St. Paul, Minnesota — “The Affordable Care Act (ACA) does not have direct impact on workers’ compensation, but its indirect impacts will be felt for years to come,” says Joseph Paduda, principal of Health Strategy Associates, a consulting firm active in workers’ compensation and medical cost containment.  Paduda is a general session speaker at the 2013 Workers’ Compensation Summit, “Looking Back, Moving Ahead: 100 Years of Workers’ Compensation in Minnesota.”

Paduda will discuss cost-shifting, the health status of injured workers, electronic health records, and changes to the health care delivery system.  Will the influx of newly insured people limit injured workers’ access to primary care physicians, orthopedists and surgeons?  Will changes in the way care is delivered affect workers’ compensation claimants and payers?

The 2013 Workers’ Compensation Summit will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in St. Paul, Minn. on Thursday, Sept. 12, starting at 8 a.m. Produced by the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, the Summit has been approved for 7.5 hours of continuing education units (CEUs) for CRC and CDMS. The summit has also been approved by the Minnesota State Board of Continuing Legal Education for 5.75 hours of standard continuing legal education (CLE).  For more information and to register, please see www.dli.mn.gov/Summit.

Paduda is a nationally recognized expert in medical management with deep experience in medical and pharmacy services in workers’ compensation. In addition to consulting with managed care organizations, employers, health care providers, and insurers, Mr. Paduda regularly conducts surveys of workers’ comp payers on managing work comp pharmacy costs, bill review systems and claims systems. For more information, please see www.healthstrategyassoc.com or www.ManagedCareMatters.com.

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Media Contact:  Helen King Knight, APR King Knight Communications, helen@kingknight.com, 813-690-4787