Here are a few quick takeaways from the National Comp event in Las Vegas:

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  Joe Paduda

  Don’t know what total attendance was, but seemed somewhat lower than in pre-COVID years. Exhibit hall corridors were pretty empty despite sessions located around the exhibits.
• The newest thing du jour: artificial intelligence. Sessions on AI, vendors promoting various applications, attendees mentioning AI in conversations about claims, data interpretation, claim intake, you name it.
• Nurse triage: Just stop. Far too many are touting nurse triage, almost all without a clue as to what exactly this is, why they want to do it, what a nurse is and how this will improve things. More on this in a future post, but for now:
  • Define nurse. Do you need an RN? APRN? LPN? A nursing assistant?
  • What expertise/training/experience does this nurse need? Orthopedics? Emergency medicine? Trauma? Behavioral health?
  • OK, so a new RN is on the phone with a person. Exactly what value does this add? Be specific.

Events

• By all reports, myMatrixx’s get-together was really well attended. I didn’t get to any others, as they were past my East Coast bedtime. I do miss the myMatrixx transportation services from years past (disclosure: myMatrixx is a consulting client).
• There was a beach party outside my window that prevented a lot of us from getting to sleep before 11. Mandalay Bay staff was far less than helpful, told me this was on me as I should have checked the event calendar before booking my room (WTF?) and offered to send housekeeping up with a couple of earplugs. I will NEVER stay there again.
• Optum’s dog party was a big hit. Great idea, really smart marketing and a good buzz generator.
• A provocative session addressed anxiety, suicide and depression; more on that later. Sobering and much needed. Really respect the speakers for sharing their views and personal experiences. Yvonne Guibert, you are an inspiration.  
• Booth staff, STOP pitching your stuff. JUST STOP. Until you have a decent sense for what the person in front of you needs, wants, is challenged by, don’t say anything other than a one-sentence line about the service/product your company delivers. 

Joseph Paduda is co-owner of CompPharma, a consulting firm focused on improving pharmacy programs in workers’ compensation. This column is republished with his permission from his Managed Care Matters blog.