NCCI Impressions

Here’s the non-substantive view of the conference.
Very well done. Lots – and I mean lots – of good data and information about trends, costs, cost drivers, potential impact of political and economic developments, broken up with entertaining and thought-provoking presentation on global trends.
Very good speakers with very deep knowledge on their topics. As an example, I learned a lot about the use of Medicare RBRVS in workers comp reimbursement – a topic of critical importance in comp that I thought I knew pretty well.
The dinner last night was not the typical formal sit-down but a casual outside affair with various Italian delicacies on tables surrounding stand-up and sit-down dining tables. This allowed for lots of mingling, discussion, and was a lot of fun to boot.
Two quibbles. In the Medicare presentation yesterday there was no discussion about the potential impact of the pending changes to Medicare physician reimbursement fees. This is a big issue as it will dramatically impact workers comp medical expense, likely in several ways.
One of the morning presenters yesterday, Robert Hartwig of III, allowed (what I perceived to be) a political bias to intrude on an otherwise excellent presentation. Hartwig talked about ‘wealth redistribution’ at some length, and even made the statement that we might see workers comp used as a mechanism for ‘wealth redistribution’. His slides also included a reference to the pending socialization of health care. As I’ve noted repeatedly, that is not what is proposed in Washington by the Administration nor is it consistent with the proposals that have any chance of passage.
These memes – wealth redistribution and socialized medicine – are not helpful nor are they accurate.
But these were minor compared to the solid substance throughout the day.