ICT Announces Line Up for Workers’ Compensation Seminars

The Insurance Council of Texas is hosting workers’ compensation seminars on Nov. 7 and Nov. 15 that focus and provide training on the new rules adopted by the Division of Workers’ Compensation to implement House Bill 7.

The Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2006, event will take place in Dallas and the Wednesday, Nov. 15 seminar will take place in Austin. The price for each seminar is $200. Registration and agenda information is available on the ICT Web site at www.insurancouncil.org/WorkersComp.

ICT has requested and expects to receive accreditation of the seminars for 6.75 continuing legal education credit hours for attorneys, 6.75 continuing education credit hours for certified case managers, and 8 continuing education credit hours for adjusters and insurance agents.

The seminar will feature the following speakers and topics:

What You Need to Know, But Was Afraid to Ask About the New Designated Doctor and Required Medical Examination Rules and Processes – Robert Graves, Attorney-at-Law, Burns Anderson Jury & Brenner, L.L.P. Graves, a veteran workers’ compensation attorney with the Austin-based law firm of Burns Anderson Jury & Brenner, will discuss the new designated doctor and required medical examination rules and processes. The speaker will provide the seminar attendees with an outstanding of the changes made to the designated doctor and required medical examinations as the result of the passage of House Bill 7.

The Long and Winding Road of the New Benefit Review Conference Process, Contested Case Hearings and the Rule for Requesting Interlocutory Orders – Robert Stokes, Flahive Ogden & Latson, Attorneys-at-Law, P.C. Stokes, an attorney with the Austin-based law firm of Flahive Ogden & Latson, will provide seminar attendees with an overview of the new benefit review conference process, contested case hearings, and new rule for requesting interlocutory orders. The speaker will discuss how the new benefit dispute resolution process was impacted by the reforms of House Bill 7 and what system participants can expect as they navigate the long and winding road of the new process.

We’ve Only Just Begun – An Overview of the New Medical Dispute Resolution, Preauthorization, and Treating Doctor Examination to Determine Extent of Injury Rules – Jane Stone, Stone Loughlin & Swanson. Stone, a senior partner with the law firm of Stone Loughlin & Swanson and a veteran workers’ compensation attorney, will discuss the new medical dispute resolution rule and how the new medical dispute resolution process differs from the old process. She will also provide an overview of the revised preauthorization and treating doctor examination to determine extent of injury rules.

Bridge Over Troubled Waters – Understanding the Medicare Payment Systems for Hospitals and How It May Impact the Texas Workers’ Compensation System – Julie Shank, R.N., JShank Consulting. Shank, president of JShank Consulting and a recognized authority on the Texas workers’ compensation system, will explain and discuss how Medicare reimburses hospitals and the Medicare hospital payment system may impact the Texas workers’ compensation system.

What Adjusters Need to Know About Duty of Good Faith & Fair Dealing When Adjusting Workers’ Compensation Claims – Ricky D. Green, Law Office of Ricky D. Green. Green, an Austin-based attorney, will discuss the duty of good faith and fair dealing required by adjusters as they adjust workers’ compensation claims. This one-hour presentation will provide adjusters attending the seminar with an understanding of their duty to deal with claimants in a fair manner. Adjusters attending the seminar will earn one hour of consumer protection continuing education credit.

Hello? Is there anybody in there? Peer Reviews in the Texas Workers Compensation System, Have we all Become Comfortably Numb – Joe Anderson, Senior Partner/ Attorney-at-Law, Burns Anderson Jury & Brenner, L.L.P. and Bill Nemeth, M.D. Anderson, a senior partner with the Austin-based insurance defense law firm of Burns Anderson Jury & Brenner, and Dr. Bill Nemeth, the former Division of Workers’ Compensation Medical Advisor and current Medical Advisor for the Texas Association of School Boards, will provide an overview of the history of peer reviews in the Texas workers’ compensation, discuss the current controversy over the use of peer review by workers’ compensation insurers in Texas, and provide best practices recommendations that insurers should consider when requesting a peer review and making claims adjudication decisions based upon the findings of a peer review doctor.

The Case for Administrative Hearings for Medical Dispute Resolution Appeals – John Pringle, Law Offices of John D. Pringle. Pringle, an Austin-based insurance defense attorney, will discuss the elimination by House Bill 7 of statutory provisions for administrative hearings for medical dispute resolution case decision appeals. Pringle will also discuss constitutional issues related to the lack of a statutory provision for an administrative law hearing in medical dispute resolution case appeals. The speaker will make a case for restoring the statutory provisions for the appeal of medical dispute resolution decisions to the State Office of Administrative Hearings.

Source: ICT