On February 26, WorkCompCollege.com and Workplace Health hosted the first ever “WCMICS Live.” WCMICS is the “Workers’ Comp Mental Injury Claims Specialist” certification that WorkCompCollege.com launched in Fall 2025. I served as moderator for the all-day event and specifically designed it to be a hybrid learning experience. We watched short video excerpts from the WCMICS faculty together then paused to discuss, challenge assumptions, and apply what we heard to real-world scenarios. I even created a 42-page study guide for the students to give them an opportunity to take notes.

After spending eight plus hours together with lively discussion throughout, I asked a simple question to end the day: What did you learn that you can actually apply when you get back to work?

That’s the real test. Not what sounds good in the room, but what behavior changes afterward. If you’ve ever heard me speak, you know I always strive to turn academics into action.

The answers were telling.

One of the most consistent themes as we went around the room was a shift toward seeing the injured worker more holistically. As one attendee put it, “We need to think of them in totality, both from a bio and a psychosocial evaluation.” That may sound obvious, but in practice, workers’ compensation has historically emphasized the physical injury while underestimating – or outright ignoring – the psychological and social factors that often drive the duration and complexity of a claim. Another participant reinforced that reality by noting that if we ignore what’s happening in someone’s personal life – divorce, financial stress, prior mental health history, etc. – we risk missing the very things that are prolonging recovery. That’s not a philosophical issue; it’s an outcomes issue.

Another shift came in how attendees viewed the “subjectivity” of mental injury claims. There is a long-standing belief in the workers’ compensation ecosystem that psychological conditions cannot be measured or validated in the same way as physical injuries. That belief started to break down during the session. As one attendee shared, “I always thought psych was just subjective … but now I see there are validation tools that make it more objective.” Whether it was understanding screening tools, recognizing the role of structured assessments, or applying frameworks like FIDOC, the takeaway was clear: this isn’t guesswork. There are ways to evaluate, validate, and challenge information in a disciplined, transparent, evidence-based manner. Several attendees mentioned that they now know what to look for in a report. Just as importantly, they now know what questions to ask when something doesn’t add up.

Communication and documentation – concepts that everyone in work comp is familiar with – took on a different level of importance in this context. One attendee said it best: “You don’t build a house on a bad foundation … communication and documentation are key.” In mental injury (or “psych”) claims, that foundation becomes even more critical because so much of the claim is shaped by conversations, perceptions, and recorded observations. Another participant made a comment that stuck with me: “There’s really no such thing as a casual conversation when psych is involved … everything matters.” That’s a powerful reminder that what may feel like routine dialogue can ultimately influence claim direction, credibility assessments, and even litigation outcomes.

There was also an honest admission from several attendees who had been hesitant to engage in deeper conversations with injured workers. As one person shared, “I’ve shied away from asking those kinds of questions … I didn’t want to open Pandora’s box.” That concern is real and it’s common. By the end of the session, that hesitation had shifted into something more productive: a recognition that understanding context is not about creating problems but about uncovering what’s already there. When handled correctly, those conversations don’t complicate the claim. They clarify it.

That ultimately led to the most important takeaway of the day: everyone was committed to doing something different. This wasn’t a theoretical discussion, but something that inspired change. I have advocated for a biopsychosocial approach since 2011 and am now the Provost of the change agent that is WorkCompCollege.com. The aspiration for change was music to my ears.

Attendees talked about asking better, open-ended questions and actually listening to (then documenting) the answers. They talked about setting clearer expectations with providers and holding them accountable for more thorough documentation. They talked about reviewing reports more critically instead of accepting them at face value and paying closer attention to medication interactions. They reinforced the need to be more intentional about building trust, starting with the very first interaction with all of the stakeholders, especially the injured worker and their family or support structure.

The takeaways weren’t about replacing what works. Instead, it was about expanding it to reflect the reality of today’s claims environment.

The full WCMICS online curriculum is designed to be practical and immediately applicable, reinforcing concepts like early identification, structured investigation, and coordinated communication across stakeholders. But what matters more than the structure is the shift in mindset that comes from the education. Moving from a purely physical focus to a whole-person approach. From assuming subjectivity to applying structure. From reacting to being intentional.

