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Attendee Overview Conference Sponsors Continuing Education Education Program Exposition Hotel & Travel Information Registration Special Events

Concurrent Sesssions

Each NHIA concurrent session has been organized within the following educational track content areas (and are marked with the below icons to assist you with your program selections):

TRACK PROGRAMMING

clinical = Clinical   management = Management   reimbursement = Reimbursement   sales = Sales & Marketing

Educational Program
All programs are listed below by time—for a listing of concurrent sessions by education track, please refer to the Session Planner.

Sunday, March 9

8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

NHIA 2008 Executive Pre-Conference:
Transforming Our Future—Successfully Navigating the Changing Landscape of Alternate-Site Infusion

Supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Managed Health Care Associates Inc. (MHA)

Phoenix Convention Center – South Bldg.

ACPE # 207-999-08-154-L04-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 5.0

Session Summary:
The NHIA Executive Pre-Conference is uniquely designed for senior executives, owners, managers and others with strategic leadership responsibilities—and strives to tackle the most pressing issues influencing our field. In case you haven’t noticed (and we are quite sure you have), there are numerous, sweeping changes taking place in the pharmaceutical marketplace that are impacting alternate-site infusion organizations at an unprecedented pace. Just what are the primary drivers generating the multiplicity of transformations to our field’s landscape—and how should your organization strategically address these elements to ensure a successful future? Join fellow leaders to obtain a critical update on the many factors driving the considerable modifications to the alternate-site infusion marketplace:

  • Trends: Reflect upon the significant trends emerging in our field with regard to mergers, acquisitions, consolidation and payer-owned infusion organizations—and strategically assess how such activity will impact your alternate-site infusion business.
  • Models: Discover promising business models for providing infusion therapies, including the important role of ambulatory infusion.
  • Challenges and Opportunities: Understand the potential benefits of an increasing number of infusible therapies in the biotech pipeline and vital emerging technologies in our field—while investigating data collection infrastructure challenges, and new drug pricing methodologies that will impact reimbursement and contracting.
  • Strategies: Formulate innovative strategies and leadership approaches for successfully transforming your alternate-site infusion organization to ensure a thriving future, even in the face of our field’s shifting landscape.

Faculty: Experts and Key Leaders in the Alternate-Site Infusion Field – To be announced

Educational Objectives:

  1. Discuss the current climate and market dynamics of the home infusion therapy sector
  2. Describe specialty pharmacy market dynamics as they relate to drug manufacturers, payers and providers
  3. Discuss emerging business models for delivery of specialty infusion therapies
  4. List the current pharmaceutical classes of trade and current controversies related to pharmaceutical purchasing
  5. Discuss the impact the recent home infusion mergers, acquisitions, and market consolidation is having on the home infusion marketplace
  6. Identify key characteristics that determine value of a home infusion organization
  7. Discuss the impact of the biotechnology pipeline and the use of various pharmacy distribution models on the home infusion and specialty pharmacy markets 
  8. Discuss the legal and regulatory implications of biogenerics/ follow-on biologics on the pharmaceutical market dynamics
  9. Discuss the impact of payers entering into providing specialty pharmaceuticals and related services. 
  10. Describe strategies payers are using to manage high-cost pharmaceutical therapies 
  11. Identify key opportunities for infusion providers in the development of care management programs that address the needs of specific populations
  12. Describe the increasing need for data to manage high cost of specialty infusion therapies
  13. Describe current challenges pharmacy providers face in meeting payer requirements for data collection and reporting
  14. Describe the impact of new drug pricing methodologies on home infusion therapy providers
  15. Identify challenges and opportunities for infusion providers in the changing environment   

 

8:15 a.m. – 3:15 p.m.

