San Francisco, CA – The Board of Directors of California’s State Compensation Insurance Fund has confirmed the appointment of Dr. Bernyce M. Peplowski as its Medical Director. Peplowski served as State Fund’s interim Medical Director for six months prior to her confirmation.
Peplowski played a key role in initiating a policy for physicians in the State Fund Medical Provider Network that aligns the dispensing of opioids and compound medication in California workers’ compensation claims with established medical treatment guidelines.
A key component of this policy is the establishment of a new agreement with physicians in State Fund’s Medical Provider Network (MPN) that will ensure injured workers receive optimal treatment, using evidence based medicine to improve patient outcomes, and establish new guidelines for the prescription of opioids and compound medication.
As Medical Director, Peplowski will continue to spearhead this issue, as well as:
Her experience includes serving on the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) Practice Guidelines committee. She is also a long-standing member of the California Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) committee responsible for the development of the Medical Treatment Utilization Schedule (MTUS). She is a member of many professional medical organizations including the American Medical Association, and the American Board of Preventive Medicine in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
Peplowski, whose career in occupational medicine spans nearly three decades, received her bachelor’s degree from Duquesne University, a master’s degree in environmental and occupation health from California State University at Northridge, and a doctor of osteopathic medicine degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Before joining State Fund, Peplowski was the chief medical officer for Zenith Insurance Company, and the chief of occupational medicine at Lockheed Aeronautical Systems from 1982 to 1990. She also practiced at Southern California Kaiser Permanente Medical Group as Regional Chief of Occupational Medicine between 1994 and 2006. During this stint she earned the 2003 “Physician of the Year” designation for Kaiser’s Baldwin Park Medical Center.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Established in 1914 by the state legislature, State Fund is California’s largest provider of workers’ compensation insurance and a vital asset to California businesses. Completely self supporting, State Fund plays a stabilizing role in California’s economy by maintaining an open door policy that ensures all employers have a strong and stable option for their workers’ compensation needs.
