The Workers' Compensation Institute 2021 is right around the corner. In less than two weeks we will all be back in the familiarity of the World Center, among friends, colleagues, and contemporaries. There will be the familiar lamentation that one cannot absorb it all, there is an abundance of programming. As Willy Wonka said: "so much time and so little to do. Wait a minute. Strike that. Reverse it." (Paramount 1971).
What are we to do? We make choices, as hard as that is. So, in an attempt to assist in your endeavor, here are some thoughts on the program this year.
Monday, December 13, 2021 10:00-11:30 Palms Canary
First, the Industry Keynote is a "must see." I am privileged to be on this panel for 2021, but it is not me you should come to see. The insight you will gain into the challenges of workers' compensation will be both broad and deep. The Out Front Ideas team (Kimberly George and Mark Walls) have built an amazingly insightful panel. Michele Adams from WalMart, K. Max Koonce from Sedgwick, and Susan Shemanski from Adecco. This is a national or international perspective on the workers' compensation process and systems. The main question to be answered is not the "does our system do harm" as the title suggests, but "how does our system do harm." Come excavate with us and get perspective on where we are challenged, and thus where we might shine.
Close second: Monday, December 13, 2021 9:00-11:00 Crystal J-1
If you want to focus instead on equity and inclusion, This is a packed program focused on DEI - Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion. There are a multitude of speakers and they are addressing the challenges of talent management, moving beyond "lofty policies," and developing "sustainable actions." This is a hot topic and the roundtable participants will be outstanding.
Monday afternoon it is traditional to recommend the District Court Oral Arguments (Canary 2:15-3:15). That is always a great alternative.
However, you also cannot miss with a Lessons Learned (Crystal J-1) beginning at 1:00. This will explore our changing world, industry, and community due to the "Impact of COVID-19 on Claim Composition" (1:00-2:15) and evolve into the impact on the players and practices (2:30-3:30). You could easily glean valuable insight and foundation from these speakers. The list includes a who's who, but Dave North of Sedgwick, John Ruser of WCRI, Abbie Hudgens of Tennessee's Bureau, and more will bring an unbelievable gravity and perhaps some levity to what we have all been through. More importantly, on what tomorrow holds.
If you have any energy left, the SAWCA Regulator Roundtable is just around the corner in Crystal G-1 from 2:00 to 4:30. When the Lessons Learned wraps, you are steps away from one of the most talent-packed rooms at the WCI. Regulators from 18 jurisdictions will be addressing what is hot in the industry. What a great way to cap off your first day.
On Tuesday, the Lessons Learned theme continues 9:00 to 10:00 in Crystal J1 with Frank McKay of Georgia leading discussion of judicial perspectives on litigating in a "COVID Age." What has changed, where are we, and where are we headed? Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida adjudicators will be in this discussion. It is followed by a stellar panel of attorneys bringing us what the practitioners have learned at 10:15- 11:15. A Must see.
A close second for Tuesday morning is the perennial favorite live surgery. From 8:45 to 9:45 in Palms Canary, Randy Schwartzberg will be performing a lower extremity surgery while Dr. Warrell narrates and addresses questions. This is a favorite, because it is visual, instructive, and interesting. But, it makes for tough choices Tuesday morning.
Later Tuesday morning (11:00-12:00), there is a fantastic program in the Risk Manager group. Publix Risk Management VP Marc Salm will lead a discussion (Grand 7A) on what is "next" in workers' compensation. With "three of the most prominent and respected representatives" in the community, this discussion will bring incredible insight as to our future.
Tuesday afternoon there is a Florida-centric case law update (Palms Canary) 2:15-4:15; an outstanding perspective on "Women Trail Blazers (Grand 8B), 3:00-4:00; A first-responder occupational disease expose (Crystal H) 3:15-5:15; and more.
Wednesday morning, 8:00-12:15, I will host the conclusion of the Lessons Learned (Crystal Ballroom, J1) theme as we address cybersecurity for the first time in WCI history. I will be joined by the University of West Florida's Center for Cybersecurity, GodSky Cybersecurity, and Attorney Eric Adams. We will strive to make the threats of hackers and data interference make sense. We will be focusing on the impacts to the business of workers' compensation, the sharing of information and data, and the threats that loom. This will also include critical information on the legal implications of cyber threats, liabilities, insurance and more. If you touch anyone's data, you should be concerned about and interested in your responsibilities, threats, and challenges.
I am so looking forward to seeing everyone and hearing of your trials and triumphs. In a nutshell, there is undoubtedly too much to do and too little time. But, it is also fairly hard to go wrong with a curriculum this broad and deep. The speakers are phenomenal, and frankly it has just been too long since we gathered. I hope to see you soon in Orlando!