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In our latest episode, Yvonne and Rafael talk to Andrea Mills, President of Ametros.

Guest Bio

Andrea Mills | President, Ametros | Workers' Comp Professional Administrator

• Nearly 20 years in the workers' compensation industry
• 8+ years with Ametros, currently in her ninth year
• Leads the largest professional administration company in the workers' comp space, serving both workers' comp and liability cases

Since the recording of this episode, Ametros has expanded Medicare Advantage Plan support and is now available in all states except New York. For more information, visit info.ametros.com/medicare-consultation. Any references to savings are for informational purposes only. Savings are not guaranteed, and past performance or historical results are not indicative of future outcomes.

Here are highlights of our conversation with Andrea:

1. The Settlement Cliff: When Support Suddenly Stops

Injured workers spend an average of six years in the workers' comp system with full support: medical care, case managers, adjusters. Then settlement happens. Suddenly, most of that infrastructure disappears. They're left managing complex healthcare needs, settlement funds that need to last them years or a lifetime, and ongoing medical treatment entirely on their own.

This is the gap Ametros fills.

DC micro lesson: The industry has built systems for managing active claims. But we haven't built strong systems for managing the post-settlement phase. There's a resource cliff, and injured workers are expected to navigate it alone. Ametros stepped in to solve this problem.

2. Professional Administration Isn't Process. It's Presence.

Ametros helps injured workers manage settlement funds, navigate their healthcare journey, and access the support they need after settlement. Referrals come from adjusters, Medicare Set-Aside vendors, and plaintiff attorneys who all recognize the same truth: injured workers need expert, compassionate support they can actually rely on after their claim is settled.

DC micro lesson: Professional administration is about showing up for someone vulnerable and saying, "We're going to help you figure this out." It's about showing up for injured workers and helping them feel at ease and secure about their future medical care.

3. Medication Management: The Invisible Cost of Chronic Conditions

After settlement, injured workers face the full cost of their prescriptions for the first time. Chronic pain medications can cost thousands per month. Ametros works with injured workers to find the best alternatives, manage costs, navigate insurance, and ensure medications and care remain affordable.

DC micro lesson: What happens to prescriptions after settlement is not a sidebar in the claim story. It's often the center of the story. Ametros helps injured workers think through their long-term care needs and identifies the best options.

4. Empathy Isn't Soft. It's Infrastructure.

Ametros doesn't just talk about empathy; they've operationalized it. It's woven into hiring, training, and accountability. It's infrastructure. When injured workers interact with Ametros, they feel seen. That's not accidental.

DC micro lesson: We need to stop treating empathy like it's a mindset hack. Start asking: How is empathy built into your processes? How do you hire for it? Coach for it? Help people build capacity for it? Until you answer these questions, you're not operationalizing empathy. You're just talking about it.

5. Capacity Comes From Boundaries, Not Gritting It Out

Andrea models protecting her own capacity: family time, travel (hello, Italy!), life outside work. Ametros's leadership team protects these boundaries for their teams too. You can't show up for injured workers if you're running on empty. You can't make people feel seen if you're depleted.

DC micro lesson: How your team shows up for injured workers is directly connected to how you show up for your team. Capacity isn't something you demand from people. It's something you protect for them.

A Final Thought

Ametros solved a problem the industry had been overlooking: injured workers settling their cases and then disappearing into a resource void. They stepped into that gap and said, "We can do better." That's how you move an industry forward.

Kudos to the team at Ametros for winning the Gold Stevie® Award for Sales & Customer Service in the Contact Center of the Year – Other Service Industries category. This recognition is well-earned by a team that puts injured workers' needs first.

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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In our latest episode, Yvonne and Rafael talk to DJ McConnell, President and Owner of Bailey-McCaffrey, LLC.

Guest bio:

DJ McConnell | Nurse Case Manager & Owner of Bailey McCaffrey | New Orleans, Louisiana

• 15+ years in the workers' compensation industry
• Worked at Bailey McCaffrey for 13+ years, recently became President and owner.
• Brings a healthcare/clinical lens to claims work and organizational leadership

Yvonne wishes we had talked more to DJ about taking over the company where he worked for 13+ years. We'll have him back to have a deeper discussion on leadership! Thank you and kudos to DJ for stepping into this new role. We wish him all the best!

1. Good Communication Comes First—Learn Why

DJ (like many of us) learned this the hard way: the medical side of workers' comp is predictable. The hard part that nobody teaches you in school is how to communicate with injured workers and their family after a severe or catastrophic injury, and how that first communication impacts the entire claim.

DC micro lesson: Before you worry about process, policy, or procedures—understand that how you communicate will determine the entire trajectory of a claim. If you don't teach yourself this early on, you'll spend years learning it the hard way.

Ask yourself: What do I know about crisis communications? What do I still need to learn?

2. Meet People Where They Are—Not Where YOU Need Them To Be

DJ explains how early intervention should be carefully managed. When you show up within 24 hours of an injury, clipboard in hand, asking questions to someone who is in shock or hysterically crying, you've already lost. They're not in a state to receive or give information.

DC micro lesson: Your job on the first contact isn't to gather data. It's to establish that you're a human who sees them and will be there when they want or need answers. That's enough. The information can wait.

Think about this: What would change if you showed up to the first contact with an injured worker, not with a clipboard but with 100% presence?

3. Non-Negotiables Are Infrastructure, Not Luxury

DJ talks about his non-negotiables for maintaining his capacity: sleep, family time, and holding boundaries. We talk about the importance of boundaries and what it costs when you don't maintain them. But he's learned the cost of not protecting them: capacity disappears, communication suffers, presence evaporates.

DC micro lesson: Non-negotiables aren't selfish. They're the foundation your capacity is built on.

Honest check-in: What are your three non-negotiables? How do you actually protect them?

4. Self-Awareness: Notice Before You Break

DJ models self-awareness in his personal and professional life: noticing his emotional response at dinner, acknowledging lack of boundaries, addressing fears as a new business owner. He's not hiding (avoiding) the gap between knowing and doing; he's paying attention to it. So important!

DC micro lesson: Self-leadership starts with noticing. What's happening inside you right now? When do you notice your state of mind shifting? When do you realize you're operating from scarcity instead of capacity? How are you addressing the shift when you notice?

This is the internal work nobody talks about, but what everybody needs to do.

5. Building A Strong Foundation

DJ shares how he mentors his team. He role-plays with them. He shows them what presence looks like, what first contact without a clipboard looks like, what protecting your non-negotiables so you can show up for others actually means.

DC micro lesson: Mentoring can take many forms. DJ talks about how he's practicing with his team. They role-play together. Sometimes mentoring is being willing to look clumsy while you learn together. DJ is building a company culture where communication and presence aren't nice ideas. They're coached, practiced, and reinforced through real mentoring relationships.

That sounds like a good recipe for building a strong foundation!

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Recently, we sat down with Jill Dulich to discuss how the workers' compensation system has changed over the past 50+ years. Here's a summary of our conversation:

Guest: Jill Dulich | Director of Claims and Operations, California Self-Insurers Security Fund
Expertise: 52 years in workers' compensation (Marriott, 32 years; CSSF, 11 years)
Geographic Scope: Jill has managed claims in all states west of the Mississippi

ABOUT JILL

She's a living archive of what workers' compensation was, and could be again. Jill has spent 52 years in this industry, partly by maintaining her own humanity outside it: she walks to clear her head, loves to travel internationally (recent trips to New Zealand, Australia, France, Greece), and loves to explore other cultures with genuine curiosity.

THE CORE QUESTION

52 years ago, claims professionals were measured on early and frequent contact with injured workers.

Today, injured workers often feel "lost on an island with no support."

So, what changed? And what has it cost us?

THEN vs. NOW

THEN (52 Years Ago)

• Role: Claims professionals guided injured workers through the complex system of workers' compensation
• Measure: Early, frequent contact and communication with injured workers
• Benefit: Injured workers felt supported; employers got predictability and faster resolution on their claims

NOW

• Role: Claims professionals manage procedures and systems
• Measure: High caseloads, case closure, compliance, efficiency
• Cost: Injured workers feel abandoned; employers lose goodwill and face more friction and litigation

THE PARADOX

Jill talks about how she struggled with anxiety early in her career as a claims professional. She didn't know she could ask for help. The work has always demanded emotional presence, and it takes a toll. It requires holding someone else's crisis while managing your own capacity.

Hmmm. Have we talked about managing capacity before? Yep!

At places like Marriott, where support was offered to claims professionals, it didn't eliminate the struggle. It made it survivable. Jill said it allowed her and others to show up, day after day, with empathy and compassion.

Now? The job is harder, and we removed the safety net.

Complexity has increased exponentially. We've fragmented the role. And we've stripped away the human support mechanisms that made it possible to guide injured workers with empathy and compassion. Then we wonder why claims professionals are burning out at such a high and fast rate?

THE INSIGHT

Workers' comp was designed around one simple truth: Claims professionals are there to guide injured workers through complexity, and when that happens, everyone wins.

We optimized for procedure. We lost sight of our mission.

The cost: We didn't just sacrifice the role's humanity; we sacrificed its effectiveness and the core mission. And somewhere along the way, we made the job unsustainable for our system guides: claims professionals.

WHAT YOU'LL HEAR

• How the claims role was originally designed, and why it worked
• What we traded when we prioritized systems over relationships
• Why injured workers and employers both lost
• Are we ready to redesign for what actually works?

A DIRECT QUOTE FROM JILL

"We've sort of lost sight of who we're really here for. That's the injured worker—to make sure they are being taken care of, that they know what's happening, that they're communicated with and educated on the system."

A Socratic reflection: If you were measured on early, frequent contact with injured workers instead of case closure (speed), how would your day change?

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🎙️ Brian Arnold from World Insurance Brokers is here to talk about the California Coalition on Workers' Compensation (CCWC) Annual Conference, and more importantly, why showing up at conferences matters for your career.

Networking Built His Career

Brian's been in workers' comp for 25 years. He started as a claims assistant at a boutique TPA and worked his way up through different carriers and TPAs. But here's what really moved the needle: "It was mainly through networking that really helped me advance in my own personal career."

He talks about how he built solid relationships through nonprofit boards, made meaningful connections in the Sacramento Valley, and how those connections are still carrying him forward today, now on the broker side at World Insurance Brokers, where he helps adjusters shine.

Why CCWC Matters

Brian deeply values the symbiotic relationship between brokers and adjusters: we need each other. That's the energy you'll find at CCWC: professionals actively working to make things better for injured workers and employers across California.

The conference is California's premier educational forum for understanding the state's unique workers' comp system. It's where legislation, policy, and practice collide, and where you'll find the brightest minds in the industry.

Things to Know About CCWC

The Location: Disneyland. Yes, really. "Disney is a longtime supporter," Brian says. "The magic's everywhere. And it makes the conference a bit lighter once the heavy intellectual dump is done." There's even an in-park event Thursday night (limited free tickets available).

The Sessions: Over 100 applications were submitted. A committee of seasoned professionals narrowed it down to 15 of the best sessions. You're getting rigorously curated sessions, not filler.

Who Should Attend? Any workers' compensation professional who seeks to better understand the nuances of the California workers' compensation system.

The Must-Sees:

• Legislative Updates: Paul Yoder and Jason Schmelzer report back on the real efforts. Best in the country.
• Bloggers Panel: A panel discussion that's always fun and informative! This year includes a 10th-anniversary tribute honoring the late David DePaulo.
• Trauma Trifecta: Defending TBI, PTSD, and Cumulative Trauma Claims in an Evolving Legal Landscape. Rare claims that can run away from you if you're not paying attention. This panel features: Yvonne Guibert (moderator), Anthony Carlton with Arthur J Gallagher, Mark Maragay with the NFL Los Angeles Chargers, Kate Lozano with Laughlin, Falbo, Levy and Moresi, and Dr. Garland Tang, Board-certified Neurologist with Institutes of Health.
• AI & Best Practices: Best Practices: Californians Can Learn From Other States to Find Solutions for Cost Containment, AI Adaptation and More
  How AI is reshaping reserving and claims management. This panel features: Stuart Colburn, Bill Zachry, Gerald Hogue from FedEx, and Mike Simmons from WKS Restaurant Group.
• CAT Claims: Blueprint for Handling CAT Claims featuring Tyrone Spears with City of Los Angeles, Jeff Rush with CA JPIA, and Stephen Peacock with Safety National on handling catastrophic claims.
• Managing Change: Managing Change, Culture, and Success During Transformation is all about advocacy, networking, and managing change during transformation and featuring Sheri Lawrence with SoCalGas, Barry Bloom with BDB Group, Angel Guerra-Chagolla with Arrowhead Evaluation Services, and Matthew Howard with City of Pasadena.

Why It's Different: CCWC answers the "why" behind how the California workers' comp system works. It pairs networking with legislative backing so you understand not just what's happening, but where the industry is heading—especially with a new administration coming in.

Check out CCWC's full agenda: https://ccwcworkcomp.org/Events/Annual-Conference-Agenda

Register: https://ccwcworkcomp.org/Events/Annual-Conference

What's on the Radar: Post-employment cumulative trauma claims are surging (now 1 in 4 to 1 in 5 claims). Permanent disability increases are overdue. The Fix California Workers' Comp initiative (fixcaworkerscomp.com) is advancing real reform efforts to restore balance to the CA workers' compensation system https://fixcaworkerscomp.com/

The Secret to Real Connection

When Brian talks about presence, he nails it: "Be aware of where you are and give that your full attention." That's the real magic of attending a conference: when you show up mentally, not just physically, and allow yourself to be open and "fully present" for connections. That's when career-changing conversations actually happen.

Make the Conscious Choice

Brian's parting wisdom: attend. Make a conscious choice to invest in your career, your community, and your growth. We said it at the start of this season: try to attend at least one to two conferences per year. This is one not to miss!

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Yvonne and Rafael sit down with Dave Chmiel, Chief Claims Officer at Hub International. Together, they engage in a great conversation about the broker's perspective on workers' compensation.

Episode Highlights

☕ The Core Message: Listening Changes Everything (00:02:38)

From day one in the brokerage world, Dave was taught to listen, to understand what economic buyers (CEOs, CFOs) actually care about. That skill transcends the boardroom. When you truly listen, you access perspectives you'd otherwise miss. In workers' comp, where we're managing human situations, that's everything.

🎯 A 35-Year Career Built on Perspective-Shifting (00:02:40)

Dave intentionally positioned himself to see the full ecosystem:

• Liberty Mutual (10 years): Claims management with major accounts; mastered total cost to risk
• Brokerage side (12 years): Kept managing claims while gaining the 30,000-foot view of client needs
• Hub International (14 years): Chief Claims Officer, bridging claims and sales

He didn't climb a ladder; he expanded his lens. That's the difference.

🤝 The Three-Partner Model: What Brokers Actually Do (00:11:00)

When asked what brokers can do that people don't realize, Dave explains the architecture: There are three partners in this equation: the client, the carrier, and the broker. The broker's job is to advocate for the client while maintaining a healthy relationship with the carrier. It's not zero-sum. It's about understanding all three positions and helping them work in alignment. That nuance matters.

🏢 From Middle-Market to Boutique at Scale (00:22:00)

Hub was originally positioned as a middle-market broker, but has evolved into an "upmarket and complex risk broker." What's their differentiator? Boutique-style service, the kind of personalized attention and deep expertise you'd expect from a small firm, delivered at the scale of the sixth largest broker in the world. That's the sweet spot David and his team operate in.

📈 The Broker That Grows With You (00:28:07)

"The best kind of broker is the one that's going to grow with you as an organization." A company that had two locations five years ago and now has forty is fundamentally different. The broker has to evolve too, more productive, more creative, more empathetic. That means understanding the distinctions: construction claims look nothing like transportation or sports and entertainment. And it means building trust-based alignment with carriers and TPAs, not just golf course friendships as we did 20 years ago. As Dave says, like a baseball manager whose team fights for you when they trust the vision.

🏒 Off the Ice: Goalie, Coach, Dad (00:40:30)

Dave still plays hockey as a goalie, sharing how much he loves the sport and the camaraderie between players. He gets the biggest kick, though, out of coaching his daughters: a 13-year-old softball pitcher and a 10-year-old who plays basketball and soccer. He didn't have sports in his own middle school years, so he's living through their growth and development. "That's where I relax now," he says. It's where the same listening, mentoring, and protective instincts that define his broker role show up in his life outside work.

✨ Rare Energy in a Mature Field (00:41:15)

"In the claims world, you don't often see the amount of energy that I think we collectively as a group have." When someone with 35 years still gets genuinely stoked about the work and the Elevate Work Comp conference community, it's not nostalgia, it's real.

The Nugget Worth Holding

How are you creating space to truly listen to what your stakeholders need? What assumption might you be missing about what matters to them?

Connect with David: He means it when he says reach out. Whether you have questions about the broker perspective, career advice, or just want to continue the conversation, find him on LinkedIn: Dave Chmiel. He's serious about helping and mentoring anyone who's open to it.

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Yvonne and Rafael are so excited (and you can tell!). Yvonne declares she's Sandy's biggest fan! And honestly? After listening to this conversation, you'll understand why. Sandy Avina has figured out something our industry has been struggling with for over 100 years: how to make workers' compensation accessible, engaging, and even fun.

Sandy Avina, MBA, is a Claim Services Manager with California Schools JPA, a self-insured public risk pool that serves K-12 school districts, community colleges, and regional occupational programs throughout San Bernardino County, California.

What we get into:

📱 An Industry Image Problem — Workers' comp has been around for over a century, but most people don't understand it. Why? We talk about it amongst ourselves, but not so much outside the industry. Meanwhile, the plaintiff's bar, applicant attorneys, and others are actively shaping the narrative on social media, podcasts, and elsewhere. We're not telling our own story — so someone else is telling it for us. The result? High litigation rates and misaligned employee expectations.

🎬 Creativity Is the Default — Sandy unpacks the "curse of knowledge" — the more you become an expert in something, the harder it is to teach beginners. But here's the thing: creativity is our human default. Kids are naturally creative. We train it out of ourselves. Sandy decided to flip that and use humor, trending music, and creative storytelling to make insurance approachable. Videos like her "Bon Jovi unit of measurement" (halfway there!) explain complex claims concepts in a fun and memorable way.

🏫 JPAs and Public Risk Management — Working with school districts across San Bernardino County (the largest county geographically in the US), Sandy manages the complexity of serving districts from the mountains to the desert. Every district has different challenges, no budget for risk management, and someone wearing a "hat on top of a hat" trying to figure it all out. This is the real-world landscape most of our industry works in.

💡 The Real Disconnect — Insurance is marketed as a commodity ("buy our insurance because we're cheap!") when it's actually a contractual promise. We don't teach kids about insurance in school. We don't train managers on the basics. We don't talk about it until a claim is filed. And then we wonder why our image suffers. The fix? Start education earlier, communicate more clearly, and invest in your people.

💼 What We Could Be Doing Better — Two big opportunities: (1) Train your managers. Over one hundred years in, people still struggle with the concept of a no-fault system. Managers are the first point of contact for injured workers — they need to understand the basics and know that there's no retaliation. (2) Look beyond statutory benefits. A person's life is impacted in many ways outside workers' comp. For example, Sandy says TPAs and carriers could easily provide links to helpful resources, such as posting videos that explain to injured workers how to perform functional tasks with modifications, and adaptive living tips, as well as resources like the Kind Souls Foundation for people who are struggling and need a warm line for support. These are small actions to show we actually care about patient outcomes. And it often costs nothing.

📚 Riskfetti Is Here — Sandy (with Angel Guerra) has just released a book called Riskfetti: Risk Management for the Rest of Us. Sandy said, it's intentionally not the War and Peace of risk management — it's the "Go Dog Go" version. Aimed at people in small to mid-sized organizations who have risk responsibilities but no background in insurance. No jargon. No overwhelm. Just what you need to know.