Because at the end of the day, these aren’t just claims. They’re people trying to get back to their jobs, their families, and their lives.

If that’s the lens we use to approach our work, better outcomes will follow.

I had the privilege last week of being part of a panel, for the fifth year, at the California DWC educational conference in Oakland. This time it was two panels, both of which were focused on the use and implications of AI in workers’ compensation.

While I have been a work comp “educator and agitator” (yes, the real tagline associated with my The RxProfessor brand) for over twenty years, much of my own professional growth has come from personally interacting with experts from many perspectives.  I don’t learn in a silo. Thus, I was thrilled to be invited by Dr. Chris Brigham to be on these panels.

To prepare, I not only reviewed the intended content but also my co-panelists (of whom I only foreknew Chris). As a daily user of AI for just about two years, I was a tad intimidated. Look at their LinkedIn pages and you will see why:

• Alex Almazan Esq., Almazan Law (FL)
• Ben Wen, RevTops and others (CA)
• Chris Brigham MD, Brigham and Associates and others (SC)
• Harvey Castro MD MBA, Medical Intelligence Ops and others (TX)
• Mark Tainton, Wisedocs (IL)

I always strive to not be the smartest person in the room. I was ridiculously compliant this time.

However, our first meal together on the night before the conference made me feel at home.

Not only were each of them highly intelligent and accomplished, but they were also warm and kind. Eye contact, inquisitive conversation, and easy smiles and laughs were their hallmark of engagement. As we had other meals together, we learned about one another beyond the resume. I soaked up new insights from their vast experience, pushing to broaden my horizon. We even had a group text chat that we continued using during our respective plane rides home. We connected, and our chemistry showed when it came time to be on stage.

During that time of building rapport, I recognized that I belonged in the room.

Why am I sharing this?

Being in the room is important for professional and personal growth. Whether you feel like you “belong” or not (aka imposter syndrome), you need to be in the room. Whether you are invited into the room or invite yourself, you need to be around people that at first glance may be out of your league. You need to be in rooms of your subject matter expertise and in rooms where you are a novice at best. Rooms need to be both comfortable and uncomfortable. You can be a mentor in one room and a mentee in another room. Importantly, you can be a sponsor for someone who does not have access to a room but belongs there.

Since beginning my professional career in 1980, I have had dozens of mentors and mentees and thousands of important conversations. I have “snuck” inside some rooms, been invited to others, invited others to a room where I already was, and in some cases even created my own “room.” What is in my brain (and comes out on stage or in writing) is a synthesis of every conversation in every room. The importance of casting your net wide for opportunities to learn cannot be overstated.

The ability to maximize your God given talents, refine your skills, and achieve your true purpose in life is completely related to your commitment to being a lifelong learner, wherever that takes you.

The key to success is … Be in the room.

That has been my description of the past several holidays. It always elicits an eyeroll from my wife with a corresponding “that doesn’t make sense” comment. Which, I agree, the phrase is somewhat nonsensical.

The words “new” and “tradition” don’t usually fit within the same sentence. A tradition, in the traditional definition, is something that happens without much change more than once, whether it was intended to be recycled or not. New is obviously the antithesis of that.

This is my sixty-fifth holiday season. I recall very little of the first few. However, once I got married and built a family, I was in a lead role for creating our holiday traditions. Back then, what we did one year was highly predictive of what we would do the next year.

When I was newly married with young children and all our parents (their grandparents) were alive, Thanksgiving and Christmas mostly had the same agenda year after year. Thanksgiving was when multiple generations gathered (20-30 people) together for pot-luck meals and football in the front yard and on TV. A smaller group attended Christmas Eve service then came to our house to watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” and wake up to stockings and gifts under the tree. Even my tradition of shopping on Christmas Eve was baked into the expected process.

As my father, father-in-law, and other relatives passed away and our children became adults with their own families, each year was different. Gatherings were smaller and in various locations at different times. We generally knew what we were doing and with whom, but the timing and sequence was often a puzzle we pieced together real-time. Honestly, I wasn’t a fan at first. I missed my traditions from the past, but having a “blank slate” each year also brought a new sense of adventure.

