800.889.1777 
January 7, 2008 
RWI Expert to Speak at Industry Conferences
Executive Summary — Fall 2007
Utilization Review & Nurse Case Management
March 19, 2007
RWI Certified as Women's Business Enterprise by Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).
October 6, 2006
RWI Certified as Women's Business Enterprise by CPUC Supplier Clearinghouse.
July 26, 2006
RWI Expert Speaks at the California Coalition on Workers' Compensation Annual Conference on FEHA Issues
................................................................................................................................................................................................
January 7, 2008
RWI Expert to Speak at Industry Conferences
Escondido, CA (January 7, 2008) - Sharon Douglas, CEO, RehabWest, Inc. (RWI), California’s leading integrated
workers’ compensation disability management company, is slated to be an expert speaker at this years Public Agency Risk Management Association (PARMA)
annual conference. Ms. Douglas will also moderate a session at the Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS) annual conference.
The presentation at PARMA will feature California Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) Administrative Director, Carrie Nevans, and Medical Director,
Anne Searcy, MD. Topics to be discussed include an overview of “What’s New at the DWC”, along with Utilization Review (UR) Best Practices and Mandatory
Administrative Penalties resulting from Regulations adopted last year.
Ms. Douglas will moderate the session at RIMS where DWC representatives Carrie Nevans and Anne Searcy, MD will be joined by Cathy Aguilar, Workers’
Compensation Manager for San Diego County Schools. The panelists will address a number of issues, including UR and Medical Provider Networks.
Ms. Douglas had the following comments regarding these upcoming events: “Both PARMA & RIMS host quality annual events that offer accelerated ongoing
educational opportunities for industry professionals. The involvement of DWC representatives allows those in the industry to get an invaluable first
person update.”
The PARMA annual conference will be held this February 10th through the 13th at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA. The RIMS annual conference will
be held April 27th through May 1st at the San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, CA.
RWI is a full-service, integrated workers' compensation disability
management organization. Based in Escondido, CA, RWI serves the needs of insurance carriers, third-party administrators, and public and private
self-insured employers. RWI specializes in Return-to-Work Programs, Interactive Accommodation Process meetings, Utilization Review and Medical Case
Management. RWI is also certified by the national council as a Women’s Business Enterprise.
RWI Headquarters 215 S. Hickory St. Suite 220 Escondido CA 92025
800.889.1777 www.RehabWest.com
For more information on RWI’s services, please contact:
Sharon Douglas, CEO
Direct Line: 619-954-7100
Email: sdouglas@RehabWest.com
Executive Summary — Fall 2007
Utilization Review & Nurse Case Management
Utilization Review (UR) & Nurse Case Management (NCM) ) both play vital roles in a proactive and efficient managed care program.
UR ensures appropriate medical care for injured employees by applying evidence based treatment guidelines to requests for treatment. The application of evidence based
treatment ensures favorable clinical outcomes and significantly reduces the costs
associated with inappropriate and excessive/abusive medical care.
NCM works hand in hand with UR by coordinating care for injured employees with
providers and ensuring their compliance with evidence-based medicine. NCMs are an invaluable liaison between an employer/claims administrator and the employee. NCMs assist the injured employee with concerns about their
treatment, while guiding the employee along the treatment continuum, emphasizing functional restoration rather than palliation of symptoms. Use of a NCM helps to
eliminate costs associated with multiple and conflicting medications, inappropriate and abusive treatment and unsatisfied/disgruntled employees.
UR & NCM function the same regardless of whether the requesting physician is a
member of the employer’s Medical Provider Network (MPN). Treatment requests from MPN doctors should still be peer-reviewed and referred to an external UR organization to ensure appropriateness and consistency of care. UR inserts another layer of clinical expertise into the picture. Additional review from qualified nurses and physicians ensures evidence based medical care and reduces associated costs. RWI has many clients who utilize a MPN but understand the necessity of maintaining a focused UR
Program and peer-review to ensure favorable outcomes.
For the past 15 years, RWI clients have experienced better than industry standard treatment outcomes and cost savings with NCM. Since the enactment of the California
Labor Code 4610, the combination of NCM and UR has contributed significantly to cost savings for our clients. The collaborative approach to managed care nets the most
positive results for all parties.
For more information on RWI’s services, please contact:
Sharon Douglas, CEO
Direct Line: 619-954-7100
Email: sdouglas@RehabWest.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 19, 2007
RWI Certified as Women's Business Enterprise by Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).
Escondido, CA (March 19, 2007) RehabWest, Inc, (RWI), a business specializing in workers' compensation managed care received national certification as a Women's Business Enterprise by the Women's Business Enterprise Council - West (WBEC), a regional certifying partner of the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).
WBENC's national standard of certification implemented by WBEC is a meticulous process including an in-depth review of the business and site inspection. The certification process is designed to confirm the business is at least 51% owned, operated and controlled by a woman or women.
By including women-owned businesses among their vendors, corporations and government agencies demonstrate their commitment to fostering diversity and the continued development of their supplier/vendor diversity programs.
"We are honored to receive this award from WBENC. Our certification assists our business partners meet their supplier diversity goals and at the same time, provides RWI a springboard for new business development," remarked Sharon Douglas, CEO.
