Boston will host the Workers Compensation Research Institute’s Annual Issues & Research Conference on March 12-13th 2014
The 2014 Annual Issues and Research Conference will be taking place this week from March 12th – 13th at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel. The annual event is hosted by the Cambridge-based Workers Compensation Research Institute. Founded in 1983, the WCRI is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to providing original and insightful data on public policy issues facing state worker’s compensation systems. Notably, the institute emphasizes that it does not take positions on the issues that it researches, rather it attempts to provide objective fact-based studies based on data-collection and peer-review procedures.
The focus of this year’s Annual Conference will be on the impact of national healthcare reform and how that directly affects state workers’ compensation systems. Entitled “Upheaval in the Market for Health Care – Facts and Myths” the conference will include seven major components:[pullquote]Anyone working to improve workers’ compensation systems or seeking to manage a changing environment will benefit from attending… –WCRI Institute[/pullquote]
- WCRI Researchers who will present their findings on medical cost drivers and worker outcomes of care;
- Harry Shuford of the NCCI who will analyze “How the Economy Drives Workers’ Compensation”;
- Alex Swedlow of CWCI who will discuss “The Form and Function of Medical Treatment Dispute Resolution”;
- Professor Jon Gruber of MIT and Dr. Richard Victor of the WCRI who together will assess how health care reform will unfold, the impact on worker’s compensation, and which states will be most affected;
- David North of Sedgwick, Donald Hunter of AIG and Chris Cunniff of Liberty Mutual who will take part in an expert panel that will examine the future of workers’ comp and healthcare reform;
- Dr. Sreekanth Chaguturu of Partners Healthcare who will give an explanation of Accountable Care Organizations and how leading provider organizations are implementing them; and
- Ramona Tanabe and her CompScope colleagues who will finish off the conference by presenting recent lessons from the WCRI’s Core Benchmark Studies.
The cost of the two-day seminar is $715 for WCRI members, $875 for non-members, $80 for spouses. Registration will begin at 11AM on Wednesday, March 12 and the conference will run from 1:15PM to 4:00PM on Wednesday and 8:15A to 2:45PM on Thursday. In addition, a networking reception will also be held for attendees on Wednesday, March 12th from 5:30-7:30PM. A Luncheon will be held on Thursday the 13th at 12 Noon.
For those interested in attending the conference, registration can be done online here or by contacting Stephanie Deeley of the WCRI. According to the WCRI, the 2014 conference has been approved for 8.25 credits for Certified Workers’ Compensation Professionals (CWCP), 7.25 credits for Certified Rehabilitation Counselors (CRC), 7.25 credits for Certified Case Managers (CCM, and 7.25 credits for Certified Disability Management Specialists (CDMS).
