Empatha CEO Darrell Bruga to Discuss Overcoming Work Disability at National Comp Conference

Las Vegas, NEV (September 7, 2023) – Since the pandemic, employers and workers’ compensation carriers have been refining their claims strategies to address the historic increase in anxiety, depression and substance abuse.

“We have looked at the claims data since the pandemic and we are seeing a 10-fold increase in costs with claims involving anxiety and two-fold increase in costs with claims involving depression,” said Empatha CEO Darrell Bruga, a nationally recognized expert in biopsychosocial factors in workers’ compensation claims.

Bruga will join Starbucks’ Senior Manager Claims, Risk Management Noreen Olson, and Mark Weinberger, CEO of the IMA Group, to present the “Injured Worker Resiliency and Complicating Psychosocial Factors Impacting Claims” session at the National Comp Conference on September 20 at 2:30 p.m.

Panelists will discuss trends in the psychosocial factors affecting delayed recovery and return to work. They will also share ways to proactively identify at-risk individuals and determine the timing of screenings and interventions. The session also features strategies for increasing participation in these programs.

“We need to view work disability as a distinct target of intervention,” Bruga said. “It’s not just about symptoms and coping behaviors.”

National Comp will be held September 20-22 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada. For information, please see https://wcconference.com.

About Empatha

Empatha provides biopsychosocial care management programs for individuals experiencing needless delays in recovery. The company delivers evidence-based programs to improve recovery rates and return-to-work outcomes in cases involving chronic pain, post-COVID syndrome, and concussion, along with depression and anxiety. Programs involve holistic, patient-centric care that can include work-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, Progressive Goal Attainment Program (PGAP®), physical therapy, and pain reprocessing therapy. Based in the Austin, Texas area, Empatha serves employers and insurers nationally and can be reached via connect@empathacm.com or 800.805.1821.

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Media Contact: Helen King Patterson, APR, King Knight Communications, 813.690.4787, helen@kingknight.com

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