Welcome and Bureau Updates

All Wednesday General Sessions are in Mirabella F-J

• Presentation of Colors, Tennessee State Parks Honor Guard

• Pledge of Allegiance, Del Grissom

• Singing of the National Anthem, Angela Tipps

• Welcoming Comments
  • Jeff McCord, Commissioner, Department of Labor & Workforce Development

• Bureau Updates
  • Abbie Hudgens, Administrator, Bureau of Workers’ Compensation
  • Jeff Francis, Assistant Administrator, Bureau of Workers’ Compensation
    

This presentation will cover the accomplishments made by the Bureau over the past twelve months in implementing legislation and programmatic rules.  Since the 2020 Education Conference, new rules for the Bureau’s Claims Handling Standards and Appeals Board have been adopted.  Revisions to the Workers’ Compensation Medical Payment Committee, Medical Fee Schedule, Electronic Medical Billing, Telehealth, Workers’ Compensation Exemption Registry, Medical Case Management, the Court of Workers’ Compensation/Alternative Dispute Resolution, Penalty Assessments and Contested Case Hearings, Utilization Review, vocational Recovery Benefit Program, Certified Physician, Medical Treatment Guidelines, and the Enforcement Procedures for the Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims are pending approvals.  The Adjuster Certification Program has been delivered three more times, virtually rather than in-person, with additional offerings scheduled.  This session will discuss these developments and lay the groundwork for the three-day conference by introducing the issues and outlining the topics to be discussed in the days that follow.