002: Mitch Harless, Senior Vice President, Claims Management, Part 2
Release Date: 03/03/2017
Dr. Joseph Sanford and Dr. Kevin Sexton, Leaders of the Medical Claims Analytics Teams at Stephens Insurance
Stephens
Frank Thomas interviews Dr. Joseph Sanford and Dr. Kevin Sexton on employer wellness programs. They explore the data sets that are available between self-funded and fully-insured plans, the changes in healthcare visits since the start of the pandemic, the kinds of nudges that work to help employees to choose healthy behaviors and participate in wellness visits and screenings.
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Brian Chance, Senior Vice President, Cost Based Efficiency Claims & Risk Manager at Stephens Insurance
Stephens
Frank Thomas interviews Brian Chance on the complexities of the workers' compensation system, a state-regulated system that varies by state. They discuss how employers can obtain and manage state-compliant coverage, whether by buying a policy from an insurance company or third-party administrator, self-insuring, or buying a large deductible and acting as a self-insurer.
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020: David Keisner, Vice President, Associate Pharmacy Benefits Analyst at Stephens Insurance
Stephens
Frank Thomas interviews Dr. David Keisner on the meaning of the recent Supreme Court ruling for PBMs, how increased prescription costs may be passed along to employers and insured patents, how other states may act as a result of this ruling, and the potential ramifications of this ruling on other states’ regulation of healthcare providers, regardless of the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).
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019: Dr. Geri Bemberg, Vice President & Pharmacy Benefits Analyst at Stephens Insurance
Stephens
Frank Thomas interviews Dr. Geri Bemberg. Geri specializes in prescription drug formulary and pharmacy benefit management solutions. Geri explains what a pharmacy benefit manager does. She covers the types of contracts PBMs make with plans, pharmacy groups and drug makers, and the differences between traditional and pass-through plans. Geri explains the benefits of having Stephens Insurance get involved between the plan and the PBM, and also offer formulary management and pharmacy benefit auditing.
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018: Prentice McIntosh, Vice President of Risk Management at Stephens Insurance — Part 3
Stephens
Frank Thomas interviews Prentice McIntosh, continuing and concluding the conversation on hurricane preparedness in this episode of Stephens Viewpoints. Prentice and Frank discuss steps businesses should take after a hurricane. They focus on getting back to the property and meeting the claims adjuster as quickly as possible, putting in place temporary fixes to mitigate future losses, and revisiting the disaster recovery plan to make sure all aspects of the business are protected.
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017: Prentice McIntosh, Vice President of Risk Management at Stephens Insurance — Part 2
Stephens
Frank Thomas interviews Prentice McIntosh, continuing the conversation on hurricane preparedness, in this episode of Stephens Viewpoints. Prentice and Frank discuss steps businesses may take to cover the business disruptions that come with a hurricane. These can include a storm safety plan, disaster recovery plans, business interruption coverage and contingent business interruption coverage
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016: Hurricane Preparedness — With Prentice McIntosh, Vice President of Risk Management at Stephens Insurance
Stephens
Prentice McIntosh is interviewed by Frank Thomas in this episode of Stephens Viewpoints. Prentice and Frank discuss the steps businesses should take to plan for hurricanes and other disasters, how to recover from disasters, how to drill the disaster plan, and how to obtain appropriate property insurance.
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015: Workplace Health — With Todd Whitthorne, President of ACAP Health Consulting and Tom Kane, Executive Vice President and Director of Life & Health at Stephens Insurance
Stephens
Todd Whitthorne, President of ACAP Health Consulting, and Tom Kane, Executive Vice President and Director of Life & Health for Stephens Insurance, are interviewed by Frank Thomas in this episode of Stephens Viewpoints. Todd, Tom, and
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014: Kara Trott, Founder and CEO of Quantum Health and Walker Bowden, Director of Self-Funded Marketing for Stephens Insurance
Stephens
Kara Trott, Founder and CEO of Quantum Health and Walker Bowden, Director of Self-Funded Marketing for Stephens Insurance, are interviewed by Frank Thomas in this episode of Stephens Viewpoints. Kara, Walker and Frank discuss innovations in engagement that allow members to navigate much better the healthcare maze.
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013: Olin Wage, Senior Vice President and Long-Term Care Advisor for Stephens Insurance
Stephens
Olin Wage, Senior Vice President and Long-Term Care Advisor for Stephens Insurance, is interviewed by Frank Thomas in this episode of Stephens Viewpoints. Frank and Olin discuss why long-term care insurance should be considered as part of a prudent retirement plan, the options available, and options for providing for long-term care needs and expenses.
info_outlineMitch Harless, Senior Vice President for Claims Management, continues the conversation as Frank’s guest in this episode of Stephens Viewpoints. Frank and Mitch look at a case study — the contractual dispute from the Deepwater Horizon disaster of 2010, and the insurance claims at its center. An indemnification specialist is an important adviser to help clients understand oil patch indemnification and mutual indemnification agreements, both before and after an incident. Listen to hear more.
Key Takeaways:
[:26] Mitch Harless reveals the focus of the contractual dispute between the parties from the Deepwater Horizon disaster of 2010: environmental damage! Whose tower of insurance was at the center of the dispute?
[1:00] The incident occurred in April, 2010. In November, 2011 a District Court issued a ruling that BP could not access Transocean’s $750 million tower of insurance.
[1:53] High-value disputes become complex, and that was not the end. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, in New Orleans, heard an appeal. In March 2013, they reversed the ruling of the District Court, in favor of BP.
[2:59] Transocean asked the Circuit Court of Appeals for reconsideration, to hear from the Texas Supreme Court. In August 2013, the Fifth Circuit withdrew its March opinion. How did they involve the Texas Supreme Court?
[3:55] The Texas Supreme Court examined three questions certified by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. In February, 2015, the Texas Supreme Court answered those three questions. What was the effect of their answers?
[4:36] Transocean was able to preserve for themselves their $750 million tower of insurance.
[4:44] Did this dispute have more of an impact on the legal process or on insurance practices? This extreme example documents the dire financial ramifications for parties of indemnification agreements.
[5:15] What changes did the insurance industry make after the Deepwater Horizon disaster of 2010? What is the importance of indemnification agreements today?
[6:01] Next and final episode of this discussion: How specialists shed light on the murkier aspects of the indemnification process for stakeholders!
Mentioned in This Episode:
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Litigation
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana