Like many others that have come before it, this is an article about how we can combat the opioid epidemic. But if the educational tips here help even one person think more carefully about opioid alternatives, it has accomplished what it set out to do. In fact, educational initiatives continue to make a difference, one small step at a time. One recent study put into perspective how small steps toward opioid education can make a big impact. The study, funded in part by the National Institute on A

This week, Sedgwick once again experienced a significant milestone in our almost 50-year history with the announcement that The Carlyle Group will become our majority investor. This is the fifth time in the last 20 years we have seen ownership change; each time, our new partners seeing the value of Sedgwick’s long-term stability and the potential for our future. During each transition, the company has experienced continued growth, outpacing our industry and the market, even during the

When I think about how I connect the dots between my background in healthcare with my career in the insurance industry, my current role as a business leader and my passion about social responsibility, employee benefit models and taking care of people, the answer is pink socks. Yes, pink socks adorned with black mustaches. Allow me to explain. Empathy and caring have always been at my core. On my fifth birthday, I announced to my family that I would become a nurse. At age 15, I began working as

Kimberly George is featured in Risk & Insurance in an article that focuses on the continued adoption of value-based care in workers’ compensation.

At Sedgwick, taking care of people is at the heart of everything we do. Our job is to provide assistance and support when the unexpected occurs. But more often than not, our colleagues are not the first ones at the scene when there’s an injury at work, a natural disaster, an outbreak of violence, an auto accident, a fire or a health crisis. It’s the community first responders—police, firefighters, paramedics and emergency medical providers, search and rescue teams, military members and oth

As I think back on the past week, I feel reaffirmed that we are better together. This week, the 5th Annual Comp Laude™ Awards and Gala celebrated the good things our industry does to help those experiencing a workplace injury or illness, just as our dear friend the late David DePaolo, founder of WorkCompCentral, envisioned when he first proposed the annual gathering. I was there five years ago for the first event and, oh my, how things have changed from our small, intimate, one

One of the most profound lessons I learned from implementing a workers’ compensation alternative dispute resolution (ADR) program was how employers could use a simple process to help reduce their litigation rate. As I’ve seen in my own experience as a risk manager in California, ADR programs are designed to totally eliminate litigation by negotiating workers’ compensation benefits and the dispute resolution process between the employer and its unions. In one specific case I encountered, even

The conference reception, hosted by the Spencer Educational Foundation, served as the perfect venue for us to announce Sedgwick’s $100,000 pledge to endow a scholarship in memory of our late, beloved colleague Steve Penman. The Spencer Foundation is the premier organization funding the education of tomorrow’s risk management and insurance leaders through grants and scholarships. The merit-based Penman scholarship will, beginning in 2018, be awarded annually to one undergraduate college student

Sedgwick supports Healthcare Risk Management Week June 19-23 Sedgwick’s healthcare risk management team works alongside healthcare risk managers to reduce risks and improve safety by delivering cost-effective claims, productivity, managed care, patient safety, risk consulting and other services. Taking care of people is at the heart of everything we do. Caring counts.℠ Providers today are transitioning to a value-based world. Financial rewards are no longer reaped based upon the volume o

Can pizza really change lives? (Those of you who can’t live without pizza probably answered with a resounding yes.) This week, a few colleagues and I had the opportunity to visit a very special place where every slice of pizza served gives back to the community, sparking a continuous circle of change for those on both sides of the counter. Last April, Sedgwick partnered with an exceptional organization called the Alpha Project, which provides work, recovery and support services to those motiv

Tom Peters the business guru, thought leader and author of the #1 national best-seller In Search of Excellence, says "Excellent firms don't believe in excellence – only in constant improvement and constant change." Excellence is something all businesses talk about and aspire to. But how do you achieve excellent performance and results? Now that is a tougher question to answer. One starting point is to identify meaningful performance metrics across your industry that pinpoint and measure the m

I can honestly say I don’t recall a time I didn’t have a book in my hand as a child. I once got in trouble in fourth grade for reading a book during math. I am pretty sure it made Mrs. Park’s heart happy that I loved to read so much and, let’s be honest, the math gene in my family skipped me, so it all worked out. Reading has shaped my life, as I am sure is the same for many of you reading this post. Just as we did last year in San Diego, the Sedgwick team attending RIMS 2017 in Philadelphia

The first topic in the spotlight on Tuesday in the Wellness ZENter at RIMS was employee resilience. Kimberly George, SVP, Corporate Development, M&A, and Healthcare at Sedgwick, talked with Molly Doyle, Chief Product Officer at meQuilibrium, about the importance of resilience. Resilience is about the ability to handle the natural challenges and opportunities that come your way in order to respond in the most productive and positive way, and achieve the best outcome. Molly explained that th

Employee health took center stage during Monday’s Wellness ZENter presentations at RIMS. Dave North, President and CEO at Sedgwick, kicked off the day with a corporate wellness discussion with Shawn Leavitt, Senior Vice President of Global Benefits at Comcast. They highlighted the importance of wellness for individuals and populations, and how health and productivity impact business performance. The risk management industry has built an entire infrastructure around trying to take care of injure

I have been coming to RIMS for over 20 years and it never grows old. I remain as excited this year as I did the first time I attended. Again I can say rapid changes are happening in our industry, especially in the area of technology. At Sedgwick, we also continue to gauge legislation change at the state level and actively keep an eye on what's happening at the federal level. This year you can count us in as part of something brand new that looks to explore these areas of change and mor