The 34 ADLs (Activities of Daily Living) cover day to day things like brushing one's teeth or getting dressed, but these aren't necessarily the things one does for their job. So how are these ADLs relevant for assessing a workplace injury? In this episode, Dr. John Alchemy explains how ADLs help us understand workplace injuries and how they are bal…

Workers' compensation claims can vary wildly in price, and they are often more expensive than they need to be. Listen to our episode where Dr. John Alchemy provides a breakdown of what causes these seemingly arbitrary prices, and what can be done to minimize the costs for all stakeholders! For more information on this episode, and other helpful tip…

Old habits die hard, but how important are they to cling to when the alternative is freedom from frustration and cost savings? Dr. John Alchemy speaks with RateFast's Chris Hall about getting adjusters onboard with new technologies in order to help all work comp stakeholders towards claim resolution! For more information on this episode, and other …

Nobody likes paying more than they have to... for anything! That's why it's amazing how much time, energy, and indeed money is wasted for all parties in an inefficient workers' comp system. Dr. John Alchemy is on the podcast today to explain how AI can truly improve workers' compensation claims for all parties. For more information on this episode,…

Artificial intelligence is coming at us fast, and it has exciting implications in the world of workers' compensation. In fact, it can fit in snugly to many standard aspects of the workers' compensation framework if done correctly. In this episode, Dr. Alchemy and Cory discuss some of the many possibilities of AI in workers' comp! For more informati…

We are back with the original podcast episode format with Dr. John Alchemy and Cory Oleson, to discuss the RateFast Functional Loss Rating and how it fits into the RateFast Flash Rating method! For more information on this episode, and other helpful tips about workers' compensation, visit the RateFast Blog. Visit our YouTube channel to see this vid…

Dr. John Alchemy speaks about the differences between the traditional four corners rating of workers' compensation vs the new RateFast Functional Loss Rating (FLR). For more information on this episode, and other helpful tips about workers' compensation, visit the RateFast Blog. Visit our YouTube channel to see this video and more! If you're a work…

RateFast offers an alternative, or perhaps an upgrade, to the traditional 'four corners rating' style of workers' comp impairment calculation with our Functional Loss Rating. Dr. John Alchemy explains this RateFast Feature in this episode. For more information on this episode, and other helpful tips about workers' compensation, visit the RateFast B…

In California, the AMA Guides 5th Edition is used to determine impairment rating for workers' compensation. In this video, Dr. John Alchemy examines an upcoming scientific paper that he is participating in, which takes a look at the Guides, and examines methods for revising the way that they are used. For more information on this episode, and other…

Good workers' compensation reports need valid examination data to increase the likelihood of the report being accepted by the insurance provider so that the claim can be brought to a close. In this video, Dr. John Alchemy gives practical advice on how to do this. For more information on this episode, and other helpful tips about workers' compensati…

Workers' compensation reports are supposed to be objective, but that's not always the outcome. There are biases, old habits, and 'back of the napkin math' involved in many workers' comp claims due to the immense amount of work involved. In this episode, Dr. John Alchemy makes the case for why evidence-based impairment ratings will give the work com…

There are many measurements to take in a workers' compensation claim, and many of them are the dimensions of the pain that the injured worker is experiencing. In this episode, Dr. John Alchemy explains these dimensions. For more information on this episode, and other helpful tips about workers' compensation, visit the RateFast Blog. Visit our YouTu…

Treatment burden is a crucial concept in workers' compensation claims. In this episode Dr. John Alchemy explain how this concept works! For more information on this episode, and other helpful tips about workers' compensation, visit the RateFast Blog. Visit our YouTube channel to see this video and more! If you're a workers' compensation provider, a…

Understanding RateFast from a high level will help users communicate their impairment reports to other stakeholders. Dr. John Alchemy, creator and CEO of RateFast, explains how this knowledge can lead to closing work comp claims quicker than ever before. For more information on this episode, and other helpful tips about workers' compensation, visit…

Workers' comp injuries can (and often do) contain multiple body parts, adding complexity to the claims. Still, the California workers' comp system is set up to handle such claims. Dr. John Alchemy explains how to handle these types of claims with regards to impairment ratings and reports. For more information on this episode, and other helpful tips…

A workers' compensation claim may not end when the claim is settled. The injured worker may require future care. The detail that the provider gives in the final impairment report regarding future care is essential in how the future care is viewed and approved by the insurance adjuster. Dr. John Alchemy explains how future care can be effectively an…

Good data integrity means a report that is more likely to stand on its own when scrutinized. What does it mean for your impairment report data to have integrity? Data integrity is a concept we've developed at RateFast which represents the quality of the data that was put into the creation of the report, since the outcome of a report is only as good…

