Deconstructing Comp

Yvonne and Rafael FINALLY catch up with Carlos Luna, who lives in Denver, Colorado. It took us a while to schedule an interview with Carlos, but it is well worth the wait! 

So, come along, and let's get all caught up with Carlos about his new role at New Reign Capital, his deep and varied thoughts about our amazing industry, and, sadly, as he shares his thoughts about the recent loss of a beloved work friend and colleague, Joe Frank Rodriguez. 

Talking to Carlos is very easy. He is extremely articulate and very knowledgeable about risk management and workers' compensation issues.  Like us, he loves giving back to the industry through charitable organizations and causes. As we always say, time flies by so fast during our guest interviews; that is no exception here. 

Once again, we learned a few things we didn't know about Carlos, and we are sure some of these things will surprise you too. Are you ready? 

Grab your headphones and let's go talk to Carlos Luna...

Check out New Reign Capital here:
https://www.newreigncap.com/

Donate to the GoFundMe campaign for Joe Frank Rodriguez:
https://gofund.me/8e5e0823

From Yvonne: as I listened to Carlos' episode several times during editing, I was touched by Carlos' call to action to do more to take care of our industry's claims professionals, and it made me think of this song by Dwight Yoakam...hence the title to this episode. Enjoy!

Let's Work Together by Dwight Yoakam 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9Jf7ah8Rxo

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

For the second year, Yvonne and Rafael identify ten issues to frame their conversations with guests as they kick off a new season. Here we go with Season 4! Are you ready? Our issues are...

1. Provider Shortages - Healthcare jobs are growing faster than any other industry, yet there is a shortage of experienced doctors and clinicians to fill the openings. This is straining the entire healthcare system; we certainly feel it in workers' compensation. 
   
   https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/health-202-primary-care-shortage-data/
   
   https://fortune.com/2024/02/14/america-shortage-primary-care-doctors-work-ai-physician-burnout-crisis/
   
   
2. Chronicity - definition: the fact or quality of being long-lasting, as a disease, condition, or symptom; psychological influences, such as stress, can significantly affect the severity and chronicity of the illness (or injury).  Is workers' compensation contributing to chronicity? We are going to discuss it. 
    
3. Economics of Inflation - we carried this one over from last year as inflation persists.  There is talk that we may be at a tipping point regarding how inflated medical costs impact healthcare, particularly with hospitals and other facilities.  
    
4. Mental health and well-being - this is a favorite topic of ours. We are happy to see this issue becoming more commonplace at conferences and events in the workers' compensation industry. 
    
5. Embracing AI - the future is here, and it is time to embrace how workers' compensation can benefit from artificial intelligence. How is AI already being used in WC, and how can it help us do the work smarter, faster, and more efficiently? 
   
   
6. Need for good education - this is hands down one of our favorite topics to discuss. It's not to say there isn't any good education out there, but we need more. We aim to uncover resources and encourage more good education. 
    
7. Acknowledging bias - we all have it.  Are you aware of your unconscious bias? How does your bias impact your day-to-day decisions in WC, regardless of your role? How do your decisions affect a person’s life (and the family attached to that person)?
   
   
8. Federal benefits in workers’ compensation - this will be one of Rafael's favorite issues because it is where he spends his time every single day! Here, we will discuss federal laws and processes that crossover into workers' compensation: Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, ERISA, Veteran's Admin, tri-care, the Affordable Care Act, and more. 
   
   
9. Expanding workplace issues - there are so many! Starting with the ongoing talent shortage, workplace violence, our changing workforce - telecommuters, gig workers, aging workforce, high-stress levels, lack of leadership, need for hybrid work strategies (work at home vs. office), rules and regs + expanding presumptions, safety issues, inexperienced workers and so much more! 
   
   https://www.uschamber.com/workforce/understanding-americas-labor-shortage
   
   
10. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) - one of our favorite topics to explore together. DEIB conversations have fizzled; some refer to diversity "fatigue," but we will not let it go. Rest assured, we will have several guests on to talk about DEIB. In Texas and Florida, DEI is under attack, and it is in other states as well. 
    
    https://www.axios.com/2024/01/04/dei-jobs-diversity-corporate

BONUS! Presidential election year. There is much to discuss as we enter the election year cycle. Who wants to talk politics?

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

Join Yvonne and Rafael as they pause for a few minutes to reminisce about all the fun they had interviewing guests in their 3rd season! 

Grab your headphones and get ready for a few laughs -- you can always count on Rafael's laughter in each and every episode!

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

Wow, what a fantastic conversation with Dr. Leslie Cadet, a native of Tampa, FL! 

In this episode, we learn that Leslie grew up in Tampa and started her education at none other than University of South Florida (USF), Yvonne's alma mater and Rafael's adjunct teaching university for 20+ years! From there, she went on to the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, where she became a medical doctor, then on to Harvard's T. H. Chan School of Public Health, where she earned her Master of Public Health (MPH), Occupational and Environmental Health. What an impressive education!

