BY MEL POHL — Chronic Pain occurs as a complicated web of emotions and physical symptoms.  The most common way to treat pain is to use opioid medications, which actually complicate the course of chronic pain. For some who develop addiction matters become much worse. At the Making Workers Comp Work conference we will review the [...]

BY DAVID DE PAOLO –  Health care reform is not if, but when. It has already started and in ways that most people don’t comprehend. Workers’ compensation is a medically driven benefit delivery system generally provided through insurance. Health care is primarily an insurance driven medical delivery system most commonly provided through employers. When guaranteed [...]

BY IRENE SUVER — A medical opinion should not be a purchased commodity. It should exist outside the bounds of influence and be the distillation of the best medical information available.  Therefore, the standard for evaluation must rise to the highest medical, ethical and scientific standards, and be fair, comprehensive and defensible.
There is actually very [...]

In advance of our conference (three days until the start!), I wanted to post a set of suggested reforms that we – as a community – can start pondering prior to the conference.
Please read the proposals below carefully.  Feel free to respond to them within this blog.  Start coming up with your own ideas for [...]

BY CHERYL MOROSONI — Navigating a clear path through the current environment of workers’ compensation can be a tumultuous experience. The environment surrounding claims examiners can be especially chaotic, demanding taking a structured approach.
After spending over 20 years auditing claims, I have developed several basic techniques that are necessary to optimize [...]

BY PHIL WALKER — In my previous post, I laid out the current status of California’s workers’ compensation system, and the path that got us here. These are more instances to reiterate why we need to act quickly to reform our broken system:
- The reforms of 2004 resulted in premium reductions of 56%.  Now, premiums [...]

BY FRANK LUCHETTI –In our current system of worker’s compensation, an often-overlooked issue is the well-being of the individual after he is injured. Many people don’t realize the depths to which this can extend into one’s life, and how many personal avenues can be negatively influenced. I have a few solutions to propose for the [...]

BY JANICE SKILJO HARIS — In my upcoming column on WorkCompCentral, I identify MEDLink’s strategy for attacking Worker’s Compensation issues with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the importance of procuring honest and cost-effective Medicare Set-Asides (MSAs). A key strategy for facilitating settlement in a proactive and cost-effective manner is utilizing the full [...]

On March 11, 2010, the Making Workers’ Comp Work Conference will honor each of the following individuals and organizations with the first annual Integrity in Workers’ Comp Awards. We invite you to meet them!
INTEGRITY AWARD RECIPIENTS
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: DR. JOSEPH BERNSTEIN
MEDICINE
AIS
Bob Barth, PhD
Douglas Benner, MD
Nortin Hadler, MD
Mark Hyman, MD
Walt Newman, MD
Panel of Consultants
RECOVERY [...]

SAN FRANCISCO –March 1, 2010 – Bill Barbagallo, co-author with the RAND Corporation and Navigant Consulting of a new groundbreaking study of California’s broken workers’ compensation system, will publicly reveal the study’s findings in his keynote at the inaugural Making Workers’ Comp Work Conference (www.makingworkerscompwork.com) in San Francisco on March 11-12.  This will be the [...]