Sandy's closing wisdom: > "Creativity is the default for everyone. We just need to remember that."

Off the clock: Sandy runs what her husband calls "Birdtown USA" (she's the mayor!) in her backyard — complete with feeders, cameras, and app alerts. She's currently trying to befriend the crows in her neighborhood. Did you know crows are very intelligent and have a structured schedule? When she retires, Sandy says, she's going to be a birder. 🐦

Resources Sandy mentioned:

Pollack Peacebuilding Systems (a consulting practice)

A book called Peaceful Leadership (Available on Amazon)

Find Sandy:

• LinkedIn: Sandy Avina, MBA
• TikTok: @riskinfluencer
• Website: riskinfluencer.org
• Book: Riskfetti: Risk Management for the Rest of Us (Available on Amazon)

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Yvonne is joining from her hometown of Bandera, Texas (where the weather can't make up its mind — thirties one day, nineties the next), and Rafael just got back from Chicago. Which is the perfect segue to today's guest — Michael Brennan, Chairman of the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission, joining us from a snowy Chicago, where, apparently, the high twenties counts as mild. Brrrrrr.

Highlights of this episode:

⚖️ Workers' Comp Is a Right, Not a Giveaway — Michael gets personal here. As the grandson of a permanently disabled worker who received nothing back in the 1920s, he brings a deeply human perspective to why this system matters. Workers' comp protects both the worker and the employer — and that point gets lost far too often.

🏛️ Inside the Illinois Commission — Illinois is not a fund state. The Commission's role is as an adjudicatory body — they resolve disputes, they don't pay benefits. With over 350 insurance carriers writing workers' comp in Illinois and 500+ self-insured employers, the scale is massive. Michael puts it simply: workers' comp is a $3 billion industry in Illinois alone.

🤝 Collaboration Is the Secret Sauce — Michael credits a lot of Illinois' progress to building real relationships with the bar, stakeholders, business, labor, and medicine. His philosophy? "When you're throwing rocks at one another, you usually don't get too much done." During COVID, he held monthly calls with 40-50 attorneys to navigate changes together — and it worked.

📱 The Challenge for the Next Generation — Remote work has changed everything. Michael shared that perhaps younger attorneys and adjusters are missing out on the hallway conversations and organic relationship-building that shaped veterans like Michael. His advice: pick up the phone. Call each other. The technology is there — use it to connect with your colleagues, not just to communicate.

📄 Going Paperless — and Making It Stick — When Michael came in, the Commission was drowning in paper. His number one goal: go paperless. By April 2021, they had done it system-wide. The bar resisted at first. Then begged for more. Last year, they settled over 30,000 cases and disposed of slightly more cases than were filed new. That reflects a system that's working.

"Same rules, new set of sharks." — The line that brought Michael Brennan from the attorney general's office, where he was prosecuting medicaid fraud, into the wonderful world of workers' comp. And honestly? It's one of the best descriptions of insurance and law that we've heard.

Michael's closing thought: "My hope is that by the time I walk out, our workers' compensation system will be in better shape than we found it." Sounds familiar, doesn't it? 😄

For more information about the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission, click here.

Hasta luego! 👋

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Yvonne and Rafael sit down with Heather Lore, Executive Director of the IAIABC, for a conversation that covers some important (and undertalked) topics in workers' comp right now.

What we get into:

🌍 A Truly Global Community: The International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions (IAIABC) is the oldest workers' comp organization in the country, at 112 years, with members spanning the US, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Australia. There's something powerful about realizing that professionals around the world are grappling with the same challenges and learning from one another.

🌡️ Heat-Related Injuries: They're more common than the data shows. Heather says this is largely because they're underreported. She breaks down what's happening, what states like Oregon and California are doing about it, and what employers can do today. Here's the WCRI research study, and it's worth a read.

⚖️ A Noble Profession: No matter your role in workers' comp, everyone is pulling toward the same outcome: getting an injured worker back to a functioning life. That's a mission worth discussing further.

🌱 The Next Generation of WC Professionals: Workers' comp is a harder sell than it should be. Heather makes the case for why it's actually a fascinating career, and shares a simple job posting tweak that one organization used to send applications through the roof.

🏆 The IAIABC Next Gen Awards Program: It's Heather's favorite thing the IAIABC does. Since 2017, they've recognized 68 rising leaders from every corner of the industry. She's currently sorting through nominations for the next cohort... and says it's going to be really difficult choosing award recipients, and it's a good problem to have.

Heather's parting thought: The IAIABC's vision is a world free from the pain and loss of work injuries and illnesses. She says it's important to find small ways to have an impact. That's where joy and meaning live.

Until next time, ¡Hasta luego! 👋

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What happens when Medicare and multiple liens enter the claim, and how do you navigate them without derailing resolution?

In this episode of Deconstructing Comp, Yvonne Guibert and Rafael Gonzalez talk with John Cattie, managing partner of Cattie and Gonzalez, PLLC. The conversation focuses on Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) compliance and the broader landscape of federal lien resolution in workers’ compensation claims.

Together, they explore the key components of MSP through the lens of lien management, diving into the different types of federal liens that can arise and how they shape settlement strategy. The discussion centers on the practical challenges of identifying, navigating, and resolving multiple reimbursement interests—an area where confusion and delays often occur in real-world claim handling.

John shares practical insights on common missteps, from overlooking lien exposure to mismanaging repayment obligations, and how claims professionals and attorneys can more effectively navigate these complexities to avoid delays and unintended consequences. He highlights key federal lien types, including Medicare, the Veterans Administration, and TRICARE, while reinforcing the importance of identifying other potential reimbursement interests that may impact settlement.

Tune in for a grounded perspective on a complex and often challenging topic (this one made Yvonne’s head hurt), helping listeners better understand how to approach Medicare’s role and lien resolution within the broader claims process.

At the end of the episode, John shares fun facts about his favorite pastime, Fantasy Football, and tells us about the sports photos on his wall. Steve Garvey is the Padres baseball player Yvonne could not remember.

For more information about federal liens in workers' compensation, contact John Cattie or Rafael Gonzalez at Cattie and Gonzalez, PLLC.

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In this episode of Deconstructing Comp, what was intended to be a conversation about when substance use is considered industrial… turned into a much deeper exploration of how, and why, care in workers’ compensation often breaks down.

Yvonne and Rafael talk to Dr. Tomer Anbar and Dr. Ramsey Ali and enjoy a powerful, layered conversation that challenges how we think about care in workers’ compensation.

Dr. Anbar takes us back to the origins of the workers' compensation system: why it was created, how it was structured, and where the “architecture of care” has started to break down over time. He reframes workers’ compensation not just as a set of rules and processes, but as a living ecosystem that requires alignment between medical care, human behavior, and system design.

A central theme emerges throughout the conversation: we need to stop chasing a diagnosis! Dr. Anbar says,

“At some point, we have to stop chasing the diagnosis and start treating the human in front of us.”

Anbar suggests that instead of focusing solely on labeling conditions, we should shift toward a better understanding of function, behavior, and the full biopsychosocial picture driving recovery, or the lack of it.

Dr. Ali builds on this foundation with a deep dive into PTSD and substance use disorders (SUD) in the workers’ compensation setting; two conditions that are often misunderstood, underdiagnosed, or treated in isolation. Dr. Anbar explains how this contributes to disability and unnecessary epidemics. Together, they explore how these conditions intersect, how delayed recovery takes hold, and why fragmented care models often miss what matters most.

Dr. Anbar also introduces the concept of psychoneuroimmunology, highlighting the connection between the mind, nervous system, and immune response, and reinforcing the idea that recovery is complex, dynamic, and deeply human.

This episode invites listeners to think differently about causation, complexity, and the human experience behind every claim, and challenges the industry to move beyond diagnosis-driven thinking toward a more integrated, evidence-based, and human-centered approach.

Dr. Anbar references a recent article in PRIMA Public Risk Magazine titled, How Risk and Claims Leadership Are Reversing the PTSD and Disability Crisis Among First Responders.

Yvonne mentions a recent Institutes of Health webinar titled When Substance Use is Industrial.

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In this episode of Deconstructing Comp, Yvonne Guibert and Rafael Gonzalez talk with Liva Rivera, Chief Communications Officer at Hamilton, Miller, and Birthisel Law Firm, for a lively conversation about the power of social media in building relationships, expanding professional networks, and supporting mentorship within the workers’ compensation community.

Liva shares how platforms like LinkedIn have evolved from simple professional profiles into powerful tools for connection. Rather than approaching social media with a rigid strategy, she explains how authenticity, curiosity, and consistency have helped her build meaningful relationships across the industry. What began as casual online engagement eventually led to real-world collaborations, friendships, and opportunities, demonstrating that the workers’ compensation community is often much smaller and more connected than people realize.

The conversation also explores the human side of social media. Liva discusses how showing up online can sometimes invite criticism or skepticism, but she encourages professionals not to let that stop them from participating. Social media, when used thoughtfully, can amplify voices, foster mentorship, and help newer professionals find their place in the industry. For those who feel unsure about posting or engaging, Liva offers a refreshing perspective: you don’t need a perfectly curated plan, just start joining the conversation.

Yvonne, Rafael, and Liva also dive into the importance of mentorship and community, highlighting how social platforms can bridge generational gaps and help emerging leaders connect with experienced professionals. Whether it’s sharing insights, celebrating successes, or simply supporting each other’s work, these digital spaces can strengthen the professional fabric of our industry.

If you’ve ever wondered how to use social media in a way that feels genuine, productive, and relationship-driven, this episode offers practical insights and plenty of inspiration.

We talked about Rise Professionals on the episode. Be sure to check out their website and their 2026 Annual Leadership Summit under events.

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In this episode of Deconstructing Comp, we’re joined by Greg Hamlin, Senior VP and Chief Claims Officer at Berkley Industrial Comp (a Berkley Company), for a grounded conversation about the role empathy plays in workers’ compensation and why it is so essential in our industry, particularly when communicating with injured workers.

Greg shares observations from his experience about how empathy influences communication, decision-making, and trust across claims, leadership, and organizational teams. We explore how understanding a person's perspective, whether it’s an injured employee, a claims professional, or a business colleague, can shape how issues are identified, discussed, and resolved.

We also chat about how Greg has been able to encourage and develop empathy at the claims desk within his organization. No big surprise, it starts at the top, and Greg talks about what it means to empower his claims professionals.

Throughout the episode, we reflect on how empathetic approaches can reduce friction, support clearer communication, and create conditions for better outcomes, without tying empathy to any single role, title, or function. Listeners are invited to consider how empathy already shows up in their work, and where small shifts in perspective or structure might make a difference.

Greg is also a fellow podcast host. You can catch his podcast "Adjusted" on your favorite podcast platform.

📘 Term Introduced

Monoline Insurance – Insurance carriers that specialize in a single line of coverage, such as workers’ compensation, allowing for deeper expertise and focused claims handling.

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In this episode of Deconstructing Comp, Yvonne Guibert and Rafael Gonzalez welcome Tammy Boyd, newly appointed President of Kids' Chance of Florida, for a meaningful conversation centered on service, leadership, and the life-changing impact of educational scholarships for children affected by workplace injury or fatality. Tammy shares how her career in workers’ compensation shaped her understanding of the human ripple effects of injury, and why Kids’ Chance became a mission she felt called to lead.

The discussion highlights the heart of Kids’ Chance of Florida’s work: providing hope, stability, and educational opportunity for children whose families have experienced devastating loss because of a work-related injury, or in some cases, a death. Tammy reflects on the organization’s impact, the stories behind the scholarships, and the collective effort required to sustain and grow the program. She also explains how the Florida chapter fits into the broader Kids' Chance of America network, which supports students nationwide through locally driven chapters united by a shared mission.

Throughout the episode, Tammy emphasizes that Kids’ Chance is more than a charity; it is a long-term investment in people and communities. She offers a call to action for the workers’ compensation community to get involved, reminding listeners that behind every claim is a family whose future can be profoundly changed through education. This episode is a powerful reminder that when an industry comes together in service, its impact reaches far beyond the system itself.

Tammy shared that the Florida chapter started in 2015, and to date, has awarded over 100 scholarships totaling over $450K in support of students impacted by workplace injury. At the national level, Kids Chance of America has helped more than 11,000 students with over $42 million in scholarships through its network of 50 chapters, one in every state in the US.

Upcoming Kids' Chance of FL events:

Flagship event: WCI Golf Tournament (August 23, 2026)
Breaking news! New for 2026: 2 golf sessions will be available

5K Fun Run in South Florida (coming soon!)

For more information and to find a chapter in your state, please visit https://www.kidschance.org/

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1. Mental Health Goes Operational
No longer fringe in workers’ comp. Our real challenge now is operationalizing access to timely, evidence-based mental health care so it supports recovery instead of becoming a barrier.

2. End of Healthcare Subsidies = Cost Shifting Risk
With federal funding changes, i.e. loss of funding for healthcare subsidies and SAMHSA,watch for cost shifting into workers’ comp.

3. Civil Monetary Penalties.
This is a brand-new layer in the Medicare Secondary Payer landscape. CMS is expected to release CMP documentation in March.

4. Complex Claims = Our Biggest Opportunity.
Early identification of red flags, faster access to evidence-based care, and better education for claims professionals prevent complexity → chronicity → runaway costs.

5. Presumptions Are Expanding.
Presumptions continue to shift the burden of proof to employers, especially for PTSD, firefighter cancer, and potential infectious disease claims.

6. Employee Well-being & “Quiet Cracking.”
Quiet cracking, marked by disengagement, burnout, and feeling stuck, emerges as employees remain overloaded and unsupported. Organizations that treat wellbeing as a core risk management strategy see stronger engagement, faster recovery, and lower overall costs.

7. In-Person Events: Where Professional Growth Accelerates 🤝
Connection, learning, and candid conversations happen best face-to-face. Attending even two industry events a year sharpens perspective and strengthens relationships in the workers' comp ecosystem.

Yvonne’s Top Picks:

• Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) – March | Boston, MA
• National Council of Self Insured (NCSI) – June | Rancho Mirage, CA
• Workers’ Compensation Institute (WCI) – August | Orlando, FL
• ELEVATE Conference – September | San Diego, CA
• National Comp Conference – September | Las Vegas, NV
• Bonus: Your state or regional workers’ comp conference!

Rafael’s Top Picks (in addition to Yvonne's picks):

• Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM) – Annual Conference (March), WC Event (May), Claims College (Fall)
• Workers’ Compensation Claims Professionals (WCCP) + Florida Bar – April | Orlando, FL
• National Medicare Secondary Payer Network – October | Bethesda, MD

⚡ Rapid-Fire Watchlist - a few other areas/issues to watch this year:

• DEI & Diversity – Organizations that embrace diversity perform better and attract stronger talent.
• Education & Mentorship – Explore mentor/mentee programs.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) – Embrace adaptation. Education is key to using AI wisely. Challenge yourself to adapt as AI is changing rapidly and becoming more integrated in our daily lives.
• Self-Leadership – A "core competency" for WC professionals and all leaders: focus on building capacity for empathy and compassion, master self-regulation, and enhance your decision-making.
• California Premium Increases – An outlier worth watching.

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Yvonne and Rafael take time to reflect on Season 5, their accomplishments, and the time they spent with guests.

They also discuss new features of Deconstructing Comp, including the launch of the Work Comp Changemaker Awards, a new website, a monthly newsletter, a YouTube channel, and so much more!

Grab your headphones, your favorite beverage, and let's go have a chat!

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In this episode, Yvonne and Rafael talk with Darrell Mathis, Director of Workers’ Compensation for the City of Chicago, and explore his work to modernize and manage one of the nation's largest municipal programs.

Darrell shares his 33-year journey from the private sector to public service, offering candid insights into program reform, transparency, and talking about “paying what we owe.”

He discusses how Chicago has transformed litigation strategy, reduced claim backlogs, and improved fairness for injured employees, all while supporting first responders facing unimaginable risks.

City of Chicago is self-insured and works with a TPA to administer claims. With over 33,000 employees and 3,600 open claims, Darrell’s team is setting a new benchmark for municipal excellence in workers’ compensation. This conversation is a must-listen for anyone interested in the intersection of leadership, accountability, service mindset, and compassion in public-sector risk management.

Darrell also opens up about his own health journey and how dedicating himself to the City of Chicago and the work he loves became a key part of his recovery.

Key Takeaways

• How municipal code changes, litigation reform, and payment integrity reshaped Chicago’s comp program.
• Why “paying what we owe” builds trust and accelerates resolution.
• The real challenges of managing 3,600 open claims and a $700M reserve.
• Strategies to motivate and retain adjusters in a high-pressure environment.
• Chicago’s commitment to care for catastrophically injured police and firefighters.
• Darrell’s vision to make Chicago the global gold standard for workers’ compensation programs.

Darrell mentioned some folks who help him keep the lights on at the City of Chicago Workers' Compensation program:

• Donald “Taylor” Chittick – Asst. Director
• Tiffany Williams – RTW Project Manager
• Kathleen Heenan – Workers’ Compensation Liaison
• Tomeka Long – Workers’ Compensation Liaison
• Ashley Chen – Admin

Darrell mentions his devotion to faith and service. He is an ordained Deacon at the Progressive Baptist Church. His Pastor is Dr. Charlie E. Dates. As an officer of the Church, he is involved with many aspects of the ministry. Black Boy Lit is an initiative of Progressive Baptist Church and Salem Baptist Church. Dr. Dates is the Pastor of both churches.

Additionally, he and his wife chair a capital campaign for the church, called DREAM.

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In this episode, co-hosts Yvonne Guibert and Rafael Gonzalez talk with expert defense attorney and educator Jeff Adelson in a candid conversation about two often-overlooked forces in workers’ compensation: ethics and empathy. Together, they explore how small shifts in behavior, perspective, and communication can create better outcomes for injured workers and claims professionals alike.

From managing ethical gray zones to acknowledging the human side of every claim, Jeff brings decades of insight, humor, and heart to the conversation. This episode challenges us to rethink the role of compassion in claims management and reminds us that doing the right thing and doing good business are not mutually exclusive.

💡 Highlights for Newer Professionals in Workers’ Comp

✔️ Know the Rules on Represented Parties
Jeff shares an important story about being asked to communicate directly with a represented worker. This is a legal and ethical no-go: always respect representation boundaries; communicating without counsel is prohibited and can jeopardize a case.

✔️ Doing the Right Thing Isn’t Always Easy
In a pivotal moment, Jeff explains how his firm gave up a significant contract rather than compromise its ethics. It's a lesson for anyone new to the industry: ethics must come before convenience or profit.

✔️ Ethical Issues Aren’t Always Black and White
The episode touches on how clerical issues or unclear situations, like a temporarily inactive attorney, require careful, thoughtful handling. Consulting with ethics counsel and taking the high road is always a sound strategy.

📘 Terms to Know (Episode Reference)

Ethics (in Workers’ Compensation)
The moral principles that guide behavior and decision-making within the workers’ comp system, including how injured employees are treated, how claims are handled, and the integrity of legal, medical, and administrative actions.

Empathy
The ability to understand and share the feelings of another. In claims management, empathy can foster trust, improve communication, and lead to better outcomes by acknowledging the human side of the injury.

Moral Hazard
A situation in which one party is more likely to take risks or act unethically because they do not bear the full consequences of their actions — often discussed in the context of fraudulent claims or system abuse.

Conflict of Interest
A situation where a person or entity involved in the claims process (e.g., provider, attorney, or claims adjuster) has competing interests that could improperly influence decisions or outcomes.

Good Faith Handling
The expectation that claims administrators and insurers will act fairly, honestly, and in the best interest of all parties — especially the injured worker — throughout the claims process.

