Liberty Mutual, Joe Paduda Offer “Center for Excellence” at Work Comp Conference

06.29.2012

Liberty Mutual is proud to be the sponsor of “The Center for Excellence: The Study of Medical Cost Drivers in Workers’ Compensation” to be held in conjunction with the annual Workers’ Compensation Educational Conference (WCEC) August 19 to 23 in Orlando.

On August 20 and 21, Liberty Mutual executives and other nationally respected industry experts will present seven topic-specific sessions on the medical spend in workers’ compensation.

“The Center for Excellence presentations will focus on strategies for achieving the ultimate goal for workers’ compensation medical care: The right care, at the right time, in the right setting, and at the right cost,” says Joe Paduda, founder of Health Strategy Associates, LLC in Madison, Conn. Paduda developed the sessions in coordination with WCEC and Liberty Mutual.

“The sessions are designed to get attendees thinking about their annual spend and determining that those dollars are allocated to the right buckets,” Paduda reports. “Sessions will help attendees answer critical questions, such as: Am I paying for things I shouldn’t have to pay for? Where are the real dollars being spent? How can I identify cost drivers and build programs to curtail costs while ensuring quality? What are the functions of and overlap among regulators, physicians, claims, medical management, the bar, and administrative law judges?”

The Center for Excellence topics and speakers include:

• Quality of Health Care in Workers’ Compensation. Speaker: David Deitz, M.D., PhD., Vice President, National Medical Director at Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. in Boston, Mass.
• Talking Greek: The Disconnect Between Claims, Medical Management, Regulators, and Judges. Moderator: Sandy Blunt, Vice President of Insurance Services at Medata, Inc. in Tustin, Calif. Panel Members: Stephen Peacock, Regional Claims Manager at Safety National Insurance Co. in St. Louis, Mo.; Michael J. Webb, M.D., Regional Medical Director, CPS, Liberty Mutual Insurance Group in Tampa, Fla.; the Honorable Daniel Lewis, Judge of Compensation Claims, State of Florida, in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; Alan McClain, CEO, Arkansas Workers Compensation Commission in Little Rock, Ark.
• The Role of Clinical Guidelines. Moderator: Dr. Deitz. Panel Members: Shelley Boyce, CEO of MedRisk, Inc. in King of Prussia, Penn.; Kathryn L. Mueller, M.D., MPH, FACOEM, Medical Director for the State of Colorado, Division of Workers’ Compensation in Denver, Colo.; Robert E. Bonner, M.D., MPH, Vice President of Medical Practices and Technical Support at The Hartford in Hartford, Conn.
• Perfecting the Provider Network. Jeffrey Austin White, Director Care Analytics at Accident Fund Holdings.
• Chronic Pain Management – Doing it the Right Way. Panel members: Virgil T. Wittmer, PhD., Executive Director of Brooks Rehabilitation in Jacksonville, Fla.; Mark Hofmann, M.D., Medical Director of the Pain Rehabilitation Program at Brooks Rehabilitation; Dr. William Brose, Board Certified in Anesthesiology and Pain Management at Stanford Hospital in Stanford, Calif.
• Opioid Addiction – The Cure. Speakers: Phil Walls, RPh, Chief Clinical & Compliance Officer at MyMatrixx in Tampa, Fla.; Sanford M. Silverman, M.D., Comprehensive Pain Medicine in Pompano Beach, Fla.
• Curbing Cost Drivers – The Intersection of Laws, Regulations and Solutions. Moderator: Joseph Paduda. Panel members: Richard Victor, JD, PhD, Executive Director of the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute in Cambridge, Mass.; Amanda Vatter Assistant Vice President of Managed Care Products at Gallagher Bassett Services, Inc. in Orlando, Fla.; James J. Szablewicz, Chief Deputy Commissioner of the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission in Richmond, Va.