Anbar & Ali: Stop Chasing The Diagnosis!

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In this episode of Deconstructing Comp, what was intended to be a conversation about when substance use is considered industrial… turned into a much deeper exploration of how, and why, care in workers’ compensation often breaks down.

Yvonne and Rafael talk to Dr. Tomer Anbar and Dr. Ramsey Ali and enjoy a powerful, layered conversation that challenges how we think about care in workers’ compensation.

Dr. Anbar takes us back to the origins of the workers' compensation system: why it was created, how it was structured, and where the “architecture of care” has started to break down over time. He reframes workers’ compensation not just as a set of rules and processes, but as a living ecosystem that requires alignment between medical care, human behavior, and system design.

A central theme emerges throughout the conversation: we need to stop chasing a diagnosis! Dr. Anbar says, 

“At some point, we have to stop chasing the diagnosis and start treating the human in front of us.” 

Anbar suggests that instead of focusing solely on labeling conditions, we should shift toward a better understanding of function, behavior, and the full biopsychosocial picture driving recovery, or the lack of it.

Dr. Ali builds on this foundation with a deep dive into PTSD and substance use disorders (SUD) in the workers’ compensation setting; two conditions that are often misunderstood, underdiagnosed, or treated in isolation. Dr. Anbar explains how this contributes to disability and unnecessary epidemics. Together, they explore how these conditions intersect, how delayed recovery takes hold, and why fragmented care models often miss what matters most.

Dr. Anbar also introduces the concept of psychoneuroimmunology, highlighting the connection between the mind, nervous system, and immune response, and reinforcing the idea that recovery is complex, dynamic, and deeply human.

This episode invites listeners to think differently about causation, complexity, and the human experience behind every claim, and challenges the industry to move beyond diagnosis-driven thinking toward a more integrated, evidence-based, and human-centered approach.

Dr. Anbar references a recent article in PRIMA Public Risk Magazine titled, How Risk and Claims Leadership Are Reversing the PTSD and Disability Crisis Among First Responders.

Yvonne mentions a recent Institutes of Health webinar titled When Substance Use is Industrial. 

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