Compassion Fatigue
Emotional exhaustion can affect professionals who regularly deal with others’ trauma or suffering. Often experienced by adjusters, nurse case managers, or clinicians, it may lead to detachment or burnout.

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In this episode, Yvonne and Rafael catch up with Judge David Langham, Deputy Chief Judge of the State of Florida, and a prolific writer, blogger, educator, and speaker.

If you're curious about the history of Florida’s workers’ compensation system, and you want to learn what "stare decisis" is, don’t miss our conversation with Judge Langham. He's widely recognized as the leading legal authority on this topic.

In addition to a concise and thorough history lesson on the Florida work comp system, we discuss a few other key points specific to Florida.

To access books and resources Judge Langham mentioned during the episode, including his free downloadable book: "Floridiana and the Workers' Compensation Adjudicators," visit www.dwlangham.com.

Visit his Blogger profile to check out Judge Langham's blogs (there are several).

Note: stare decisis is a legal term. According to LexisNexis, it means "to stand by things decided and not disturb settled points." They further explain, "The doctrine of stare decisis, or binding precedent, is the principle by which judges are bound by previous judicial decisions, especially of superior courts. To 'stand by things decided', the basis for the doctrine of precedent, there is no room for further examination or interpretation of a point or principle of law; the court is bound to the reasoning in the prior decision, unless there is a unique exception or the matter is before a higher court."

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In this episode, Yvonne and Rafael chat with friend and colleague Rosa Royo, Director, Workers' Compensation and Loss Prevention at Miami-Dade County Public Schools. This is Rosa's second time visiting us at Deconstructing Comp. This school system is the third largest school system in the country with 450 school sites, 335,000 students and over 40,000 employees (based on most current statistics).

We start off the episode talking about what each of us are doing creatively that we have not done before, or haven't done in a while. Rosa talks about playing string instruments, Rafael talks about getting back into tennis, and Yvonne talks about doodling and art.

Rosa talks about the need to pivot quickly and why it is important to regularly review your program for areas that are weak and need to be strengthened. She discusses how post-pandemic workers' compensation care is strained due to not having adequate access to providers and providers aging out of the system. She spends much of her time reviewing her provider network and ensuring she is doing her best to fill the gaps where they are exist.

Rosa also talks about the importance of communication, a common theme in our episodes. She personally signs over 4,000 get well cards per year that are sent out in packages to injured workers. It is a small gesture that Rosa says pays high dividends: 16% reduction in litigation when she started this practice.

Dive into the full episode and hear what else Rosa has to say.

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In this episode of Deconstructing Comp, Yvonne and Rafael welcome Gina Jacobs, a defense attorney with Hamilton, Miller & Birthisel LLP, to share what it’s like navigating workers’ compensation from the defense side. Joining from Orlando, Gina brings a candid look at how defense counsel approaches claims, collaborates with employers and carriers, and works toward fair resolutions within Florida’s workers' compensation system.

Gina’s journey into law is one of purpose and passion. After spending more than 10 years as a claims professional, working with Crawford & Company, Zenith Insurance, and Gallagher Bassett, she made the leap to law school to deepen her understanding of the industry she already loved. Today, that background shapes her work as a defense attorney, giving her rare empathy for claims adjusters and a deep appreciation for how every stakeholder impacts the outcome of claims.

Throughout the conversation, Gina shares how she balances advocacy with understanding, why communication remains at the heart of every successful case, her commitment to partnerships, and how she’s using her experience to mentor and educate the next generation of professionals in workers’ compensation.

This engaging episode offers a thoughtful and balanced look at what it means to defend claims while staying true to the people and purpose behind the process.

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In this episode of Deconstructing Comp, Yvonne and Rafael talk to Paolo Longo, a claimant attorney based in Florida, to explore the realities of representing injured workers, especially first responders. Paolo shares how his career path led him from the state attorney’s office to becoming a dedicated advocate for employees navigating the workers’ compensation system.

He explains the unique legal protections and presumptions that apply to Florida’s firefighters, police officers, and other first responders, particularly around heart disease, hypertension, and other conditions presumed to be job-related. Paolo also highlights the burden-shifting process that makes these cases unique, and why communication and education are at the heart of effective advocacy.

A powerful part of the discussion centers on the fears and concerns first responders face after an injury. Paolo notes that the first question nearly every client asks is: “Am I going to lose my job?” Beyond that, they worry about whether they’ll ever return to work, finish their careers, or continue providing for their families. These uncertainties, coupled with a lack of clear understanding of the claims process, make strong legal guidance and compassionate communication for injured workers essential.

Another key legal point Paolo discusses is the “120-day rule.” While its meaning varies by state, in Florida, the focus of Paolo’s practice, it sets the timeframe for an employer or insurance carrier to decide on a claim. Once an employer begins providing benefits, they have 120 days to either deny the claim or continue paying benefits. If they don’t issue a denial within that period, the claim becomes compensable by law, unless the employer can later prove new “material facts” that weren’t discoverable during the initial investigation.

This rule is critical because it can determine the outcome of a case, whether benefits continue, or whether a carrier can still attempt to deny responsibility for an injury. Paolo explains how this plays out in practice and why it’s such a pivotal part of representing injured workers in Florida.

From candid reflections on the challenges of the system to insights on what truly makes a difference for injured workers, this conversation offers a rare look at the claimant’s side of workers’ compensation.

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In this episode of Deconstructing Comp, Yvonne Guibert and Rafael Gonzalez welcome Scynthia Syfrett, Workers’ Compensation Program Manager at SHARP Healthcare in San Diego. Scynthia offers her perspective on managing a large deductible program, with a $1 million per-claim deductible, and the lessons in risk that come with operating at this scale.

Our conversation examines how large deductible programs shift a significant portion of the claims exposure back to the employer, presenting both opportunities and challenges. Scynthia explains why careful oversight, proactive claims management, trusted vendor partners, and tailored processes are essential to ensure every claim is handled with both financial accountability and employee care.

She also highlights why healthcare systems, with thousands of employees, must maintain clear strategies for managing risk, controlling litigation, and supporting injured employees within such a high-stakes framework.

You'll also learn that Scynthia is passionate about education, just like Yvonne and Rafael!

Key terms and concepts mentioned in this episode to help guide your listening:

Large Deductible Program – SHARP's program features a $1 million per-claim deductible, shifting a significant portion of the financial responsibility back to the employer.

Risk Management – In workers’ compensation, risk management means recognizing and addressing financial, legal, strategic, and safety risks that can affect both employees and the organization.

Litigation Review – The process of evaluating claims before escalating to legal action; Scynthia discusses SHARP’s unique approach.

Return to Work (RTW) – Supporting employees in safely resuming their roles, often with modified duties.

Safety – Preventive measures and tracking of safety incidents within an employer's environment.

Employee Education – SHARP’s investment in training employees to understand workers’ compensation processes and responsibilities.

Trusted Vendor Partners – External claims, legal, and medical partners who work closely with an employer to manage claims effectively.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed in this episode are Judge Robert Rassp’s personal opinions and do not reflect the official position of the State of California, Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC), or the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB).

In this episode of Deconstructing Comp, Yvonne and Rafael are joined by Judge Robert Rassp for a straightforward discussion about the fundamental benefits of workers’ compensation and why they are important.

Judge Rassp walks us through the foundation of the system, from medical treatment to temporary and permanent disability benefits, and explains how these core protections are designed to support injured employees while balancing employer responsibilities.

The conversation also explores how utilization review, independent medical review, and evolving case law influence the delivery of these benefits. Judge Rassp emphasizes the importance of fairness, education, and due process in ensuring that both injured employees and employers understand the system and can navigate it effectively.

According to Rassp: “Temporary disability keeps food on the table during recovery. Permanent disability recognizes when someone’s life has been permanently changed by an injury.”
Please join us for this informative episode with one of our industry's most experienced and esteemed educators. Judge Rassp is also an adjunct professor at Pepperdine University's Caruso School of Law, where he teaches workers' compensation law, and he's a founding member of the CC&R Band, a parody band that performs classic rock and roll hits at many Southern California industry events.

Key Terms from the Episode:

• Medical Treatment – Care provided to cure or relieve the effects of a work-related injury or illness.
• Temporary Disability (TD) – Wage replacement benefits provided to an injured employee while recovering and unable to work.
• Permanent Disability (PD) – Benefits awarded when an injured employee has lasting impairment that affects their ability to earn wages.
• Causation – the link establishing that an injury or illness arose out of and in the course of employment, or more simply put, that the injured employee's work contributed to their injury or illness. This is also referred to as AOE/COE.
• WCAB (Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board) – The judicial body that adjudicates disputes in California’s workers’ compensation system.
• Utilization Review (UR) – The process by which an employer or insurer evaluates a medical treatment request for appropriateness and necessity.
• Independent Medical Review (IMR) – The appeal process when a treatment request is denied through UR, conducted by an independent physician reviewer.
• Case Law – Published court or WCAB decisions that interpret statutes and guide future workers’ compensation cases.

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In this episode, Yvonne and Rafael talk to Dr. Marcos Iglesias, Chief Medical Officer at AF Group. Dr. Iglesias shares his journey from occupational medicine to the executive level and the lessons he’s learned about helping injured workers recover faster and more fully. Drawing on decades of experience, Dr. Iglesias offers candid, practical advice for younger clinicians entering the workers’ compensation space, emphasizing the importance of looking beyond symptoms to understand why a patient isn’t improving.

He explains how focusing on what an injured worker truly needs to feel supported can reduce frustration for clinicians, improve communication with claims and employer teams, and create better outcomes for all parties. From breaking down barriers to recovery to fostering stronger provider relationships, Dr. Iglesias underscores that when clinicians approach care with curiosity, empathy, and collaboration, everybody wins.

Listeners will leave with actionable insights into how new medical professionals can navigate the complexities of workers’ comp, make a meaningful impact on injured workers’ lives, and help shape a system that works better for everyone.

Key Terms and Definitions in this episode:

Biopsychosocial Model of Care – A holistic approach to healthcare that addresses the biological, psychological, and social factors influencing an injured worker’s recovery, promoting comprehensive and individualized treatment plans.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO) – Senior medical leader responsible for developing and overseeing clinical strategies, ensuring medical best practices, and aligning care delivery with business goals.

Claims Operations – The department or function responsible for managing claims from the first report of injury through closure, including investigation, evaluation, and settlement.

Early Intervention – Identifying and addressing potential issues in a claim as soon as possible to prevent delays in recovery and reduce claim duration and costs.

Employer Engagement – Active participation of the employer in the claims process, including communication with the injured worker, accommodations for return-to-work, and collaboration with claims teams.

Evidence-Based Care – Medical treatment decisions based on the best available research, clinical expertise, and patient-specific factors to ensure optimal outcomes.

Occupational Medicine – A branch of medicine focused on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of work-related injuries and illnesses.

Provider Network – A group of medical professionals and facilities contracted to deliver care to injured workers under negotiated terms.

Psychosocial Barriers – Non-medical factors—such as mental health concerns, fear, social isolation, workplace relationships, or financial stress—that can delay or prevent recovery.

And here are a few references to things Dr. Iglesias mentioned during our discussion:

On Ambient Scribe Technology

Open Evidence (chatGPT for medical professionals)

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In this episode, we talk to Kirsten Kaiser Kus. She is a defense attorney and an equity owner at Downey & Lenkov LLC, leading their Indiana practice. She brings deep experience from both the plaintiff and defense sides of workers’ compensation. She shares how her involvement with CLM and litigation education shaped her expertise and helped grow her professional network.

We explore the many stakeholders in the workers’ compensation system. Kirsten discusses distinctions between plaintiff-side and defense-side stakeholders and how they interact—or clash—within systems that vary state by state.

On the plaintiff (applicant) side, she highlights challenges such as unrealistic expectations, lack of understanding of legal metrics, and client control issues. Then she systematically breaks down the far more complex defense side, detailing the roles of carriers, TPAs, hearing members, medical providers, mediators, ombudsmen, vendors, brokers, excess carriers, self-insured clients, and even how politics play out in our system.

Throughout our conversation, Kirsten emphasizes one central principle: communication is critical. Where, oh where have we heard that before? Whether navigating expectations, coordinating stakeholders, or managing the risk of expensive cases, clear, proactive, and coordinated communication is what drives effective outcomes.

Stakeholders in the Workers’ Comp Ecosystem:

Injured Worker
The employee who was hurt at work and seeking benefits.

Applicant’s Attorney / Claimant’s Attorney / Plaintiff's Attorney / Petitioner’s Counsel
The lawyer representing the injured worker (term varies by state).

Defense Attorney
The attorney representing the employer or insurance carrier.

Employer
The company where the injured worker is employed; also referred to as "the insured."

Insurance Carrier
The insurance company providing workers’ comp coverage to the employer.

Third-Party Administrator (TPA)
An outside company that manages the administration of claims on behalf of self-insured employers or insurance carriers.

Broker
An insurance advisor who helps employers obtain and manage coverage.

Self-Insured Employer
A company that pays claims out-of-pocket, often with excess insurance coverage.

Excess Carrier
The insurer that covers costs beyond a self-insured employer’s retention layer.

Hearing Member / Judge / Commissioner
The official who hears and rules on workers’ compensation disputes.

Ombudsman
A state-provided guide who assists unrepresented workers.

Mediator
A neutral party who helps both parties involved in a litigated case try to settle the case before trial.

Medical Provider
Doctors and other clinicians who treat the injured worker.

Nurse Case Manager (NCM)
A licensed nurse who helps coordinate medical care and communicate with all stakeholders. NCMs are often called in to help coordinate more complex claims.

Vendors
Service providers such as interpreters, transportation, Medicare compliance experts, durable medical equipment (DME) suppliers, and home modification specialists.

Subrogation Counsel / Third-Party Recovery
Attorneys or departments pursuing reimbursement when a third party (not the employer) caused the injury.

Family Members
Often involved in influencing the injured worker’s decisions and expectations, an important perspective to keep in mind througho

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In this episode, we sit down with industry powerhouse Mollie Kallen to explore the often misunderstood role of case managers* in workers’ compensation. With over 30 years of experience leading one of the largest case management companies in the country, Mollie brings unmatched insight into how effective communication, not just clinical expertise, drives better outcomes for injured employees, employers, and claims professionals alike.

We talk about what makes a great case manager, how communication breakdowns can derail even the best-intentioned care plans, and why advocacy and collaboration are more important than ever. Mollie also shares how her personal health journey reshaped her professional mission and led her to a new chapter of coaching cancer patients and their families with the same compassion and clarity that marked her work in workers' comp.

Whether you're a case manager, claims adjuster, or anyone working in the comp system, this conversation will leave you with a deeper appreciation for the human connection at the heart of recovery.

🎧 Tune in and discover why communication truly is key.*NOTE: Rafael said "nurse case managers" when he started with his questions. While often, case managers are nurses and have a nursing background, they aren't always nurses, as is the case with Mollie. The reason many nurses become case managers is they have solid clinical backgrounds. So, just know, a case manager isn't always a nurse and people often use these terms interchangeably. Yes, we know! It is confusing.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

ReEmployability: https://www.reemployability.com/

Cancer Coach Connection: https://www.cancercoachconnection.com/

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In this engaging and insightful episode, co-hosts Yvonne Guibert and Rafael Gonzalez sit down with legendary industry leader Bill Zachry for a deep-dive into the realities shaping today’s California workers’ compensation system, and other state systems around the country.

We explore rising WC costs, why it makes sense to manage and treat psychosocial barriers to recovery early on in the claim — or risk higher costs down the road, and other tips and observances he's made along the way.

Bill shares powerful stories from his career, including how he entered the system as an injured worker, his role as a "baby claims adjuster," how he has helped shape public policy, the role of organized fraud in the Los Angeles basin and more. He also discusses his coined term, “sisterhood of the traveling body parts,” to describe recycled injury narratives.

Our discussion also touches on prevention, prescription patterns, several issues related to public policy, and the cultural and systemic gaps that keep workers’ comp stuck in a reactive posture.

This episode is equal parts candid, educational, and entertaining — and is a must-listen for any workers' compensation professional, regardless of tenure.

Resources:

Rising Medical Solutions Annual Benchmarking Study

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Melissa Steger returns to walk us through the building blocks of the unique Texas UT System workers' compensation program. While the program is self-insured, they use a third-party administrator (TPA) in a hybrid system where the TPA staff sit on-site with the UT System staff who oversee the program.

Covering 160,000 employees and over 250,000 students, UT System uses a variable rating system and has set up a culture where the individual institutions within the system compete against one another to achieve superior outcomes. The results? Truly innovative and remarkable.

During Melissa's tenure with the WC program, and through a system of healthy competition, they initially saw program costs of eighty cents per $100 dollars of payroll. When Melissa retired last year, it had fallen to 8.5 cents per $100 dollars of payroll.

How did this happen? Melissa talks about some of the nuances of their program including an annual retreat, where the hybrid staff come together to improve communications, get focused on core program goals and learn how they could continuously improve their results.

Join us as we talk to Melissa and learn how UT System achieved such amazing results.

Melissa also talks about flunking out of retirement. She is now VP of Business Development at WorkCompCollege.com

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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In this episode, Yvonne Guibert catches up with Nelson Gonzalez, Executive Director - Florida, Rehab Without Walls® NeuroSolutions, and they talk about Return to Work.

In the workers' compensation system, a return-to-work (RTW) policy or program helps injured or ill employees safely and efficiently return to work. The goal or purpose is to minimize downtime, reduce costs, and maintain employee skills and productivity.

Join the conversation to hear Nelson's perspective on why RTW programs are so essential, why some RTW programs fall short, what a good RTW program should include, and more.

Companies and resources mentioned during this episode include:

Rehab Without Walls® - https://www.rehabwithoutwalls.com/

ReEmployability - https://www.reemployability.com/

Bag of Happies - https://bagofhappies.com/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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In this episode, Yvonne and Rafael chat with Joseph Sousa, Workers' Compensation Program Manager for the City of San Diego. In our conversation, we learn from the perspective of a self-insured, self-administered workers' compensation program administrator, and what is important to that stakeholder perspective.

One thing that stands out is the numerous benefits of operating a self-insured, self-administered program for both the employer and employees. The employer gains total control over various aspects, especially compared to purchasing an insurance policy from an external insurer. Since all employees work for the same entity, there is a strong sense of pride and compassion when it comes to supporting colleagues.

The City of San Diego is regarded as a gold standard in workers' compensation programs. Some key elements of San Diego's program include:

• An established culture of wellness and safety

• Early intervention

• Peer support and compassion for fellow employees

• Effective communication

• Self-efficacy, where injured employees take ownership of their recovery

• Quality partnerships with medical providers

Join us as we delve deeper into Joseph's insights and learn more about the City of San Diego's workers' compensation program.

More about City of San Diego: https://www.sandiego.gov/

Council of Self-Insured Public Agencies (COSIPA): https://cosipa.org/

Public Agency Risk Management Association (PARMA): https://parma.com/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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In this episode, Yvonne and Rafael talk to Amy Cooper, Vice President Sales, Carrier Practice at Gallagher Bassett, and founder of Rise®, an amazing insurance community dedicated to empowering early-career professionals, attracting new talent, fostering networking opportunities, and providing access to invaluable resources, as described on the Rise® website.

We are so excited to have Amy as our guest. We've been watching the tremendous growth of the Rise® community and the annual Rise® Leadership Summit that happens every June.

So listen as we chat with Amy about the annual event, speed mentoring, fun pop-up events, and more!

To learn more about the Rise® Annual Leadership Summit, please visit them at https://riseprofessionals.com/

Use code "COMP100" to save $100 on registration for this year's event.

