The WSIA Weekly, 5.29.15
Still have questions on self-insurance audit reform?
At our annual conference earlier this month, Labor & Industries’ self-insurance compliance manager Brian Schmidlkofer spoke to attendees about the tier 1 audit model that is part of L&I’s new self-insurance audit process. Several people had questions for Brian about various aspects of the audit process, and he asked attendees to e-mail him their questions. This follows on the two webinars we have produced with L&I this spring attempting to update and answer questions about the new audit process. If you still have questions for the Department on audit reform, either springing from the conference presentation, the webinars, or your experiences thus far, Brian has asked that you please do e-mail him. He can be reached by e-mail by clicking here; you can view an archived version of the first webinar at this link, and the second webinar at this link.
Registrations due Tuesday for WSIA-L&I self-insurance colloquium, June 9th at Starbucks HQ
The next WSIA-Labor & Industries colloquium on self-insurance best practices is occurring June 9th from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Starbucks corporate headquarters in Seattle. The program, “On Preventing Development of Chronic Pain and Disability with a Focus on Medical Treatment and Insurance Decisions,” features topics such as the Coston ruling, psychiatric treatment and the DSM-5, spinal fusion, the new Agency Medical Directors Group guidelines on opioids, and a panel discussion on surgical best practices. Thanks to Starbucks, there will be a complimentary coffee tasting at the break!
These colloquia consistently bring forward high quality content, and a frequently heard comment among WSIA members attending is, “I really wish there were even more employers here to hear this material!” If you’re on the fence about attending – don’t be!
WSIA is handling registration. It’s $25 for the day, to cover the cost of catering. Download this registration form, which includes agenda and location information, and return it to WSIA by June 2nd with payment. E-mail Patrick Koenig or Kari Heinold with any questions.
New summer webinars added to our calendar of events
Just this week we’ve added two new webinars to our summer calendar of events, and registration is available for both. The first new presentation is “Is it Allowable? Understanding Hand and Arm Conditions in Workers’ Compensation,” July 23, 2015 from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m., taught by Dr. Matthew Drake, a hand surgeon at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, presenting live from the east coast. The second, “Treating Chronic Pain in Workers’ Compensation – An Inside Out Approach” features Dr. Michael Harris, Clinical Director and Psychologist for Pacific Rehabilitation Centers. To find out more about Dr. Drake’s hand and arm conditions webinar, click here; to find out more about Dr. Harris’ webinar on chronic pain conditions, click here. For all of our upcoming events, see our Calendar of Events page.
Presentation slides available from last week's safety workshop
Last week, WSIA's
Safety Committee, along with partnership from the American Society of Safety
Engineers, Associated General Contractors, and Washington Farm Bureau, put on
the "Eye on DOSH: What to Expect when the Inspector Comes Calling"
workshop, briefing participants on preparing for DOSH audits, as well as
dealing with accident and fatality investigations. If you were interested in
the subject but couldn't make the workshop, you can download a copy of the
presentation slides at
this link.
Webinar: Marijuana in the Workplace: A Tricky Proposition - June 18th!
It may be legal to get high in Washington, but what does that mean for the workplace? For workers’ compensation claims and safety enforcement? For employer drug policies? “Marijuana in the Workplace: A Tricky Proposition,” takes place June 18th from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. Led by attorney Erin Sullivan-Byorick and lab toxicology manager David Michaelson, this webinar will tackle topics like how much marijuana in the blood shows up in test results? What constitutes a positive test? How would Labor & Industries address marijuana use? What is L&I’s position? Can an employee return to work while using medical marijuana to manage pain? Will there be occupational health guidelines around the use of marijuana? And so on. This is a great one to share not only with your workers’ comp staff, but human resources and safety as well. Use this link for more info and to register.