Self-Insurance Podcast with Kaya Stanley

Randy Bugg is Senior Vice President at Pacific Claims Management, CRMBC’s third-party claims administrator. He has 34 years of experience in workers’ compensation claims and works with self-insured employers to improve claim outcomes and control costs.

In this episode, Randy joins Kaya Stanley to discuss early claims settlement, why some workers’ comp claims drag on, how open claims can become more expensive over t...

Benjamin Burch is a data scientist and associate vice president at Midwest Employers Casualty, where he leads a team building machine learning models and AI solutions for insurance.

In this episode, you’ll learn:
How AI can support workers’ comp claims decisions without replacing people
Why does the Midwest frame AI as assisted intelligence?
How AI helps claims teams review unstructured data, large files, and cl...

Harsha Vashisht is the co-founder and CTO of Dyssonance AI and a former engineering leader at Google and Uber Eats.

In this episode, you’ll learn:
How AI can reduce customer support load, using a real Uber Eats example
How AI agents can monitor reviews and competitors to surface patterns
How restaurant operators can use AI to improve service, reviews, and local marketing
A simple prompting method to get better answ...

Michael Adreani is an attorney and partner at Roxborough, Pomerance, Nye & Adreani, where he advises businesses on employment, labor, insurance, and workers’ compensation issues.

In this episode, you’ll learn:
 What PAGA is and why it matters for California restaurant operators
 What changed under the 2024 PAGA reforms
 Why early evaluation conferences are not always working as expected
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In this episode of the Self-Insurance Podcast, CRMBC CEO Kaya Stanley speaks with Dr. Fernando Branco, Chief Medical Officer at Midwest Employers Casualty, about medical inflation and why workers’ comp claims can be especially exposed to rising medical costs.

Dr. Branco explains what is driving medical cost pressure, why workers’ comp can get hit harder than other parts of the healthcare system, and what restaurant opera...

In this episode, Kaya Stanley interviews Tim Leech, Director of Risk Consulting at Alliant Insurance Services. Tim shares insights from his 34 years of experience in the insurance industry, focusing on loss-sensitive programs and effective risk management strategies. 

Learn about reducing the cost of risk, engaging management in safety programs, and the latest industry trends. 

Whether you are a restaurant operator, broker,...

In this episode of the Self-Insurance Podcast by CRMBC, host Kaya Stanley interviews Mike Geosano, President of O.S.T.S. Consulting, about the new Cal/OSHA indoor heat illness prevention regulations for restaurants. Mike shares his safety consulting background and explains the regulation's specifics, including temperature triggers, hazard assessments, control measures, and required employee training. He also discusses the potential...

In this episode of the Self Insurance Podcast by CRMBC, Heather Bischoff from Upskill Consulting joins us to explore the critical aspects of human resources management in small businesses. 

Heather, who transitioned from case management to HR, highlights the importance of fractional HR and its role in preventing workers' compensation claims. She addresses common HR misconceptions, the complexities of employment law, and the fin...

In this episode of the Self Insurance Podcast, Gene Immendorf, President of Immendorf Investigations, shares insights into the world of private investigation in the context of workers' compensation self-insurance in California. 

Following in his father's footsteps, Gene has nearly four decades of experience in surveillance and sub rosa investigations. He explains the importance of thorough pre-surveillance background ch...

In this episode of the Self Insurance Podcast by CRMBC, host Kaya interviews Scott Gaffner, CRMBC's Chief Underwriting Officer, about the intricacies of workers' compensation self-insurance in California. With over 30 years of experience, Scott examines the advantages of self-insured groups, the importance of underwriting, and the common misconceptions about self-insurance. 

He explains how self-insured groups offer low...

In this episode of The Self-Insurance Podcast brought to you by CRMBC, host Kaya interviews Darrin Schenck, VP of sales for TriageNow. They discuss the importance and benefits of employing telephonic nurse triage solutions specifically for workplace injuries in the hospitality industry. Darrin explains how TriageNow helps mitigate claims, provides appropriate care, and addresses common challenges in the industry, highlighting their...

In this episode of the Self Insurance Podcast, hosted by CRMBC, Amanda Rodriguez, an attorney and partner at Cooper Brown, discusses her journey to becoming a workers' compensation litigator. The conversation covers Amanda’s background, the common reasons workers' comp cases get litigated, the importance of employer documentation, and the prevalence of fraudulent claims in Southern California. She also shares insights on the ...

In this episode of the Self Insurance Podcast, Kaya welcomes Mike McDonough, broker-owner of McDonough Insurance Services, to explore the major differences between traditional workers' compensation and self-insured groups. Mike, an industry expert with over 30 years of experience, explores how self-insurance encourages immediate injury reporting, reduces costs, and ensures better care for injured workers. They also discuss the impo...

In this episode of the Self-Insurance Podcast, brought to you by CRMBC, we delve into the intricacies of workers' compensation audits and reserves with Pilar Mitchell, Senior Partner at Michael Sullivan & Associates. Pilar shares her extensive experience in workers' compensation law, explaining the different types of audits conducted by the DWC and OSIP, the importance of accurate reserve setting, and practical steps members ca...

In this episode, we look into the intricacies of workers comp fraud investigations with Sam King, Vice President of SIU and Program Management at Apex Investigations. Sam brings over a decade of experience in law enforcement and insurance fraud examination. 

We explore the four key categories of workers comp fraud, investigation options for different types of injuries, and essential elements required to support criminal...

In this episode of the Self-Insurance Podcast, hosted by CRMBC, we tackle the intricacies of workers' comp self-insurance with Mike McDonough, the broker principal of McDonough Insurance Services. 

Drawing from his 30 years of experience, Mike offers a deep dive into the advantages of self-insurance over traditional insurance carriers. Key topics include the concept of a hardening market, criteria for joining a self-ins...

In this episode, we discuss the critical role of loss prevention in managing workers' compensation costs. Mark Walls, Vice President of Client Engagement at Safety National, emphasizes that the cheapest accident is the one that never happens. 

With over 30 years of experience in workers' comp, Mark shares valuable insights on the importance of data, the unique challenges faced in California, and the impact of continuous...

Join us on this episode of the Self-Insurance Podcast, brought to you by CRMBC. CEO Kaya Stanley and Randy Bug, Vice President of Pacific Claims Management, delve into the critical role of third-party administrators (TPAs) in managing claims for self-insured groups. 

Learn about the importance of effective communication, proactive claims management, and how properly handling workers' compensation can significantly impac...

 In this episode of The Self-Insurance Podcast, Kaya Stanley talks with Michael Adreani, a principal at Roxborough Pomerantz Nye Adreani Law Firm, about the complexities of handling both workers' comp and civil claims. 

They discuss how some employees may file both types of claims and the legal intricacies involved. Michael offers practical advice for restaurant owners on managing these situations, emphasizing the ...