2026 WCRI Annual Conference – Day 1 – Morning Sessions
Thanks to WCRI and Andrew (WCRI Communications Director) for inviting me back to its 2026 WCRI Annual Conference. I will try to cover each presentation as it occurs and will post at the end of each day. Well, I could not post all the info at the end of the day. I suffered from great information overload. I took hand notes on some of the sessions, which I will add along with a few discussions with some of the presenters.
One of the most critical aspects/benefits of attending WCRI Conferences, as it has been in my 15 years of attendance, comes from the networking. I learned so much in just talking to attendees from highly varied backgrounds.
Please note that I will be uploading more of my on-paper notes to this post and the previous day’s presentation. Immersing oneself in a WCRI Conference causes information overload – in a good way.
First Day Keynote Speaker
Description
The first session of the 2026 WCRI Annual Conference started with a healthcare policy presentation by a highly trained and experienced MD.
See the slide link below. Dr. Sommers provided a great slide deck. The link at the end of this session’s article
Dr. Benjamin Sommers’ keynote:
- examined how potential Medicaid cuts and the expiration of Affordable Care Act tax subsidies could affect health care costs for employers and access to care for injured workers.
- helped attendees understand what these policy changes may mean for the future.
- examined the impact of Medicaid cuts and the expiration of Affordable Care Act tax subsidies on health care costs for employers and access to care for injured workers.
wcri 2026 Conference – Keynote Day 1 Slides
Hospital Closures and Impact on Outcomes – 2nd Session
Description
Hospital closures are occurring nationwide. This session examines how they affect workers’ comp access, treatment patterns, costs, and disability duration, looking across rural and urban areas.
The slides for this presentation are not shared on the app because the findings are preliminary. WCRI’s report on this subject will be published in the coming months.
2026 WCRI Annual Conference 3rd Morning Session
Access to Medical Care Panel
I did not add the pics for the 2026 WCRI Annual Conference panels due to space limitations. You can find them here.
One noted discussion question was that – and I did not know it – that Texas approves every Workers Comp physician before they are allowed to treat WC injured employees.
The Hershey representative said that to have physicians treat its injured employees in remote areas, they have to sometimes hire directly with the physician’s office or other types of medical clinics. The TX WC Commissioner was surprised that Hershey hired direct treatment providers. That was a great point on the difference in the way WC medical networks are handled differently in different states.
VP and National Medical Director
Liberty Mutual
Jeff Nelson
Commissioner
Texas Division of Workers’ Compensation
Moderator
Randall Lea
Senior Research Fellow WCRI
WCRI
Description
Our first panel session of the conference will explore how external forces—such as Medicaid cuts, hospital closures, and a growing provider shortage—are impacting the health care system and straining access to care, particularly in rural areas with longer travel times and fewer treatment options.
Panelists will discuss how payors, providers, and injured workers can adapt to these disruptions to maintain access to timely, quality care.
Question – As Medicaid cuts, hospital closures, and provider shortages increasingly limit access to care—especially in rural markets—how should payors shift from utilization control to outcome accountability, and what role can data-driven provider profiling play in ensuring injured workers still receive timely, high-quality care without increasing total cost?”
2026 WCRI Annual Conference – Day 1 – Afternoon Sessions
Loss of Health Care Coverage
Sebastian Negrusa
Vice President of Research
WCRI
Description
how the 2023 CMS’s disenrollment of many Medicaid-insured workers affected the workers compensation system, and the lessons that can be learned in anticipation of potential future changes in health care coverage.
What jurisdictions would this phenomenon impact the most?
As Medicaid eligibility redeterminations push millions out of coverage, how are claims teams seeing this surface in workers’ compensation—through delayed reporting, higher acuity at first notice, treatment access barriers, or increased opioid exposure? —and what early intervention strategies can claims operations deploy to identify and mitigate these risks before claims escalate?
Emerging Medical Treatment Trends: Joint Replacement & Injectable Drugs
Session Handout – Good Info – I highly recommend downloading the session handout that I have provided in the link. The info provided in the slides is critical for all Workers Comp organizations.
Emerging_Medical_Treatment_Trends_2026_WCRI_Conference
Vennela Thumula
Senior Policy Analyst
WCRI
Dongchun WangEconomist
WCRI
Senior Research Fellow WCRI
WCRI
Description
This session will present findings on emerging treatment patterns in workers’ compensation. The session focused mainly on
- injectable therapies, including corticosteroid injections for inflammation and pain, hyaluronic acid products for regenerative purposes, and GLP-1 drugs commonly prescribed for weight loss.
- trends associated with total joint replacements.
Some of the questions from the Whova app –
As joint replacement techniques and injectable drugs continue to evolve, what should WC carriers and self-insured employers be doing now to ensure these treatments actually improve functional recovery and not just shift costs later in the claim?”
Employer Panel
Lisa Daughtry, Disney, Senior Claims Manager
Sharon DelGuercio, Publix, Director, Workers’ Compensation
Nicole Patterson, Aramark, Director, Workers Compensation &Risk Management Operations
Justin Romine, Marriott International, Vice President, Global Claims
Joan Vincenz, United Airlines, Managing Director – Operations Risk
Description
This panel brings together four experts from diverse industries to share their experiences managing workers’ compensation. Topics will include workplace safety, compliance, emerging trends, and operational strategies. Attendees will gain practical takeaways and real-world perspectives from employers navigating today’s evolving workers’ compensation landscape.
WCRI chose this panel well to have a mix of industries.
