Brigham and Associates
Almaraz-Guzman Webinar
Join us Wednesday, March 4 at 1:30 pm PT for a very important complimentary teleconference call where you will learn specific strategies: to assure accurate impairment ratings post the Almaraz and Guzman decision; to defeat attempts to falsely modify impairment, and to manage cases when physicians or attorneys are alleging that the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment are inappropriate.
The State of California Workers' Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB) February 3, 2009 decision in the consolidated cases of Almaraz v. SCIF et al. and Guzman v. Milpitas Unified School District (Almaraz/Guzman) opined that an impairment rating based on the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (AMA Guides) is rebuttable. This unfortunate and seriously flawed decision will result in significant challenges for California, including more confusion, litigation and costs, both financial and human. You can minimize the impact of this decision if you understand the issues and how to manage them.
In this teleconference, Leslie Dilbeck, Vice President of Client Relations of Impairment Resources, LLC, an AMA Guides expert, will interview Christopher R. Brigham, MD, Chairman of Impairment Resources, LLC, who is regarded as the nation's leading expert on the Guides.
The dialogue will provide you with:
* / a medical and impairment expert analysis of the Almaraz/Guzman decision,
* / perspective on the consequences of this decision,
* / insight to the physician role in impairment assessment and the use of the Guides, and
* / specific suggestions in managing impairment ratings.
You will learn how the decision:
* / inappropriately intermixes the concepts of "work impairment" and "disability",* / selectively included quotes from the Guides out of context,
* / failed to include other content from the Guides that would provide insight to the issues of impairment and disability assessment,
* / does not fully recognize the significant differences in California versus other jurisdictions (with the use of the California Permanent Disability Rating Schedule (PDRS) to translate impairment into disability), and
* / included references to case law not relevant.
Despite this flawed decision, it is impossible for a physician's personal opinion to rebut the AMA Guides.
It is more important than ever to carefully assess impairment ratings to assure that they are accurate and consistent with the AMA Guides.
If you are a claims professional, an attorney, or a physician involved in California workers' compensation you will not want to miss this complimentary teleconference. In the next few weeks we will be offering another session focusing on the legal issues.