California Work Comp Report Podcast

We have a Podcast!

Check out the California Work Comp Report hosted by Rate-Fast founder John Alchemy, MD and Cory Oleson.

Since 2014, the California Work Comp Report has been giving monthly advice, interviews, and deep dives into the world of California workers’ compensation. We take a look at the primary challenges facing workers’ compensation, examine the role of tech in bridging the gap between stakeholders, speak with some brilliant contemporary minds in the field of medicine, and even invite guests on to provide profound insight on art history.

Listen to the California Work Comp Report…

On Spotify!

On Apple Podcasts!

Right here!

John Alchemy, MD, QME

CEO, Founder

As a Qualified Medical Examiner with 20 years of experience treating injured workers, Dr. John Alchemy knows the amount of time and effort that it takes for occupational medicine doctors to do their jobs. Dr. Alchemy designed Rate-Fast to guide users through every step of the workers’ compensation process.

Christopher Hall

Head of Sales

Chris is committed to tailoring Rate-Fast and its services to meet the needs of medical practices large and small, legal practices, risk management departments, and any other organization or individual who can benefit from managing work injury claims and laser-accurate impairment ratings.

Kumar Siddhartha

Chief Technical Officer

Kumar brings over 15 years of experience in IT management, consulting, and product organization to the Rate-Fast mission. An entrepreneur who grew three businesses from start-ups to profitable organizations through effective business planning, Kumar’s special focus lies on corporate strategy and entrepreneurship.

Mike Bongiovanni

VP – Software Development

The former senior director of sales operations at International ERP Sales and a developer of business management applications at Sage Software, Mike is also the founder and principal of LMW Consulting, a software services firm that provides programming, installation, implementation, training, and support services to customers across the United States.

Dr. Jerry Atz

Head of Research

Dr. Jerry L. Atz serves as the Head of Research for Rate-Fast. As a consultant, Dr. Jerry aids us in determining the probability likelihood of clinical measurement outcomes. In addition, Dr. Jerry reviews scientific literature and mathematical modeling validity for impairment rating specialists. He has years of research experience, has published numerous articles, served on a congressional committee, and been awarded multiple honors in his teaching career. He is currently a Professor in the Department of Physics at Hamline University in St. Paul Minnesota.

Bruce Bolon


Bruce Bolon is the President of the Faculty Council at Hamline University, where he oversees the Physical Mathematical and Computational Sciences unit and serves as a full-time Professor. With prior experience at Minnesota State University-Mankato and the University of Missouri-Columbia, he has a strong background in physics education and research. Bruce holds a PhD in Theoretical Plasma Physics, an M.S. in Experimental Condensed Matter Physics, and a B.S. in Physics. His contributions to teaching have been recognized with a Teaching Excellence Award.

Marten L. Thompson


Marten L. Thompson is a Data Modeling Consultant at Rate-Fast, who developed a patented anomaly detection method for medical records. His expertise includes Bayesian analysis, MCMC, Gaussian processes, and physics-informed machine learning. He holds a Ph.D. in Statistics from the University of Minnesota, with additional degrees in Mathematics and Physics. Marten has been recognized with the Bernard H. Lindgren Teaching Assistant Award and holds a U.S. Patent for methods of obtaining high accuracy impairment ratings. Currently, Marten is an active member of the American Statistical Association and the Institute of Mathematical Statistics.