2025 Rise® Leadership Summit June 16-18
Marriott Harbor Beach Resort and Spa
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Recently, Yvonne and Rafael attended the 2025 Florida Bar and WCCP Workers' Compensation Forum, April 9-11, in Orlando, Florida.

Unfortunately, there was no wi-fi available to do live streaming, which is what we planned to do, but we did talk to several folks and conducted short interviews to capture their excitement and thoughts about the conference.

Conference interviews include:

Judge David Langham, Florida Deputy Chief Judge of Compensation Claims
Stacy Hossman, Executive Director of WCCP
Oneill Martinez, FL Mediator
Yvonne and Rafael take time to catch up
Holly Akers, Claimant Attorney - Jacksonville, FL
Ya'Sheaka Williams, Defense Attorney - Tampa, FL
Adam Levy, Defense Attorney - Tampa, FL

We hope you enjoy this "bonus" episode of on-the-spot interviews at one of our top Florida conferences.

The conference takes place again in 2026 at the same location at the Omni® ChampionsGate Resort in Orlando, FL, and you can check here for information about that and other events by WCCP: https://www.wccp.org/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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After much anticipation since we started this podcast, Stuart Colburn joins us for a special episode focused on Texas!

Stuart, a shareholder at Downs & Stanford, P.C., has over 25 years of experience in workers' compensation. He shares his journey into our industry and expertly navigates the evolution of the Texas Workers' Compensation system since the 1980s. Throughout the conversation, he highlights the unique aspects that make Texas' approach distinctly different from those of other states.

Stuart is board certified in Workers' Compensation Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and was the founder and first Chair of the State Bar of Texas Workers' Compensation Section. He co-authors the Texas Workers' Compensation Handbook published by LexisNexis and, as a certified lobbyist and frequent Division of Workers' Compensation conference representative, brings valuable policy perspective to the conversation.

(Correction: Stuart mentions 2011 as the year Wikipedia and iTunes emerged; however, the correct year is 2001.)

NOTE: Stuart shares a slide deck during this episode, which you can see in the video version on our YouTube channel.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Texas Workers' Compensation Handbook 2025 Edition

Texas Department of Insurance - Workers' Compensation

Texas Subsequent Injury Fund

American Medical Association (AMA) Guides

Official Disability Guidelines ODG by MCG

National Comp Conference

Stuart Colburn bio

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We like to have fun with our episode titles when we can, hence "Alphabet Soup." Still, despite the fun name, this is an informative episode, particularly for those newer to the workers' compensation industry.

Our guest is Jennifer Wolf, president and CEO of MWCIA in Minneapolis, MN.

Jennifer expertly navigates through many of the common terms and acronyms we use. This is certainly not meant to be an exhaustive list of terms, so we have included several links for a more complete list for the nerdy folks like us:

California Department of Industrial Relations Glossary

Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development Glossary of Acronyms

Florida Senate 440 Statutes Workers' Compensation Definitions

Pie Insurance Workers' Comp 101 Glossary

Texas Department of Insurance Workers' Comp Insurance Glossary

We hope you enjoy it. If we missed a term or acronym you think should have been included, let us know! We may need to do a "Part 2" on terms and vocabulary!

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Joe Paduda joins us to explain the basic framework of our workers' compensation system. In this episode, we discuss why our system is so complicated and some of the key features of several states.

While Yvonne tries to keep the conversation focused on basics, Ralph and Joe wander on a few tangents, such as discussing the potential of a federalized workers' compensation system. Joe explains why that is not likely to happen and they explore Medicare and Medicaid components.

Whether you are new to workers' comp or are a seasoned industry professional, this is a fun conversation that reviews some basic elements of our system and we introduce a few core concepts and terms such as frequency, severity, medical, indemnity, and administrative expense.

Joe tells us what he likes about workers' compensation and it is a key element of why we have such good people in the system and why they work hard to make it better every day.

You'll have to find us on YouTube and watch the video of this episode to see the cameo appearance of Joe's dog Oakley!

Check out Joe's blog on Substack here:

https://joepaduda.substack.com/

You can find more information Joe has shared over the years at his original website Health Strategy Associates:

https://healthstrategyassoc.com/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Join us as we kick off Season 5 with Alex Swedlow, President of CWCI and the "History of Workers' Compensation."

Alex Swedlow is the President of the California Workers' Compensation Institute (CWCI).

Alex is a previous guest on our podcast and we are so happy to welcome him back with his version of a brief "History of Workers' Compensation." As you will see, he is also a Workers' Compensation "nerd", just like Yvonne and Rafael, and he loves to talk about the history of our system which can be traced back over 4,000 years!

Whether you are "tenured" in Workers' Compensation and insurance like the three of us are, or are new to the industry, we encourage you to listen for a quick summary of our endlessly fascinating system and its roots.

Check out our new YouTube channel - @DeconstructingComp where we will drop our episodes in video format.

For more information about CWCI, please visit https://www.cwci.org/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Here we go with Season 5!

We can't believe we are kicking off the fifth season of Deconstructing Comp!

Co-hosts Yvonne Guibert and Rafael Gonzalez are back and ready to welcome a new season of conversations with their guests.

This year, we are returning to our original idea of breaking down the workers' compensation system into bite-sized digestible nuggets of information. We call it the "Cliff's Notes" approach to understanding workers' compensation.

Please join us on our new journey. We think it will be fun for professionals new to the industry and those of us who have been here for a while.

Yvonne is committed to keeping episodes to 30-35 minutes!

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Yvonne and Rafael take some time to relive and review 2024 Season 4 and chat about a few changes they will make for Season 5.

Thank you for listening!

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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We are so happy to introduce you to Elise White, President of Change Forward Industries, based in the Atlanta Metro area in Georgia.

Join us for an interesting conversation with Elise. You'll learn about her educational background, including that she studied criminal justice and how that led to a career in insurance and claims management.

Elise has 16+ years of experience managing claims for some of the biggest insurance companies, including Liberty Mutual, Travelers, and Zurich, and has developed quite an affinity for supporting at-risk youth, as well as at-risk industries. She recently launched Change Forward Industries.

Listen to this episode to learn more about Elise, her career and what she's been up to lately, including some very important work with Diversity and Talent Alliance (DATA).

Here are some resources related to our conversation:

1. Change Forward Industries - https://changeforwardindustries.com/
2. Article about RIMS/WCI Research Presentation: www.workerscompensation.com_Want better worker safety-tryEmpathy
3. Diversity and Talent Alliance (DATA) , Non-profit https://www.diversityandtalent.org/
4. Support the DATA Fundraiser - Workers' Compensation Empathy Relay Digital Game for $10: https://www.diversityandtalent.org/store/p/empathy-relay-digital-game-workers-comp-edition

Note from Elise: "I did not state these stats with 100% accuracy, but here is the insurance data on the aging workforce and talent shortage within insurance:"

Stats mentioned:

• 4% millennials interested in working in insurance careers, PEW Research
• 50% of insurance professionals are looking to retire by 2028, National Association of Mutual Insurance

We love Elise and we think you will too! Grab your headphones and let's go talk to Elise!

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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In this episode, we get to know Evelyn Eury, Director of Program Claims, Occupational Risk/P&C Lead at Crum & Forster—a leading carrier in property and casualty, accident and health, and specialty insurance solutions. Evelyn shares her journey from studying journalism to her current role, where she navigates the intersections of workers' compensation, property & casualty, and other insurance lines.

Our conversation covers a variety of topics, including:

• Saluting Veterans: Recorded on Veteran’s Day, we honor Evelyn’s husband, Seth, an active-duty US Coast Guard member, and all who have served our country.
• Cameo by Saint: Evelyn’s Weimaraner, Saint, makes a guest appearance.
• Mentoring the Next Generation: Evelyn discusses mentoring young insurance professionals and inspiring them to pursue careers in risk and insurance.
• Mom Life: Balancing her career while raising three daughters, along with trends in beauty products and Sephora adventures.

This extended episode is a wonderfully organic conversation filled with insights and heartwarming moments. Grab your headphones, your favorite beverage, and join us for an inspiring chat with Evelyn Eury!

For listeners who are newer to the industry, here are links to the conferences we mentioned during the episode:

CLM (Claims and Litigation Management):
https://www.theclm.org/allevents

Workers' Compensation Institute (WCI) Conference:
https://www.wci360.com/

National Comp Conference:
https://wcconference.com/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Let's get to know Melissa Marks, Senior Leave Supervisor at Pepsico. What does a "Leave Supervisor" do for an employer? Shout out to our friend Natalie Torres for introducing us to Melissa.

In this episode, Melissa shares her personal health journey and how it has shaped her empathy for others, particularly as she navigates her role working with employees who experience work injuries.

Here is a link to Melissa's book, titled "Fight Faithfully"

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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We are so happy to bring you this episode featuring Dr. Crystal Cobos, Director of the Brain Injury and Concussion Clinic at Institutes of Health and Anne McDonnell, Advocacy and Affiliate Specialist for the Brain Injury Association of
America and former Executive Director of the Brain Injury Association of Virginia.

In this episode, we discuss the recent development announced in late July by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: CMS now officially recognizes Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) as a chronic condition. According to the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) this is a victory for the brain injury community. CMS has added TBI to its list of chronic conditions for chronic special needs plans (C-SNPs) through its Medicare Advantage program, effective for the January 2025 plan year.

What does this mean for brain-injured employees and the workers' compensation community? Bottom line? We see this as a good thing. Tune in to hear what more these two experts have to say about it.

For more information about Institutes of Health, Brain Injury Services, visit:
https://institutesofhealth.org/

For more information about the Brain Injury Association of America, visit:
https://www.biausa.org/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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In this episode, you will hear from Jennifer Wolf, President of the Minnesota Workers' Compensation Insurance Association (MWCIA). She talks about what she studied in college, how she found her way into our wonderful industry, and how she loves our workers' compensation ecosystem.

We also learn what a rating does and how it contributes to the overall workers' comp system. According to the MWCIA website: "The primary function of MWCIA as a Data Service Organization (DSO) is to produce an annual Ratemaking Report, which is the basis for all workers' compensation rates in Minnesota. Insurers then apply their unique expenses and loss experience to these base rates to create their own independent rates."

In addition to her duties at MWCIA, Jennifer is also President of Kids' Chance of America.

As you will learn, Jennifer is one of our brightest gems in the WC industry. Smart, funny, and a lover of our industry, she is the real deal.

Grab your earphones, and let's go chat with Jennifer!

MWCIA - https://www.mwcia.org/

Kids Chance of America - https://www.kidschance.org/

National Academy of Social Insurance - https://www.nasi.org/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Come along with us as we catch up with two of the brightest leading women in our industry: Marijo Storment and Jenn Ryon.

We start, as we usually do at the beginning of our episodes, discovering what Marijo and Jenn studied in school. Then, we chat about what it was like to launch ForzaCare.

Next, we take a deep dive to focus on an organization that is near and dear to our hearts: Alliance of Women in Workers' Compensation (AWWC). Yvonne served as a Florida ambassador to the organization for over four years in Tampa, FL. She still loves to support and advocate for the organization. Rafael has been a long-time supporter of AWWC.

We talk about AWWC, the organization's mission, vision and what you can expect if you attend one of their events. We encourage everyone to attend a national event, or a local event if you have an opportunity.

Jenn serves as Vice President and Marijo is the Secretary, both serving in prominent positions on the board for AWWC.

So grab your headphones and get ready for a jam-packed fun exploration of one of the most influential organizations in our industry! They encourage everyone to leave their logos at the door, and come to their events to learn, network, and grow.

For more information about Alliance of Women in Workers' Compensation: https://allianceofwomen.org/

To learn more about ForzaCare: https://thinkforza.com/

NOTE: since the recording of this episode, Jenn Ryon has transitioned to Prime Health Services. You can learn more about the company here: https://www.primehealthservices.com/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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We have a special treat for you just in time for a long weekend!

Dr. Tyrone Spears, Chief of the Workers' Compensation Division for the City of Los Angeles, is one of the best and brightest in the business. Yvonne and Rafael recently caught up with him for a lively, thought-provoking episode!

If you know Tyrone, you know he is a servant leader who continually does good things for others. Find out what he studied in school, what career path he considered, and how he found himself in the workers' compensation industry, an industry he has come to love.

Conversations with Tyrone are always fascinating. He is the real deal. So, grab your headphones and settle in for a cozy conversation with Tyrone about leadership, mentorship, diversity, equity, inclusion, doing good for others, and being a good human. We also talked about politics, our 2024 bonus topic, since we talked to him the Monday after Joe Biden announced he was dropping out of the presidential race.

Some things we mentioned during the episode include:

Dr. Tyrone Spears - books on Amazon.com
-The Compassionate Leader
-Land The Job

Hazel's Hands - https://www.hazelshands.com/
Tyrone started this charity in his grandmother's name. Hazel's Hands provides resources, services, and leadership to meet the emerging needs of at-risk youth and their families in our communities.

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Join Yvonne and Rafael as they chat with one of their hometown "sheroes" Brenda Cogdell, Director - Risk and Safety Division, Hillsborough County.

Brenda shares her enthusiasm for her role at Hillsborough County and for the risk and insurance industry where she has dedicated her career to shaping a culture of caring for the employees she serves.

Together we explore her journey from graduating from Tampa's University of South Florida (Go Bulls!) to entering the risk management industry, serving as the risk manager at the City of Manassas, Virginia, then coming back to Hillsborough County where she began.

We talk about the culture Brenda is helping to build at Hillsborough County called "Workplace Possibilities!"

Learn how Brenda's father's career as a longshoreman shaped her and how it sticks with her still today. She believes team members who get hurt or ill at work ought to be reminded they are still part of a team, or a work family.

Brenda Cogdell is the real deal! She happily shares her expertise and encourages young professionals to take advantage of all resources and mentors along their career journey.

Some of the organizations we discuss in the episode include:

Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS)
https://www.rims.org/

Public Risk Management Association (PRIMA)
https://primacentral.org/

Thank you for all you do Brenda! We LOVE you!

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Les Shute is the Chief Innovation Officer at Infinity Nurse Case Management. Join us in this episode as we learn more about Les, including what Les studied in school and what he aspired to do in his career.

After graduating college as a Marketing Major and with a Minor in Computer Science, Les was recruited into the insurance industry and started as a workers' compensation adjuster!

In this episode, we learn that Les grew up with a strong influence in computer programming. He has immersed himself in learning all about artificial intelligence and

Les chats with us about OOM, "orders of magnitude," Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPT), neuro-symbolic AI, and other "mind-bending" scenarios and applications of artificial intelligence. We also discuss how AI may impact carbon-based life forms over the next 5-10 years.

Get ready for a fascinating conversation about AI, a recurring topic we have discussed several times this year. As we always say, we love all our guests, but this episode is super fun and thought-provoking.

Learn more about Infinity Nurse Case Management here.

Interested in learning more about how artificial intelligence has progressed since the 1940s? Check out this timeline courtesy of Veerloop.io.

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Here is a bonus episode where your co-hosts Yvonne Guibert and Rafael Gonzalez pause to reflect on Season 4 so far.

Can you belief half the year is already gone?

Neither can we. Join us for a quick recap of what we've done so far on our podcast. We talk about the guests we've had and those who are joining us soon.

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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In this episode, Yvonne and Rafael talk to Nikki Jackson, aka Nerdy Nikki. Why Nerdy Nikki? Because she loves talking about risk management and anything related to Property Casualty Insurance industry and she constantly pushes herself to learn more! She also loves to share her knowledge with others. We are lucky to know her!

We get to know more about Nikki during our chat and we talk about how to attract and retrain new talent AND Artificial Intelligence, one of our favorite topics!

FACT CHECK CORRECTION: Yvonne mentioned Caryn Siebert and what she says about how much we spend on insurance. Note it is an average of 20% of our salary, not 30% as Yvonne said in the episode. Here is a link to Caryn's episode: https://deconstructingcomp.buzzsprout.com/1771455/9574613-caryn-s-adventures-in-insurance-and-workers-comp

Check out Nikki's new website Elevate the Narrative and connect with her on ANY social media platform. She is literally on them all, including TikTok!!

Elevate the Narrative:
https://elevatethenarrative.com/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Let’s get to know Jeff Gurtcheff, Chief Claims Officer at Corvel. He joins us from just outside Atlanta, GA in Alpharetta, and he is a former neighbor to Rafael! Wow!

In this episode, Jeff shares his educational background, a little about what it was like to live next door to Ralph, his journey into the insurance and workers’ compensation industry, and how he has grown up through the insurance industry.

We learn how at Corvel they are harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to improve the claims management process and advancing the power of AI to make the job of adjusting claims something people can feel good about…helping people get better and get back to work!

Also, we learn about Corvel University where they are training the next generation of claims adjusters right out of high school. How awesome is that!

This episode is full of good information and we can’t wait for you to listen!

And another 1st:
Jeff is a former professional baseball player!!

Learn more about Corvel University here:
https://www.corvel.com/corvel-university/

https://riskandinsurance.com/tackling-the-adjuster-shortage-how-corvel-university-is-training-the-next-generation-of-claims-talent/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Another first for you! We are thrilled to introduce you to Chief David Picone, our first-ever fire chief on our podcast. He is the Fire Department Battalion Chief and Health and Safety Officer with the City of San Diego.

June is PTSD Awareness Month, so we are happy to share our recent interview with Chief Picone.

In this episode, Chief Picone shares his educational background, his desire to be a rock star, his journey as a career firefighter, and how he has grown to be a steward for cultural change with the City of San Diego Fire Department. The success of San Diego's program has attracted attention from fire departments across the nation and even the Tokyo Fire Department, the largest urban fire department in the world, and Chief Picone has been an integral part of the program since 2017.

Chief's call to action is for cities and fire departments everywhere to adopt similar changes that have been made in San Diego so that first responders get the care they need when they need it. Key elements to the City of San Diego's success include:

• commit to building a culture of caring (it takes work!)
• demonstrate to first responders that you care about them and value their efforts
• encourage claims professionals to spend time with first responders to better understand the demands of their jobs
• accelerate access to care
• provide access to skilled and experienced medical professionals who are equipped to handle the needs of first responders, specifically when they come forward with symptoms of PTSD

A few points mentioned during this episode with Chief David Picone:

• Firefighters and police officers are more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty
• First responders may experience 200+ traumatic events in their career vs. an average of 5 traumatic events in the average civilian's lifetime
• 1 out of 3 first responders develop PTSD

City of San Diego Fire-Rescue Health and Safety Office
https://www.sandiego.gov/fire/services/health-safety-office

Drexel University's Fire Service Organizational Culture of Safety (FOCUS) program for fire departments. Learn more here:
https://drexel.edu/dornsife/research/centers-programs-projects/FIRST/our-projects/FOCUS/

Institutes of Health is the company offering the "Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)"
https://institutesofhealth.org/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Are you ready to get to know Dionne Lacey-Artis, Chief Business Officer and Customer Centric Leader at Optum Workers' Comp and Auto No-Fault?

Even if you DO know her, we think you will learn some things you DON'T know, when you listen to this podcast episode.

Dionne is based in Atlanta, Georgia.
'
Yvonne Guibert and Rafael Gonzalez enjoy deconstructing issues in workers' compensation, however, it seems our podcast platform has taken on a new role...deconstructing our guests, and discovering how they came to be in the workers' compensation industry. That suits us just fine, because getting to know people is essential in business, especially in our industry.

Talking to our guests is always a fascinating journey, and so is this episode with Dionne. She shares many interesting facts about herself, like that she wanted to compete in the Olympics on roller skates, wanted to be a judge, she was a Tomboy, loves riding motorcycles and wanted to be a knee dragger, and so much more!

Listen to this episode and we are sure you will learn some things about Dionne you didn't know before. Plus, we couldn't be happier to hear that Dionne and other leaders at Optum are serious about redefining and building a culture focused on customer experience. That means there is a huge focus on finding and developing good people who want to be part of that culture.

