20 Years of Claims Management

Future claims management success demands redefining flexibility and responsiveness across a multiplicity of platforms.

Compiled by CYRIL TUOHY, managing editor of Risk & Insurance® .

Editor's note: Attendees at the 20th Annual National Workers' Compensation and Disability Conference® & Expo can expect an action-packed conference. With claims a perennial favorite among attendees, we highlight the sessions below.

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Prices in the workers' compensation marketplace are still soft and show little sign of hardening. As a result, workers' comp and disability managers are in a good position to extract cheaper rates or better terms from their workers' comp carriers. Even when the insurance line's economics favors buyers, workers' comp and disability managers can always use refresher courses on hot topics and best practices. Here are the claims management sessions planned for this year's conference.

60 WORKERS' COMP TIPS IN 60 MINUTES

What you can expect: Great advice. A fast pace. Fun. That's what you can expect from this returning session, which was the highest-attended breakout at last year's conference. A team of workers' comp experts offer some of their best-kept secrets to help you improve your workers' comp system, and they have just 60 seconds for each tip--or else!

Who: Barbara Galluppi CPCU, senior vice president, Arthur J. Gallagher, Itasca, Ill., Kara Miller, J.D., Franklin & Prokopik, Easton, Md., Dr. Albert Mitsos, forensic physician, Long Grove, Ill., Matthew B. Schiff, partner, Schiff & Hulbert, Chicago; moderator James Hulbert, Partner, Schiff & Hulbert

When: Wednesday, Nov. 9, 11:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

WORKPLACE VIOLENCE: UNDERSTANDING AND DEFUSING THE VIOLENT MIND

What you can expect: A warehouse driver in Connecticut kills eight people at a beer distributorship before killing himself. A researcher/instructor allegedly kills three professors and shoots three others at the University of Alabama. An Army psychiatrist is accused of fatally shooting 13 people and injuring another 32 at Fort Hood. What could have prevented these attacks? Bruce T. Blythe, who has consulted with the FBI on workplace violence and terrorism, will share ways to recognize and communicate with high-risk individuals, offer strategies to defuse potentially fatal situations, plus give you the components of a defensible workplace violence prevention program for your organization.

Who: Bruce T. Blythe, chairman, Behavioral Medical Interventions, Atlanta

When: Wednesday, Nov. 9, 3 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.

EFFECTIVELY MANAGING INJURED WORKERS WHO HAVE POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS

What you can expect: Your best employee could sustain a workplace injury and develop post-traumatic stress disorder. Post-traumatic stress disorder can affect anyone who's been through any type of traumatic event, and bringing a person with the disorder back to work can be fraught with challenges. You need tools in place, so you're prepared to address such a situation when it occurs. The ever-popular Richard Pimentel will outline the potential hurdles involved in post-traumatic stress disorder claims, show you how to avoid traps and give you strategies to create an effective program.

Who: Richard Pimentel, senior partner, Milt Wright & Associates, Granada Hills, Calif.

When: Thursday, Nov. 10, 8:45 a.m. - 10 a.m.

ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS: USING A FISHBONE DIAGRAM TO REDUCE CLAIMS AND COSTS

What you can expect: Root cause analysis is a problem-solving technique that takes claims investigations to a new level. It helps you understand what's truly driving injuries and illnesses in your workplace. Using an easy-to-learn Japanese technique called the Fishbone Diagram, you can become as effective as an accident reconstruction specialist in uncovering the underlying issues that lead to your workers' comp claims. Julie Sfurm will show you how to use this cutting-edge tool to make corrective changes that will lead to fewer claims and a better bottom line.

Who: Julie Sfurm, Corporate Risk Operations Manager, Elkay Manufacturing, Oak Brook, Ill.

When: Thursday, Nov. 10, 1:15 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

How Professional Sports Manages Workers' Compensation

What you can expect: Because of the high stakes involved, professional sports have become adept at injury prevention and early return to work of its primary asset: the players. Our panel of pro sports workers' comp experts will highlight sophisticated programs of early injury evaluation, treatment plans and high-tech medical record sharing. They'll recount their own success stories and show you how to put their proven practices to work for the benefit of your organization.

Who: David Cohen, director of legal affairs and risk management, Angels Baseball, Anaheim, Calif.; Dr. George Holmes, team physician to Chicago White Sox, Midwest Orthopedics, Chicago; Stewart Manela, partner, Arent Fox LLP, Washington, D.C.; Timothy Peterson, managing partner, Peterson, Colantoni, Collins & Davis, LLP; legal counsel to teams in Major League Baseball, Orange County, Calif. ; Daniel Romo, Willis Insurance; risk management consultant to Major League Baseball, Dallas; moderator: Matthew B. Schiff, Partner, Schiff & Hulbert, Chicago

When: Thursday, Nov. 10, 1:15 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Foster a Positive Work Environment Between Risk Management and HR

What you can expect: Integrating disability and health systems for better financial outcomes looks great -- on paper. But getting HR to work hand-in-glove with risk management is no easy task. The "big dogs" of HR often are reluctant to wield their power and the risk managers are afraid of losing whatever influence they have. You'll have a chance to discuss your biggest silo challenges in this highly interactive session. Working with our speakers and in teams with your fellow attendees, you'll learn a better communication strategy to effectively work with HR in addressing disability management issues.

Who: Sylvester Mendoza Jr., corporate director for diversity & inclusion and EEO, Northrop Grumman, Los Angeles; Milt Wright, founder and president, Milt Wright & Associates, Granada Hills, Calif.

When: Thursday, Nov. 10, 3:30 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.

THE EROSION OF EXCLUSIVE REMEDY: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO PROTECT YOUR COMPANY

What you can expect: Did you know an injured employee can sue your company and win millions of dollars? How can that happen under the workers' comp system? It's a question employers are increasingly asking as state legislative reforms and recent case law slowly but surely erode the exclusive remedy doctrine. Uninformed claims adjusters, attorneys and employers often exacerbate the situation, driving costs even higher. Find out the extent of the problem, the potential pitfalls of most Employers' Liability policy language, and the strategies you need to minimize exposures and claims payouts.

Who: Diana Bentley, Senior Vice President, Marsh, Charlotte, N.C. Kathy A. Kukor, Senior Consultant, Risk International Services Inc., Charlotte, N.C.

When: Friday, Nov. 11, 8:45 a.m. - 10 a.m.

October 15, 2011

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