This year followed the same newness pattern over the past decade or so. For the second straight year we drove up to Raleigh to visit my brother-in-law’s family at Thanksgiving, but with only one functioning car it required a rental to fit passengers and luggage. I spent Christmas Eve overnight in the hospital with my best friend who just had back surgery after a truncated dinner that was not at our usual Japanese steakhouse location. Christmas morning was a direct drive to pick up my Mom to go to – not our house, as usual – my daughter’s house. On the day after Christmas, we bought a car.

Regarding a new annual tradition, 2025 told all the previous years to “hold my beer.”

Fortunately, one tradition has remained for several years – watching “A Christmas Story” on endless loop on TNT / TBS and waiting for the most predictable but memorable scripted line ever in a movie … “Oh my God, I shot my eye out.”

Does any of this sound familiar to you? You have a vision in your head of what should happen, an expectation that how it’s been is how it will always be. Then, suddenly or gradually, it changes. To be clear, I am not trying to equate being able to go to Helen GA every Thanksgiving to life-altering events like death or catastrophic injury. But I have found that how you respond to “little” things is a predictor of how you will respond to “big” things.

Being able to adjust to change is called resilience (“the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness”). It is what we ask injured workers to have as they progress towards recovery. It is what we all learned we had – or didn’t have – during COVID. It is the difference between dwelling on the past and cherishing their memories as you create a new future.

This is being published on January 2, 2026. Yes, a new year. It is impossible to know what will happen over the next 363 days, what will remain the same / as expected and what will change – for the better or worse. One thing you can count on IS change.

Are you prepared for the new annual tradition that is coming your way?

As I mentioned in Part 1, I was on a medical malpractice jury in June 2024. There were several things that I learned through that process that I think work comp stakeholders should consider on each individual claim.

People put into unfamiliar circumstances are reliant on experts. Many of the medical terms used throughout the trial were foreign to everyone on the jury. Since we could not do any research outside of the courtroom, we were reliant on expert witnesses, the attorneys and the presiding judge to ensure we knew enough for it to be useful. Most injured workers are not work comp experts. While they are not prohibited from doing their own research, they are still very reliant on experts to educate them on terms, benefit and treatment options, and the general process. This is not a role that any stakeholder should take lightly because the possibility of positive outcomes diminishes in the absence of trustworthy and understandable information.

Differing opinions from experts complicate choices. The details of the case were very important to understand, from macro to micro, so there were many medically oriented expert witnesses. Often, though, the expert for the defense had a different opinion than that of the plaintiff’s expert. Who to trust came down to their education and experience, but as importantly how their information fit into the big picture. Injured workers may receive a variety of opinions that can seem contradictory. When providing that expert advice, it will come down to whether you have credibility from your background AND your communication style. The goal is to educate, not convince, so the injured worker can make the best choice for their circumstances.

None of the key stakeholders chose their role. Neither the family nor doctors chose the circumstances that led to the reason for the trial. None of us on the jury chose to be there – we were selected for jury duty and then for the jury itself. The attorneys, judge, and bailiffs chose to be there as part of their profession, but the ones with the most at stake did not. Unless there is fraud involved, neither the injured worker and their family nor their employer and coworkers wanted an occupational injury or illness to occur. They were in the wrong place at the right time. The lack of choice meant they were not prepared for what happened nor what that meant for their future. Keep that in mind when they are confused, angry, or anxious.

Collaboration through relationship will ensure the right decision. After the initial vote showed an even split of Guilty v. Not Guilty, it was obvious that reaching a unanimous decision was going to take an open mind, critical thinking, and transparent dialogue. Nobody on the jury knew each other before the voir dire, and because we were not allowed to discuss the case during the trial, we talked very superficially before deliberation. The initial trip around the table to discuss the first vote (and counterclockwise later to give everyone a chance at stating the discussion) was designed to build a relationship. It was a complicated case that we needed to hash out together, and that could not be done by strangers. The entire team of stakeholders responsible for returning an injured worker back to health and work must be just that … a collaborative team. While the claims adjuster is the “foreperson” leader, everyone should work together for the common goal of helping that injured worker back to normality.