Here are some reference links for some things discussed during our conversation:

What is knee dragging?
https://www.motodeal.com.ph/articles/motorcycle-features/what-dragging-knee-motorcycle

A song and video about Salvador de Bahia, Brazil called "Gente Bonita":
https://youtu.be/jW0-jYz1PxI?si=Q49X0gmQG9vPwEf4

Traveling to Salvador, Brazil:
https://www.livemoretravelmore.com/salvador-brazil/

Optum Workers' Comp and Auto No-Fault:
https://workcompauto.optum.com/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Are you ready to meet Laura Michaels, MS, OT, PSHO, Occupational Health and Safety Manager for City of Palm Springs?

Yvonne and Rafael recently met Laura at the PARMA 2024 conference in Indian Wells, CA, and boy do we LOVE her! Shout out to Jennifer Johnson for putting together a beautiful dinner at PARMA that brought us together.

From the very first conversation, we knew we liked Laura. She possesses a very particular set of skills that combined make her one powerful risk and safety professional. She is getting it done with fantastic results in Palm Springs...Laura Michaels is walking the walk!

Tune in to hear Laura's unique perspective on the healthcare provider shortage, her educational background, her career as an occupational therapist, and how she shifted into a career in California workers' compensation and risk management.

She talks about several things important for entities to champion to get these kinds of results they are seeing in Palm Springs. It centers around building a culture where employees feel supported. This includes:

supportive reporting, supportive rehab, 90-day fast track process, nurse case management, getting to know your providers, knowing the kinds of providers you need for your worker population, building trust

Laura shares many pearls of wisdom in this episode:

"I can't deny and I can't delay, but I can approve!"

"Find ways to work within the workers' compensation system."

Perhaps one of our favorite quotes from Laura, "Workers' compensation does not need to be a contentious situation...put yourself in the patient's shoes."

supportivereporting

cultureofcaring

fasttrack

preauthorization

outcomes

validation

curiosity

litigation

trust

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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In this episode, we get to know a real superhero in the workers' compensation industry, Josh Schuette, DPT, MBA, WRP, Director of National Workers' Compensation Sales and Account Management at Brooks Rehabilitation.

While there are so many amazing things to know about Josh Schuette, one interesting thing is, he thinks Ryan Gosling is his spirit animal! And, just like the famous actor who played Ken in the blockbuster Barbie movie, Josh is also originally from Canada! He also shared that during the recording of this podcast episode, he was wearing his "I am Kenough" shirt.

Come along for another fantastic podcast episode with one of the best and brightest people in our industry. Not only does Josh share about his education and how he discovered the wonderful world of workers' compensation, we discuss the real issues facing everyone in the healthcare industry in regard to provider shortages.

Josh also shares about his struggle to prioritize self care, particularly when working so closely with injured worker patients, and the toll that it takes. He even shares some of the strategies and activities he is using to manage his self care. We thank Josh for his transparency and as he mentions during the episode, we hope that his talking about his self care helps others.

Thanks for all you do Josh! We love you!

Learn more about Brooks Rehabilitation:
https://brooksrehab.org/

Here is the charity Josh mentioned during his episode:
Ainsley's Angels of America - https://ainsleysangels.org/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Ramona Tanabe is our latest guest, right on the heals of the 40th Annual WCRI Issues & Research Conference, March 5-6, 2024, in Boston, MA. This is Ramona's second time as a guest on Deconstructing Comp.

Join us as we discuss and recount highlights from the recent conference in Boston. Ramona turns the tables on Yvonne and asks her to share what sessions she learned something new at the conference. We also talk about Ramona's first year as CEO and how her experience has been. Plus, a few other fun details.

To learn more about WCRI, visit them here: https://www.wcrinet.org/
Please consider becoming a member of WCRI to support their research efforts.

Here is the latest report from the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI) that Rafael mentioned during this episode https://www.nasi.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/2024-WC-Report-2021-Data-Final.pdf

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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In this episode, we talk to Joe Paduda, Principal of Health Strategy Associates, blogger, Syracuse Lacrosse fanatic, speaker and owner of a 1795 farmhouse in New Hampshire with a super squeaky farmhouse chair! Listen for the squeaky sounds during the episode.

This is Joe's second time as our guest. We invited him back, specifically to discuss important issues related to the economy and how they may or may not impact insurance, and more specifically, the workers' compensation industry.

Another interesting conversation, where we talk about several important issues, but mostly about how the economy at large impacts what we do in insurance and workers' compensation.

FYI - Yvonne planned to do a deep dive into election year shenanigans, but we didn't spend too much time there and went right back to the economy. So, no hysterical laughing fits this time. It's probably for the best.

You can follow Joe and his blog here:
https://www.joepaduda.com/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Yvonne and Rafael FINALLY catch up with Carlos Luna, who lives in Denver, Colorado. It took us a while to schedule an interview with Carlos, but it is well worth the wait!

So, come along, and let's get all caught up with Carlos about his new role at New Reign Capital, his deep and varied thoughts about our amazing industry, and, sadly, as he shares his thoughts about the recent loss of a beloved work friend and colleague, Joe Frank Rodriguez.

Talking to Carlos is very easy. He is extremely articulate and very knowledgeable about risk management and workers' compensation issues. Like us, he loves giving back to the industry through charitable organizations and causes. As we always say, time flies by so fast during our guest interviews; that is no exception here.

Once again, we learned a few things we didn't know about Carlos, and we are sure some of these things will surprise you too. Are you ready?

Grab your headphones and let's go talk to Carlos Luna...

Check out New Reign Capital here:
https://www.newreigncap.com/

Donate to the GoFundMe campaign for Joe Frank Rodriguez:
https://gofund.me/8e5e0823

From Yvonne: as I listened to Carlos' episode several times during editing, I was touched by Carlos' call to action to do more to take care of our industry's claims professionals, and it made me think of this song by Dwight Yoakam...hence the title to this episode. Enjoy!

Let's Work Together by Dwight Yoakam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9Jf7ah8Rxo

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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For the second year, Yvonne and Rafael identify ten issues to frame their conversations with guests as they kick off a new season. Here we go with Season 4! Are you ready? Our issues are...

1. Provider Shortages - Healthcare jobs are growing faster than any other industry, yet there is a shortage of experienced doctors and clinicians to fill the openings. This is straining the entire healthcare system; we certainly feel it in workers' compensation.

https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/health-202-primary-care-shortage-data/

https://fortune.com/2024/02/14/america-shortage-primary-care-doctors-work-ai-physician-burnout-crisis/ 2. Chronicity - definition: the fact or quality of being long-lasting, as a disease, condition, or symptom; psychological influences, such as stress, can significantly affect the severity and chronicity of the illness (or injury). Is workers' compensation contributing to chronicity? We are going to discuss it. 3. Economics of Inflation - we carried this one over from last year as inflation persists. There is talk that we may be at a tipping point regarding how inflated medical costs impact healthcare, particularly with hospitals and other facilities. 4. Mental health and well-being - this is a favorite topic of ours. We are happy to see this issue becoming more commonplace at conferences and events in the workers' compensation industry. 5. Embracing AI - the future is here, and it is time to embrace how workers' compensation can benefit from artificial intelligence. How is AI already being used in WC, and how can it help us do the work smarter, faster, and more efficiently? 6. Need for good education - this is hands down one of our favorite topics to discuss. It's not to say there isn't any good education out there, but we need more. We aim to uncover resources and encourage more good education. 7. Acknowledging bias - we all have it. Are you aware of your unconscious bias? How does your bias impact your day-to-day decisions in WC, regardless of your role? How do your decisions affect a person’s life (and the family attached to that person)? 8. Federal benefits in workers’ compensation - this will be one of Rafael's favorite issues because it is where he spends his time every single day! Here, we will discuss federal laws and processes that crossover into workers' compensation: Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, ERISA, Veteran's Admin, tri-care, the Affordable Care Act, and more. 9. Expanding workplace issues - there are so many! Starting with the ongoing talent shortage, workplace violence, our changing workforce - telecommuters, gig workers, aging workforce, high-stress levels, lack of leadership, need for hybrid work strategies (work at home vs. office), rules and regs + expanding presumptions, safety issues, inexperienced workers and so much more!

https://www.uschamber.com/workforce/understanding-americas-labor-shortage 10. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) - one of our favorite topics to explore together. DEIB conversations have fizzled; some refer to diversity "fatigue," but we will not let it go. Rest assured, we will have several guests on to talk about DEIB. In Texas and Florida, DEI is under attack, and it is in other states as well.

https://www.axios.com/2024/01/04/dei-jobs-diversity-corporate

BONUS! Presidential election year. There is much to discuss as we enter the election year cycle. Who wants to talk politics?

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Join Yvonne and Rafael as they pause for a few minutes to reminisce about all the fun they had interviewing guests in their 3rd season!

Grab your headphones and get ready for a few laughs -- you can always count on Rafael's laughter in each and every episode!

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Wow, what a fantastic conversation with Dr. Leslie Cadet, a native of Tampa, FL!

In this episode, we learn that Leslie grew up in Tampa and started her education at none other than University of South Florida (USF), Yvonne's alma mater and Rafael's adjunct teaching university for 20+ years! From there, she went on to the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, where she became a medical doctor, then on to Harvard's T. H. Chan School of Public Health, where she earned her Master of Public Health (MPH), Occupational and Environmental Health. What an impressive education!

After Harvard, Leslie decided to join the Air Force to help pay for her education, where she became a flight surgeon, with 1,080 successful combat missions and 2,000 airlift missions.

And guess what? She loves to salsa dance! Un-BULL-ievable (that's a USF thing!)

Her new mission is to radically improve the workers' compensation system, one patient and one provider at a time.

It won't take you long to understand that Yvonne and Rafael are completely star-struck with Dr. Leslie Cadet. We both LOVE her!

Learn more about Dr. Leslie Cadet's Ascend program here: Ascendoccmed.com

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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¡Qué lindo! ¡Hablamos con Julian Robinson en español!

How lovely! We are speaking with Julian Robinson in Spanish!

During our recording of our podcast episode with guest Julian Robinson, we learned he speaks fluent Spanish! So we recorded a short bonus episode talking in Spanish. Well, it's mostly Julian and Yvonne, with Rafael listening in. Still a fun diversion.

¡Disfruten queridos oyentes! Enjoy dear listeners!

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Join us as we dive in and get to know Julian Robinson! Julian is the workers' compensation director at the City and County of San Francisco.

Julian shares his educational background, studying business and then embarking on a study abroad trip to India that ignited his love for travel and exploring other cultures.

We discovered that Julian is fluent in Spanish! So, we recorded a short bonus track in Spanish that we will release very soon (watch for it!).

Did you know that before the city adopted its name of San Francisco in January 1847, it was called Yerba Buena? It's a fact.

Please connect with Julian on Linked In:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/julianerobinson/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Come along for a fascinating conversation with Dr. Tomer Anbar and Duane Johnson with the Institutes of Health. We caught up with them during the WCI Conference in Orlando, Florida.

Duane Johnson obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Health Services management from Indiana University Bloomington.

Dr. Anbar studied clinical psychology, psychodynamic psychiatry, and group psychotherapy. While conducting research in Mexico City, he stumbled upon an interesting phenomenon during a specific time of the year: hospitalizations spiked at the same time birds started showing up dead. He discovered an interesting correlation.

We learn that Dr. Anbar was among the first to study the biopsychosocial model of care and grew up learning from his dad in therapeutic communities.

What do we want in workers' compensation? Proven clinical outcomes, accelerated MMI, and decreased claim costs.

For more information about Institutes of Health: https://institutesofhealth.org/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Come along with Yvonne and Rafael and get to know Roberta Serena Mike, Field Claim Adjuster for Strategic Comp in Georgia!

As you will learn, Roberta has spent her entire career in the insurance industry. She started with The Travelers and liked workers' compensation early on.

In this episode, Roberta shares with us the twists and turns of her career. She talks about leaving Garden City, New York, moving to Georgia, and how she built a name for herself with a solid reputation that had several companies seeking her out for the good work she does.

We normally try not to "date" the recording of our episodes, but we were very close to August 17, "workers' compensation adjuster day!" So want to take moment and say "THANK YOU!" to all the wonderful workers' comp adjusters out there.

Roberta started a Facebook group called "Workers' Compensation Career Mentorship Group." At the time of recording just a few short weeks ago, she mentioned she had 700 followers, but today she has over 1,000 (and growing)!

Check it out here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/6097845866894251

And check out Roberta's "Nikon Bert" photography page:
https://www.nusouthmoments.com/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Do you know Raja Sundaram with Plethy, Inc.? If not, you are in for a treat! Raja is a workers' comp newbie. He and his company Plethy have entered the workers' compensation scene in the last few years and they are making some big waves!

If you missed the Star Wars reference in the title, it is considered one of the most iconic quotes from the original movie. It is from Yoda during his training with Luke Skywalker: “No, Try Not! Do or Do Not, There Is No Try.” It is very fitting for this conversation, and Raja has real ties to Star Wars movies! Listen during the episode (he's a fast talker).

As a newbie, he brings so much of what we need to the workers' compensation industry: an engineering mind, empathy, and innovation.

Raja's takeaway is this: " The workers' compensation industry is an incredibly noble profession that is about helping human beings have the quality of life that we all deserve."

So, the Star Wars quote is so fitting. How are YOU showing up in workers' comp? Whatever your role is, ultimately, what you do impacts an injured person in some way. So, all you workers' comp Jedi out there...Try not! Do, or do not! There is no try.

Come along with Yvonne and Rafael...let's go talk to Raja!

Learn more about Plethy here - https://www.plethy.com/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Melissa Steger is the associate director of workers' compensation and unemployment insurance for the University of Texas System in Austin, Texas.

In this episode, Melissa shares how she started her career in workers' comp, delivering workers' compensation checks. In that first job, she became curious, fell in love with workers' compensation, and has spent her career of over 30 years learning and working to make improvements to the system.

For more information about UT System's workers' compensation program, click here: https://www.utsystem.edu/offices/risk-management/workers-compensation-insurance-0

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Come along with us and get to know Jim Allsup, founder of Allsup Employment Services and the Ticket to Work program for individuals who qualify for Social Security Disability benefits. Individuals who qualify are offered Vocational Return to Work services free of charge. 

In this episode, Yvonne and Rafael talk to Jim about the Ticket to Work program and what he says is a little-known benefit for individuals who qualify for Social Security Disability benefits. 

Learn more about the Ticket to Work program here: https://www.allsupemploymentservices.com/

Check out Jim Allsup's expert services for individuals seeking Social Security Disability benefits. They offer nationwide assistance, and their representatives are available and ready to provide help: https://www.allsup.com/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Brandi Lewis is one busy woman! We were lucky to catch up with her at the WCI conference for a live podcast interview. 

Join Yvonne and Rafael as we talk with Brandi, learn about what she's been up to lately, and talk to her about the business she founded and now chairwoman of Health Plus Trans, providing transportation, translation, and ancillary services. 

Among her many skills and talents, Brandi is a phenomenal event planner and turned our WCI Salsa Party into a top-notch, red-carpet event not to be missed! She kicked it up several notches from our salsa dance party at last year's conference. She brought in a DJ from Miami, spicy professional salsa dancers, a carnival-inspired stilt walker, and so much more!

To learn more about HealthPlusTrans, visit them here: 
https://healthplustrans.com 

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Finally, Yvonne and Rafael catch up with Kirsten Kaiser Kus, an attorney with Downey and Lenkov, LLC at WCI. We have been hot on her trail for some time now, trying to schedule an interview. Luckily, she had time to spare and sit down with us at WCI. 

Get to know more about Kirsten and what she has been up to. 

Visit her profile here: 
https://www.dl-firm.com/attorneys/kirsten-l-kaiser-kus/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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We are so happy to connect with our brand new friends we made at WCI for the first time! Ash Afzal with Bismark Medical. 

Join us for a fun group conversation with Ash, Amina, Bilal, Mohammed and "T"

Another set of first-timers that Yvonne met through the Whova app. Bismarck is a family-owned company in the DME business, and they are looking to expand into the workers' compensation market. 

Yvonne and Rafael are like two kids in a candy store!

For more information about Bismarck Medical, visit them here: 
https://bismarckmed.com/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Catherine Benavidez and Art Nuñez from Injury Management Organization join us to talk about their experience at WCI and what they are up to at IMO at their corporate headquarters near Dallas, Texas, in Plano. 

For more information about Injury Management Organization visit them here: 
https://injurymanagement.com/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Do you know Maxine Topper? Wowza, do we have a treat for you! 

Meet her son Richard Boyer, anesthesiologist at Weill Cornell Medicine and co-founder of HoopCare, a Cornell Tech Run Startup. Richard joins us to chat about his tech startup, HoopCare. 

HoopCare is transforming preoperative medical clearance with telemedicine and AI.

Fascinating conversation. Yvonne and Rafael are super pumped up by conversations with such young and driven professionals who have their sights on workers' compensation and how they can improve the system. 

How lucky are we?

Visit HoopCare's website here: https://www.hoopcare.com/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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A fun group, we are calling the "mod squad" includes Dr. Geralyn Datz, Jeffrey Adelson, and Stuart Colburn. We have a very fun and energetic conversation about dinner the night before and the beginning of the WCI Conference. 

Experience the energy of the WCI conference as we chat about this groups thoughts on various topics. They all love to poke fun at Yvonne, so laugh along with the conversation about dingers. 

We finally pulled ourselves together and talked about the conference opening session and some of the important topics discussed by Out Front Ideas co-hosts Kimberly George and Mark Walls. 

Come along for this fun "group" discussion. 

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Join us as we sit down with Zachary Rosenthal of Physicians Health Center to chat about the WCI conference and what his goals are for the conference. 

It was a pleasure to chat with such a young professional in our industry and someone who has been in the industry for a few years and sees the opportunity and potential for improvement. 

For more information about Physicians Health Center for more visit their website here: https://physicianshealthcenter.com/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Join us for an interesting chat with our new friend, Andrew Barson, who works with Frasco Investigative Services. We enjoy chatting about WCI conference fun and shenanigans (and healthy competition) on the new conference app, Whova. 

During this conversation, we chat about how Yvonne and Andrew met through the app and the importance of networking and cultivating relationships in our industry. 

Lots of good conversation and interesting surprises along the way. 

For those who are paying attention, Andrew takes a moment to remark about how he's "beating" Yvonne in the Leaderboard competition,  mentioning he has 50K points over her, but in the end, Yvonne ended up #2 on the Leaderboard with 388K points and Andrew ended up with 316K points which is a 72K point lead. 

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Yvonne and Rafael talk to Chrissy Gaul LIVE! Sunday, as we gear up for the WCI  Conference starting Monday, 8/21, in Orlando, Florida. 

This is part of our LIVE! Conference series. These are shorter episodes and are unedited.

To learn more about Carisk Partners:
https://www.cariskpartners.com/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Yvonne and Rafael talk to Duane Johnson and Dr. Tomer Anbar LIVE! Sunday, as we gear up for the WCI  Conference starting Monday, 8/21, in Orlando, Florida. 

This is part of our LIVE! Conference series. These are shorter episodes and are unedited.

To learn more about Institutes of Health:
https://institutesofhealth.org/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Yvonne and Rafael talk to Natalie Torres LIVE! Sunday, as we gear up for the WCI  Conference starting Monday, 8/21 in Orlando, Florida. 

This is part of our LIVE! Conference series. These are shorter episodes and are unedited. 

To learn more about PriMedical, visit: 
https://www.primedicalinc.com/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Yvonne and Rafael talk to Nick Ferrante LIVE! Sunday, as we gear up for the WCI  Conference starting Monday, 8/21 in Orlando, Florida. 

