Take Your Return To Work Program Up A Notch:
Building a Roadmap for Action
The Resort and Conference Center at Hyannis, Hyannis, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Monday, July 19, 2010
Continuing Education Information
Schedule
Hotel Information
Registration Information
Brochure
Register Online
Executive Summary: The purpose of this one-day workshop is to give you an opportunity to build a roadmap using new ideas and evidence-based best practices to increase the effectiveness of your return to work efforts – and improve outcomes. You will be able to use this customized roadmap when you get back to your office. If you are already delivering services or have a program in place and are looking for ways to make it even better, this workshop is designed for you. Learning Objectives: At the completion of this seminar you will be able to:
• Identify the core concepts of an effective return to work program
• Assess your current situation
• Build organizational commitment to a successful return to work program
• Develop your action plan
• Select the best tools, procedures, methods, and resources to build an effective return to work program, and
• Identify the qualities of outstanding SAW/RTW staff
Dr. Jennifer Christian will be leading the workshop, which will leave you inspired and re-energized by day’s end. She is an internationally-known expert with a passion for preventing and reducing needless work disability, and a board-certified occupational medicine physician. She is a popular and straight-spoken speaker/teacher for a wide range of audiences. This fast-paced day will begin with an overview of the new work disability prevention model, with its fresh ideas and best practices for improving the stay-at-work and return-to-work process. The model is evidence-based and is already producing better results in the real world for those who employ it.Next, you will complete an assessment that will highlight the implications of the new model for your own operation. You will spot opportunities for improvement and start putting together your roadmap. The rest of the workshop will help you identify the particular places in your organization where something specific is missing today that, if added, would really move things forward. A unique feature of this workshop is its range: we will move from the realm of ideas and words (world views, human behavior, persuasive communications, and relationship-building) to the concrete realm of tools and methods (training, everyday processes, resources, technology, and data) – and how to make the best use of all of them. In addition to your interactions with Dr. Christian, you will have opportunities to share your challenges, hear others’ experiences, and offer each other ideas in several small group discussions and Q&A sessions. You will leave with your own roadmap for improvement: a list of opportunities and specific plans for filling the gaps and strengthening the weak spots in your program – so you can take it “up a notch.”
Registration Information: The $395 tuition includes a continental breakfast, breaks, lunch with faculty, a workshop manual not available elsewhere, and a dynamic learning experience.
Distinguished Faculty: Dr. Jennifer Christian is co-founder, president and chief medical officer of Webility Corporation, as well as founder and chair of the non-profit 60 Summits Project. She also founded and moderates the Work Fitness and Disability Roundtable, a free multidisciplinary email discussion group. She is a physician, and is board-certified in occupational medicine. Dr. Christian has both an MD and a Masters Degree in Public Health from the University of Washington in Seattle. A leader in the American College of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, Dr. Christian chaired the group that developed the guideline entitled “Preventing Needless Work Disability by Helping People Stay Employed”, as well as the group that wrote a consensus opinion entitled “The Personal Physician’s Role in Helping Patients with Medical Conditions Stay at Work or Return to Work”. She has served as chair of the Work Fitness and Disability Section of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) since 2001. She previously chaired the Stay-at-Work / Return-to-Work Process Improvement Committee and the Workers’ Compensation Committee for ACOEM.
Continuing Education Credits
Case Managers: 7.0 contact hours of continuing education for Case Managers have been applied for from the Commission for Case Manager Certification, St. Paul Minnesota. Disability Specialists: 7.0 contact hours of continuing education for Disability Specialists have been applied for from the Commission for Disability Management Specialists Commission, Schaumburg, Illinois. Human Resource: This program has been approved for 6.0 recertification credit hours toward PHR, SPHR and GPHR recertification through the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI). Nurses: To successfully complete a program and receive contact hours you must: 1) register in, 2) be present for the period of time you are awarded contact hours, 3) complete the evaluation. Occupational Health Nurses: 7.0 60-minute contact hours of continuing education in nursing have been applied for through the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc (AAOHN). AAOHN is an accredited approver of continuing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. (ANCC is the educational department under the ANA.) Physical Therapists: Continuing Physical Therapy credits vary by state, and will only be applied for if requested in writing on the conference registration form. Physicians: SEAK, Inc. is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. SEAK, Inc. designates this educational activity for a maximum of 7.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. Rehabilitation Counselors: 7.0 contact hours of continuing education hours for Rehabilitation Counselors have been applied for from the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification, Schaumburg, Illinois. Rehabilitation Nurses: This program will be accepted for 7.0 contact hours of credit for ARN certification. Submit certificate.
SCHEDULE
7:30–8:30 Registration, Continental Breakfast & Exhibits
8:30–9:00 Introductions/Plan for the day
9:00–10:15 Essential features of an initiative to increase effectiveness of the stay-at-work/return-to-work process: core concepts. The differences between the traditional claims processing model and the new work disability prevention model; what should happen Day 1 and Week 1; need to acknowledge and meet normal human reactions of both worker and supervisor; investigate and deal with social and workplace factors; “de-corrupt” a program; create a multi-stakeholder team; implement an evidence-based and problem-solving approach; identify work capacity and appropriate work adjustments; clarify boundary between transitional return-to-work program and “reasonable accommodation” efforts; deal with poor copers, bad actors, and problem claims; focus on consistent achievement of worker-employer customer satisfaction and win-win outcomes. Questions & Answers.
10:15–10:30 Break, Exhibits & Networking Opportunity
10:30–11:15 Assessing your current situation: Where is your organization today in the shift from the traditional model to the new one? You will be able to pinpoint where your program or services lie today in the transition between the claims processing model and the work disability prevention model. Questions & Answers.