Don’t underestimate the importance of communication. Whether it was the attorneys explaining the nuances of medical treatment or the judge outlining how the law applied, clear communication was key to the jury so we knew in that closed room how to proceed. None of us had any expertise on the subject matter and all we could consider was the evidence and our handwritten notes, so it was incumbent on the other stakeholders to be as clear as possible. When helping an injured worker who is not an expert on the complexity of work comp, it is the expert’s responsibility – not theirs – to communicate in a manner that is understandable, concise, and actionable. Using industry-specific acronyms and polysyllabic words might serve to complicate and confuse rather than simplify and enlighten. Make it a habit to ask open-ended questions to gather information, end each soliloquy with “did you understand what I just shared” question, and take on an attitude and tone of empathy.

Facts and law trump emotions. Both sets of attorneys had emotional stories to tell, especially in their opening and closing statements. However, the judge constantly reinforced that the only thing that mattered was the facts of the case as presented during the trial and the applicable law. As empathy increasingly is a term used in communication with the injured worker, what rules the day are the facts of the case and the applicable statutes, regulations and case law. While those can be considered a “floor” (meaning there are often opportunities to exceed what is required), they must guide the actions taken by all stakeholders. The key to success is for the injured worker to fully understand their implications, which (again) is the responsibility of the work comp experts.

Every stakeholder at the trial took their role very seriously and did their best to state their case / come to a well-reasoned decision. Every work comp stakeholder should likewise recognize the stakes of each claim and be part of a team focused on fairness to the parties and compliance with the law.

I had the privilege of being the foreperson on a medical malpractice trial in June 2024. Based on the expressions of most of the people during voir dire, “privilege” wasn’t the first word that was on their mind. Once selected, however, the countenance of the chosen changed dramatically. From the case summary we heard, the stakes were high. If the two defendants were found guilty, they would be financially burdened, and their reputations tarnished. If they weren’t, the decedent’s family would feel they had not received the accountability they sought for seven years.

Just a few weeks prior, I had watched the 1957 movie “12 Angry Men” (if you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it). This was the third jury trial I’ve been selected for and second time I was elected foreperson, but the movie turned out to be a very helpful refresher course for what was to come. The movie reminded me of the dangers of cognitive bias and herd mentality and the powers of observation, critical thinking, and being independent. All of those factored into my leadership role on the jury.

The trial lasted a total of eight days, four and a half of which was the trial itself. During testimony and cross-examination and exhibits, I developed a new appreciation for attorneys and their staff. I know quite a few attorneys, and some have shared their trial experience. The level of preparation required and mastery of terms – the lead attorneys could teach a course on epidural steroid injection – demonstrated an amazing commitment to their craft. The presiding judge was masterful in his management of the courtroom. The bailiffs were extremely supportive of our needs. The overall excellence included the charging statement, collectively created by the judge and all attorneys, which was clear but carefully restrictive. In this case, the law mattered greatly.

As we left the jury box for the deliberation room on the sixth day, we all felt the weight of the decision we were selected to make. We took with us multiple pads of handwritten notes from numerous experts with conflicting opinions. Nobody on the jury was a medical practitioner and many of the terms during the trial were foreign to us, so we were reliant on what we heard in the courtroom to be self-defining.

My first act as foreperson was to take a private paper vote so everybody could say Guilty or Not Guilty without regard to the opinions of others. My second act was to work around the room clockwise so everyone could explain their rationale while introducing themselves. We were split evenly. At that point, I reached back to the movie for inspiration on how to engage a civil dialogue with the goal of a unanimous decision. It took almost three days, but eventually we reached a verdict.

Why am I sharing this in a blogpost? Because there are lessons to be learned for everyone involved in workers’ compensation. I will lay those out for your consideration in my next post.

Everyone under the age of 80 probably recognizes the term FOMO – fear of missing out.

