Welcome

Colton Cason
Director of Operations, Iowa Ortho and Opening Remarks

Ergonomics in the Workplace: Injury Prevention and Practical Solutions for Occupational Health

Emilie Van Kooten, DPT
Physical Therapist and Clinic Manager, Iowa Ortho

1. Describe the key principles of ergonomics and their role in preventing musculoskeletal injuries in the workplace.
2. Identify common ergonomic risk factors across various job settings and how they contribute to work-related injuries.
3. Demonstrate practical strategies and interventions that can be implemented to improve workplace ergonomics and reduce workers’ compensation claims.

Maintaining a Safe and Productive Workforce: The Critical Role of Drug and Alcohol Testing

Tina Wagner
Regional Manager of Occupational Health, MercyOne

1. Explain strategies that support safety and accident prevention.
2. Review the potential for increased productivity and reduced absenteeism.
3. Discuss the reduced legal and financial liabilities of drug/alcohol use in the workplace.

Breakout Session 1

Comorbidities and How They Affect the Cost and Outcomes of Catastrophic Claims

Melissa McDonald, RN, BSN
Director of Workforce Development, Paradigm

1. Identify impactful comorbidities in the catastrophically injured person.
2. Define how comorbidities can adversely affect the survival, recovery, and outcome of catastrophic injury.
3. Review the unique challenge of managing catastrophic injuries with comorbidities in workers’ compensation.

Financial Wellness Strategies That Work (Non-CME)

Sailu Timbo
Partner and Business Advisor, Creative Planning Business Services

Ken Zarske
Managing Director, Creative Planning Business Service

How Can Adjusters and Attorneys Present Cases to the Doctors to Better Facilitate Independent Medical Examinations and Treatment (Non-CME)

Joseph Thornton, JD
Attorney, Evans and Dixon, LLC

Showing Up Through Life’s Storms: How Culture is Built in Crisis

Nataliya Boychenko Stone, PhD, CEBS
Senior Vice President of Employee Benefits, Holmes Murphy; Adjunct Professor, Drake University

1. Explore how major life transitions affect employee experience, team dynamics, and workplace culture, and why addressing them is a strategic imperative.
2. Review how to design systems and policies that normalize empathy, flexibility, and psychological safety, ensuring support during difficult times becomes part of the cultural fabric for all employees. 
3. Discover how meaningful support during personal hardship fosters long-term employee loyalty, reduces turnover, and strengthens organizational identity.
4. Examine how colleagues shape compassionate cultures.
5. Discuss how organizations can view life disruptions not as setbacks, but as inflection points for resilience, learning, and renewed purpose, for individuals and teams alike.

Speak So They Listen: The Secrets to Great Communication

Ben Keenan
Coach, Brightside Communication

1. Adapt communication style to improve patient and team interactions.
2. Demonstrate purposeful messages to support patient care.
3. Apply practical strategies to strengthen patient trust and care delivery with confidence while projecting credibility, presence, and authenticity.

Iowa Ortho Updates (Non-CME)

Colton Cason
Director of Operations, Iowa Ortho

Breakout Session 3

Physiatry and Workers’ Compensation

Kurt Smith, DO
Physiatrist, Iowa Ortho

1. Define the scope and role of physiatry within medical practice.
2. Identify common conditions treated by physiatrists and the approaches used in physical medicine and rehabilitation.
3. Review the role of physiatry in work comp cases.

Workplace Mental Health: The Hidden Costs and Path to Support

Tina Leaf, MSW, LISW
Clinical Director, Employee and Family Resources

1. Identify mental health trends that impact the workplace.
2. Discuss the cost of mental health within the workplace.
3. Review workplace strategies and resources to improve worker well-being and productivity.
4. Identify how a well-equipped Employee Assistance Program (EAP) can support the workplace.

Work Comp Shoulder Injuries and Impairment Ratings

Justin Khoriaty, MD
Orthopedic Shoulder Surgeon, Iowa Ortho

1. Review common workplace shoulder injuries.
2. Define the use of AMA guides.
3. Apply guides correctly to the injury.

Understanding Orthopedic Imaging and Surgical Decision Making for Foot and Ankle Injuries

Joseph Galles, MD
Orthopedic Foot/Ankle Surgeon, Iowa Ortho

1. Improve diagnostic accuracy.
2. Clarify surgical indications and options.
3. Enhance collaboration in work comp cases.

Understanding Common Hand Tendon Injuries

Ze-Hui Han, MD
Hand Surgeon, Iowa Ortho

1. Identify the most common types of hand tendon injuries in workplace settings, including their mechanisms of injury and typical occupations at risk.
2. Review the clinical pathways for diagnosing, treating, and rehabilitating hand tendon injuries to support effective case management and return-to-work planning.
3. Evaluate key factors influencing recovery timelines, work restrictions, and claim outcomes, enabling more informed decisions in workers' compensation cases.

Meniscus Tears and Their Effect on Osteoarthritis: Causation and Apportionment

Christopher Vincent, MD
Sports Medicine Surgeon, Iowa Ortho

1. Review the biomechanical relationship between meniscus tears and the development or progression of knee osteoarthritis.
2. Differentiate between traumatic and degenerative meniscus tears in the context of occupational injury claims.
3. Apply principles of medical causation and apportionment to accurately evaluate the contribution of a meniscus tear to a worker's overall knee pathology.