Summit to include top experts discussing top trends in comp field

The 2nd annual National Workers' Compensation Conference Executive Summit will discuss the hottest issues in the industry. This year's panelists are new to the summit.

Mark Walls, assistant vice president of claims for St. Louis-based Safety National, will again moderate the session.

The panelists include leaders and innovators from different segments of the workers' comp system:

Eileen Auen, chairman and CEO, PMSI, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Karen Caterino, risk manager, State of Nevada, Reno
Paul Glover III, chairman and CEO, ISG Holdings, Hartford, Conn.
Charles Martin, U.S. claims consulting practice leader, Marsh, New York City
Ken Martino, CEO, Broadspire, A Crawford Company, Atlanta
Maureen McCarthy, senior vice president and manager of workers' compensation claims, Liberty Mutual, Boston
Mark Noonan, managing principal, casualty practice, Integro Insurance Brokers, Boston
Alan Pierce, founder, Alan S. Pierce and Associates, Boston
Christina Preisig, senior vice president - managed care, PMA Companies, Blue Bell, Pa.
Tom Veale, president, Tristar Risk Management, Long Beach, Calif.
Janet Warren, managing director, Beecher Carlson, Atlanta
Katrina Zitnik, director of workers' compensation, Costco Wholesale, Seattle

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"These are some of the leaders in the workers' comp industry," Walls said. "They are very knowledgeable people with strong ideas. When you get 12 people with strong ideas talking about something they are passionate about, you can expect a very interesting conversation."

The topics will be determined by the conference LinkedIn group and the audience.

"Our goal is to come up with the most timely, relevant topics which the conference attendees will have feedback in selecting," he said. "We try to make the session conducive to what the audience wants to hear about."

One topic sure to be included will be medical management.

"Medical accounts for 60 percent of workers' comp costs, so that's obviously the biggest dollar issue in workers' comp," Walls said. "The panel was really set up and structured with the thought that one of the topics we would discuss would have to do with controlling medical costs in some way."

In addition, the panel may drill down further into medical management issues. "Narcotics and pain management are at the forefront of the medical issues," Walls said. "Those are probably the biggest issues on the medical side right now."

The 20th annual National Workers' Compensation and Disability Conference® & Expo takes place at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Nov. 9-11. The executive summit is scheduled for Nov. 10 at 10:45 a.m. For complete information and to register, visit www.wcconference.com.

Read more at the WorkersComp Forum homepage.

August 8, 2011

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