Chris Gardner, Rn, Bsn, Wccm, Ccm, Wcp, Cpcu Email & Phone Number

I have been a Registered Nurse for over 12 years with experience working in an ortho surgical unit (specializing in joint replacements), Intensive Care Unit, and as a hospital critical care float pool nurse working any floor in the hospital. I was CPR, BLS, ACLS and CRRT certified. In 2015 I started working for Chesapeake Employers Insurance Company as a Pre-Certification Nurse. Over the past 6 years, I have become a senior Pre-Certification Nurse and Pain Management Nurse Case Manager. I have certifications in Certified Case Manager (CCM), Workers Compensation Case Manager (WCCM), and Workers Compensation Professional (WCP). In this role I am the expert in spinal injections, spinal cord stimulation, and opiate detoxification on an inpatient and outpatient level. I manage care for patients regarding opiate weaning and ongoing medical care needs. I setup, manage, and present cases at a monthly legal review meeting which includes senior management, claims adjusters, physicians, a pharmacist, and attorneys from our in-house legal counsel. Once these cases are assigned a hearing date, I meet with the assigned attorney and prepare them medically to present the case at hearing. I am available for calls from the attorneys acting as a medical consultant. I also address precertification requests on pharmacy medications, a wide range of durable medical equipment, injections, surgery, and physical therapy. As part of the senior position, I perform administrative tasks in data collection for executive team reporting, new staff training, am a consultant on policy creation and revision, and perform bill review on physical therapy and urine drug screen bills. I speak at conferences regarding my role with the company and strategies as well as being a certified Narcan trainer as part of a company initiative.