This is part of our LIVE! Conference series. These are shorter episodes and are unedited. 

To learn more about gain life, visit: 
https://www.gainlife.com/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Yvonne and Rafael talk to Doug Clark LIVE! during the WCI-Give Kids the World Village Volunteer Service Day ahead of the WCI Conference in Orlando, Florida. 

Doug talks to us about what's going on at the 2023 WCI-GKTW volunteer service day. It's a day that the WCI-Spirit to Serve committee plans for all year! Nearly 600 volunteers, 106 different companies, 25 projects at the village. 

If you live near the Orlando, FL, area, there is still time to join us tonight for our annual WCI-GKTW Gala! Our theme is Candy Kingdom! Wear something bright -- business casual to cocktail attire, it doesn't really matter, get there! We'll enjoy dinner, entertainment, a silent auction, crowns for a cause, and so much more!

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Take time to get to know Jeff Rush, Workers' Compensation Program Manager at California JPIA and also the current president of the Public Agency Risk Management Association (PARMA). 

Wow, this episode is chock-full of great information about WC claims management and issues facing municipal entities in California. 

We talk about many legislative issues, presumption law, and other issues specific to California, but we also talk about PARMA's 50th Anniversary, and the keynote speaker is none other than Apolo Ohno, Olympic Gold Medalist in skating. 

Grab your headphones, this one is fast-paced, full of great info, and also fun!

For more information about California Joint Powers Insurance Authority (JPIA) go here:  https://cjpia.org/

Learn more about the 2024 PARMA Conference here:
https://parma.com/events/2024-parma-annual-conference

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Wow! This episode starts off with a bang, and we love it! 

Workers' compensation IS sexy. Paola says so, and she should know! She has spent her entire career in our wonderful industry. This fits right in with our mantra that no matter what you studied in school or what your work experience has been up to now, there is a place for you in this industry! 

Join us for another fascinating conversation and get to know Paola Stauffer, Executive Vice President of Claims at Utah Business Insurance Company (UBIC). 

¡Vamonos, a conocer Paola Stauffer!

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Finally, Yvonne and Rafael catch up with their good friend and colleague, Stuart Colburn! Stuart is a defense attorney and partner with the Downs & Stanford, PC law firm headquartered in Austin, Texas. 

Tune in to this episode and get to know more about Stuart! He is one of the best in the business! 

Stuart is a regular speaker and moderator for industry events like the Texas Workers' Compensation Conference, National Workers' Comp and Disability Conference, WorkCompCentral webinars and educational events, and so much more! He is also the co-author of the Texas Workers' Compensation Handbook, an essential everyday guide for attorneys, claim adjusters, physicians, self-insured employers, and vocational rehabilitation providers. This handbook is available through Lexis-Nexis. 

https://store.lexisnexis.com/products/texas-workers-compensation-handbook-skuusSku63720

Let's go talk to Stuart!

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Wow! We have double the fun as Yvonne and Rafael sit down with Erica De La Cruz and Jennifer Hopens of the Texas Division of Workers Compensation (DWC). 

Erica and Jennifer take time to explain their roles with the DWC; clearly, they both have a passion for what they do. You'll be able to hear that during this conversation. 

We also discussed the opening session at the Texas Workers' Compensation Conference, the DWC Executives Panel, a great panel discussion where each executive explained their role in the division, what they do, and some of the challenges they face and are trying to overcome. 

Learn more about the Texas DWC here: https://www.tdi.texas.gov/wc/index.html

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Amy Lee sat down with Yvonne and Rafael during the Texas Workers' Compensation Conference in Austin, Texas. 

Amy is currently the President of Steadfast Policy Strategies, LLC. She is a knowledgeable workers' compensation expert, having worked in several roles at the Texas Division of WC for many years.  She also spoke during the conference about getting back to the basics of indemnity and medical benefits. 

Amy is delightful and so smart! When you listen to this episode, you'll find she also has a wicked sense of humor! Plus, she is one of those rare individuals who went straight from college into the workers' compensation industry -- ON PURPOSE! Listen to find out how that happened! 

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Hiawatha Franks is the Claims Officer at the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB), and he set aside some time to chat with us during the Texas Workers' Compensation Conference in Austin. 

Come along with us as we talk to Hiawatha about his educational background, how he came to be in the workers' compensation industry, his thoughts on education, mentorship, and so much more!

https://www.tasb.org/about-tasb.aspx

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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At the Texas Workers ' Compensation Conference, Yvonne and Rafael talk to Dr. Trang Nguyen. 

Dr. Nguyen,  is the President and owner of MedicusRx. She is a practicing, fellowship-trained Occupational Medicine physician in Houston, Texas. She completed her Doctoral degree in Epidemiology at the University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine. She is a frequent speaker, author, and member of the Advisory Board for several medical journals and the ODG Guidelines. Dr. Nguyen is a physician reviewer for Health and Human Services (HHS) Commission, The Office of the Inspector General for Texas.

Come on y'all! Let's go talk to Dr. Nguyen!

Visit the MedicusRx website: https://medicusrx.com/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Yvonne and Rafael kick off their live podcasting at the Texas Workers' Compensation Conference with Texas WC Commissioner Jeff Nelson. Listen to our chat with the commissioner as we get to know him and what is on his mind as commissioner. 

Many thanks to Kate Sidora, Director of External and Media Relations, and Melissa Gale, Communications Dir., Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers'​ Compensation for their assistance coordinating our chat with Commissioner Nelson. 

For more information about the annual Texas Workers' Compensation Conference or the division, please visit:
https://www.tdi.texas.gov/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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This week's guest is Andrew Sabolic, the new Executive Director at the Workers' Compensation Institute. Andrew shares his educational background, how his career path brought him into the workers' compensation realm, and reflects on his time (20 years!) with the Florida Division of Workers' Compensation. And there's more!

Yvonne and Rafael enjoy chatting with Andrew, discovering a few little-known facts, and hearing about his plans for the WCI Conference now and in the future. 

Why "Get the Led Out?" Well, you'll have to listen all the way to the end of the episode to see what it means. Fans of a certain rock band from the 70s should get it. 

For more information about the upcoming WCI Conference in Orlando, FL August 19-23, visit their website https://www.wci360.com/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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This episode is full of great conversation and laughs as Yvonne and Rafael catch up with friend and colleague, the Honorable David Langham from Pensacola, FL. 

David W. Langham has been Florida's Deputy Chief Judge of Compensation Claims since 2006. His legal experience spans over 30 years, including workers' compensation, employment litigation, and medical malpractice. David has presided over thousands of hearings and more than 700 trials. 

He is a prolific writer, passionate about mentoring and bringing young attorneys into the WC industry. In addition to his duties as Deputy Chief Judge, David teaches part-time at the University of West Florida. 

Come along and get to know David. You'll soon find out he has a wicked sense of humor and has much to say about how his generation has screwed up. He does a good job of keeping Rafael laughing, so get ready to laugh along. 

Grab your headphones and let's go talk to Judge Langham!

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Come along with Yvonne and Rafael as we chat with Evelyn McGill, Executive Director for the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission in Richmond, VA.

Evelyn talks to us about her career and what it has been like to build a top workplace culture over the past ten years at the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission. 

Grab a beverage, put in your headphones, and let's go talk to Evelyn!

https://workcomp.virginia.gov/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Luis Soto is guest #12 at Elevate LIVE!

Yvonne Guibert talks to Luis Soto during our live podcasting experience at Elevate! in San Diego, CA, on April 11. 

Luis talks about his first time at Elevate! about new and upcoming projects and productions at Masterclass Elite Group (MEG)  where he and his wife Amy Soto are creating digital multimedia stories representing various leaders in our industry. 

Check out the MEG website here - https://masterclasselitegroup.com/

WARNING: There is no editing, and the sound quality is not the best, but the conversation is AMAZING! Adam and I will improve our LIVE podcasting sound for  LIVE! engagements at future conferences. 

Many thanks to Duane Johnson for inviting us to try live podcasting at Elevate! We had so much fun!

https://workpartnersohs.com/elevate/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Holmes is guest #10 at Elevate! and this was our 2nd pure "LIVE" session on Linked In, where Dr. Chris Brigham joined us remotely as well toward the end of the session.

Yvonne Guibert and guest co-host Adam Lopez talk to Holmes and Chris during our live podcasting experience at Elevate! in San Diego, CA, on April 11. 

Check out Holmes' law firm website at https://edglaw.com/

Check out Chris' website he referred to on the episode - https://www.emedicolegal.com/

WARNING: There is NO editing, and the sound quality is not the best, but the conversation is AMAZING! Adam and I will improve our LIVE podcasting sound for  LIVE! engagements at future conferences. 

Many thanks to Duane Johnson for inviting us to try live podcasting at Elevate! We had so much fun!

https://workpartnersohs.com/elevate/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Alvin Narciso is guest #9 at Elevate LIVE!

Yvonne Guibert and guest co-host Adam Lopez talk to Alvin during our live podcasting experience at Elevate! in San Diego, CA, on April 11. 

Alvin chats with us about his Elevate! experience and why it is essential to focus on building relationships in the industry and ROI on attending/exhibiting at events such as Elevate! If you are a workers' compensation professional. 

Check out Alvin's company, AN Investigations LLC - https://anfirm.com/

WARNING: There is no editing, and the sound quality is not the best, but the conversation is AMAZING! Adam and I will improve our LIVE podcasting sound for  LIVE! engagements at future conferences. 

Thanks to Duane Johnson for inviting us to try live podcasting at Elevate! We had so much fun!

https://workpartnersohs.com/elevate/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Joffrey Gurule is guest #8 at Elevate LIVE!

Yvonne Guibert and guest co-host Adam Lopez talk to Joffrey during our live podcasting experience at Elevate! in San Diego, CA, on April 11. 

We get a little "punch drunk" at the beginning of this episode because we start out laughing, cracking jokes, and perhaps "maybe" slightly inappropriate. We talk to Joffrey about conferencing, how to differentiate yourself or your company so you stand out from the rest, the importance of relationships and so much more!

Take a moment to check out the companies Joffrey represents: 

Insight RCM
https://insightrcm.com/

and

SnapHealthcare 
https://snaphealthcare.us/

WARNING: There is no editing, and the sound quality is not the best, but the conversation is AMAZING! Adam and I will improve our LIVE podcasting sound for  LIVE! engagements at future conferences. 

Many thanks to Duane Johnson for inviting us to try live podcasting at Elevate! We had so much fun!

https://workpartnersohs.com/elevate/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Natalie Torres is guest #7 at Elevate LIVE!

Yvonne Guibert and guest co-host Adam Lopez talk to Natalie during our live podcasting experience at Elevate! in San Diego, CA, on April 11. 

Natalie talks about the Elevate! experience and how it differs from other workers' compensation conferences. Why is it different? It's all about the "ENERGY!" Tune in and listen to more from Natalie Torres. 

Check out PriMedical, a national case management company, the company Natalie represents: https://www.primedicalinc.com/

WARNING: There is no editing, and the sound quality is not the best, but the conversation is AMAZING! Adam and I will improve our LIVE podcasting sound for  LIVE! engagements at future conferences. 

Many thanks to Duane Johnson for inviting us to try live podcasting at Elevate! We had so much fun!

https://workpartnersohs.com/elevate/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Josh Diggs is guest #6 at Elevate LIVE!

Yvonne Guibert and guest co-host Adam Lopez talk to Haley during our live podcasting experience at Elevate! in San Diego, CA, on April 11. 

Josh talks about power circles, supporting industry colleagues, and how important it is for us to keep in touch and check in on each other regularly. He suggests building your own circle of people around you...choose people who genuinely care about you and don't expect anything in return. 

Check out Josh's company website Modern Reign (not Monterrey, lol):
https://modernreign.com/

WARNING: There is no editing, and the sound quality is not the best, but the conversation is AMAZING! Adam and I will improve our LIVE podcasting sound for  LIVE! engagements at future conferences. 

Many thanks to Duane Johnson for inviting us to try live podcasting at Elevate! We had so much fun!

https://workpartnersohs.com/elevate/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Haley Brown is guest #5 at Elevate LIVE!

Yvonne Guibert and guest co-host Adam Lopez talk to Haley during our live podcasting experience at Elevate! in San Diego, CA, on April 11. 

Haley shares what it has been like to start her very own company, Noted Court Reporting, just a few short months ago.  She talks about how she has been blown away by the support she has received from industry colleagues in the workers' compensation space.

It's so awesome to see young entrepreneurs in this industry. Go Haley! We love you! Go find Noted online, on Instagram and on LinkedIn. 

Haley's website: 
https://www.notedreporters.com/

WARNING: There is no editing, and the sound quality is not the best, but the conversation is AMAZING! Adam and I will improve our LIVE podcasting sound for  LIVE! engagements at future conferences. 

Many thanks to Duane Johnson for inviting us to try live podcasting at Elevate! We had so much fun!

https://workpartnersohs.com/elevate/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Jesse Bernal is guest #4 at Elevate LIVE!

Yvonne Guibert and guest co-host Adam Lopez talk to Jesse during our live podcasting experience at Elevate! in San Diego, CA on April 11.

Jesse dishes on giving back to colleagues in the workers' compensation industry and his part-time hobby CC&R Band - an awesome workers' comp parody band made up of California WCAB judges, hearing reps, attorneys and a judge's spouse! How cool is that!

What is a parody band? A parody is an imitation of a particular style or deliberate exaggeration. In the case of CC&R, they take classic rock songs and rewrite the lyrics to fit workers' compensation scenarios. And they are really good!

Where did they get their first gig? Why at a WorkCompCentral educational seminar, of course!

Learn more about CC&R Band here - https://www.ccandrband.com/

Catch CC&R at the annual Comp Laude® Awards and Gala, select dates at House of Blues to benefit Kids' Chance of CA, and other conference venues throughout the year!

WARNING: There is no editing, and the sound quality is not the best, but the conversation is AMAZING! Adam and I will improve our LIVE podcasting sound for LIVE! engagements at future conferences.

Many thanks to Duane Johnson for inviting us to try live podcasting at Elevate! We had so much fun!

https://workpartnersohs.com/elevate/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Dr. Tyrone Spears is guest #3 during Elevate LIVE! 

Yvonne Guibert and guest co-host Adam Lopez catch up with Dr. Tyrone Spears during our live podcasting experience at Elevate! in San Diego, CA on April 11. 

Tyrone talks about the pre-conference karaoke fundraiser held for Hazel's Hands, a non-profit organization named in honor of his grandmother, that supports at-risk youth in the Los Angeles and Inland Empire areas in California. 

To learn more about Hazel's Hands visit: https://www.hazelshands.com/

WARNING: There is no editing, and the sound quality is not the best, but the conversation is AMAZING! Adam and I will improve our LIVE podcasting sound for  LIVE! engagements at future conferences. 

Many thanks to Duane Johnson for inviting us to try live podcasting at Elevate! We had so much fun!
https://workpartnersohs.com/elevate/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Guest #2 during Elevate LIVE! 

Yvonne Guibert and guest co-host Adam Lopez chat with Bill for our live podcasting at Elevate! in San Diego, CA on April 11.

Bill talks about his Elevate! session with George Parisotto where they will talk about changes at the California Division of Workers' Compensation and how they are getting back to business following the pandemic with technology changes, fee schedule changes and so much more!

WARNING: There is no editing, and the sound quality is not the best, but the conversation is AMAZING! Adam and I will improve our LIVE podcasting sound for  LIVE! engagements at future conferences. 

Many thanks to Duane Johnson for inviting us to try live podcasting at Elevate! We had so much fun!
https://workpartnersohs.com/elevate/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Our first Elevate LIVE! segment with none other than Dr. Claire Muselman! 

Yvonne Guibert and guest co-host Adam Lopez chat with Claire to kick off our live podcasting at Elevate! in San Diego, CA on April 11. 

We discuss the insane energy at this conference, Claire talks about her "sparkle squad" the fact that the workers' compensation industry is SEXY and so much more!

WARNING: There is no editing, and the sound quality is not the best, but the conversation is AMAZING! Adam and I will improve our LIVE podcasting sound for  LIVE! engagements at future conferences. 

Many thanks to Duane Johnson for inviting us to try live podcasting at Elevate!
https://workpartnersohs.com/elevate/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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In this episode, Yvonne and Rafael talk with Faith Mason, Industry Speaker, DEI Consultant, and Vice President of Strategic Analytics at Arch Insurance. 

Find out what Faith studied in college, the path she took that brought her into the insurance and workers' compensation industry, and how she has shaped her career since she got here. Discover Faith's fascinating journey that underscores our theme: no matter your background, there is a spot for you in the workers' compensation industry!

We take a pretty deep dive (way past 30 minutes!) in our conversation with Faith. Our discussion focuses on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB), something we are all passionate about.  We also chat about food, traveling, and so much more!

Come along with us and let's get to know Faith. She is a brilliant star in our insurance and workers' comp universe!

Articles about DEIB:

Marsh study on DEIB https://www.marsh.com/us/risks/global-risk/insights/excellence-in-risk-management-xviii.html

https://hbr.org/2022/06/stop-making-the-business-case-for-diversity#

https://www.natlawreview.com/article/6-key-practices-advancing-diversity-equity-and-inclusion

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Dr. Les Kertay, Ph.D., Vice President of Behavioral Health at Axiom Medical, joins Yvonne and Rafael to discuss mental health and well-being within the workers' compensation system. 

Mental health issues have long been avoided within workers' compensation. We are starting to discuss it more frequently, post-Covid, but we have a long way to go before workers' compensation fully embraces how to manage mental health as a component of a workers' compensation claim. 

In this episode, we discuss with Dr. Kertay why there has been such a reluctance to incorporate mental health in workers' compensation claims. When a person gets injured at work, stress and anxiety naturally increase along with uncertainty and, in some cases, fear of losing their job. This can easily contribute to deteriorating mental health. Yet, there is still resistance to accepting mental health as part of a workers' comp claim. 

According to Dr. Kertay, claims will go longer and cost more if we ignore the mental well-being of injured workers. 

So why the continued resistance? Well, as with all things workers' compensation, the answer is complex. 

Let's go explore mental health and well-being with Dr. Les Kertay!

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Follow along with Yvonne Guibert and Rafael Gonzalez as they chat with Ramona Tanabe, Executive Vice President and Counsel at Workers' Compensation Research Institute (WCRI). They explore her educational background and career in workers' compensation doing public policy research.

Ramona gives us a glimpse of her work with WCRI, where she has worked for over two decades! Plus, we'll get a sneak peek at what we have to look forward to at the upcoming WCRI Annual Issues & Research Conference in Phoenix, AZ.

What is WCRI? Founded in 1983, the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) is an independent, not-for-profit research organization that strives to help those interested in improving the workers' compensation system by providing highly-regarded, objective data and analysis.

The Institute does not take positions on the issues it researches; rather, it provides information obtained through studies and data collection efforts, which conform to recognized scientific methods. Objectivity is further ensured through rigorous, unbiased peer review procedures.

Find out what Ramona likes to do in her spare time...she says she has a "freakish" desire to explore _______________! Listen to find out what it is!

We are celebrating #womenshistorymonth with one of our very own trailblazers in workers' compensation!

Learn more about Ramona Tanabe and WCRI here: https://www.wcrinet.org/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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In the first episode of Season 3, Yvonne and Rafael sit down with Bill Zachry to chat about:

• his education and career choices
• why he chose the insurance / workers' compensation industry
• even though it has been proven that doing the right thing saves money (get the injured worker the care they need, then get them back to work ASAP) why the industry is still resistant
• how identifying at-risk injured workers early on and focusing on getting them the care they need ASAP saves employers 40% on claims costs
• a paper* he co-authored called "Chronic Pain Explained," available for download at WorkCompCentral; it is a wonderful educational paper written especially for claims professionals, or anyone who wants to have a better understanding of chronic pain conditions and how to manage them within the workers' compensation industry
• and so much more!

