EK Health Hires Dr. Benner As Medical Business Product Development Officer

San Jose, CA (CompNewsNetwork) - EK Health Services, Inc., a leading national workers' compensation managed care company, announced today that Dr. Douglas Benner has been hired as medical business product development officer, effective June 1, 2011.

Benner, a California and Indiana licensed occupational health physician, was Coordinator of Occupational Health for Northern California Kaiser Permanente and led its occupational health services for 30 years (1982 to 2011).

As a member of the EK Health executive team, Benner will work with EK Health's sales and marketing department to advance the development of the company's managed care program. His responsibilities also include assisting with EK Health's medical provider network product development and marketing.

While at Kaiser Permanente, Benner envisioned, designed and developed an integrated, multi-disciplinary Occupational Health program with 31 centers throughout Northern California. He created and served as medical director of Kaiser Permanente's Northern California medical provider networks for employers and carriers.

Named in 2010 among “The Most Influential People in California Workers' Compensation” by Workers' Comp Executive, Benner is a diplomate of the American Board of Preventive Medicine in Occupational Medicine (ACOEM) and is certified as an Independent Medical Examiner and Medical Review Officer.

As founding medical director of Kaiser Permanente's Health Care Organization, Benner oversaw its medical management, utilization review and case management services from 2003 to 2009. He was the founding Medical Director of Kaiser Permanente's Northern California's Employee Health Services until 2011, which included over 70,000 employees and physicians.

“We are extremely pleased that Dr. Benner has joined our company,” said Eunhee Kim, president and CEO of EK Health. “His experience and background align perfectly with our commitment to work together with all parties to reduce administrative complexities and cost in workers' compensation while promoting faster recovery for injured workers.”

Dr. Benner served as chair of the California Medical Association Committees and Task Forces on Workers' Compensation during the reform years of 1986 to 1995, and remains a member of its Technical Advisory Committee. He is a Consultant to the Medical Committee of International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions (IAIABC). He serves on the Medical Advisory Board of The Medical Disability Advisor and the Editorial Advisory Board of the Official Disability Guidelines (ODG) treatment guidelines.

Among his awards are ACOEM's 2011 William S. Knudsen Award for outstanding contribution to occupational and environmental medicine, and the 2005 Rutherford T. Johnstone Memorial Lecture from Western Occupational Health and Environmental Medical Association (WOEMA) for exemplary contributions to the field of occupational medicine.

Founded in 1998 and headquartered in San Jose, CA, EK Health Services is a national workers' compensation managed care company specializing in case management, utilization, peer and bill review services to insurance companies, employers, for-profits and public entities.

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