Agenda

Registration/Information desk open

Welcome reception

Registration/Information desk open

Networking breakfast

Keynote address:
Climbing to the next plateau

Tracy Ryan, executive vice president and chief product officer for Liberty Mutual, will discuss a number of factors that affect how companies are managing their operations — and succeeding — while changes continue to affect every decision they make.

Quantifying quality — reaching beyond production: A panel discussion

For many years, managers evaluated premium auditors on productivity alone: the greater the number of audits performed each week, the higher an employee's evaluation. But premium audit managers should consider a number of factors when evaluating employees, such as an auditor's ability to identify all exposures for a particular risk at the time of the audit. An auditor's experience should also be a consideration, since expectations for a rookie auditor would be quite different from those for a senior auditor with many years of experience.

Audit quality should be a primary concern. As premium audit managers, we're eager to train our staff on how to perform quality audits. But before we can do that, we need an effective way to measure quality. Should we base quality on error ratio or the correct application of rules? Are all errors equal, or is a classification error more egregious than missing information? And how should we weight the different aspects of quality when training our audit teams?

Our panel will discuss a number of factors you should consider when evaluating employees.

Refreshment break

Social networking: A false sense of security

Many people believe that the information they share on social networking sites is private and secure. Perhaps they think that a user name and password protects their privacy. Or maybe the impressive-looking privacy policies they sign before joining those sites give them confidence about the security of the information they post.

In reality, there's virtually no privacy on social networking sites. Everything that users upload to their personal profiles instantly becomes the property of the site. In effect, users are handing over their pictures, words, thoughts, feelings, and relationships — as well as their life histories — to social networking sites.

In addition, most privacy policies create a false sense of security, since users sign off on long legal policies or contracts with the click of a mouse. They don't realize that social networking sites can update those policies at will since they contain clauses stating that the user agrees to policy changes if they continue using the site.

Find out what you can do to protect your personal information on social networking sites.

Lunch

Collections: Economic reality

In today's economy, many of your clients aren't exactly seeing revenue flow through their doors. So when audit time rolls around, they find themselves unable (or unwilling) to pay the additional premium. The result? Insurers find themselves acting as "debt collectors" — either working out collection plans or taking pennies on the dollar to avoid costly litigation fees. Our speaker will discuss the problem and provide recommendations, including the value of interim audits and tools auditors can use to pay closer attention to a client's financial position.

Refreshment break

Integrating telematics with driver risk management

Driving is a demanding and dangerous activity. Since premium auditors spend so much time on the road, it's important for managers to use every tool available to help manage driver-related risks. That's particularly important in today's litigious society, when an employee's accident could result in a lawsuit brought against the company.

Vehicles equipped with telematics devices can help you mitigate those risks. Such devices let you track drivers for both productivity and safety. You can access a variety of information, including:

• driver behavior (e.g., speeding and details about accidents)
• driver logs of stops and starts, along with the addresses the driver visits
• details about the time spent at each customer location
• specifics on the use of the company vehicle in conflict with company rules

And advanced scoring services allow you to do much more than simply pull an MVR on a potential employee before hiring. Now you can actively manage and track driver-related risks. Today's systems can access driver records continually to help you identify trends and isolate risk factors in seconds — and continue to monitor your employees throughout their tenure.

Attend this session to find out more.

Reception and dinner

Registration/Information desk open

Networking breakfast

Breakout sessions

101. 2011/2012 NCCI workers compensation classification changes

This session will review the 2011 NCCI classification changes, including:

• manufactured, modular, or prefabricated homes — code 2797 (mfg.) and code 2799 (setup)
• furniture and cabinet assembling by hand — code 2881
• integrated circuit manufacturing — code 4109
• door and window installation — code 5102
• paperhanging — code 5491
• roofing — code 5551
• fence erection — code 6400
• superstores — code 8037
• contractors' permanent yard — code 8227
• child day care operations — code 8869

We'll also take a close look at NCCI changes for 2012. Those upcoming changes will affect a number of industries, including bakeries and cracker manufacturing, cabinet works and furniture manufacturing with power machinery, and motion pictures and film exchanges.

102. Is there an app for that? Building the intelligent house

Intelligent houses offer a number of convenience and safety devices. But we need to find the right classification for the manufacture and installation of such devices for workers compensation and general liability policies. Here are just a few examples of new technologies that need the right classifications:

• climate control systems, including the installation of new heating and cooling systems (with the new NCCI classifications), the installation of control panels, and the manufacture of devices to control them from a long distance
  
• home entertainment systems that control not only your stereo but also a flat-screen television, computers, telephones, intercom system, nanny cams, and lights
  
• the manufacture of windows that change at night to prevent others from looking into your house
  
• natural and mechanical ventilation, which are new on the market for green buildings
  
• solar panel installation and manufacturing

And the new intelligent house technologies affect more than just buildings. As technology changes, so will the classifications for workers compensation and general liability policies.

