Michigan Workers' Disability Compensation Agency

Michigan is one of the 15 founding members of the IAIABC and site of the first ever IAIABC Convention in 1914. We thought it natural for the Michigan Workers' Compensation Agency to be our first "Member Spotlight."

IAIABC: What do you see as some of the major challenges the industry is facing, and how can we as a community address them?

Mark Long, Director, Michigan Workers' Compensation Agency: The speed at which industries are moving makes it difficult to establish an appropriate level of regulation. As the new economy grows it is impacting everything from how we travel to how we work to how we see the doctor. We must learn from each other, which includes our international jurisdictions.

IAIABC: Are there any projects going on at your organization that you are particularly excited or enthusiastic about?

ML: We are in the midst of an IT system overhaul. We have already replaced two legacy systems and are presently working on our primary system. The replacement project will provide us the opportunity to overhaul our rules for processing data and will move us a long way towards eliminating paper. We are also in the process of establishing billing and reimbursement guidelines for telehealth.

IAIABC: Why is your organization a member of the IAIABC?

ML: It provides occasion to gain an immense amount of feedback from a very dedicated group of professionals. The committee work is always top-notch and the white papers are thoroughly developed.