While we didn't get to drill down into any one particular issue, we did touch on two of the issues we highlighted for this year: claims handling challenges and the need for quality education for all stakeholders. Bill is one of the brightest minds in the industry, and it's always a fascinating conversation. If you don't know him, we highly suggest you connect with him ASAP!

*Here is a link to the paper at WorkCompCentral that we mentioned in regards to chronic pain: https://bit.ly/WCC-ChronicPainPaperJan23

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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For Season 3, Yvonne and Rafael identified ten issues to frame conversations with guests:

1. The great talent shortage. What are we doing to find and retain good people? We will face this issue for the foreseeable future, which will significantly impact the healthcare industry, including workers' comp.
2. Mental health and well-being. Mental health issues continue to dominate as a leading societal problem in the US. There is increasing demand to prioritize mental health and consider how it impacts injured workers' ability to recover. What are we doing as an industry to support our professionals and their well-being?
3. Economics of inflation and a looming recession. According to an article at Milliman.com, inflation hit a 40-year high last year, and we are expected to go into a recession later in 2023. We'll discuss inflation/recession economics with some data-minded friends and how it affects workers’ compensation.
4. New or significant workers’ compensation rules/regulations/statutes. Several states have new or emerging rules and regulations impacting workers' compensation, and we will discuss these with a few guests.
5. Challenges facing the healthcare system. There are several significant issues outside of the great talent shortage, facing the US healthcare system:
   • is our hospital system in crisis?
   • continued issues related to Covid19
   • medical costs - the rising cost of drugs, medical inflation, increased facility costs
   • chronic pain* that impacts 1 in 5 US citizens
6. Technology and artificial intelligence (AI). Are we doing all we can to use technology and AI to handle claims more efficiently? Can we use technology to improve the experience for injured workers? Can technology help lighten the load for claims professionals by handling repetitive tasks, and incorporating evidence-based medical guidelines into the claims process, particularly in the management of non-catastrophic claims?
7. Claims handling challenges. What’s happening at the claim handler’s desk? How is it different today compared to the past? What is the average caseload? Is it manageable? Is our industry ready to fully embrace an advocacy model of claims handling? We look forward to discussing this on several levels:
   • return-to-work barriers
   • reprising the adjuster’s role and how they do their work (gig workers; caseloads, and more)
   • friction points to the claims-handling process
8. The need for quality education for all industry stakeholders. There is an increased demand for education as we manage the talent gap due to many experienced professionals leaving the industry. We must prioritize education for all stakeholders.
9. Our changing workforce needs. While experienced professionals are leaving in big numbers, we are struggling to hire and retain younger workers. What can we do to encourage more young professionals to join our industry? Are we ready to let go of decades-old practices to evolve and attract today’s young professionals?
10. The issue of lagging diversity. Our communities have become increasingly more diverse over the past few decades, but our workplaces have not. This is true in every industry. There have been improvements for sure, but we have a long way to go. We'll explore this topic with several guests who are equally passionate about DEIB issues.

*Here is a link to the paper at WorkCompCentral that we mentioned in regards to chronic pain: https://bit.ly/WCC-ChronicPainPaperJan23

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Yvonne and Rafael wrap up Season 2 of Deconstructing Comp with their thoughts about guests, lessons learned along the way, and considerations for Season 3. Workers' compensation may be a small industry, but it certainly has a vast pool of interesting professionals and endless issues to ponder. 

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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Jennifer Morris Jones, defense attorney, is an amazing leader in the workers' compensation and insurance industry. A partner in Cranfill Sumner's Raleigh office, and a member of the Risk Management and Workers’ Compensation Practice Group, she is also a North Carolina Board Certified Workers’ Compensation Specialist.

If you know Jennifer, you know she spends a good deal of her time collaborating with others to speak about important workers' compensation topics, and she offers her expertise in many educational forums.

Jennifer serves as an Advisory Board member for the National Workers’ Compensation Review, presenting at the WCI Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida. She is a contributing member to many industry organizations like DRI, WCDI, CLM, Alliance of Women in Workers' Comp, and more. She also maintains an AV rating with Martindale-Hubbell, a prestigious peer review rating that recognizes attorneys who have reached high levels of skill and integrity.

In October 2022, Jennifer earned the distinction of a Comp Laude® Award in the defense attorney category!

Spend some time with us as we talk to Jennifer to find out what she studied in school, how she landed in workers' compensation, and what she sees coming next, and perhaps learn a few things you might not know about her!

¿Estan listos para visitar con Jennifer? ¡Vamanos!
Are you ready to visit Jennifer? Let's go!

For more about Jennifer and her work, follow these links:

https://www.cshlaw.com/attorneys/jennifer-morris-jones/

https://complaude.com/

https://www.wci360.com/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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And it continues...

Just when you think we are done, we're not! Be sure to listen to the very end for rare "outtakes" that really should have been cut, but it's so damn funny we left it in.

There's no way to describe this one. Kristen Chavez and Holmes Lilley definitely break the mold!

In this episode, we get to know Kristen and Holmes and we chat about life, laughs, hard work, change, the workers' compensation industry, more laughs, developing friendships, and working together to raise money for Kids' Chance of California. And did I say laugh? Yes, dear listener, you will laugh! There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments as we share stories, poke fun at each other, and so much more.

Let's go!

Links mentioned in this episode...

Employers Defense Group - the law firm Holmes Lilley founded, based in Anaheim, California:
https://edglaw.com/

Kids' Chance of California - Kristen Chavez is currently President
To make a donation -
https://www.kidschanceca.org/donate.html

To learn about recent scholarships awarded and how to submit an application -
https://www.kidschanceca.org/scholarships.html

Comp Laude Awards and Gala
https://complaude.com/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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There's no way to describe this one. Kristen Chavez and Holmes Lilley definitely break the mold! 

In this episode, we get to know Kristen and Holmes and we chat about life, laughs, hard work, change, the workers' compensation industry, more laughs,  developing friendships, and working together to raise money for Kids' Chance of California. And did I say laugh? Yes, dear listener, you will laugh! There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments as we share stories, poke fun at each other, and so much more. 

Let's go! 

Links mentioned in this episode...

Employers Defense Group - the law firm Holmes Lilley founded, based in Anaheim, California: 
https://edglaw.com/

Kids' Chance of California - Kristen Chavez is currently President 
To make a donation - 
https://www.kidschanceca.org/donate.html

To learn about recent scholarships awarded and how to submit an application - 
https://www.kidschanceca.org/scholarships.html

Comp Laude Awards and Gala
https://complaude.com/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

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We are so excited for you to meet our new friend Clerissa, a younger professional in our industry working for Injury Management Organization (IMO), based in the Dallas area of Texas.

Kudos to Catherine Benavidez and IMO for recognizing Clerissa's talent, and making a spot for her to bring her on board with the company. She is a vibrant young woman putting herself out there, reaching for the stars, embracing servant leadership, and influencing others! WOW!

Come learn about YRPs and ORPs - 2 new acronyms, yay!

She's looking to connect with other professionals and LOVES the workers' compensation industry! Can you believe it?

Listen up, folks! Young people CAN come into our industry, enjoy the work, and shocker, want to stay and make a career.

To all of our "seasoned professional" listeners, we need to work harder to find and bring more people like Clerissa into our space. Let's keep doing what we need to make our industry more attractive to these young professionals.

Let's go! What a fun conversation!

Resources to check out:

Young Risk Professionals - https://www.youngriskprofessionals.org/
The Transitions - https://thetransitions.org/
Alliance of Women in Workers' Compensation - https://allianceofwomen.org/
Rise Professionals - https://riseprofessionals.com/

Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp ¡Muchas Gracias!

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¡Conozcamos a Rosa Royo en Miami! 

Now, in English...Let's get to know Rosa Royo in Miami!

Rosa Royo is one of the brightest leaders in the risk and insurance industry. Native to the Miami area, she loves the Miami culture, food, music, and art. 

She is Director, Workers' Compensation and Loss Prevention at Miami-Dade County Public Schools. It is the fourth-largest school district in the country and the second-biggest public employer in Florida. So, as you can imagine, there is a lot to know and do when managing her day-to-day responsibilities. 

Come along with us as we chat with Rosa to learn about what she studied in school, how she landed in the risk and insurance industry, as well as what she sees coming next. It's an interesting journey for sure!

¿Estan listos para visitar Rosa? ¡Vamanos!

For more about Rosa and her work with Miami-Dade School District follow these links: 

Risk + Insurance All Star 2022
https://riskandinsurance.com/rosa-royo-all-star-2022/

2019 Women to Watch
https://www.businessinsurance.com/article/20191202/STORY/912331840/Business-Insurance-2019-Women-to-Watch-Rosa-Royo-Miama-Dade-Schools

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Listen in as Yvonne and Rafael catch up with our good friend Barry Dillard, VP of Risk Management Services at Walt Disney World. Barry chats about what it was like coming back into the office after the pandemic, and a few other significant changes he experienced over the past couple of years, along with Disney cast members. 

Barry is a popular guy in our industry, and while he is very humble about his popularity, there are many folks who look up to him and are eager to hear his thoughts about the world of insurance and risk, especially from the perspective of Disney, the happiest place on earth and one of the largest employers in Florida. 

Come along with us as we catch up with Barry, share a few laughs, and also learn something very, very interesting that we did not know before. You'll have to listen to figure it out... 

Are you ready? ¡Vamas a hablar con Barry!

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Join Yvonne and Rafael as they talk with Sabrina Taylor Mitchell, AVP Southeast Region of PMA Companies. 

Sabrina is full of surprises in this episode. Sharing about herself, her family, how she worked her way through school as a young mom, she charted a course for herself, and guess what? The course wasn't always traveling in a straight line. She chats about navigating loop-de-loops and curly q's. 

Sabrina is an amazing servant leader.  In addition to her very demanding full-time job, she mentors others in a variety of ways. Not only is she currently working to develop a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) program at PMA Companies, she has also been an integral player in several programs at the Workers' Compensation Institute's annual conference in Orlando: Annual Prayer Breakfast, Diversity, DEIB and more. 

Grab your earphones and listen up as we really lean in to get to know Sabrina, she is a powerhouse WC leader. She really sets an amazing example of how you can chart your own course, regardless of your starting place. What gives her strength? Her Faith. She also talks about her church, Designer's Way in Tampa, FL. 

¿Quieres hablar con Sabrina, entonces? ¡Vamanos pronto!

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Take some time with Yvonne and Rafael as they lean in and get to know the Honorable Jacqueline Steele. 

We talk to her about growing up in Tampa, getting her undergrad degree from the University of South Florida (go Bulls!), attending law school, and how a Moot Court Competition landed her in the workers' compensation industry. We also chat about some twists, some turns, and how a 25-year career results in lifelong friends. 

She also dishes on what it's been like to leave her long-time career as a workers' compensation attorney and step into the role of a Manatee County Judge in the 12th Judicial Circuit of Florida. 

You'll find her at the annual WCI E. Earle Zehmer National Moot Court Competition - open to all conference attendees and provides CE hours. More details on Moot Court Competition sessions here: https://www.wci360.com/track/national-moot-court-competition/

Jacque is one of the absolute best people. You will hear some raw feelings come through in this episode, in the tone of our voices, heartfelt emotions come shining through. 

Are you ready? Grab your headphones and let's go get to know Jacque Steele!

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Join us for a special treat with none other than Abbie Hudgens, Administrator for the Tennessee Bureau of Workers' Compensation. 

It's always a treat to talk with Abbie, a true southern belle and Tennessee native. However, she just announced her retirement effective August 31, so sharing time with her to discuss her career is truly a special treat. 

Yvonne and Rafael share a few laughs, learn a lot about Abbie, how she came to be in the workers' comp industry, what she has accomplished while here, and so much more. 

Abbie has overseen a complete reform of the Tennessee Workers' Compensation system as the administrator, having stepped into that role in 2011. 

Get to know more about Abbie in our conversation with her and enjoy a few surprises along the way. 

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In this episode, Yvonne and Rafael lean in hard to get to know Angel Guerra Chagolla, based in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area.  

Where do we begin with Angel? You just have to listen to this episode. Angel is a perfect example of how you can come into this industry, start at ground level, and go all the way to the top. What does it take?  Curiosity, persistence,  grit, and the desire to make a difference. 

Angel shares her journey through the insurance industry and how she navigated all of life's challenges and climbed straight to the top. 

Angel is a national risk professional, proud Latina businesswoman, DEI advocate, founder of Beauty and Beast in Business, business and career coach, mentor to many and so much more!

Let's go together to talk to Angel! ¡Vamos juntos a hablar con Angel!

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Join us - Yvonne and Rafael - for a super fun episode where we get to know Dr. Geralyn Datz, Medical and Pain Psychologist and President of Southern Behavioral Medicine Associates, based in Hattiesburg, MS. 

Dr. Datz had us laughing from the very start. Spend a few minutes with us as we share a few laughs, discuss how she came to be in the workers' comp industry, get a brief review of her career, and more. 

You'll find that not only is Dr. Datz incredibly funny, but she also's a highly sought-after industry speaker, and she is multi-talented! We are so lucky to have her in the workers' comp industry. You'll hear in this episode how things could have gone a very different way. 

So, let's go ¡Vamanos!

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Dr. Claire Muselman is back! 

We are happy to welcome back Dr. Claire Muselman to our podcast. So much has changed since the last time she was on the show. 

Yvonne and Rafael share some laughs as we catch up with Dr. Claire on some important changes in her career and life. 

Now taking on risk management as chief risk officer with Emory Industrial, Dr. Claire explains some of the fascinating changes she has managed over the past year. 

She also shares about the journey of navigating life with a thirteen-year-old daughter,  teaching at Drake University, and more. 

Grab your headphones, settle in and let's go talk to Dr. Claire!

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Yvonne and Rafael talk with Donna Check, co-founder of NeuLife Rehabilitation based in Mt. Dora, Florida. 

Donna talks with us about growing up in Long Island, what she studied in school, how she ended up in the workers' comp industry, and why she decided to pursue a career in brain and spinal cord injury rehabilitation.  Of course, there are many interesting stories that she shares with us along the way. 

Grab your headphones and your favorite beverage, this is a fast and furious episode!

NeuLife Rehab offers specialized rehabilitation and works with people who have had brain or spinal cord injuries.  Learn more about them here: https://www.neuliferehab.com/

Are you a My Cousin Vinny fan? If so, you will understand the "maximum allowable torquage" when you hear Donna's answer to what most people don't know about her. 

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In this episode, Yvonne and Rafael chat with Bill Minick, a Texas attorney, risk management consultant, and pioneer of Texas injury benefit management programs. Some people refer to this kind of program as a workers' comp "opt-out" program. He is the founder and former chairman of PartnerSource, the leading provider of responsible alternatives to traditional workers’ compensation for businesses operating in the state of Texas. 

Bill shares his educational background and how he wandered into the workers' compensation space. He also gives a fantastic historical overview of Texas workers' compensation and the business climate that led to the development of alternative options for employers to manage work injuries in Texas. 

We also chat about why injury benefit management programs haven't become as popular in other states, as they have in Texas, and Bill's involvement with Comp Laude® Awards and Gala, an annual event hosted by WorkCompCentral. 

So, dear listener, grab your headphones and saddle up for a fun and info-packed episode with the electric disco king, a.k.a. Bill Minick. Who knew?

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In this episode, we get to know Patrick Robinson, VP of Government Affairs at ODG (an MCG Health Company). 

Patrick shares his interesting career path from an attorney in Shreveport, Louisiana to administrator and judge, WCRI, now with ODG, and some of the things he has learned along the way. He also chats about grandkids, his Latin connections, and a few things he did during the pandemic. 

Plus, we have a first, ladies and gents! Patrick reveals that he got his start in the workers' comp industry by way of the Canadian Football League in Shreveport, LA - via the Shreveport Pirates! Listen for more details on that little tidbit. How cool is that? 

Patrick does not disappoint. He also shares details about a trip to Chihuahua, Mexico, and a surprise twist! 

¡Vamanos pronto! Hablamos con señor Patrick...

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In this episode we get to know Debra Livingston, President and CEO of ReEmployability based in Tampa, Florida. 

ReEmployability, founded in 2003, offers employers a proprietary return to work program, Transition2Work, a cost-effective solution to modified light duty assignments, and reduces workers’ compensation and non-occupational disability claim costs while giving the injured worker time to heal and benefiting the community. 

Get to know more about Debra and hear what she has to say about her time in the workers' compensation industry. Yvonne and Ralph share much in common with Debra having "grown up" in the industry by way of Tampa. 

Debra is full of surprises, including something you might not know about her....do we have any Godfather movie fans? 

And of course, we laugh. Bonus if you can tweet @DeconstructComp how many times Ralph says he "loves" Debra!

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In this episode, we get to know John Ruser, President and CEO at Workers' Compensation Research Institute (WCRI). According to the WCRI website, WCRI was founded in 1983 and they are an independent not-for-profit research organization which strives to help those interested in making improvements to the workers' compensation system by providing highly-regarded, objective data and analysis.  

You are in for a special treat! Yvonne and Rafael kick off this episode speaking Spanish, because they discovered John was hanging out in San Juan, Puerto Rico when they recorded the episode. ¡Que rico!

Tune in and join us as we find out more about John, how he came to be in the workers' compensation industry and how the WCRI goes about identifying the issues and trends they explore through their research. 

A peak inside this episode: John shares how WCRI has studied the impact of Covid on workers' compensation claims including the disruption Covid caused, the Great Resignation and long-haul Covid claims. 

WCRI's 38th Annual Issues & Research Conference will take place in Boston March 16-17. Visit their website for more information https://www.wcrinet.org/

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Yvonne and Rafael catch up with Alex Swedlow, President of California Workers' Compensation Institute (CWCI).

According to their website, CWCI provides data, practical analyses and real-world expertise on issues and trends affecting California workers' compensation. Many look to CWCI's research as an indicator of important trends and issues in the workers' compensation space, as California is such a large, unique and significant state to consider.

Join Yvonne and Rafael as they explore Alex's background, how he arrived in the workers' comp space and perhaps a few fun facts you may not know.

¡Vamanos pronto!

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Join Yvonne and Rafael as they kick off Season 2 of Deconstructing Comp with none other than Joe Paduda, industry expert, speaker and blogger, author of the Managed Care Matters blog. 

Joe is one of the foremost experts in the workers' compensation industry. Yvonne and Rafael catch up with Joe as he discusses how he landed in our industry, what he's been up to lately, and what we should be looking at in terms of important issues on the horizon. 

If you don't know Joe, I'm not sure what rock you live under (just kidding!), but you can find his Managed Care Matters blog here - https://www.joepaduda.com/

So here we go! Are you ready for another fun season of getting to know the incredible people of our industry, learning how they got here, how they spend their time in the industry and what's important to them? Come on then! You might learn something new!

Grab your favorite beverage, pull up a chair and let's go talk to Joe! ...  ¡Vamanos! 

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Here we go! Listen to Yvonne and Rafael chat about kicking off their second season of Deconstructing Comp. They share how 2022 started with a bang and how excited they are to continue their podcasting journey getting to know the people in the workers’ compensation industry. ¡Vamanos! 

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Listen up as Yvonne and Rafael chat about the conclusion to Season 1 of Deconstructing Comp. They seized the opportunity to record a final episode while attending the first Workers' Compensation Institute conference in Orlando since 2019! 

This is a short episode chatting about lessons learned during the first season of recording a podcast together, thoughts about attending the WCI conference at the Orlando World Center Marriott for the first time in two years, thinking about featured guests and how they'll approach Season 2. 

Grab your headphones and get ready to share some laughs with Yvonne and Rafael. 