Dr. John Alchemy discusses one of the most difficult parts of workers' compensation impairment ratings: Apportionment. When a workers' compensation injury involves a pre-existing condition on the injured body system, the physician must calculate apportionment to determine how much functional loss was due to the workplace injury, and how much of it …

Dr. John Alchemy and Professor Bruce Bolon, PhD. of Hamline University, give a presentation on pulmonary function testing as it relates to workers' compensation. This is a podcast which has been adapted from a video, so there are references to charts and tables which can be seen on the video on RateFast's YouTube Channel. For more information on th…

Dr. John Alchemy explains when it is necessary to use mathematical interpolation is necessary in workers' compensation impairment ratings. For more information on this episode, and other helpful tips about workers' compensation, visit the RateFast Blog. If you're a workers' compensation provider, adjuster, or case manager check out RateFast Express…

There are countless activities that we do in a day, but a finite number of Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) recognized by workers' compensation professionals, in order to gauge the severity of a work comp injury. The ADLs are arguably the most important factor in a worker's comp impairment report, which is why Dr. John Alchemy is here to give us a…

If you've followed our series up until this point, you should have a good grasp on what we call Impairment Rating Literacy. Now it's time to put that knowledge to work. Once you assess the skill of the author, you need to be able to score the report based off of what they've given you. Doctor John Alchemy tells you how to do that in this episode! F…

Dr. John Alchemy discusses the big themes of impairment rating and what to look out for when doing impairment reports for workers' compensation professionals. Join Dr. John Alchemy in describing Impairment Rating Literacy and its utility in the workers' compensation system. For more information on this episode, and other helpful tips about workers'…

While reading any impairment report, it's important to be assessing the skill of the author who wrote it. An author can be very experienced, or they can be guessing entirely. In this episode, Dr. John Alchemy shows us some ways to be able to make this assessment ourselves. Join Dr. John Alchemy in describing Impairment Rating Literacy and its utili…

Think of Impairment Rating Literacy as the precious substance "Spice" from Frank Herbert's essential science fiction novel, Dune. The one who is in control of Impairment Rating Literacy is the one who is in control. If you're a workers' comp professional, it would be most beneficial if you were the one with Impairment Rating Literacy. Join Dr. John…

For this final installment in our series, Mr. Phil Walker Esq. and Dr. John Alchemy caps off this series with the type of things that win cases in his experience. For more information on this episode, and other helpful tips about workers' compensation, visit the RateFast Blog. If you're a workers' compensation provider, adjuster, or case manager ch…

Power can be misused in every industry, and this does not exclude healthcare. In this episode, Dr. John Alchemy is joined again by Phil Walker, Esq. to discuss these intricacies of the business, and how workers comp stands out. For more information on this episode, and other helpful tips about workers' compensation, visit the RateFast Blog. If you'…

We are joined again by returning champion, work comp attorney Phil Walker, to discuss the sensitive topic of workplace abuse in the healthcare setting. Dr. John Alchemy and Mr. Walker discuss the change of the healthcare industry over the years and how workplace abuse has seeped into the cracks that have developed over time. For more information on…

For this final episode in our series, we discuss the AMA Guides four-corners rating and compare that to the California Almaraz-Guzman ruling. This is one of the more complicated topics in California Workers' Compensation, which is why Dr. John Alchemy is here to clear it up for us! For more information on this episode, and other helpful tips about …

Your patient may need diagnostic testing from a specialist. In this installment of our series, Dr. John Alchemy discusses when diagnostic testing is necessary in work comp claims, and useful tips for the process. For more information on this episode, and other helpful tips about workers' compensation, visit the RateFast Blog. If you're a workers' c…

Dr. John Alchemy is back to tell us about the examination portion of a workers' comp impairment rating, and provide us with some useful tips to take into account during this crucial step in the process. For more information on this episode, and other helpful tips about workers' compensation, visit the RateFast Blog. If you're a workers' compensatio…

Today we embark on a new series, where Dr. John Alchemy explains the nuances and best practices of taking measurements for impairment reports. We are breaking this series down by sections, so today Dr. Alchemy covers taking patient history and activities of daily living (ADL). For more information on this episode, and other helpful tips about worke…

In this final episode in our series on head injuries in work comp, Dr. John Alchemy covers post traumatic headaches, how to assess them, and then dives into the complicated topic of combining impairment ratings. This is one of our biggest series on one of the most complicated topics in work comp, so we encourage anyone with questions to reach out t…

