Posted on February 24th, 2020 in Message from the President

As January flew by, we saw little snow and barely as much sunshine.  So, I will attempt to brighten your day with a few positive thoughts.  We are less than 40 days away form the first day of spring, gaining almost 2 minutes of daylight each day!  To celebrate

the end of winter, we have scheduled our next luncheon for Thursday, March 19th.  Dr. David Schwartz, spine surgeon with OrthoIndy, will be educating us on spinal injuries and when to consider surgical treatment.

In addition, I am excited to report that our Annual Seminar is scheduled for August 13th and 14th at the Marriott East.  We are finalizing the agenda and plan to repeat the format that was popular last year.  We are again collaborating with the Indiana Work Comp Board, as they will be presenting on legislative and procedural updates to include a lively discussion on EDI and the forms that accompany claims.  We have several surgeons updating us on spine, shoulders and knees.  We will have a presentation on bad faith and another on ethics in the workplace.  We are also going to cover mild TBI/Concussions and include a presentation on when and how a neuropsychological consult can help manage an injured worker.  Due to many of your requests, we will have our first presentation on marijuana and CBD, titled “Purple Haze”.  Lastly, our Keynote Speaker, Dr. Jennifer Christian, will be entertaining us over the lunch hour.  In her presentation, “Words Matter”, she will give us pointers and insights on communicating with others.  Be sure to put this enjoyable, 2-day event on your calendar!

Lastly, I want to thank Dr. Dion Chavis and all of you that attended our luncheon last week.  We had over 50 members gather for what proved to be an lively discussion on upper extremity injuries.  The IWCI Board is working hard to provide another year of educational opportunities for our members so that as a work comp “family”, we can provide appropriate, quality care to the injured workers of Indiana.

So, don’t put those heavy winter coats away just yet, but keep smiling, as there will be more sunshine and longer days to enjoy in the weeks ahead!  I look forward to seeing you all in March.

Posted on December 23rd, 2019 in Message from the President
As winter arrives with snow on the ground, IWCI reflects on another year of growth and strong educational programs.  Our final annual event, The Holiday Party, offers little education but makes up for it with Holiday Cheer.  I want to thank Abbe, Kristen and Norette for their hard work and efforts to successfully bring members together for food, drinks, gambling fun and cheer.  If you missed it this year, I would strongly recommend joining us next year as friends mingle and networking strengthens.  There is value in our membership well beyond our educational efforts!

This month we are funding our two IWCI scholarship grants of $7500 each to area universities.  I also appreciate the recommendations for our luncheon and seminar educational content for 2020.  We are also coordinating with the Work Comp Board for our agenda next year as we have in prior years.  Our next luncheon is February 6th at 11:30 at the Ritz Charles in Carmel.  Dr. Dion Chavis will be speaking on “Upper extremity injuries and treatment from the plastic surgeon’s perspective”.  I am working on content for the March 5th luncheon which could include a legislative update from the Indiana Workman’s Comp Board. More details to follow.  The Northeast Chapter has a luncheon featuring Andreas Lohmar, PT January 8th at 11:30.

I hope you close 2019 with a warm Holiday and Happy New Year.  Be safe, find happiness, and stay in the moment enjoying family and friends.  While we can’t promise what 2020 brings,  I can assure you that your IWCI Board will continue to facilitate good educational content for all members while providing a network to foster productive working relationships.

With all my best, Happy Holidays!

Dr. Robert Gregori
IWCI President
Posted on October 3rd, 2019 in Message from the President

As I begin drafting this first of many IWCI Newsletters, I find my self reflecting on the past.  It is certainly a challenge to replace Dr. Hale who has served this office with tremendous leadership.  We should all be thankful for his loyal service over the years.  I am also proud to serve with a dedicated team of IWCI Board members and look forward to fostering relationships with our NE and NW chapter officers over the next 2 years.

As October starts with 90 degree days I am having trouble letting go of summer.  August 2019 proved to be one of our most successful Annual Seminars and for all that attended we hope you enjoyed the new schedule format.  As we begin to develop next year’s curriculum, I strongly encourage any of you with subjects of interest to notify us so we can develop another diverse and pertinent seminar for August 13th and 14th of 2020.  Be sure to mark your calendars.

