Workers' Compensation Symposium

Agenda

• 8:00 am – 8:30 am Registration
• 8:30 am – 8:45 am Introductions
• 8:45 am – 9:30 am From Risk to Resolution: Reducing MSDs In Healthcare Settings With The Use of AI

  Speaker:
  Shane Larson, CEO
  Inseer

  We will explore how LHA is leveraging Inseer's AI-powered ergonomic software to complete rapid, video-based risk assessments. By converting video into precise biomechanical risk scores, Inseer identifies high exposure hospital tasks and provides intervention recommendations before they become costly MSD claims.

  We will discuss how to move beyond subjective reporting to implement targeted, data-backed interventions. The result is a proactive risk-management strategy that will help reduce claim volume and injury severity, shorten the RTW cycle, and minimize workers' compensation
  exposure.

  The following are learning objectives for this presentation:

  1. Describe
  Describe how AI-enabled, video-based ergonomic assessments convert job task footage into objective biomechanical risk scores to identify high‑risk hospital activities.
  
  2. Use
  Use data-driven ergonomic insights to move beyond subjective injury reporting and prioritize targeted interventions that address root causes of musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) risk.
  
  3. Integrate
  Integrate AI-powered ergonomic assessment findings into existing safety and risk‑management programs to reduce claim frequency and severity, improve return‑to‑work outcomes, and lower workers’ compensation exposure.

• 9:30 am – 10:30 am Preventing Slip, Trip, and Fall Injuries in Healthcare: From Risk Awareness to Proactive Safety Programs

  Speaker: Michael Holt
  New Pig

  The following are learning objectives for this presentation:

  1. The Problem
  Slip and fall injuries are one of the largest safety risks in healthcare.

  2. The Cause
  Understanding traction, contaminants, behavior, and environment.

  3. The Solution
  How healthcare systems can prevent incidents through proactive safety strategies.

• 10:30 am – 10:45 am Break
• 10:45 am – 11:45 am Physical Therapy First: Reducing Costs, Improving Outcomes, and the value of Functional Capacity Evaluations (FCEs)

  Speakers:
  Caroline Blackman PT, DP
  LaBorde Therapy
  

  Jaime Mendoza
  LaBorde Therapy

  The following are learning objectives for this presentation:

  1. Describe how early physical therapy intervention as a first line of care can reduce overall costs by shortening recovery time, minimizing unnecessary imaging or surgeries, and supporting a faster, safer return to work.

  2. Explain the purpose and value of a Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE), including what it measures and how the objective data gathered guides work related decision making, job matching, and return to work planning.
  
  3. Recognize the education and clinical training of physical therapists in pain management and screening for red flags, and understand how this expertise helps distinguish musculoskeletal pain from more serious conditions, improving safety and care efficiency.

• 11:45 am – 12:15 pm Lunch
• 12:15 pm - 1:15 pm The Mental Side of Recovery: Addressing Hidden Barriers to Drive Faster, Sustainable Return-to-Work Outcomes

  Speakers:
  Alecia D. Roy, BSN, RN, CCM, WRP

  Mona Davie Elder
  Gisclair & Associates

  The following are learning objectives for this presentation:

  1. Maintaining a working relationship with the injured worker and attorney in the vocational process when the injured worker does not feel they are capable of working.
  
  2. The job search process in workers' compensation cases and barriers associated while maintaining the injured workers' self-worth and respect.
  
  3. The importance of job analysis in the vocational process and the prospect of returning to work with the employer of injury when possible.

• 1:15 pm – 2: 00 pm Same Workplace, Different Worlds: Managing Generations in Workers’ Comp

  Speaker:
  Emily Jordan, MBA
  Human Resources Business Partner
  Natchitoches Regional Medical Center

  The following are learning objectives for this presentation:

  1. Recognize generational differences and their impact on workplace safety and risk management.

  2. Apply effective communication and engagement strategies to foster a “speak-up” culture across multiple generations.

  3. Identify and address generational challenges in transitional duty, return-to-work processes, and workers’ compensation claim management.

• 2:00 pm – 2:15 pm Break
• 2:15 pm – 3:15 pm When Workers’ Comp and the ADA Collide: Lawful Termination Strategies

  Speaker:
  DeShea Richardson

  The following are learning objectives for this presentation:

  1. Identify legal obligations and risk triggers
  Participants will be able to distinguish the key compliance requirements under Louisiana workers’ compensation law and the ADA, including how age, disability status, and medical restrictions affect employment decisions for retirement-eligible employees.
  
  2. Apply decision-making frameworks for return-to-work vs. separation
  Participants will be able to evaluate when modified duty, reasonable accommodation, or continued leave is required versus when termination may be legally defensible, using fact-specific scenarios and documentation best practices.
  
  3. Implement defensible, ADA-compliant employment actions
  Participants will be able to structure and document the interactive process, assess undue hardship, and execute return-to-work or termination decisions in a way that minimizes exposure to discrimination and retaliation claims.

• 3:15 pm – 3:30 pm Closing and Evaluations