2019 Tennessee Physician/Attorney/Mental Health Providers Conference

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the 2019 Tennessee Physician/Attorney/Mental Health Providers Conference at the Sheraton Music City Hotel in Nashville in March.

This event was organized by the Tennessee Bureau of Workers' Compensation in cooperation with The International Workers' Compensation Foundation.

This special educational conference focused on medical topics of particular importance for physicians, attorneys, mental health providers, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, medical and administrative staff, and other professionals interested in medical issues involving Tennessee workers' compensation claims.

Topics Included:

Mental Health Conditions in Tennessee Workers' Compensation

• What Does the Law Say and How Has It Been Interpreted - Mark Finks/Troy Haley
• Mental Health Conditions: Diagnosis, Impact, Symptoms & Barriers in Workers' Compensation - Les Kertay
• PTSD: Background, Definition, Making an Accurate Diagnosis and the Implications for Workers' Compensation - Les Kertay
  
• Ethical Considerations - Les Kertay
• Causation: Specificity, Collateral Information, Analysis and Determination - Les Kertay and James Talmage
• Diagnosis to Outcome: Communications & Steps toward Return-to-Work - Les Kertay and James Talmage
• Practical Aspects of Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI) & Permanent Impairment (PI) for Mental Illnesses: Tests, Methods, & Requirements - Les Kertay and James Talmage
• Questions & Other Topics - Les Kertay and James Talmage Return to Work: What You Need to Know Before Signing the Slip Are There  Legal Requirements? - Mark Finks/Troy Haley
• Evaluating Ability, Capacity, & Motivation in the Clinic - James Talmage
• The Good and the Bad about Written Job Descriptions - Dan Headrick
  
• Vital but Not Used Information: Job Demand Analysis, Ergometric Analysis, Fitness for Duty - Dan Headrick
• Modified Duty and Transitional/Progressive Duty from the Employer's Perspective - Nancy Kelly
• The  Proper Use of Work Hardening and Work Conditioning - Jeffery Hazlewood
• Functional Capacity Evaluations, the Latest Evidence - James Talmage

Overview of TN WC Programs: MIRR (Medical Impairment Rating Registry), Electronic Billing, RETAIN (Retaining Employment and Talent After Injury Network), Next Step (Vocational Rehabilitation Funding) - Jay Blaisdell

Workers' Compensation in the New Administration and in this Legislative Session - Mark Finks/Troy Haley

Here and Now: Medical Marijuana, THC and CBD - Jeffery Hazlewood

Duties & Responsibilities of the Authorized Treating Physician (ATP)

• What Does the Law Say and How Has It Been Interpreted - Mark Finks/Troy Haley
• Duties & Responsibilities, and Outline - Robert Snyder
  
• What Do the Stakeholders Think and What Do They Need? - Panel: Nancy Kelly (Averitt), Michael Fisher, Allen Callison

Causation, Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI) & Permanent Impairment (PI)

• What Does the Law Say? - Mark Finks/Troy Haley
• "401" Level Course on Causation, Aggravation and Pre-existing Conditions
  
  • Causation and Setting Expectations - Allen Callison
  • Protecting the Treatment and Options of the Patient -Michael Fisher
    
  • Case Presentations - Jeffery Hazlewood
  • How to Properly Answer the Lawyer's Questions: Panel: Jeffery Hazlewood, James Talmage, Allen Callison, Michael Fisher

The Near Future

• Difference in Medical Treatment, Can It Be Changed to Improve Outcomes? The "BPSE" Model - Robert Snyder
  
• Opioids in WC, State and Industry Status
  Friction Points: UR, Adjusters, CM, Forms, Reports, Letters - Panel: Michael Fisher, Allen Callison, James Talmage, Jeffery Hazlewood

Program Faculty

Robert Snyder, M.D., James Talmage, M.D., FAADEP. FACOEM, Jeffery Hazlewood, M.D., Jay Blaisdell, M.A., Allen Callison, J.D., Mark Finks, J.D., Troy Haley, J.D., Dan Headrick, PT, CEAS III, ASTYM, BS, Nancy Kelly R.N., COHN-S/CM, Les Kertay, Ph.D., ABPP