We announced a couple weeks ago that our new webinar series, “The Hot Seat,” would return with its second episode on January 5, 2018. The title for this second webinar is “Violating Trust: Ethical Conundrums in Workers’ Compensation.” The guests that will be joining co-host Judge David Langham and me will be attorneys Robert Rassp and Stuart Colburn. Rassp is a California applicant’s attorney, and Colburn is a defense attorney from Texas.
And the industry provides us so much to talk about…..
I should note that this episode will use a different back end system for the video portion of the show. The first episode (still available here) was streamed via a YouTube channel, and that caused problems for about 20% of attendees whose corporate networks block that platform. For this episode, we are depending on the proprietary video platform of our webinar provider, and we hope that resolves the issue for most of those folks.
Our first Hot Seat Webinar, on medical cannabis and featuring Mark “RxProfessor” Pew and Texas Commissioner Ryan Brannan, received many positive comments from the hundreds who were successfully able to view the program. If you saw that presentation, you will know that the emphasis is on conversation and interaction, and is a unique concept for the industry. We fully expect this next program to follow closely in those footsteps.
In fact, if you’ve seen Rassp and Colburn interact before, you would know that it will be a lively show. The odds of someone during the show telling another person to “shut up” just went up exponentially.
The topic of misaligned incentives and bad actors in comp is a good issue for us to take up. One of the challenges in our industry is that what is best for the injured worker and their employer may not be financially best for the people providing the services. While I steadfastly believe the majority of people in our industry are dedicated to doing the right thing for the right people, history tells us that not everyone plays by those ethical rules.
While we may touch on a variety of issues and areas January 5th, including potential negative insurer, TPA and other vendor behaviors, we will spend some time looking at the medical and legal communities in regard to this topic. Surgeons who perform unnecessary procedures and the attorneys who consistently refer patients to them are but one example of concerns in this area. Dispensing physicians, and attorneys who either settle too quickly or delay settlement for personal financial benefit, are others.
Lots to talk about, and frankly, a conversation we need to have. I am really looking forward to seeing this webinar come to life.
If you are available Friday, January 5th at 12:00 eastern, I would hope you would join us. Even if you’re not free at that time, registering will allow you to be notified of the location for the replay, which will be available immediately afterward.
Registration is available here, and of course, it is free. See you in The Hot Seat.