This is a primary strategy of marketing, to make the potential consumer want to buy the product for fear of missing out on (fill in the blank). That underlying fear is what makes social media so compelling as connections post their vacation pictures or their new car or their wonderful family. FOMO isn’t inherently negative because motivation comes in different forms. When FOMO turns into ENVY, however, it’s a never-ending thirst to keep up with the (fill in the blank) that can never be quenched.

A new term came to my attention recently that I think can be equally challenging to manage: FOMU, or fear of messing up.

FOMU often happens because past failures are felt to be inevitable for future attempts. FOMU can also come from seeing others try and fail, often in very public and spectacular ways. In either case, it’s not necessarily the activity that causes fear but the repercussions of failure. When FOMU strikes, rigor mortis sets in. It can also be called freeze, paralysis by analysis, or “deer stuck in a headlight.” Whatever phraseology is used, FOMU can be debilitating for positive forward progress.

My personal and professional story is littered with two steps forward and one step back – or even one step forward and two steps back. The scar tissue from those major / minor defeats can build up to the point where you don’t want to try again. A frozen shoulder because the patient is afraid of reinjury is a real medical complication. A frozen career is as well.

However, defeats can be opportunities to learn what NOT to do – or TO do – for the next attempt. All it takes is supplanting a past defeat with a present victory, however small, to give confidence for the next step, action, or mindset adjustment. There isn’t a single successful person (however they define that) who hasn’t suffered defeat and used the lesson(s) learned as inspiration for the next attempt.

Here’s the optimal process:

1. Try
2. Fail
3. Learn
4. Keep going until you succeed

Knute Rockne was quoted as saying, “It’s not how many times you get knocked down that counts, it’s how many times you get back up.”

Is there something in your life, personal or professional, where you have FOMU?

According to AI, the human brain remembers negative things more than positive things due to:

• Emotional processing
• Survival
• Negative bias
• Evolutionary defense mechanism
• Vividness
• Heightened awareness

This explains a very common comment as a new year arrives – “I’m sure glad that year is over with.”

A lot can happen in 365 days (or 366 days in the case of 2024). Unless you keep a journal that documents the daily rollercoaster, most of what we remember are the bad things that occurred. A primary driver of negative bias is the fact that bad things are memorable because of their impact. A cancer diagnosis, income loss, hurricane damage, the dissolution of a relationship, and any number of other negative events leave an indelible mark on our desire, confidence and even future.

In contrast, the simple fact that you woke up this morning is underappreciated.

I don’t usually craft a new year resolution. They typically are overly ambitious and lead to disappointment. January 1 is a convenient but arbitrary “new” because each day – even moment – brings its own opportunity to reinvent.

However, 2025 is going to be different. Given the things that happened in 2024 to me, my family and my friends, I sometimes lost sight of my blessings. As the year evolved, it became easier to focus on the compounding negatives instead of the overall positive because the negatives were big and the positives were voluminous but small. However, I do not believe in coincidences. What happened in 2024 has prepared me for whatever good and bad surprises 2025 has in store.

So, in 2025, I commit to a “glass half full” approach to life.

I will purposefully celebrate the positive and privately journal it for encouragement when the negative inevitably happens. I will be a beacon of positivity and a model of resilience in the midst of negativity. My new year resolution is not a specific task list, prone to abandonment, but a philosophical attitude towards life.

I’m taking the advice of the renowned philosopher Bobby McFerrin … “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.”

Steve was a highly paid Union oil pipeliner in October 2015 when he was involved in a fiery truck crash as another driver drove through a stop sign. It took more than two hours for the “jaws of life” to extract him. A passerby held his hand while he was trapped, even calling his wife who was over 1000 miles away to let Steve tell her things he wanted her to know. During that time he thought he may have killed the other driver, so in those two hours he was dealing with both physical and psychological pain. To say the circumstances of his occupational injury were traumatic would be an understatement.

