SEAK, Inc. National Workers' Compensation and Occupational Medicine Conference July 16-18 in Hyannis, MA
It promises to again be monumental for our industry.
The 33rd annual conference promises to bring together the nation’s leading workers’ compensation professionals, occupational physicians, occupational nurses, and attorneys to discuss cutting edge issues. Frank discussions and lively question and answer sessions will complement each presentation.
Among the highlights will be:
Exhibits and Networking Opportunities.
Sessions on cutting-edge topics such as
Worksite Wellness: Creating Health and Wellness Programs for Your Worksite where Dr. Raymond Fabius, MD will explain the relationship between health and productivity and how you can measure this in your company
Critical Mass in Reducing Workers’ Compensation Costs-Occupational Health Care Professionals where Attorney Douglas Jones will go beyond the traditional defenses and provide advanced strategies to demonstrate the critical role occupational health professionals play.
Psychological Risk Factors for Delayed Recovery: Assessment and Intervention where Dr. Michael Sullivan, PhD will discuss modifiable risk factors including catastrophic thinking, fear of pain, disability beliefs, and perceived injustice.
Psychological and Behavioral Factors in Chronic Pain Syndromes: What Occupational Health Professionals Can Do. Dr. Leon Ensalada, MD will explain how to devise and execute a strategy to mitigate the adverse effects of psychological and behavioral factors in chronic pain syndromes. He will discuss the factors that drive the syndromes and will differentiate between appropriate and inappropriate illness behavior.
The Aging Worker: Proactive Cost-Effective Ergonomics. Ronald Porter, PT, CEAS III will present simple cost-effective solutions to reduce or control risk factors for aging workers. He will explain the “persistent” injury, aging workforce, and prevention issues, power zone, and workplace athlete programs.
Fighting Workers’ Compensation Fraud: The Role Workers’ Compensation and Occupational Health Professionals Can Play. Attorney Stephen Fannon will discuss the many types of workers’ compensation fraud. He will explain the multiple types of red flags at work during medical treatment and how to use social media, investigation, and surveillance to root out and prevent fraud.
A Novel and Comprehensive Approach to Delayed Recovery and Disability Prevention. Dr. Jonathan Torres, MD, MPH will discuss an innovative and effective approach to delayed recovery delivered within the primary occupational health medical office. This program includes disability prevention initiatives within the routine office visits and offers a comprehensive assessment of possible factors causing or contributing to delayed recovery at the appropriate timeframe.
Motivating Employees to Embrace Optimal Health
Dr. Nicholas R.S. Hall, Ph.D. will explain why despite knowing what to do, employees seldom take the steps necessary to improve their health. He will present solutions to help you motivate your employees to change their image-shaping beliefs and embrace optimal health.
Defending Chronic and Pre-Existing Conditions: What Works
Attorney Warren K. Sponsler will discuss how good investigation and record keeping can help identify chronic and pre-existing conditions of the claimant. He will discuss symptoms vs. disease, arthritic and other degenerative conditions, the worsening of these conditions, and the mechanism of injury. He will offer practical suggestions for the evaluation settlements trial of claims involving chronic or pre-existing conditions of the claimant.
Abnormal Findings in Normal People: Significance for Claimants and Their Claims
Dr. Russell L. Travis, MD, FACS, FAADEP will discuss the thoracic and lumbar disc; normal and abnormal findings, including: disc herniations, annular tears, disc bulges, and degenerative disc disease. He will review the research of such findings in asymptomatic people. Dr. Travis will discuss the impact of the aging process in normal people and how these are frequently misinterpreted as abnormal findings and explain why many such findings are of little or no medical significance.
Psychological Testing: Objective Analysis of Subjective Claims of Pain, Brain Injury, or Mental Illness
Dr. Robert J. Barth, Ph.D. will explain how psychological testing provides a mechanism for objectively evaluating claims that are otherwise completely subjective (e.g. pain claims, claims of brain injury, and claims of mental illness). He will discuss the use of testing to: enhance diagnostic accuracy, objectively address whether a case is consistent with a legitimate presentation, and contribute objectivity to determinations of work-relatedness.
Why Attend this Conference
The workers’ compensation industry is always evolving – new players, new laws and new equipment. Everyone new to this industry should attend the conference and learn new techniques, meet new vendors, and discover the latest service enhancements. Even old hats need to learn about the cutting-edge issues and practical considerations to decrease their workers’ compensation costs.
A conference of this scale can help you expand your professional network while increasing your knowledge and gaining new solutions directly related to:
– Workers’ compensation
– Disability management
– Return-to-work programs.
Tips to Get the Most Out of the National Workers' Compensation and Occupational Medicine Conference:
- Read the brochures when you return home to learn about service providers.
- Pass out your business card and network, network, network. Meeting knowledgeable people gives you a resource when you encounter a problem. The conference offers ample opportunities for networking including a networking Reception and Social as well as numerous meals and refreshment breaks.
- Learn what you don’t know. Being exposed to new ideas presents an opportunity to learn things you don’t even know you are missing!
- Chat with people who do the same things that you do and see where you differ.
- Ask about key cost drivers. Attendees come from organizations of varying industries. Find people who work in workers’ compensation departments you know next to nothing about and ask them whether they are satisfied with their workers’ comp vendors. Ask them what drives their costs.
- Roam through the exhibit hall speaking to vendors and learning about the types of services that are available to reduce workers’ comp costs.THIS will be the best education you will ever get!
- Wear comfortable attire. Bring comfortable shoes. The first day, people are a bit more dressed up than the following days. The last day is more casual because people are traveling back home. Definitely dress professionally because some of the people you meet with become lifelong contacts, so making a good impression is important, but you can be comfortable, too. For an ounce of prevention, bring moleskin to protect the areas of your feet most likely to get blisters.
- Attend both the exhibit hall and the educational sessions.
- Start early, leave late, and remember … although your feet may hurt, this is a once-a-year event!
- Before the exhibit hall opens, join the group breakfast to network with new friends. You will find people are very friendly and helpful.
Author Michael B. Stack, CPA, Director of Operations, Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. is an expert in employer communication systems and part of the Amaxx team helping companies reduce their workers compensation costs by 20% to 50%. He is a writer, speaker, and website publisher. www.reduceyourworkerscomp.com. Contact: mstack@reduceyourworkerscomp.com.
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