After Harvard, Leslie decided to join the Air Force to help pay for her education, where she became a flight surgeon, with 1,080 successful combat missions and 2,000 airlift missions. 

And guess what? She loves to salsa dance! Un-BULL-ievable (that's a USF thing!)

Her new mission is to radically improve the workers' compensation system, one patient and one provider at a time. 

It won't take you long to understand that Yvonne and Rafael are completely star-struck with Dr. Leslie Cadet. We both LOVE her!

Learn more about Dr. Leslie Cadet's Ascend program here: Ascendoccmed.com

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

¡Qué lindo! ¡Hablamos con Julian Robinson en español! 

How lovely! We are speaking with Julian Robinson in Spanish!

During our recording of our podcast episode with guest Julian Robinson, we learned he speaks fluent Spanish! So we recorded a short bonus episode talking in Spanish. Well, it's mostly Julian and Yvonne, with Rafael listening in. Still a fun diversion. 

¡Disfruten queridos oyentes! Enjoy dear listeners!

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

Join us as we dive in and get to know Julian Robinson! Julian is the workers' compensation director at the City and County of San Francisco. 

Julian shares his educational background, studying business and then embarking on a study abroad trip to India that ignited his love for travel and exploring other cultures. 

We discovered that Julian is fluent in Spanish! So, we recorded a short bonus track in Spanish that we will release very soon (watch for it!). 

Did you know that before the city adopted its name of San Francisco in January 1847, it was called Yerba Buena? It's a fact. 

Please connect with Julian on Linked In: 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/julianerobinson/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

Come along for a fascinating conversation with Dr. Tomer Anbar and Duane Johnson with the Institutes of Health. We caught up with them during the WCI Conference in Orlando, Florida. 

Duane Johnson obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Health Services management from Indiana University Bloomington. 

Dr. Anbar studied clinical psychology,  psychodynamic psychiatry, and group psychotherapy.  While conducting research in Mexico City, he stumbled upon an interesting phenomenon during a specific time of the year: hospitalizations spiked at the same time birds started showing up dead. He discovered an interesting correlation. 

We learn that Dr. Anbar was among the first to study the biopsychosocial model of care and grew up learning from his dad in therapeutic communities. 

What do we want in workers' compensation? Proven clinical outcomes, accelerated MMI, and decreased claim costs. 

For more information about Institutes of Health: https://institutesofhealth.org/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

Come along with Yvonne and Rafael and get to know Roberta Serena Mike, Field Claim Adjuster for Strategic Comp in Georgia!

As you will learn, Roberta has spent her entire career in the insurance industry. She started with The Travelers and liked workers' compensation early on. 

In this episode, Roberta shares with us the twists and turns of her career.  She talks about leaving Garden City, New York, moving to Georgia, and how she built a name for herself with a solid reputation that had several companies seeking her out for the good work she does. 

We normally try not to "date" the recording of our episodes, but we were very close to August 17, "workers' compensation adjuster day!" So want to take moment and say "THANK YOU!" to all the wonderful workers' comp adjusters out there. 

Roberta started a Facebook group called "Workers' Compensation Career Mentorship Group." At the time of recording just a few short weeks ago, she mentioned she had 700 followers, but today she has over 1,000 (and growing)!

Check it out here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/6097845866894251

And check out Roberta's "Nikon Bert" photography page: 
https://www.nusouthmoments.com/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

Do you know Raja Sundaram with Plethy, Inc.? If not, you are in for a treat! Raja is a workers' comp newbie. He and his company Plethy have entered the workers' compensation scene in the last few years and they are making some big waves! 

If you missed the Star Wars reference in the title, it is considered one of the most iconic quotes from the original movie. It is from Yoda during his training with Luke Skywalker:  “No, Try Not! Do or Do Not, There Is No Try.” It is very fitting for this conversation, and Raja has real ties to Star Wars movies! Listen during the episode (he's a fast talker). 

As a newbie, he brings so much of what we need to the workers' compensation industry: an engineering mind, empathy, and innovation.  

Raja's takeaway is this: " The workers' compensation industry is an incredibly noble profession that is about helping human beings have the quality of life that we all deserve." 

So, the Star Wars quote is so fitting. How are YOU showing up in workers' comp? Whatever your role is, ultimately, what you do impacts an injured person in some way. So, all you workers' comp Jedi out there...Try not! Do, or do not! There is no try. 

Come along with Yvonne and Rafael...let's go talk to Raja!

Learn more about Plethy here - https://www.plethy.com/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

Melissa Steger is the associate director of workers' compensation and unemployment insurance for the University of Texas System in Austin, Texas. 

In this episode, Melissa shares how she started her career in workers' comp, delivering workers' compensation checks. In that first job, she became curious, fell in love with workers' compensation, and has spent her career of over 30 years learning and working to make improvements to the system. 

For more information about UT System's workers' compensation program, click here: https://www.utsystem.edu/offices/risk-management/workers-compensation-insurance-0

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

Come along with us and get to know Jim Allsup, founder of Allsup Employment Services and the Ticket to Work program for individuals who qualify for Social Security Disability benefits. Individuals who qualify are offered Vocational Return to Work services free of charge. 