11:15–12:00 Discussion: What did you discover in doing the assessment? Any obvious opportunities or next steps? You will use your findings to lay out the general route and destination of your customized roadmap for improvement. Questions & Answers.
12:00–1:00 Lunch provided with faculty
1:00–1:45 Building organizational commitment: Opportunity, intentions, spoken & written communication, politics and policies, goals. Ideas, words, and relationships are very important because they can build unity and the will to achieve within a group – or not. Typically, communications programs are an afterthought. You play a key role in managing the message and keeping everyone on the same page. Questions & Answers.
1:45–2:15 Small group discussions and Q&A: Develop your plan to build commitment.
2:15–3:00 Tools of the trade: Procedures, methods, resources. How to find, select and make best use of disability duration guidelines, evidence-based medical treatment guidelines, functional capacity evaluations, job analysis, independent medical evaluations, physician advisors, return to work and other outsourced services, program management software, and other resources. Questions & Answers.
3:00–3:15 Break, Exhibits & Networking Opportunity
3:15–4:00 Tools of the trade: Staffing, training, conducting daily actions & events, data and analysis.Identify the qualities of outstanding SAW/RTW staff members. Explore schedules that produce good results. Discuss the kind of data you need in order to evaluate effectiveness. Questions & Answers.
4:00–4:30 Development and execution challenges, operational program management, and skill requirements for leaders of effectiveness improvement
initiatives.In order to make things happen, many people must pay attention to issues outside their original professional boundaries. In a facilitated group discussion, you will offer each other tips and share best practices on how to work within a culture, win and keep support from the top and your peers, lead a team, overcome a variety of obstacles, and keep driving things forward so you deliver on time and within budget. Questions & Answers.
4:30–5:00 Wrap-up Session. Exercise: Finish your roadmap for improvement.Put the finishing touches on your roadmap: agenda, action plan, timeline, and plan for getting your own needs met. Discuss it with others. Questions & Answers.
5:00–5:15 Summary, questions and evaluation
Concluding remarks and final question and answer session.
Hotel Information
Site Hotel - The Resort and Conference Center at Hyannis. A limited block of rooms has been reserved at convention rates ($210 + tax) at the site hotel (The Resort and Conference Center at Hyannis). These rooms will be assigned on a first request basis. To reserve your room, please call 866-828-9111 and mention the SEAK/Workers’ Compensation Conference. The resort is surrounded by 52 totally private acres of beautifully landscaped grounds and offers an 18-hole par 54 golf course, a private patio or balcony for the 232 guest rooms, a complete fitness center, indoor and outdoor pools, a whirlpool, a complete spa, and free parking. The Resort and Conference Center at Hyannis is conveniently located within walking distance of Main Street with its many shops and restaurants. Public beaches and the ferries to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket are minutes from the hotel.
Alternative Lodging
As a tourist destination, the Hyannis area has numerous alternative lodging options for different tastes and budgets. We have reserved a block of overflow rooms at The Holiday Inn Hyannis at a discounted rate ($189 single/double). To make your reservations, please call (508) 775-1153 and identify yourselves as being with SEAK, Inc. or book online at www.holidayinn.com/hyannisma and Enter Group Code: SEK. During the conference, SEAK, Inc. will provide free regularly scheduled shuttle bus service between The Holiday Inn Hyannis and The Resort and Conference Center at Hyannis. The Holiday Inn Hyannis is approximately 3 miles from The Resort and Conference Center at Hyannis and is located nearby the Cape Cod Mall and several restaurants. The Holiday Inn Hyannis was recently renovated and features an indoor pool, restaurant, modern gym and free hi-speed internet access. If you prefer a hotel on the harbor and within walking distance of downtown/waterfront restaurants, we suggest the Anchor In (www.anchorin.com), which is 2 miles from The Resort and Conference Center at Hyannis. For a good value, we suggest the Sea Coast Inn (www.seacoastcapecod.com) which is within healthy walking distance of the site hotel and easy walking distance of main street and the Hyannis docks. For a small motel directly across from Craigville Beach, we suggest the Ocean View on Craigville Beach (www.capecodoceanviewmotel.com) If you are coming with your family or colleagues and prefer a suite or townhouse with kitchenette, we suggest the Red Jacket Green Harbor Resort, which is located directly on Lewis Bay, 3 miles from The Resort and Conference Center at Hyannis. If you would like to stay at an oceanfront beach resort with a private beach, jet ski rentals, etc., we suggest the Red Jacket Beach Resort (www.redjacketresorts.com). The Red Jacket Beach Resort is 6 miles from The Resort and Conference Center at Hyannis, but please note that traffic can be heavy in the afternoons coming back from The Resort and Conference Center at Hyannis.
Getting to Hyannis
The two major airports closest to Cape Cod are Logan International Airport in Boston, MA (70 miles) and T.F. Green Airport in Warwick, Rhode Island (80 miles). Barnstable Airport is a five minute drive from The Resort and Conference Center at Hyannis, but this is a commuter airport that has smaller planes and fewer flights. T.F. Green is preferred over Logan (if you are able to get a direct flight) as it is usually less congested. Rental cars, taxis and car service are available at all three airports. If you are on a tight budget or prefer not to drive, Plymouth & Brockton runs bus service between Logan Airport and Hyannis (www.p-b.com).
Cape Cod
Cape Cod is a true destination spot that features beautiful beaches, warm water, great restaurants, historic towns, sightseeing, kayaking, whale watching, museums, numerous bike trails, shopping, nightlife, championship golf, and world famous boating. Cape Cod is also gateway to the islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. For more information on what to do on Cape Cod, please visit www.capecod.com.