk-in clinics and comorbidities – Kelly
Layoff effect of AI
- Zaparanick — AI and other technology
- Dr. Lea – ethical piece of AI, Independent Medical Exams
- Kelly- new software frontier, injury analysis
- Dycus- AI will replace workers, get government out of way
Risk Mitigation Technologies
- Zaparanick – has risk mitigation lab
- Kelly- camera technology, have to engage employees
- Dycus- employer and employee will not look at installation as disciplinary.
Current Medical Workforce Shortages
- Dr. Lea – finding physicians is tough, travelling nurses during COVID raised costs, doctors that screen patients, productivity concerns,
- Dycus – trade agreements caused southern US to lose hospitals due to no industry to support, hospitals can actually draw industries into a rural area
- Nancy – Southeastern US small towns injured workers have to travel long distances for specialized care
- Zaparanick – home health care costs increasing due to labor shortages
Workers Comp and Mental Health
- Dycus – injured worker looking at permanent restrictions to earn money for rest of their lives
- Kelly – Nationwide case managers, home health in precarious situation, text messaging, telemedicine works well
- Zaparanick – $48 billion loss due to workers missing work
- Dr. Lea – bedside manner of physicians, preexisting vs. current injury
Prevention Measures to Avoid Another Pandemic
- Dr. Lea – Stocking up on supplies
- Kelly – recovery plan, return to work to volunteer orgs for light duty
- Dycus – essential workers had to work during pandemic, lots of animosity generated
OSHA Elimination
- Dycus – Every state has an OSHA Department, need safety programs
