Editor's Note: The 68th annualWorkers' Compensation Educational Conference (WCEC)will be held Aug. 18-21 at the Orlando World Center Marriott.Presented by the Workers' Compensation Institute, the WCEC is thelargest gathering of its kind in the nation andoffers discipline-specific programs and break-out sessionsfrom hundreds of national speakers, as well as CEU opportunities.During the conference on Aug. 19, NU Executive Managing EditorShawn Moynihan will present the PC360/NU Awards for Excellence inWorkers' Comp Risk Management.

One of our highest-level programs over the last several yearshas been the National Workers' Compensation Review. The program isoriginated and moderated by the three co-chairs: Bill Pipkin,George Kagan and Jim Anderson. The three of them have compiled aprogram that would be the envy of every workers' compensationseminar in the country and we present this program as part of ourWorkers' Compensation Educational Conference.

The National Workers' Compensation Review is a two-day seminaron Aug. 19 and 20. This course highlights practical strategies forclosing claims at reduced costs and is presented by those who dojust that. Our speakers comprise the most accomplished arraywe have ever assembled: their names or affiliations are householdwords and they are here solely to bring you into the loop on topicsand trends you may not have even heard of yet but need to. Pipkin,Kagan or Anderson moderate all of the panels.

Social Media is an incredibly important tool in our society now.The National Workers' Compensation Review starts out onMonday with a program called “Around the Country and Around theBlock: The Ultimate Bloggers' Perspectives on Hot Topics andTrends.” Each panelist authors a workers' compensation blog thatmonitors daily developments in the world of workers' compensationand how these developments might impact employers, payers,providers, vendors and lawyers. The panel consists of Mark Wallsfrom Marsh, Bob Wilson from WorkersCompensation.com and DavidDePaolo from WorkCompCentral. WCI Online Communications OfficerJoan Collier will moderate. Among other things, the panel will talkabout Obamacare and its anticipated effects on business andinsurance.

Next, we switch to medicine with a panel called “DeterminingWork-Relatedness—or Injury: Emphasis on Chronic Pain” with two ofour all-time favorites, Drs. Bob Barth and Chris Bringham. Thesetwo experts will focus on what is commonly called evidence-basedmedicine and will discuss claims that are work related but are notcredible because they are not based upon scientifically recognizedfact. They will help attendees gain critical insight into the twomain inquires for work-relatedness: the health science standardsgoverning all inquiries and the scientific knowledge base ofrelevance to chronic pain claims. This high-caliber presentationwill also focus on predominant non-work related risk factorsunderpinning the many chronic pain claims: financial gain,personality disorders and inappropriate treatment, includingnarcotics.

Several states now have what are called “opt-out” alternativesto workers' compensation and that is what the National Workers'Compensation Review turns its attention to next in a program called“Workers' Compensation Alternatives: Opt-Out, Both Planned andUnplanned.” Sandra Carson from Sysco Corporation, PeterRousmaniere with Risk & Insurance magazine and Dallasattorney Jerry Fazio will educate us on the number of largecompanies that are now statutorily able to opt out of the standardworkers' compensation scheme and allow disputes over employeeinjury claims to be decided under a common law negligence theory.You will hear from these renowned national experts about theimplementation of the non-subscriber program and its coordinationof claims handling, allowing you to benefit directly form theirpioneering efforts and lessons being learned.

The first day ends with a very creative ethics program called“Tapping Biblical and Other Spiritual Principles.” The panelconsists of Andy Condrey from the Gray Insurance Co., Dr. ChrisBrigham and Pipkin. This program demonstrates how biblical andother spiritual principals provide a basis for ethical claimshandling.

The Tuesday program starts out with a “Medical CostContainment” panel featuring Kimberly George from Sedgwick, MistyHambright from American Airlines, Bernyce Peplowski from U.S.Healthworks Medical Group and Mike Webb, regional medical directorfor Liberty Mutual. These medically oriented panelists willinitiate a discussion on how to deliver medical treatment to aninjured employee that meets both the care and caliber necessary tomeet the employer's ethical and legal obligations to the employeewhile also meeting the legitimate needs of the employer for costeffectiveness. With a panel like this, the program is sure to meetor exceed its mark.

Finishing up the morning is a “Medicare Update” presented byMark Popolizio of Crowe Paradis, who will walk the audience throughthe quickly changing Section 111 reporting, conditional paymentsand MSAs generally. It is hard to stay ahead of the curve withrespect to Medicare, but Popolizio will help put youthere.

Then, on Tuesday afternoon are two one-hour presentations onpsycho-social issues. The first is called “Impact ofPsycho-Social Issues on Hiring, Disability and Return to Work.” Intoday's world, psycho-social issues are critical for an employer tounderstand and appreciate. The panel consists of Gerlyn Datz, aclinical psychologist, Desiree Tolbert from Sedgwick, Dave Smithfrom Family Dollar Stores and Bob Steggert from MarriottInternational. They will act as your guides in this critical andevolving area. Research shows that psycho-social and mental healthissues frequently increase workers' compensation exposure andmedical costs and serve to prolong disability, with poorer outcomesoverall. Our panelists will examine the hidden costs of poor hiringand how to mitigate the effects of psycho-social issues.

The second panel on psycho-social issues is called “The UltimatePsycho-Social Issue: Workers' Compensation in the Time of Violence”and could not be more topical, especially in light of the SandyHook Elementary School tragedy. When violent tragedy occursin the workplace, employers must be prepared to deal with itssevere and sudden consequences. Our panel of William Wiatrowski,the associate commissioner for compensation and working conditionswith the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, Steve Tipton, anattorney from Austin, Texas, and Melissa Lin Jones, anadministrative appeals judge with the Department of EmploymentServices Compensation Review Board, will provide you with a deeperinsight into the character and frequency of instances of workplaceviolence and what an employer should do when those instances occur.Additionally, many of these issues that involve violence may resultin extra-statutory exposure/breach of immunity for the employer.This is a complicated area, but one that must be studied by thosewho are serious about workers' compensation.

The day ends with a fast-paced finale called “Barrister DunkTank: Identifying the Annoying Counterproductive and Cost EnhancingHabits of Our Lawyers, but (Despite Temptation) Don't Leave ThemUnder Too Long!” Kagan leads this panel of heavy hitters through asession designed to help field the best possible team confrontingopen litigated claims, and how best to close them expeditiouslyfrom informed positions of strength. The panel consists of MariaLeggett from McDonalds, Holbrook Smith from Travelers and MelissaLin Jones.