In this episode, Yvonne and Rafael talk to Jim about the Ticket to Work program and what he says is a little-known benefit for individuals who qualify for Social Security Disability benefits. 

Learn more about the Ticket to Work program here: https://www.allsupemploymentservices.com/

Check out Jim Allsup's expert services for individuals seeking Social Security Disability benefits. They offer nationwide assistance, and their representatives are available and ready to provide help: https://www.allsup.com/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

Brandi Lewis is one busy woman! We were lucky to catch up with her at the WCI conference for a live podcast interview. 

Join Yvonne and Rafael as we talk with Brandi, learn about what she's been up to lately, and talk to her about the business she founded and now chairwoman of Health Plus Trans, providing transportation, translation, and ancillary services. 

Among her many skills and talents, Brandi is a phenomenal event planner and turned our WCI Salsa Party into a top-notch, red-carpet event not to be missed! She kicked it up several notches from our salsa dance party at last year's conference. She brought in a DJ from Miami, spicy professional salsa dancers, a carnival-inspired stilt walker, and so much more!

To learn more about HealthPlusTrans, visit them here: 
https://healthplustrans.com 

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

Finally, Yvonne and Rafael catch up with Kirsten Kaiser Kus, an attorney with Downey and Lenkov, LLC at WCI. We have been hot on her trail for some time now, trying to schedule an interview. Luckily, she had time to spare and sit down with us at WCI. 

Get to know more about Kirsten and what she has been up to. 

Visit her profile here: 
https://www.dl-firm.com/attorneys/kirsten-l-kaiser-kus/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

We are so happy to connect with our brand new friends we made at WCI for the first time! Ash Afzal with Bismark Medical. 

Join us for a fun group conversation with Ash, Amina, Bilal, Mohammed and "T"

Another set of first-timers that Yvonne met through the Whova app. Bismarck is a family-owned company in the DME business, and they are looking to expand into the workers' compensation market. 

Yvonne and Rafael are like two kids in a candy store!

For more information about Bismarck Medical, visit them here: 
https://bismarckmed.com/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

Catherine Benavidez and Art Nuñez from Injury Management Organization join us to talk about their experience at WCI and what they are up to at IMO at their corporate headquarters near Dallas, Texas, in Plano. 

For more information about Injury Management Organization visit them here: 
https://injurymanagement.com/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

Do you know Maxine Topper? Wowza, do we have a treat for you! 

Meet her son Richard Boyer, anesthesiologist at Weill Cornell Medicine and co-founder of HoopCare, a Cornell Tech Run Startup. Richard joins us to chat about his tech startup, HoopCare. 

HoopCare is transforming preoperative medical clearance with telemedicine and AI.

Fascinating conversation. Yvonne and Rafael are super pumped up by conversations with such young and driven professionals who have their sights on workers' compensation and how they can improve the system. 

How lucky are we?

Visit HoopCare's website here: https://www.hoopcare.com/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

A fun group, we are calling the "mod squad" includes Dr. Geralyn Datz, Jeffrey Adelson, and Stuart Colburn. We have a very fun and energetic conversation about dinner the night before and the beginning of the WCI Conference. 

Experience the energy of the WCI conference as we chat about this groups thoughts on various topics. They all love to poke fun at Yvonne, so laugh along with the conversation about dingers. 

We finally pulled ourselves together and talked about the conference opening session and some of the important topics discussed by Out Front Ideas co-hosts Kimberly George and Mark Walls. 

Come along for this fun "group" discussion. 

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

Join us as we sit down with Zachary Rosenthal of Physicians Health Center to chat about the WCI conference and what his goals are for the conference. 

It was a pleasure to chat with such a young professional in our industry and someone who has been in the industry for a few years and sees the opportunity and potential for improvement. 

For more information about Physicians Health Center for more visit their website here: https://physicianshealthcenter.com/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

Join us for an interesting chat with our new friend, Andrew Barson, who works with Frasco Investigative Services. We enjoy chatting about WCI conference fun and shenanigans (and healthy competition) on the new conference app, Whova. 

During this conversation, we chat about how Yvonne and Andrew met through the app and the importance of networking and cultivating relationships in our industry. 

Lots of good conversation and interesting surprises along the way. 

For more information about Frasco Investigative Services, visit:
https://frasco.com/

Andrew takes a moment to remark about how he's "beating" Yvonne in the Leaderboard competition and mentions that he has 50K points over her and that it was hardly a competition. In the end, Yvonne ended up in the #2 spot on the Leaderboard with 388K points, and Andrew in #3 with 316K points which is a 72K point lead. Fun times!

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp

Yvonne and Rafael talk to Chrissy Gaul LIVE! Sunday, as we gear up for the WCI  Conference starting Monday, 8/21, in Orlando, Florida. 

This is part of our LIVE! Conference series. These are shorter episodes and are unedited.

To learn more about Carisk Partners:
https://www.cariskpartners.com/

¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp