Posted on June 19th, 2024 in IWCI Board Member Introductions
What is your current role within IWCI and how long have you been a part of IWCI?
– I am currently the president of the north east chapter of IWCI. I have been performing these duties for the last six months roughly and helping to revive chapter activities with the help of previous chapter leaders. I have participated in IWC events in the past, prior to COVID-19 restrictions, but only as a participant and not in a leadership role.
How do you interface with Indiana worker’s comp claims in your work
– As a physical therapist I have the opportunity to work directly with injured workers on a regular basis. This allows me to bring up concerns which come up from day today with physicians as well as caseworkers and on occasion insurance companies. I appreciate the ability to have a close relationship with the patient I treat in order to best represent them to the other medical personnel involved in their care.
What are some of the unique challenges and opportunities you see in interacting with work comp claims in Indiana
– While I enjoy being part of the care team for injured workers I do find it quite difficult at times to achieve prompt services and authorization for continuation of treatments due to communication barriers which exist between all those involved in each patient’s care. This is something I strive to help improve in the worker’s Compensation system by attempting to remain open to and provide regular communication case managers and physicians specifically.
What has been the best part of being a member of IWCI and the Indiana work comp community?
– I truly enjoy being able to participate in IWC events as they help better educate me to provide optimum care to my patients. I also enjoy being able to rub shoulders with others in this care network to be able to open up better lines of communication to improve upon the already difficult experience of injuring oneself while on the job, and returning to maximal functional capacity afterward.
Jordan Tait, DPT, Cert. MDT
Steppin’ Up Physical Therapy
Fort Wayne, IN
Posted on June 14th, 2024 in Message from the President

I have always loved baseball. I grew up with the Chicago Cubs always on TV, I played in little leagues, All-Star and Pony leagues (way back before travel ball was a thing) and high school. My roommates in college played on the team and I just never lost my joy for the game. Much of it is just that it encompasses so much of what the summer is all about, and that sheer optimism and hope for what lies ahead. Now that baseball is back in season, it just feels like things are getting back to normal. The weather is getting warmer, plants are growing and joy and optimism for the future months are expanding. Setting aside that the runner above technically should have been out, but the way he used his helmet to touch the base just made me smile for a moment! That’s the joy of baseball and the anticipation of what might be next.

With that context, I just wanted to touch base and let you all know what is happening around the diamond at the IWCI and what is rounding third and racing for home.

We are rolling out some new content where we will highlight an IWCI Board Member so you can all get to know us a little better! We also plan on providing updated information on all future events for each of our Chapters. Please keep an eye out for this information!

As we mentioned in the last newsletter, the Northeast Chapter has re-started operations and has had a few very successful events so far. Keep looking out for emails from the NE President, Jordan Tait.

In more Board news, please join me in welcoming Angela Elkins and Andrea Grubb as our newest IWCI Board members! They have already been to a couple meetings, and we love their input. As a reminder, if you are interested in joining the Board and helping with our programming, please login into the Member section of www.iwci.org and submit a Board Application.

Finally, on the Board member front, we are sad to report that our Treasurer and (at least two time) past President Vernon Poland has announced his pending retirement and resignation from the Board. Vernon has been an extremely valuable and dedicated member of the Board for so many years. I know he has always been valuable in providing any guidance and assistance I have needed and has served so many different roles. It is rare for someone to volunteer so much to an organization, and we have been very blessed to have Vernon’s steady hand for so many years. We will miss you Vernon and thank you so much for all your incredible years of making the IWCI a better place!

Additionally, we are proud to announce the Dr. Courtney Johnson will assume the role of Vice President of the IWCI and will become our next President in August of 2025! With Vernon leaving us, Dr. Bob Gregori will also take over as our new Treasurer. Please join us in welcoming Courtney and Bob to these new roles!

We also have some excellent events upcoming, so mark your calendars!

You should be seeing emails in support of the 2024 IWCI Golf Outing on June 21, 2024, once again at Ironwood. Who will win the Coriden Cup this year? I know I want it back! Get those teams ready and please consider sponsoring a hole and joining in on the fun.

Our Annual Conference will once again be held at the Marriott North at Keystone at the Crossing. This year it will take place on August 8 and 9, 2024. We have an excellent slate of topics and some very entertaining speakers and are finalizing our agenda at this moment. Please look out for more information in the coming weeks.

We are also working on another fun event in the Fall. I’m not ready to announce that one yet, but we are looking at a fun and unique get together. We also are planning on a Holiday get together sometime in early December, so watch for more information.

Finally, we have a Membership Committee looking into some exciting additions to member benefits, including updating our website. We haven’t touched that in a few years, and it is time to add some new content. Also, any and all suggestions are always welcome.

Thank you for circling the bases with us. We hope to see you all at one or more of our events soon!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steve Koers

IWCI President

Posted on January 21st, 2024 in Message from the President

IWCI NEWSLETTER

Reflections…and Anticipations

The end of every year is always a time to reflect on the events of the past and to look forward to new opportunities. What I take away from 2023 is that it was a year where we began to return to some sense of normalcy. Many businesses and employers are still being cautious, but we continue to see greater turnout at our IWCI and industry events. We hope that this trend continues and that we all able to increase our social and professional experiences together in 2024!