Attend this session to find out more.

Transition break

Breakout sessions

201. 2011/2012 NCCI workers compensation classification changes

This session will review the 2011 NCCI classification changes, including:

• manufactured, modular, or prefabricated homes — code 2797 (mfg.) and code 2799 (setup)
• furniture and cabinet assembling by hand — code 2881
• integrated circuit manufacturing — code 4109
• door and window installation — code 5102
• paperhanging — code 5491
• roofing — code 5551
• fence erection — code 6400
• superstores — code 8037
• contractors' permanent yard — code 8227
• child day care operations — code 8869

We'll also take a close look at NCCI changes for 2012. Those upcoming changes will affect a number of industries, including bakeries and cracker manufacturing, cabinet works and furniture manufacturing with power machinery, and motion pictures and film exchanges.

202.  Solving those quirky little general liability classification problems

Assigning general liability classifications is full of twists and turns that can catch you by surprise. Obscure rules, classification notes, new classifications, and the removal of beloved classifications can make general liability classification assignment very frustrating.

Put the migraine medicine away and attend this session to learn more about classifying such exposures as:

• charges made for rental equipment
• processes that companies outsource
• green technologies, such as biofuels, nanomaterials, solar energy, and wind farms
• the wholesale value of goods
• importing

Only 75 minutes are necessary to put those headaches behind you!

Refreshment break

301. Is there an app for that? Building the intelligent house

Intelligent houses offer a number of convenience and safety devices. But we need to find the right classification for the manufacture and installation of such devices for workers compensation and general liability policies. Here are just a few examples of new technologies that need the right classifications:

• climate control systems, including the installation of new heating and cooling systems (with the new NCCI classifications), the installation of control panels, and the manufacture of devices to control them from a long distance
  
• home entertainment systems that control not only your stereo but also a flat-screen television, computers, telephones, intercom system, nanny cams, and lights
  
• the manufacture of windows that change at night to prevent others from looking into your house
  
• natural and mechanical ventilation, which are new on the market for green buildings
  
• solar panel installation and manufacturing

And the new intelligent house technologies affect more than just buildings. As technology changes, so will the classifications for workers compensation and general liability policies.

Attend this session to find out more.

302.  Solving those quirky little general liability classification problems

Assigning general liability classifications is full of twists and turns that can catch you by surprise. Obscure rules, classification notes, new classifications, and the removal of beloved classifications can make general liability classification assignment very frustrating.

Put the migraine medicine away and attend this session to learn more about classifying such exposures as:

• charges made for rental equipment
• processes that companies outsource
• green technologies, such as biofuels, nanomaterials, solar energy, and wind farms
• the wholesale value of goods
• importing

Only 75 minutes are necessary to put those headaches behind you!

Lunch

PAASword:  Take the trivia challenge

Take part in an interactive trivia challenge that will test your premium audit knowledge about rules and classifications. Several award choices will be available to participants. Come to this entertaining session armed with all of your knowledge.

Registration/Information desk open

Networking breakfast

Effects of healthcare reform on workers compensation

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 has — and will continue to have —significant effects on the healthcare industry in the United States. Professionals in our industry know that those effects will trickle down to workers comp — and change workers comp coverage in major ways.

Consider these possibilities:

• Certain mandates regarding workers comp data and how it relates to medical data will change the reporting methods for workers compensation coverage.
• Since more people will have health coverage, doctors and facilities may be swamped in some geographic areas and less willing to participate in occupational medical networks or offer discounts off fee schedules.
• When the preexisting condition exclusion disappears in 2014 for group coverage, there may be a greater demand on employers for workplace and job accommodations — leading to new exposures and safety issues.

Attend this session to learn more about how healthcare reform will change the face of workers comp.

Collecting data — then what?

Companies collect a wide range of data, including figures that show payroll per classification, exposure by state, claims relating to a particular business, the relationships of businesses owned by the same individuals, and gross sales.

But companies don't always use data to its full potential. We don't take the time we should to assess the information we collect. And we rarely apply the data sets we gather against each other to see how they interact.

Digging deeper into the data you collect can help you make more definitive decisions. For example, many audit departments use rules for audit selection, but don't have the resources to conduct every audit according to those rules. By homing in on the right data, we can make better decisions about which accounts to audit and the best way to audit them.

Attend this session to get practical solutions and tactics about how to use data most effectively.

Refreshment break

Emerging issues: What, why, and how

ISO's staff monitors emerging issues constantly and identifies appropriate solutions for a variety of problems affecting our industry. At this session, you'll learn why it's important to stay current with the events developing around us, and you'll get tools to help you do just that. We'll also take a look at some of the most pressing issues on our radar screen, including alternative energy exposures, nanotechnology, Internet-related exposures, and green building practices.

Adjournment