Covid the Bureaucracy Buster

We’ve all heard of Conan the Barbarian. He was the fictional sword and sorcery hero who originated in pulp magazines in 1932 and has since been adapted to books, comics, and films. He is best known in the form of Arnold Schwarzenegger, who originally portrayed him on the big screen in 1982. It was a breakthrough movie for Schwarzenegger, as…

Reimagining Marketing Methods

There has been discussion of late about preparing for and managing the generational shift in the workers’ compensation workforce. There is no doubt we have a looming loss of institutional knowledge on the road ahead. The industry is on average staffed by people who are on the backside of their careers and looking at retirement…

Take Me Home Country Road (Or At Least Get Me to Roanoke)

If there is one thing that is consistent across a multitude of situations, it is the need for clear and concise communication. It is important in just about any circumstance, be it workers’ compensation or corporate travel. And in this case, it is the latter that serves to prove the invaluable worth of accurate information.…

Tropical Storm Elsa and the Benefit of a Pandemic

Many things have changed over the course of the last 17 months or so. While many both within and outside the workers’ compensation industry have faced hardship and challenge, we will in retrospect find some positive things that emerged from the maelstrom of the Covid pandemic. Today, Tropical Storm Elsa provides us with one such…

Arguing With Technology

Last week we wrote about being lectured by technology, with the general feeling that there is nothing worse than having technology talk down to you. We were wrong. There is something worse. It is having technology stymie your progress, or, even worse, argue with you about what you know to be right.  While we have been…

Getting Lectured by Technology

No one really likes change, and that is particularly true of the workers’ compensation industry and its challenged relationship with technology adoption. The pandemic did much to remove barriers and accelerate technological change in the industry, but much opportunity remains. Systems are available that will tell claims professionals what must be done, and when. Processes…

What is the True Cost of a $7 Lab Bill?

In January of this year, I had lab work performed as part of a follow-up to a physical exam. It was nothing out of the ordinary and represented a series of blood tests ordered by my doctor. I had the tests, attended my doctor’s follow-up appointment and that was that. I did not think much…