Leading international and national experts at the ACHR Forum

Date:

Oct 31, 2011

The first Australasian Compensation Health Research Forum, held in Melbourne, 13 - 14 October 2011, saw researchers and policy makers come together to discuss the most important issues in compensation systems and compensation health research.

The Forum was jointly organised by the Institute for Safety, Compensation and Recovery Research (ISCRR) - a joint initiative of WorkSafe Victoria, TAC and Monash, and the New Zealand-based Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC). 

It included structured round table discussions around the use of research evidence in compensation health policy environments. The Program Committee is currently synthesising the outcomes from the discussions into a consensus statement which will be circulated to delegates for feedback.

Day 1: 'Current challenges in compensation systems"

Day 1 included sessions on the role of legal practitioners in compensation settings, the national disability insurance scheme; alternatives to medical models of treatment and rehabilitation; and impairment and disability rating systems.

Non adversarial justice and the impact of laywers on recovery from compensable injury - Keynote presenter Arno Akkermans

The proposed national disability and injury insurance scheme - Keynote presenter John Walsh, Productivity Commission

The role of impairment rating systems - Andrew Fronsko, TAC

How hard is fair? - Chris Latham,PriceWaterhouseCoopers

What should researchers know about compensation schemes? - John Wren, ACC, NZ

What should compensation schemes know about researchers? - Alex Collie, ISCRR

What users want - aperspective from a project business owner - Kevin Morris, ACC, NZ

The TAC independence claims initiative - Fiona Cromarty, TAC

Alternate models of return to work - Kathryn McPherson, AUT University, NZ

Opportunities to work with health and disability providers - Clare Amies, Health Services Group

Health and employment - evidence to practice - Kevin Morris,ACC, NZ

Social issues in providing long-term care- Alan Blackwood, Young people in nursing homes alliance.  

Day 2: Recovery and Return to Independence

On Day 2 the focus changed to 'Recovery and Return to Independence' and included sessions on return to work; mental health and psychosocial predictors of recovery; and the impact of claims management, treatment and rehabilitation. 

Factors influencing return to work following compensable injury - Keynote presentation, Ben Amick, IWH

The impact of claims management, treatment and rehabilitation on recovery and return to independence - Keynote presentation, Liz Cairns.

Early identification of at-risk clients - a TAC Case Study - Bruce Crossett, TAC 

Cognitive behaviour therapy for whiplash - Justin Kenardy, University of Queensland

Findings from the prospective outcomes of injury study - John Langley, University of Otago

Early findings from the NSW motor accident longitudinal cohort study - Ian Cameron, University of Sydney