The financial impact: The two-thirds compensation rate with a state maximum did not come close to the $5000 per week income he had prior to the injury. While the benefits check was helpful, it did not come close to covering his expenses. Four months later, those checks ceased because of the cap on benefits. While “compensation” is ingrained in the name of the industry, he took a gigantic step back financially. It took him nine years to settle the claim, so for almost eight years he and his family had to make major adjustments to their lifestyle. Fortunately, his wife and four children were extremely supportive and accommodating.

The physical impact: He manages ongoing pain every day. He had to learn how to walk again. He balanced clarity and control when it came to his medications and other pain management regimes after a variety of surgeries and rehabilitation. The industry calls it MMI (maximum medical improvement) but he has had to find a way to work around limitations that did not exist prior to the accident. At a variety of points during his treatment, he felt like he did not have much to offer his family and community anymore because of his impairment.

The industry’s lesson: Regulations are mandatory. However, they may not be enough to truly restore that injured worker’s life to how it was before the injury or illness, regardless of the level of personal resilience they may have. Adopting a “whole person recovery” mindset will help work comp stakeholders identify issues beyond the letter of the law that will impact outcomes. Regulations or statutes are the minimum, not maximum, expectation.

Steve understands that fraud is real – he knows people who have filed multiple work comp claims – and has an impact on how injured workers can be perceived. He evolved from being offended (“they don’t believe me”) to anger (“how dare they”) to hopeless (“it takes too long; wheels of system turn so slow”) to acceptance (“not going to work again”). Steve also heard stories where the injured worker was treated unfairly, which helped shape his early expectations for how the system would treat him. That is quite a psychological and emotional journey on top of the physical recovery.

The industry’s lesson: Fraud is less than ten percent of all claims … and more work comp fraud is perpetrated by employers than employees. Give each injured worker the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise. An unmistakably skeptical and cynical attitude will come through in conversations and e-Mails that increase anxiety and slows down the recovery process and increases the total cost of the claim.

In addition to what the industry can learn from Steve’s experience, he also has advice to share with injured workers:

• The recovery journey may be a long rollercoaster ride, but ultimately it will reach a conclusion. The system works, it may just take time. Be assertive but patient.
• Know your rights provided by the jurisdiction’s rules and hold the stakeholders accountable for compliance.
• Maintain high expectations but always be realistic.
• Do your part by embracing what the doctor, therapist, nurse case manager, and other involved clinicians recommend. And assume the claims adjuster is doing their best on your behalf.
• Life post-accident, especially in such a catastrophic case, will be different and it’s not the system’s fault.
• Workers’ compensation is not necessarily “great” but is better than the alternative of having no medical and financial help in the recovery process.

The above lessons come directly from someone who has admirably overcome extreme challenges to adapt to his new normal. Steve is an amazingly positive person who, through his perseverance, wants to make a difference with his story and insights. The industry needs to listen and adapt as well.

NOTE: This is a guest article written by Nikki Mehrpoo. Nikki is a highly respected authority in the fields of Workers’ Compensation and Immigration & Nationality law, with extensive experience spanning over 27 years, specializing in all aspects of compliance, policy development, technology, curriculum development and legal advocacy.  She is renowned for her extensive knowledge bridging the gap between HR, Labor, Employment, Workers’ Compensation and Immigration matters and has become a leading authority in the field.  Ms. Mehrpoo is the first and only California dual certified legal specialist in Workers’ Compensation and Immigration & Nationality law and has become a trusted consultant, educator, and advisor for employers, businesses, attorneys, insurance carriers, immigrants and injured workers.  She is dedicated to driving business success through effective people management and organizational excellence while championing the rights of individuals and businesses navigating complex challenges.   #nikkimehrpoo #immployment  www.LinkedIn.com/in/NikkiMehrpoo

Much like the internet’s arrival in the late 20th century, which radically changed business operations in all industries, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the workers’ compensation claims and legal arena at an unprecedented rate, and it signals another seismic shift in how work will be conducted moving forward.  AI, like the internet, is reshaping the way workers’ compensation professionals operate by providing new tools, resources, and technology and bringing forth a similar paradigm shift. AI’s potential to streamline processes, manage data, and provide innovative solutions to age-old challenges has dominated conversations at conferences worldwide, including one of the most anticipated events of the year, the National Comp Conference in Las Vegas held on October 15-17, 2024.

