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

 

 

Posted on September 29th, 2018 in Message from the President

IWCI welcomes you to our new website. In the last year we have been working to transition from our former website to a newer format. As many of you know, this involves more than a couple of strategically placed key strokes and then adding a little content! We are finally ready to introduce the new website to our membership and all those who follow IWCI. We all owe a debt of gratitude to Lisa Mohler, Norette Mason, and Steve Koers for their efforts to get this project done. Our hope is you will find this a good way to connect with a larger group of professionals involved in worker’s compensation in Indiana.

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Posted on May 22nd, 2018 in Message from the President

So, did you notice that we went from winter to summer in about one week?!  It reminded me that sometimes the unexpected happens and life will change when we least expect it.  One of the events that is expected each summer is the Annual IWCI Seminar.  The 2018 event will feature highly regarded speakers and timely topics for our training.

Topics

Nurse Case Managers.  Updates in the Worker’s Compensation Case Law.  Ethics in Worker’s Compensation.  Opioid Usage in Effective Pain Management.  Dry Needling for Worker’s Compensation patients. Case Studies in Environmental Illness. Analyzing Difficult Worker’s Compensation Cases. Causation of Upper Extremity Occupational Injuries.

Presenters

Worker’s Compensation Board staff Linda Hamilton, Katia Brodskaya, David Babcock – Attorneys James Bell and Ann Stewart – Nurse Case Manager Representative Tim Rankin – Physicians Shaun Kondamuri, Andrew Fischer, Sebastian Peers, and Amy Leland – Physical Therapists Katie McBee and Jason Hazelett – Keynote Speaker Phil Walls.

The event will once again be held at the Marriott on the east side of Indianapolis on August 16 and 17.  The Marriott has been a great host site for IWCI over the last several years.  Since 1991, IWCI has gathered the major stakeholders in worker’s compensation in Indiana.  In accordance with our mission, the 2018 annual seminar will feature sessions for our membership and guests, including attorneys, adjusters and claims examiners, nurse case managers, health care professionals, and employers.

It is time to get registered for the 2018 IWCI seminar.  Please be sure to register for the early bird registration beginning 6/1/2018.  Early bird registration expires 6/30/18.  Also, you can sign up for sponsorship opportunities beginning 6/1/18. The vendor area is always a lively place and a great opportunity to connect with others providing services throughout Indiana and neighboring states.  It is a great venue to showcase your services.

It is also time to schedule and book your room to get the reduced rate ($129).  The link is www.indianapolismarriotteast.com and be sure to tell them you are attending the IWCI seminar.

The next big event on the IWCI calendar is the Golf Outing at Ironwood Golf Course in Indianapolis. This event is always a great day and a wonderful way to have fun supporting the IWCI scholarships.  The event is June 15.  Please go to the website to signup for golfing and sponsorships.  Registration closes June 8 for sponsors and June 12 for golfers.So, gather your friends, colleagues, family members, or anyone else you want to bring for a day of fun.  https://iwcigolf2018.eventbrite.com

Annual Conference Details

Posted on May 10th, 2018 in Message from the President

Change.  It is what many of us seek to avoid.  However, for most of the seriously injured workers we see, change is part of the recovery process.  As Scott Peck reminded us in his book The Road Less Traveled, “life is difficult.”  One of the ways we can make it less difficult is to be better prepared for “how to” help those facing changes in their daily life.  I say all of this to remind us that those involved in providing health care and facilitating a claim are part of this change process.

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