Causation of Workers’ Compensation Claims & Occupational Injuries
By: Steven Babitsky, Esq.
One of the best methods for employers, insurers, and self-insurers to reduce workers’ compensation costs is to deny claims that are truly not work-related. The confusion about which claims are truly defensible costs employers millions of dollars a year. All too often work-related claims are denied resulting in unnecessary and costly litigation and non-work-related claims are paid erroneously. How can employers work with their insurers to obtain a more robust understanding of when to properly deny a workers’ compensation claim? In-depth training on the issue of causation is needed.
Dr. Mark Melhorn will be presenting Causation of Occupational Injuries: Fact or Fiction at the SEAK 33rd Annual National Workers’ Compensation and Occupational Medicine Conference to be held on July15, 2013 on Cape Cod, MA.
A summary of the full day of training is as follows:
This unique preconference is for anyone who is involved with workers’ compensation and occupational health. Every new workers’ compensation case involves the determination of causation. The evidence based science of causation has been difficult to assemble. This course will bring together the science of causation, the law, and the daily application of both. This course is based on the AMA Press book entitled “Guides to the Evaluation of Disease and Injury Causation” edited by Melhorn and Ackerman.
J. Mark Melhorn, MD, FAAOS, FAADEP, FACS, is an occupational orthopaedic physician that specializes in the hands and upper extremities. He received his BS from McPherson College and his MD from the University of Kansas. Dr. Melhorn is board certified in orthopedic surgery with added qualifications in surgery of the hand. In addition to his practice of orthopaedics at The Hand Center in Wichita, Kansas, Dr. Melhorn is a Clinical Assistant Professor, Section of Orthopaedics, Department of Surgery, University of Kansas School of Medicine – Wichita. He has authored over 350 articles, chapters, and publications about his research of workplace injuries and illnesses; return to work options; impairment and disability; and prevention of musculoskeletal pain in the workplace. He has lectured extensively to physicians, employers, insurers, administrators, and legislators on industrial musculoskeletal, upper extremity disorders, and prevention of musculoskeletal pain (MSDs) in the workplace. He is currently the program director for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons continuing education course on “Occupational Orthopaedics and Workers’ Compensation: A Multidisciplinary Perspective” and for the American Academy of Disability Evaluating Physicians on “Annual Scientific Meeting,” serves on the Board of Directors for the American Academy of Disability Evaluating Physicians, the Committee for Occupational Health for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Industrial Injuries and Prevention Committee for the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, Return to Work Committee and the Evidence Based Practice Committee for the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, lead contributor section of Upper Extremities for the American Medical Association’s 6th Edition of Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment and 5th edition chapter reviewer, co-section editor for musculoskeletal area of the Medical Advisory Board for Medical Disability Advisor – Disability Duration Guidelines and the Official Disabilities Guidelines (ODG) of the Work Loss Data Institute, Editorial Board of APG Insights Newsletter (designed as supplement, interpretation and application of the ACOEM Clinical Practice Guidelines), previous member of the Ergonomic Committee for the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, past president of the Kansas Orthopedic Society, Continuing Medical Education committee for AAOS, a Musculoskeletal Chapter Reviewer for the American Medical Association’s 5th Edition of Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, and previous faculty for continuing education courses by SEAK and American Board of Independent Medical Examiners. Dr. Melhorn is the co-editor of the text “A Physicians’ Guide to Return to Work” AMA Press (2005), Guides to the Evaluation of Disease and Injury Causation AMA Press (2007) and is the lead author for the Upper Extremity Chapter in the 6th Edition of the AMA Guides to Impairment.
The SEAK 33rd Annual National Workers’ Compensation and Occupational Medicine Conference will be held on July16-18, 2013 on Cape Cod, MA.