The greatest challenge the IWCI Board faced in the beginning of 2023 was that the world was just not yet ready to jump back into a full calendar of events. There was, and to a substantial degree still is, a reluctance to return to events with large attendance. However, as the year has progressed, we have seen significant growth in interest and attendance at events. While we are not back to pre-pandemic levels, the IWCI Board has been extremely pleased with the increasing enthusiasm.

In looking back at 2023, it seems our themes turned out to be transition and growth. The beginning of 2023 saw the Board add two new members to our ranks, when the Board approved the applications of Dr. Courtney Johnson and Rachel Miller. Both Courtney and Rachel have been excellent additions, bringing new perspectives and ideas. This is also a good time to remind everyone that if you are interested in joining the Board and helping with our programming, please login into the Member section of www.iwci.org and submit a Board Application.

As far as events, the Board started cautiously, respecting the concerns of employers with sending employees to public meetings. On April 27, the Board hosted a Webinar on PPI ratings, presented by Dr. Gregori, which drew better than expected attendance. Moreover, we learned from feedback that our members desired more in person contact, when possible.

That sentiment was never more true than at our annual IWCI Coriden Cup Golf Outing at Ironwood GC on June 23. We saw near record turnout, and everyone had a fun time with beautiful weather. We are already looking forward to next year. The excitement continued with our Annual Conference on August 8-9 at the Marriott North. Once again, we saw increased attendance and we heard so many great compliments on the speakers and agenda. If you have ideas for topics for next year, please let us know, as we want to make sure we serve the needs of everyone.

In addition, in September we saw the Northeast Chapter of the IWCI re-started operations. If you are in that area and would like to contribute to that Chapter, please contact the new NE President Jordan Tait at (jordan@steppinuppt.com). I know Jordan and his committee are hard at work planning events and would love any assistance and participation. Also, if you are in the Northwest area, we are still looking for interested people to re-start the NW Chapter’s activities. Please feel free to reach out to any Board member and we can help start that process.

We also have been hard at work planning for our Annual Holiday Party set for next Thursday, December 7, 2023. While last year we had a successful speaker and cocktail party, we continued to hear that people wanted to interact more. The Board has heard those desires and has scheduled a cocktail hour and Monte Carlo night at the Marriott North. The Sertoma Club is manning the casino tables and donating proceeds from the event, so please come out and help this worthy cause. There is still time to sign up and we hope to see you there! Let’s continue to build upon this momentum and close out 2023 in style!

While 2023 has been a great year, we were all saddened by the loss of our dear friend Terry Coriden on April 25. Terry’s impact on the Indiana worker’s compensation community was immense, and his presence will be greatly missed. Our friends at Kid’s Chance held a memorial service the night before the IWCI Golf Outing and raised an unbelievable amount of money in his honor. Terry’s presence was definitely felt at his namesake Coriden Cup…especially when his brother-in-law hit a hole in one at the event! We will miss you Terry.

I also want to take a moment to thank Dr. Greg Hale for his many years of incredible contributions to IWCI. Dr. Hale has informed us that he will be retiring from the IWCI Board at the end of 2023. The Indiana Psychology Board has asked him to be its Chairman and those duties, along with his practice, will take much of his time. Dr. Hale has been a true pillar of the IWCI, as he was involved in the early days of the IWCI dating to 1991, and officially joined the Board in 2010. Dr. Hale has not only served a couple terms as President of IWCI, but he has been a trusted mentor and friend to all of us on the Board. The IWCI would not be the same without his incredible efforts. Personally, Greg has been a huge influence on me, and I have come to rely on his advice. I will miss you my friend, as will everyone. I know Dr. Hale will continue to attend our events, including the Holiday Party next week. Please stop by and join us to congratulate Dr. Hale on his new position and wish him well.

While 2023 has been a year of transition and growth, we are even more excited for the opportunities that 2024 holds. The Board is looking to add more events and to expand on those successful traditions. We are extremely excited to announce a new bowling event in April! Please be on the lookout for more information, but this is going to be a fun and exciting event.

We are currently in the early stages of planning other 2024 events for our members, including a Webinar for April, as well as a Social Happy Hour in May. Mark your calendars for the 2024 Golf Outing on June 21, 2024, once again at Ironwood. Get those teams ready to take home the Coriden Cup! We have also already booked the Annual Conference for August 3-4, 2024, so once again let us know of any topics you would like us to consider. Later in 2024, we are looking at either a Webinar or other function in October, and plan to close 2024 out with our Annual Holiday Party, perhaps bringing back a more formal event if there is significant interest.

Just as 2023 allowed us to increase our functions and events, we really do anticipate expanding on those events in 2024. We are excited for our coming agenda and really hope to provide even more great programming in the new year. Please feel free to reach out and let us know what you would like to see us do more of to serve the IWCI. Here’s to remembering an encouraging 2023 and to anticipating the even better celebrations of 2024!

Steve Koers | IWCI President