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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