The conference featured several informative and in-depth sessions dedicated to AI or included AI as an integral topic of the session.  Experts discussed and debated the profound implications of AI technologies, how it could potentially reshape the industry and its integration into the claim process, especially in areas related to decision-making in complex claims.  Claims and legal professionals, corporate leaders, and workers’ compensation experts attended sessions to learn about advancements in all aspects of the workers’ compensation. The impact of AI on workers’ compensation claims, automation of legal research, predictive case analytics, and AI-assisted medical evaluations, stood out as key topics at the 2024 conference.

AI-focused sessions at the National Comp Conference included:

Creating The “Exponential” Claims Professional

In this session, the panel explored AI tools and technology available enabling claims professionals to leverage tech to relieve mundane tasks, allowing them to engage more in nuanced claims negotiations, care guidance, and client connection. Mark Pew, one of the speakers, reinforced that “AI is the present, not just the future, and we must embrace both the challenges and opportunities.”

The Workers’ Comp Balancing Act: Efficiency Vs. Ethics in AI

The speakers presented how automation, AI, and machine learning have revolutionized Workers’ Compensation processes, streamlining data analysis, ultimately alleviating the workload on claims handlers and enhancing overall accuracy.  The panel also discussed the challenges that we are facing as an industry and the crucial need for strategic planning. 

AI’s Role in Claims: What Have We Learned, What’s Working, and What’s Next?

This presentation explored the current state of AI in claims and the impact that Generative AI is having on the industry. The industry is increasingly turning to AI to help streamline processes, improve outcomes and potentially reduce processing times, increase accuracy, and improve customer satisfaction.

Group Health Is Beating Comp on Outcomes? Understand Why, and What Needs to Change

In addition to discussing the injured workers’ motivations and psychosocial risk factors, the panel in this session explored what the workers’ compensation system can do to rectify this systemic health care outcome disparity, including smarter patient engagement with the use of AI earlier in the claim, the impact of aligned incentives, and destigmatizing psychiatric claims overlay.

Leveraging AI and Analytics to Manage Rising Medical Costs

In this in-depth discussion, the panel discussed how claims professionals can leverage data analytics for more effective management of medical costs through advanced data analytics and AI technologies.

The AI Edge: Reshaping Workers’ Comp with Generative Technology

In this session, the panel discussed real-world AI-based tools such as AI Augmented File Notes, Universal AI Viewer, and AI as a Service, which can improve the efficiency of claims processing and reduce administrative burdens. This shift will allow adjusters to spend more time interacting directly with injured workers, streamlining processes and improving the quality of care.  

Crunching Data, Transforming Claims: Driving Better Outcomes With Analytics and AI

In this panel, industry experts explored the future of workers’ compensation medical management through the lens of advanced analytics and artificial intelligence, including how application of data via risk models and AI capabilities can empower workers’ compensation medical management stakeholders to make informed decisions, enhance early intervention, optimize resource allocation, and continuously improve strategies that will drive better patient and claims outcomes. 

The Future at the Frontlines: Transforming Claims with Technology and Talent

In this panel, the presenters discussed the crucial relationship between claims professionals and injured employees and the imperative need to consider these professionals’ input in planning for the future of claims management, including prioritizing technology and AI investments.

Attracting Digital Natives to Workers’ Compensation

In this panel, the presenters explored the rapidly evolving digital landscape, attracting and retaining next-gen talent and the innovative strategies that can attract draw and retain the best young talent, including the importance of technology, AI and machine learning, and automation and robotics.

Changing the Claims Arena with Real World Data and the Power of AI

The panel discussed how modern technology drives results and can accelerate the claims process by incorporating the power of data with artificial intelligence and machine learning, all while delivering exceptional customer experiences.

Executive Exchange: Moving the Industry from Talk to Change

In this interactive and provocative session, through exploring real world examples, the panel discussed innovative revenue models, market trends and impact of consolidation, predictive analytics mined with AI and the evolution of outcomes goals and objectives to empower stakeholders with actionable insights, enabling them to challenge the future of workers’ compensation with confidence and innovation.