About WBENC:
The Women's Business Enterprise National Council is the nation's
largest third party certifier of businesses
owned and operated by women
in the United States. WBENC is a resource for the more than 700 US
companies and government agencies that rely on WBENC's certification as
an integral part of their
supplier diversity programs.
CONTACT: Sharon Douglas, CEO
Cell: (619) 954-7100
Fax: (760) 746-7564
Email: sdouglas@RehabWest.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 6, 2006
RWI Certified as Women’s Business Enterprise.
Escondido, CA (October 6, 2006) RWI, a provider of managed care services, has received Certification as a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) by the Supplier Clearinghouse. The detailed Certification process confirms the business is at least 51% owned by women who also manage and control the primary day–to-day business operations.
RWI is 100% women owned by Carol Holub, Founder, CFO and Sharon Douglas, CEO. By including WBE firms in their procurement process, California businesses demonstrate their commitment to fostering their supplier diversity programs.
About WBENC:
The company’s managed care services provided to employers, primarily in the workers’ compensation arena include:
- Utilization Review ( UR)
- Medical Bill Review
- Nurse Case Management
- Accommodation/Interactive Process “Meet and Confer” Services (for compliance with the Federal Americans’ with Disabilities Act and the California Fair Employment & Housing Act)
- Ergonomic Assessment & Vocational Evaluations
Technology Update:
RWI staff utilizes its proprietary web based software for all service lines. Physicians, nurses and consultants access any internet station for new case assignments or to manage their existing cases. A digital mailroom is hosted in the corporate Headquarters where all documents are converted to PDF format and uploaded to each paperless case. RWI Case Files are paperless.
To refer a case visit RWI’s web site at www.RehabWest.com.
Special points of interest:
- RWI WBE Certified by Supplier Clearinghouse
- RWI Provides Customized Managed Care Services
- Web Based Proprietary Software state of the art for case management and functionality
- RWI Tracks Cost Savings for Clients
Cost Savings Top $20 million for RWI Clients:
In addition to case management functionality, RWI’s software has the capability to track cost savings related to Utilization Review and Medical Bill Review. Cost savings are delineated by case, and reports are provided to clients on a monthly basis. The costs tracked are hard dollar numbers vs. soft savings using the Official Medical Fee Schedule and numerous other industry standard resources.
Cost savings to date for RWI clients currently exceeds $20 million dollars since inception of the program just 2 years ago.
To inquire about establishing or supplementing an Interactive Accommodation Process program, please call 800-889-1777.
CONTACT: Sharon Douglas, CEO
Cell: (619) 954-7100
Fax: (760) 746-7564
Email: sdouglas@RehabWest.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 26, 2006
RWI Expert Speaks at the California Coalition on
Workers’ Compensation Annual Conference on FEHA Issues
Escondido, CA (July 26, 2006)
Sharon Douglas, CEO, RehabWest, Inc. (RWI), California’s leading integrated workers' compensation disability management organization, was an expert speaker at the annual conference for the California Coalition on Workers’ Compensation (CCWC) held in Newport Beach.
Paraphrased from a recent article in WorkComp Central.com
Sharon Douglas, an expert in return-to-work issues and the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), said at the CCWC conference that employers who have been taken to court over the issue have lost because they haven't followed the "interactive process" to its conclusion. That process includes bringing together the employee, supervisor, sometimes a human resources representative, and a facilitator to meet and discuss the returning worker's limitations, she said.
"When you're bringing people back to work, you're basically complying with FEHA," Douglas said. "If you don't bring them back to work because you don't know (their restrictions and capabilities), that's when you need the interactive process," Douglas added.
A goal of recent legislation was to get injured workers treated and back on the job more quickly. The loss of vocational rehabilitation benefits points toward better return-to-work outcomes in California workers' compensation, the experts who spoke at the conference agreed.
"Without the voc rehab veil, employers need to be even more cognizant of the need to conduct an interactive process and confer on situations for employees who may have work restrictions," said Douglas. Those work restrictions may preclude them from returning to their usual and customary jobs, she said. It's incumbent on an employer or company, under FEHA, to try to find a job within the organization that the restricted employee can perform, she added.
Douglas and others describe FEHA as the California version of the federal Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) as it relates to disability in workers' compensation. Douglas stressed that employers who want to steer clear of FEHA violations should have an interactive process in place before a disability case arises. Failure to be prepared puts the employer at risk of being sued for discrimination because of disability or a company's perception that the person is disabled. That perception is not always accurate.
"They must sit down with the injured worker -- either someone with an occupational disability or a non-occupational disability -- or they run the risk of a FEHA action," Douglas said.
Douglas, a consultant for public and private employers, said that a key to success with a company return-to-work program is knowing how to treat employees well. It makes sense to re-employ them, either in their former work or another position within the company, because those employees are a known entity, she added.
Under FEHA, an employer must determine the injured workers' abilities to return-to-work. For example, can someone with a standing restriction perform his or her job sitting?
Besides the obvious benefit of staying out of court over discrimination complaints, a good return-to-work program also lowers replacement-worker costs and reduces temporary disability payments, Douglas pointed out. "If you bring someone back to work, their PD goes down by 15%. If you don't bring them back, their PD goes up 15%," she said.