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This episode is a fascinating conversation with Raji Chadarevian, Director of Medical Regulation and Informatics at National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI).  

If you are into math, data and numbers and all the different ways to break down data and numbers in insurance and workers' compensation, you in for a special treat! Meet Raji Chadarevian...learn how his career in insurance got started when he was working as a Christmas elf!

Raji shares how he landed his first job in the insurance industry when he was helping out his cousin in Los Angeles by delivering Christmas baskets...he was her Christmas elf!

The lesson learned from Raji's story? Never underestimate the value of connections. Even when you are doing a part-time job, or helping out a family member or friend by lending a helping hand, the power of connections is always in motion. Keep an open mind, ask questions and be ready to seize an opportunity when it comes your way. 

Grab your headphones, your favorite beverage and let's get to know Raji.

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Get to know Greg McKenna, National Practice Leader, Public Sector. 

Yvonne and Rafael chat with Greg about his educational background, why he chose to practice law, working in governmental affairs for Gallagher Bassett , his current role and more. 

Greg literally "grew up" in the industry with family ties to Gallagher Bassett. Hear what that was like for him as a kid and how he feels about coming full circle with his work at GB. 

Lean in and find out why Greg thinks storytelling is an essential part of what we do in the insurance and workers' compensation industry.  We take a deep dive into storytelling. It's a subject matter that is near and dear to all three of us.

Greg has been the host and emcee of WorkCompCentral's Comp Laude® People's Choice Awards for five years now. He masterfully weaves the various stories together each year and in doing so, teaches us why the art of storytelling matters. 

Grab your headphones and let's get to know Greg.

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Meet Licia Thompson! Licia retired in 2019 after 22 years with Macy's, an iconic American retail brand. Her role at that time was National Director, Workers' Compensation Return to Work, Managed Care & Vendor Management. 

After retirement, Licia decided to become an author, and recently launched her first book: "When Your Soul Whispers: Strategies for leaders to redefine values and move forward after life's transitions." She also is a coach and consultant and calls herself a "reinvention strategist."

Join Yvonne Guibert and Rafael Gonzalez for another fascinating conversation about careers in the workers' comp industry. This time with Licia, a career insurance and workers' compensation professional who spent 22 years working at one of the most iconic and largest retail brands in the world! One thing we discuss in this episode is how one approaches workers' compensation and RTW for a company with hundreds of stores and an extremely diverse labor workforce. 

¡Vamanos! Let's go talk to Licia Thompson!

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Listen to our latest episode with Dr. Adam Seidner, Chief Medical Officer with The Hartford. Dr. Seidner takes time out to chat with Yvonne and Rafael, and how he ended up getting in the workers' compensation industry, along some interesting details about his path from college to becoming a medical doctor.

In this episode you will hear "a day in the life" as Dr. Seidner describes his typical work day and what that includes as chief medical officer with The Hartford.

Dr. Seidner shares some interesting takeaways and lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic and how it has impacted of the future of work. Some of these include:

• mental health and stress
• moral impact on healthcare providers
• determining what guidelines to focus on
• social determinants of health

One of the top takeaways Dr. Seidner shares is this: "If you can address the psychological and social aspects of a claim, you can reduce the cost of the claim by 50% or more." And Rafael asks a simple question: "Why so much resistance from the workers' compensation industry if we know the ROI is there?" Dr. Seidner says it comes down to having courage to do the right thing. Listen to hear his full answer. Wow. Let that soak in.

Find out what sport Dr. Seidner competes in and is nationally and internationally ranked!

We hope you will take the time to listen. It is the first episode where we dive into the medical side of workers' compensation and insurance.

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Meet Caryn Siebert, Vice President, Carrier Practice for Gallagher Bassett. 

Caryn shares with us about her legal background, how she landed in the workers' compensation industry and she gives us a glimpse of what her current job entails. 

Lean in as Caryn talks about why she loves her job. Find out why she feels so lucky that she gets to do what she does every day. 

One thing about Caryn is that she loves to give back! A few of Caryn's passion projects include: 

• Mentoring young professionals about the insurance industry
• School of Risk Management Insurance, Cal-State Fullerton
• Kids' Chance of California
• Give Kids The World
• Diversity and Inclusion

She also tells us what's happening in the industry that gets her excited. So get ready to learn more about Caryn. Are you ready? 

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Meet Jackie Arbelaez, Senior WC Business Development Manager, CORA Physical Therapy. The day before we interviewed Jackie, she fractured her hand. Did that stop her? Nope. She insisted on doing the interview anyway. Pain? What pain? Jackie is one tough cookie...she's strong-willed, determined, resilient. 

In this podcast episode we get to know Jackie and find out how she has navigated her career in workers' compensation. She's got great advice for anyone looking to learn more about the industry and her approach to business development for CORA Physical Therapy and the five states that she serves. 

A few of Jackie's success tips for business development in workers' comp:

• don't take "NO" as a never
• be persistent
• treat people with respect
• never stop learning
• build resilience

Grab a beverage, put in your earphones and let's get to know Jackie!

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Judge Robert Rassp is one of the coolest people in workers' compensation you will ever meet. Over 35 years of practicing law and he is now presiding judge WCAB Los Angeles District Office! There are so many cool things to know about Judge Rassp, you will just have to listen to this episode to discover them. Here are a few notable cool facts about Judge Rassp:

• Skipped his junior year of high school to start college at UC Irvine
• Met his wife while working at an observatory
• He is an adjunct professor at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law
• Member of the renowned band CC&R, performing at comp events

Find out why Robert chose to go to law school, and many other fascinating facts about his amazing career in workers' comp. 

He is what we call a workers' comp nerd. Like Yvonne and Rafael, he totally geeks out on all things workers' comp. He eloquently describes workers' compensation as a "...beautiful marriage between law and medicine." He is a wonderful teacher and mentor, contributing countless hours to teaching others about our industry. 

Grab your favorite beverage, hop on the treadmill, go for a walk or do whatever you like to do  while listening to podcasts. Get ready...it's going to be a bumpy, but very cool ride!

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Can you believe it? We have released 14 episodes with more on the way! Our editor is on a break, so we decided to pause and reflect on our podcast episodes completed so far. We have really enjoyed getting to know the folks in the workers' compensation industry, learning about their career paths, decisions made from college that brought them to where they are today. 

We think it is such a fascinating way to peel back the layers and learn more about our guests and the workers' compensation and insurance industries. 

So grab your favorite beverage and take a break with us. This is a short one and we hope you will enjoy this bonus track as we think about our podcasting journey and share some good laughs along the way. 

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In our latest episode, we chat with Margaret Spence,  CEO & Founder of C. Douglas & Associates and the Inclusion Learning Lab. Margaret is based in West Palm Beach and has traveled a very interesting career path. From adjusting claims, to underwriting, to risk management and human resources, she has covered a lot of ground in the industry. She has seen and done most of it. 

Margaret calls herself a "Catalyst For Workplace Inclusion, Equity, & Respect For Diverse Individuals." Diversity, equity and inclusion has become her primary focus when speaking in the industry. 

Find out why Margaret started the Inclusion Learning Lab and what it means to be an ally.  According to Margaret,  every single person brings diversity to the table and inclusion means that we look at the lense of every person and we say: "Who is forgotten?"

Learn more about Margaret and the Inclusion Learning Lab at https://margaretspence.com/

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Meet Steve Nichols who joins us from the Austin, Texas area. If you want to know anything about Texas legislative issues, Steve is your person. Get to know him and subscribe to his Texas newsletter. Currently working as a consultant, Steve, served for many years as the Insurance Council of Texas (ICT) Manager of Workers’ Compensation Services. 

Prior to joining ICT, Steve worked for the Texas Workers’ Compensation Commission as the manager of medical dispute resolution, APA hearing administrator, and mediator. He also served 23 years in the military on active duty and as a reservist as a paralegal and military law office manager. Steve is a graduate of the University of Maryland and Troy State University.

Tune in as Yvonne and Rafael chat with Steve about how he got started in workers' comp and how he has navigated his career. 

In this episode, you'll learn about Texas workers' comp, recent legislative issues, Steve's experience with lobbying and more! Listen to the end to hear about Steve and Yvonne's Panama connection. 

For more on Steve's Texas newsletter visit: https://www.stevewnichols.com/

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Bret Cade, senior sales executive with Ascential Care Partners, lives in the Greater Atlanta area and has enjoyed a successful career in the workers' comp industry. Recently he sat down with Yvonne and Rafael and chatted about his career in the workers compensation industry.  

While he graduated from college with the dream to become a sports broadcaster, when that didn't pan out, he started working as a vocational rehab counselor for a company in Savannah, GA. That put him on a much different path.  Listen to this episode to hear how Bret has navigated his career and how he ultimately ended up excelling at sales. 

Bret shares advice on how to approach sales in workers' comp: 

• Do your homework on a client.
• What do they need?
• What problem can you solve for them?
• Get to know the business by getting to know your colleagues.
• Don't let "NO" keep you from building relationships.

Rafael and Bret worked together in the past, so they share a special history and bond. Listen to them reminisce about working together as well as sharing their family stories.

Stay tuned to the end to learn about Bret's connection to Crete and a few Minoan secrets!

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If you don't know Ya'Sheaka Williams, you ought to! She is one of the absolute best in the business. She is young, already with a good number of years of experience under her belt, she is smart, honest, funny, kind and genuinely interested in doing the right thing. 

In this episode, Yvonne and Rafael chat with Ya'Sheaka about her career, how she got started and some of the obstacles she has had to overcome along the way. Ralph goes straight to the heart of the matter, asking Ya'Sheaka to tell our listeners what it was like coming into a male-dominated industry as a black woman. 

Yes HE did that! And her answers are full of good advice for all women in the workers' comp industry. Her outlook is amazing - so positive and focused on advocating for the injured worker.  Ya'Sheaka often speaks at conferences and works hard to educate the industry. 

Regardless of your role in the industry, Ya'Sheaka offers an honest and refreshing glimpse into her career as a defense attorney. She is based in Tampa, Florida and is the managing partner for the law offices of Eraclides, Gelman. 

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Heading into Labor Day Weekend, Yvonne and Rafael pause to wish you and your family a fun, safe and peaceful weekend. We have enjoyed our podcasting journey thus far and we hope you have too. 

Please take a moment to subscribe to Deconstructing Comp on your favorite podcast platform, and we would love it if you give us a rating and review. This helps others find our podcast too. We wouldn't want anyone to miss out on all the fun, now would we? 

Hasta luego amigos! 

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In this episode, Yvonne and Rafael chat with Brian Allen, Vice President Governmental Affairs at Mitchell Pharmacy Solutions.  Brian is one of the smartest and fascinating individuals in our industry and he joins us from Salt Lake City, Utah. 

Tune into this conversation as we learn about the interesting and varied twists and turns of Brian's career. He has done many things including working in law enforcement, banking, and insurance sales to name a few. He has also served in the Utah legislature, and for the past 18 years, he has focused on lobbying and governmental affairs. This includes tracking legislation in all 50 states and working with state legislatures to ensure they understand the full impact of pending or proposed legislation. 

If you'd like to learn more about what lobbyists do in our industry, and what Mitchell Pharmacy Solutions does,  Brian gives a great overview and it is worth a listen. 

Brian discusses the top legislative issues happening at the time of recording in the Summer of 2021 and offers some really good advice to those looking for their "spot" in the industry. 

Listen to the very end to discover a big surprise about Brian that you may not know!

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In this episode, Yvonne and Rafael chat with Jennifer Wolf of International Association of Industrial Accident Boards & Commissions (IAIABC) founded 107 years ago.  Jenn is the executive director of IAIABC. She is an absolute gem of a person and a delight to engage with in conversation. Our industry is so lucky to have her...she is smart, she has a wonderful sense of humor and she is so knowledgeable about workers' compensation and the industry at large.  
Listen in as we chat about how she arrived in the industry, her memorable first day on the job, her podcast, Accidentally, and her thoughts about the important role of workers' compensation in society. 

Jenn shares about what is the IAIABC and how they believe that bringing together people from all states and countries, to discuss, explore and debate the issues that exists in the workers' compensation system helps to improve and shape the system for the future. 

She talks about the fragile balance between the two competing tensions in the system, that of the employer and employee,  and why ensuring that both voices are well-represented in the system are essential. 

We invite you to listen and learn from Jenn as she openly shares what she has learned and some of the obstacles she has overcome in her career.  

BONUS: at the end we have a fun round-robin review of some workers' compensation acronyms! 

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Yvonne and Rafael talk with Mark Pew, also known as the Rx Professor. Mark shares some recent, somewhat unsettling news, that has caused him to switch gears quickly, resulting in the launch of The RxProfessor, LLC. 

We are super excited about Mark's future in our industry. For many years he has been a prolific writer, speaker and presenter, focusing on topics that have to do with the "intersection of chronic pain and appropriate treatment."

In this episode, we talk about important life lessons, the need to focus on and build resilience within yourself, and the importance of building your professional network. 

Also, you'll hear about one of Mark's passion projects "The Transitions" an organization  addressing the issues of passing the torch, mentoring the next generation of workers' comp professionals, and how and why it was formed. Check The Transitions out on Linked In, or on YouTube, look for "The Transitions Online." If you are interested in mentoring other professionals, or want to be mentored yourself, please reach out to Mark Pew. 

To learn more about Mark Pew and his current whereabouts, visit his website:  https://therxprofessor.com/

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Yvonne and Rafael catch up with Danielle Lisenbey, President of Medrisk. In this episode, she talks about the laughs she gets from watching her 2 year old grandson try to fit into his "Papa's shoes"; what it has been like to transition from Broadspire to Medrisk during the pandemic; how she got into the workers' comp industry; how she developed her affinity for adjusters and nurse case managers; why engineers should consider a career in our industry; how she thinks the new generations can help move the needle forward in workers' comp; how she has handled adversity and obstacles throughout her career and her advice for newcomers or people looking for where they "fit" in the industry. She underscores the need for women in particular to learn about financial acumen.

Danielle is one of the strongest advocates for women leadership, diversity and inclusion and serves as board member of the Alliance of Women in WC and also Cadence Rx.

You can learn more about Medrisk here: https://www.medrisknet.com/

Learn more about Alliance of Women in Workers' Compensation here https://allianceofwomen.org/ as well as local chapters of Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS) at https://rims.org/

These are two organizations she specifically mentioned for networking and there are many more. Reach out to Yvonne or Rafael if you would like more information on other networking organizations in our industry. We'd be happy to help you with that!

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In this episode, Yvonne and Rafael talk with Jim Anderson, defense attorney and senior founding member of Mississippi law firm Anderson Crawley & Burke, pllc with offices in Jackson and Oxford.

Jim is one of the most knowledgeable people around when it comes to workers' compensation, particularly in the state of Mississippi. He is also one of the most dedicated folks in our industry, demonstrating what it means to be a servant leader.

In addition to his law practice, he's heavily involved with organizing the Mississippi Workers' Compensation Educational Conference, the National Review of Workers' Compensation at the WCI conference in Orlando, he's on the board of the Faith-Based Claims Association, and also involved with numerous charitable projects in the workers' comp industry.

Listen to this episode as we navigate a deep dive into the legal aspects of MS workers' comp with Jim Anderson and learn a few fun facts along the way.

You can find information about the conference Jim mentioned, organized by the Mississippi Workers' Compensation Educational Association, here: https://www.mwcea.org/

Books mentioned by Jim:
"Red Sky Over Hawaii" by Sara Ackerman
"The Four Winds" by Kristin Hannah

Here is a link to Steve Martin's "Cruel Shoes" a comedy skit and book by the same name that was popular in the late 1970s that Jim referenced at the beginning of the episode.

Hasta luego amigos!

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Get ready for a jam-packed episode with co-hosts Yvonne and Rafael as they chat with their friend and colleague Mollie Kallen. Mollie is president and CEO of MKCM Inc., a nationwide case management firm specializing in workers' compensation and catastrophic case management services. Mollie is serious when it comes to the business of case management and also giving back to the workers' comp industry. WARNING: lots of laughs in this episode!

(2:50) Mollie reveals what she did before getting into workers’ comp and how she was introduced to the workers’ comp industry

(6:10) Mollie explains why she loves workers’ comp

(9:05) Pivoting with Telehealth services during Covid

(12:00) Mollie explains what a typical day looks like for a workers’ comp case manager

(16:25) What are the prerequisites for becoming a case manager?

(20:50) Mollie’s vision for case management in workers’ comp

(25:45) Mollie shares 3 nuggets of advice for industry newcomers

(31:20) Mollie discuss her love of travel and why she and Yvonne are co-hosting the 2021 Around the World Virtual Tour

(34:15) Rafael and Mollie chat about social determinants of health and what they mean for injured workers

(36:33) The importance of trust: a key issue when working with injured workers

(39:00)  Contact Mollie at her email: mollie@mkcminc.com 

(40:20) Fun with abbreviations mentioned in the episode

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Join Yvonne and Rafael for a conversation with Dr. Claire Muselman, Vice President Workers' Compensation Center of Excellence at NARS.  Claire is an absolute powerhouse. She's blazing new trails in the workers' compensation industry. She is making waves AND making positive changes in our industry. Pull up a seat and let's chat with Claire...

Episode Highlights:
(3:25) Claire on her new role at North American Risk Services (NARS)
(7:15) Claire: what a Workers' Compensation Center of Excellence is and does 
(12:20) Rafael: the #1 reason people seek a workers' comp attorney
(15:15) Claire: proactive communication keeps claims on track
(23:25) Claire does NOT like the "C" word! Words matter. 
(28:45) How Claire ended up in workers' compensation.  
(31:35) Claire on the ripple effect in workers' compensation.
(32:30) What keeps Claire in workers' comp?
(37:15) Claire: "...the biggest issues injured workers' have: communication."
(40:00) Sometimes, workers' comp processes don't make sense...
(42:43) A surprising fact about Claire. 

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Get to know Jeff Adelson, a workers' compensation defense attorney in Newport Beach, CA. In this episode, Jeff shares openly about his background, his unsuccessful attempt to NOT land his first job as a lawyer, and his reasons for "choosing" to practice law in the workers' compensation industry, something he says is rare. He also offers sage advice for professionals looking to find their path in this complex industry. 

Jeff is one of the nicest, most decent people you will ever meet in the workers' comp industry. He is thoughtful, he has a wicked sense of humor, and he is an advocate for doing the right thing (yes, even when it is hard), anti-bullying in the workplace, and emotional intelligence.

You can connect with Jeff through his law firm's website https://adelsonmclean.com/

The book Jeff mentions during the episode is: Working by Studs Terkel. 

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In this episode, Yvonne and Rafael welcome special guest Michele Adams, VP Risk Management Operations and Casualty Claims at Walmart, as they chat about her transition after a 24-year career with Disney. 

Michele shares interesting tidbits and insights that she discovered about herself through the recent transition as well as how she managed such a big career move in the midst of the pandemic.  She also shares her advice for people who are either new to the workers' compensation industry or thinking about a career change. 

So, grab a seat, settle in, and let's chat with Michele!

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In this episode, Yvonne and Rafael discuss why they decided to get into podcasting, and what they plan to accomplish in their episodes. Learn a few things about these co-hosts that perhaps you didn't know before and what is driving them to explore the complex workers' compensation industry, one conversation at a time. 

Among other things, they chat about their background,  a few things they have in common, and what areas they plan to explore in upcoming discussions with guests. 

Grab a cup of coffee, or your favorite beverage and listen in as Yvonne and Rafael share their excitement for launching their first episodes of Deconstructing Comp. 

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Welcome to Deconstructing Comp! Listen to Yvonne and Rafael as they introduce their new podcast. They chat about their approach to discussions about issues in the workers' compensation industry and a few interesting twists.