During this 10-minute discussion, RGA’s Dr. James Kim and Gayle Kanchanapume talk about the rising incidence of opioid misuse and abuse in patients with a chronic disability or pain disorder and explore how it affects disability income claims management.
Long-term Opioid Use: A Dialogue with RGA’s Dr. James Kim and Gayle Kanchanapume
Medical Consultant
Dr. James Kim has been a physician for 32 years, with 18 years in private general practice. He is currently the medical director of the CPM Centres for Pain Management in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, where he has a focused practice in the treatment of chronic, non-cancer pain, approaching pain management in a multidisciplinary setting. Dr. Kim serves as a medical consultant with RGA Life Reinsurance Company of Canada for life insurance underwriting.
Dr. Kim is credentialed with the American and Canadian Academies of Pain Management and the Acupuncture Foundation of Canada Institute. In addition, Dr. Kim is an Assistant Professor in Department of Family Medicine at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. He has served as a consultant to Ontario’s Workplace Safety Insurance Board for disability case management. He also performs independent medical examinations for third parties, looking specifically at chronic pain presentation and management. He is a scientific board member for clinical trial reviews with Advarra’s Institutional Review Board. He received his MBA from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.
Executive Director, Global Claims, Value Added Specialist
Gayle has more than 20 years of experience in both the Australian/New Zealand and Asian life claims markets, having held various claims roles since 1999, including case management, technical support, and leadership positions with both insurers and reinsurers. Gayle joined RGA in May 2017 and was appointed as Executive Director, Global Claims, Value Added Specialist in August 2020. Recognizing the pivotal role of the claims assessment process in the insurance value chain, Gayle focuses on projects and initiatives that develop the claims skillset and advance claims management capability.