Risk control is goal of new Philly business group [The Philadelphia Inquirer]

March 21--Richard Graham is director of insurance and risk control for the Crozer-Keystone Health System.

It's not the kind of job that one aims for in college, but it is where one might end up after a string of increasingly responsible positions, Graham said in an interview this week.

To formalize connections in his field and help smooth that path for others, Graham helped form the Greater Philadelphia Executive Claims Council, an organization that is employer-based as opposed to one driven by insurers.

"It's that search for other professionals to share ideas with," said Graham, who is president of the nonprofit group. "We all kind of knew each other. We thought it was important to start to get together on a regular basis to start to do some comparative note-taking, some comparative education."

Eleven of 16 board members represent diverse employers, such as Wawa, Dietz & Watson, the auto-parts remanufacturer Cardone Industries, the trucking firm A. Duie Pyle, and the construction companies J.J. White and Danella.

In addition to Crozer, Jefferson Health System, Einstein Healthcare Network, and Temple University Health System are on the board from the region's hospital sector.

An additional 15 companies have applied to join.

The group's first public meeting last month at Temple health system's offices at the former Budd Co. facility in Nicetown was attended by 87 people from 60 employers.

Stephen J. Fireoved, director of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Workers' Compensation, said he spoke about the state's Workers' Compensation Automated Information System, which is going live Sept. 9.

Art Boyle, vice president of enterprise risk management at Radian Group Inc., a Philadelphia mortgage insurer, is on the board as an expert in risk management rather than for Radian as an employer.

Boyle said the claims council's focus was on managing claims rather than overall risk management. For example, developing a program for modified or light-duty work to get injured employees back to work is a way to mitigate cost of claims, Boyle said.

Obesity and the overall fitness of the aging workforce are among the top concerns at the group.

As an obese person, "you're more likely to get hurt at work," Graham said, "and if you do happen to get hurt, the co-morbidities you have are going to increase the time it takes to recover. Because of that, you are going to have additional costs."

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Contact Harold Brubaker

at 215-854-4651 or hbrubaker@phillynews.com.

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