Ellen Burkhart, President
During her tenure in the California workers’ compensation industry, Ms. Burkhart has provided service, education and coordination of managed care programs for employers, insurers and third party administrators. She graduated with honors from UC Santa Barbara, has completed Insurance Education Association (IEA) coursework and is certified as a Disability Management Specialist (CDMS). Her prior industry experience includes provision of vocational counseling, job analyses for ADA and workers’ compensation and ergonomic evaluations. She was designated by the State of California as an Independent Vocational Evaluator (IVE) and served as President of the Southern California Rehabilitation Exchange.
For the past twenty years, Ms. Burkhart has designed, sold and managed programs for employers and insurance companies. These programs and associated services have included medical bill review, medical provider network (MPN), health care organizations (HCO), preferred provider networks (PPO), lien resolution services, utilization review (UR), medical case management, ergonomic evaluations, life care plans, cost projections and crisis counseling.
Ms. Burkhart has provided educational seminars for her clients on all related topics and has adapted programs for clients to take advantage of opportunities provided by key changes in workers’ compensation legislation.
Medical Bill Review
Available experts have up to 20 years experience in medical managed care and the workers’ compensation claims industry. They are designated as “Experienced Medical Bill Reviewer” pursuant to California Insurance Code Section 11761 and California Code of Regulation, Title 10 Sections 2592.01 and 2592.05. They attend lien conferences and trials on a daily basis throughout California, and have testified more than 100 times at various Workers’ Compensation Appeals Boards (WCAB). They are experienced in coordinating bill review strategies for the defense of medical liens with various employers, third party administrators, carriers and defense firms. They have a proven track record with lien negotiations and testimony at lien trials.
Case Managers
Available case managers have extensive experience in workers’ compensation case management; most are Registered Nurses and Certified Case Managers (CCM). Other case manager credentials include, but are not limited to, Master of Public Health Nurse (MPA), Legal Nurse Consultant (LNCC), Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), Master of Science in Case Management, Master of Science in Nursing Administration, Certified Managed Care Nurse (CMCN), and Certified Nurse Life Care Planner (CNLCP). Most of Keystone’s case managers are Spanish speaking.