The National Comp Conference in Las Vegas was not the only 2024 conference focused on AI. Conferences across the United States and globally have included AI as a top agenda item, from sessions exploring AI’s role in contract drafting to its impact on case management and dispute resolution.

While AI offers clear benefits to the workers’ compensation industry, including efficiency, cost savings, and advanced analytics, it also raises serious questions about bias, accountability, and the future of legal work.  Thus, the benefits come with challenges. A major point of discussion at this year’s conference was concerns about AI’s ability to make fair and unbiased decisions in claims processing. Claims that require nuanced decision-making, particularly when it comes to evaluating medical conditions, can be difficult for AI to handle without clear standards and human oversight. Claims professionals are not only grappling with how to integrate AI into the claims framework while ensuring that it is implemented ethically and fairly, but they are also debating the role of AI in interpreting medical evidence, determining the extent of injuries, and setting compensation levels.

As AI continues to evolve, workers’ compensation professionals must stay informed and engaged with these new technologies and embrace the technology as part of our future.  Accordingly, education in venues like the National Comp Conference to keep abreast of the latest developments will be more crucial.  From AI-driven claims processing to the implications for Independent Medical Evaluations, the technology’s rapid development is forcing the industry to rethink how to once again integrate revolutionary technology into the fabric of our practice.

Everything we go through in life is preparation for what is to follow.

I wrote down this remark from a recent video because it told my life story. It probably tells yours too.

If I got mulligans for my life thus far, there are definitely actions / lack of actions / words / reactions / attitudes / choices / thoughts / priorities / relationships / etc. that I would change. You can probably think of some for yourself.

However, who I am and what I’m doing today would be different if any of those pivotal (or seemingly trivial) moments in my life were different. If I had read one less book along the way, the context for how I analyze information would be different. If I had said “no” instead of “yes” … or “yes” instead of “no” … there would have been a lesson missed. If I had been born to different parents in a different country or culture, I would have had different choices and decision-making process. All these experiences, positive or negative or neutral, created my foundation. If any of those voluntary or involuntary foundational inputs were different, even slightly, the result would have likewise been different.

The “butterfly effect” is where “minuscule changes in a starting condition could mean an enormous difference in later events.” It’s not only an interesting movie, but also axiomatic.

Since I began my business career in 1980, I’ve been a …

1. Mainframe computer operations
2. Software developer
3. Project manager
4. Business analyst
5. Management
6. Product development
7. Sales and account management
8. Marketing
9. Lobbyist
10. Content creator (speaker, writer)

Each of those could be broken down into several phases (e.g. I did software development on mainframes, Vax and PC computers in JCL, Assembler, COBOL, Basic, C, C++ and SQL).

Many of these skills built upon a previous “version” of myself (e.g. proper business analysis only comes from knowing the questions to ask). Some were concurrent (e.g. I didn’t think I could sell or knew how to market until I was the creator of the product being offered).

Most of them have been reused (e.g. the detail orientation, strategic viewpoint, consensus building, and accountability enforcement required in project management has been constantly applicable).

All were discoveries (e.g. public speaking was not on my teenaged BINGO card).

None of these account for the influences from leading / being led by family, community, church and any number of other personal activities.

All of this has created Mark Pew version 11 … Provost and business owner. Leading the development of all our curriculum as Provost has utilized almost every skill I’ve developed over my career. My varied experiences have given me the ability to wear the multiple hats required of a business owner. If I had not been through those ten prior versions of me or had not crossed paths with thousands of people who added diverse context to my perspective, I would not have been prepared for what I’m doing in June 2024.

If you had asked me in 1980 what I would be doing in 2024, I would have been drastically wrong. Chances are your youthful self would be surprised at your adult self too. All our experiences have been individual pieces of a puzzle that we are still putting together to reveal our purpose.

Whether you’re on v1, v11, or v500, embrace opportunity by being adaptable. Each new step emerges from a necessary past footprint. Unless you take that step, in context with your past, you’ll never know what you are meant to be.