Before 2020 gets here, there are several other educational opportunities.  The INDY luncheon October 3rd will be an interesting discussion on Symptom Magnification and Malingering.  Michelle Despres P.T. with OneCall will lead that discussion.  As some of you know I have a few thoughts on that topic.

The NE chapter features a luncheon October 9th.  Dr. Ghori from ONE will be speaking on managing spinal conditions.  The NW chapter has their Annual Seminar and Networking Event on October 10th at the BlueChip Casino in Michigan City.  They have brought together many seasoned providers to share their knowledge.  See the Website for details.  On November 7th we are back in INDY for a breakfast seminar on Work Place Violence presented by Anastasia Settle early that morning.

To end the year in grand style we are hosting our Annual Holiday Party on Friday December 6th at the Columbia Club downtown.  Last year was such a success we plan on repeating the Casino theme.  Abbe and the Holiday Party committee promise to entertain us again this year.  I am hopeful all of you can join us to reflect on what has been a very good year.

Lastly I am humbled to be serving as your president the next 2 years.  Please know that my door is always open.  All of us at The IWCI Board look for ways to grow.  If you have ideas or thoughts that might help us best serve our members please share them.  Since 1991 IWCI has promoted education to assist members in sharpening their skills.  We all hope to see that injured workers in our fine State receive appropriate care to facilitate recovery.  I am very excited to have this opportunity.  I hope to see all of you soon.

Posted on May 23rd, 2019 in Message from the President

As the weather warms we are looking ahead to a busy time with IWCI. The IWCI chapters in NE and NW Indiana maintained strong educational programs so far this year. If you are located in those areas, please mark your calendars and attend the monthly luncheon meetings. The President of the NW Chapter, Jason Hazelett, recently spoke at a breakfast meeting in Indianapolis on Dry Needling. The audience participation portion of the talk made for an interesting way to start the day. We were very appreciative of Jason coming to Indianapolis early in the morning. We thank him for his committed service to IWCI the last several years and wish him well as he turns over leadership this year. Although getting away in the morning or lunch can be a challenge to our workday, IWCI remains committed to providing relevant teaching and exposure to others in the worker’s compensation community.

The next big event for IWCI is the upcoming Golf Outing at Ironwood in Indianapolis. This is scheduled for Friday June 7. Please go to the web site to get registered. Also, plan to wear your best Woodstock apparel. This is always a fun event. Please remember you are funding the Betty Croshaw scholarships at Ball State University and Indiana State University with your participation.

We are in high gear preparing for the 2019 Annual Seminar. We will go live for registration and vendor signup on June 3. This year we are meeting on August 15 and 16. The seminar will be all day on Thursday, with the cocktail event beginning at 4 p.m., immediately following the last session. We have an excellent slate of speakers and topics this year. Our presenters on Thursday include Dr. Ratzman – Anesthesia Pain Consultants of Indiana, Gwen Eschelman – Team Rehab, Dr. Jaggers – Methodist Sports Medicine, Dr. Soldatis — OrthoIndy, Patrick Conley and Tim Ruth – Kenney Orthopedics and Dr. Reecer – Fort Wayne Physical Medicine. After a full day on Thursday, we will meet Friday from 8 to 12:30. The presenters will include attorney Jane Callies, Kopka Pinkus Dolin and case manager Tim Rankin – Preferred Disability Management. We will end the Friday sessions with presentations from Linda Hamilton, WCB Chairman, and staff at the WCB. This has been a year of change at the WCB and we will all want to get these updates.

We look forward to seeing you soon at the June Golf Outing and then in August at the Seminar. If you want a room at the Marriott East for the seminar please use this link Marriott Reservations to access the IWCI discount. These rooms are going fast (seriously), so please do not delay. Also, set your calendars for June 3 to register for the seminar and get the early bird registration rates.

Enjoy the race!

Greg Hale, Ph.D.

President – IWCI