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
  National Healthcare Manager
  New Pig

  We will explore one of the most significant safety risks facing healthcare organizations—slip, trip, and fall incidents. This session examines the critical factors that contribute to these events, including traction, contaminants, human behavior, and environmental conditions. Participants will gain practical insights into how these elements interact and how to manage them. The presentation also highlights how healthcare systems can move beyond reactive responses to implement proactive, data-driven safety strategies that reduce risk, enhance staff safety, and strengthen overall operational performance.

  Objectives

  1. Identify the primary causes of slip, trip, and fall incidents in healthcare settings, including traction, contaminants, behavior, and environmental factors.
  2. Explain how risk factors interact to increase injury potential for staff, patients, and visitors.
  3. Apply proactive safety strategies and program elements that healthcare organizations can implement to prevent incidents and sustain safer environments.
• 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

  We will highlight the critical role early physical therapy intervention can play as a first line of care in improving outcomes while reducing overall healthcare costs. This presentation explores how timely access to physical therapy can shorten recovery time, reduce reliance on unnecessary imaging or surgical interventions, and support a faster, safer return to work.

  Participants will also gain insight into the purpose and value of Functional Capacity Evaluations (FCEs), including how these assessments provide objective data to guide work-related decisions, job matching, and return-to-work planning. Additionally, the session underscores the advanced training of physical therapists in pain management and their ability to identify red flags, enabling them to distinguish between musculoskeletal conditions and more serious health concerns.

  Objectives

  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

  We will explore the often-overlooked psychological and emotional factors that can significantly impact the return-to-work process in workers’ compensation cases. This presentation emphasizes the importance of maintaining strong, collaborative relationships with injured workers and their attorneys, particularly when individuals feel they are unable to return to work.

  Attendees will gain insight into the complexities of the job search process within workers’ compensation, including common barriers that can challenge progress, and strategies to support injured workers while preserving their self-worth, dignity, and motivation. The session also highlights the critical role of job analysis in determining realistic return-to-work opportunities, including evaluating the potential for returning to the employer of injury whenever feasible.

  Objectives

  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

  We explore how generational differences shape workplace behaviors, communication styles, and expectations—directly impacting safety, risk management, and workers’ compensation outcomes. This presentation helps attendees understand how generational differences can influence everything from incident reporting to engagement in return-to-work programs.

  Participants will learn practical strategies to bridge generational gaps, foster effective communication, and build a culture where employees feel empowered to speak up about safety concerns. The session also addresses common challenges organizations face when managing transitional duty, return-to-work processes, and workers’ compensation claims across a multigenerational workforce.
  

  Objectives

  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

  We will discuss the complex intersection of workers’ compensation and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), equipping attendees with the knowledge needed to navigate high-risk employment decisions. The session focuses on identifying key legal obligations and compliance considerations, particularly under Louisiana workers’ compensation law and the ADA, and how factors such as disability status, age, and medical restrictions influence decision-making.

  Participants will explore practical frameworks for evaluating when to pursue return-to-work options versus when separation may be appropriate and legally defensible. The presentation also emphasizes best practices for documentation and managing fact-specific scenarios.

  Objectives

  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