This is the penultimate episode in our series on the AMA Guides 5th edition chapters covering head injuries, in our quest to help doctors understand this complicated type of injury a bit better. Dr. John Alchemy explains how to recognize these types of injuries in patients, and guide them through better understanding their symptoms. For more inform…

Today we have a two-part episode to continue our series on head injuries, covering AMA Guides chapter 12: Vision Loss and chapter 13: Memory Loss Dr. John Alchemy provides insight to these two chapters in the AMA Guides with some useful advice on how to implement the contents of the guides into your own work comp practice. See the table mentioned o…

We continue our series on head injuries in workers' compensation, where we cover chapter 11 of the AMA Guides 5th edition, which outlines hearing loss. Dr. John Alchemy gives us some useful information on recognizing hearing loss, and effectively gathering information from the patient so that it can ultimately be rated. For more information on this…

This is episode one in our series regarding rating head injuries in workers' compensation. Dr. John Alchemy tells us a little bit about rating this body part, and why the head in particular is so much more difficult to rate than any other body part in workers' compensation. This series will cover the chapters in the AMA Guides 5th ed. which discuss…

This week we give a rundown of the ways that RateFast Express can be helpful to the workload of workers' comp Nurse Case Managers. We discuss things such as the ways that RateFast Express speeds up claims, as well as how to sign up for and start using RateFast Express today! For more information on this episode, and other helpful tips about workers…

Today we continue our series of the best ways for workers' compensation healthcare providers to take rateable histories on different body parts with the shoulder! For more information on this episode, and other helpful tips about workers' compensation, visit the RateFast Blog. If you're a workers' compensation provider, adjuster, or case manager ch…

Today we embark on a series of the best ways for workers' compensation healthcare providers to take rateable histories on different body parts. Our first topic is on lower back pain. For more information on this episode, and other helpful tips about workers' compensation, visit the RateFast Blog. If you're a workers' compensation provider, adjuster…

We've outdone ourselves again with the RateFast Flash Rating! Now RateFast users have access to the the fastest impairment reports (and thus, the fastest closed claims) in the biz! We talk with Dr. John Alchemy about what the RateFast Flash Rating is and what it means for workers' compensation practices. Out with the old and in with the new! For mo…

We'll tell you this, if workers comp physicians loved writing impairment reports, there would be a lot less problems in the California workers' comp system. Maybe. Join us as we explore the reasons that doctors say no to reports, even if it's their legal duty to do so. For more information on this episode, and other helpful tips about workers' comp…

We're back with part II of our series in which Dr. Alchemy discusses the politics of workers' compensation. For more information on this episode, and other helpful tips about workers' compensation, visit the RateFast Blog. If you're a workers' compensation provider, adjuster, or case manager check out RateFast Express: the service that writes your …

When referring to impairment rating between stakeholders, the word "politics" comes to mind. This week we discuss with Dr. John Alchemy why that's the case. For more information on this episode, and other helpful tips about workers' compensation, visit the RateFast Blog. If you're a workers' compensation provider, adjuster, or case manager check ou…

Dr. John Alchemy gives some quick clips about the basics of California work comp terms that apply to some degree in all states. These explanations are: What is a workers' comp injury? What is a Doctor's First Report of Injury or Illness (DFR)? What is a Primary Treating Physician's Progress Report (PR-2)? What is a Request for Authorization (RFA) a…

We continue our dive into the Hamline STEM Start program from Hamline University for high school students entering the world of STEM, by interviewing professor Bruce Bolon of Hamline University, one of the spearheads of the program. Bruce gives some illuminating information about struggles students have in the field, and ways that they can be the b…

This week we're back with Dr. John Alchemy to wrap up the first part of our discussion on the Hamline STEM Start program at Hamline University! For more information on this episode, and other helpful tips about workers' compensation, visit the RateFast Blog. If you're a workers' compensation provider, adjuster, or case manager check out RateFast Ex…

This week we're joined by Dr. John Alchemy to discuss the Hamline STEM Start program at Hamline University! For more information on this episode, and other helpful tips about workers' compensation, visit the RateFast Blog. If you're a workers' compensation provider, adjuster, or case manager check out RateFast Express: the service that writes your …

In this episode, we discuss RateFast associate, Hamline University professor Jerry Artz giving a presentation using our software, titled Shoulder Integrity Evaluation of Whole Person Impairment Rating Specialists. For more information on this episode, and other helpful tips about workers' compensation, visit the RateFast Blog. If you're a workers' …

For the final entry in our series, we are joined by Bob Wilson, president of Work Comp College, an institution aimed at the education of workers' compensation professionals. In this episode, we discuss the purpose of work comp college, and what attendees can hope to learn there! For more information on this episode, and other helpful tips about wor…