NHIA 2008 Reimbursement Pre-Conference:
The Fundamentals of Alternate-Site Infusion Reimbursement

Phoenix Convention Center—South Building

ACPE # 207-999-08-155-L04-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 5.0

Session Summary:
Back by popular demand—this all-day, comprehensive seminar provides the basics of alternate-site infusion reimbursement presented by the highly-skilled author of Infusion magazine’s Bottom Line reimbursement column. Specifically crafted to be both practical and matter-of-fact, the valuable information offered can be put to use immediately upon returning to your office—and is intended for individuals occupying all levels of the organizational chart. The 2008 pre-conference topics include:

  • Concepts: Review the essential concepts all infusion personnel must understand—such as key terms, reimbursement methodologies, drug reimbursement methodologies, private payer contracts, and the basic components of the infusion claim.
  • Processes: Examine reimbursement-related processes in great detail—including intake, revenue qualification, documentation, billing Medicare for denial, the management of claims rejections, the revenue cycle, accounts receivable, collections, and the relationship between the clinical and financial components of the organization.
  • Tools: Receive vital reimbursement-related tools to help you manage the charge master and infusion claims rejections, as well as enhance your cash management techniques.
  • Controls: Explore how to use controls to ensure strong outcomes—inclusive of statistical management of performance, controlling write-offs and monitoring regulatory compliance.

Faculty: David Franklin, MSA, President, Advanced Care Consulting Services, Shelby Township, MI

Educational Objectives:

  1. Compare and contrast healthcare financial management with financial management of non-healthcare businesses.
  2. Review the basic benefit structure of the Medicare Program and other governmental programs that pay for healthcare.
  3. List the nine steps of the healthcare revenue cycle.
  4. Identify issues impacting the reimbursement function for infusion related to payer contracts and the information system infrastructure.
  5. Describe the infusion intake process from an information gathering perspective.
  6. Discuss the revenue qualification process.
  7. Discuss healthcare reimbursement models used by both public and private payers.
  8. Describe various drug reimbursement methodologies.
  9. List the major components of a claim for infusion drugs and services.
  10. Discuss the appropriate management of telephone collections calls.
  11. Review effective cash management techniques.
  12. Discuss the general principles of accounts receivables’ management.
  13. Review the use of statistics in the management of a reimbursement operation.
  14. Describe tools and processes to manage infusion claim rejections.
  15. Identify issues pertaining to regulatory compliance as it relates to the reimbursement function.

 

Monday, March 10

7:00 – 8:45 a.m.

Breakfast Symposium:
Community-Associated MRSA Infections—The Global Threat

Supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Cubist Pharmaceuticals

Hyatt Regency Phoenix

ACPE # 207-999-08-156-L04-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.5

Session Summary:
Methicillin-resistant Staph aureus (MRSA) has emerged in the community with clinical, epidemiologic and bacteriologic characteristics distinct from healthcare associated MRSA. Community-Associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) infections are fast becoming common in the general population, requiring a change in therapeutic approach. Gather with colleagues to acquire the vital information essential for clinicians to have when making appropriate recommendations for the most effective therapy.

Faculty: Seth David Rosenbaum, MD Medical Professional Associates, Infectious Diseases, Cherry Hill, NJ

Educational Objectives:

  1. Discuss the epidemiology of the emergence of methicillin resistance among hospital acquired S. aureus strains.
  2. Describe the history of the emergence of MRSA acquired in the Community (CA-MRSA). 
  3. List five risk factors for CA-MRSA. 
  4. Discuss the virulence factors associated with CA-MRSA that contribute to its pathological potential. 
  5. Compare and contrast treatment options for suspected and documented CA-MRSA infections.

Breakfast Symposium:
Pharmacy and Nursing Considerations for Patients receiving Anti-TNF therapies in the Alternate-Site Setting

Supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Centocor, Inc.

Hyatt Regency Phoenix

ACPE# 207-999-08-157-L01-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.5

Session Summary:
Treatment of autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), has been significantly enhanced through new medications termed anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) therapies. TNF is made by blood cells known as cytokines, which are involved in the inflammatory process—and too much TNF causes an inflammatory response. In autoimmune disorders, this response can produce painful symptoms for those with diseases such as RA, psoriasis, Chron’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Be present to obtain an in-depth review of new treatment considerations for patients receiving these anti-TNF therapies in the home and ambulatory infusion settings—including information on dosing, adverse drug reactions, administration guidelines and patient education.

Faculty: To Be Announced

Educational Objectives:

  1. Identify the pathogenesis of immune mediated disorders treated with anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) therapies.
  2. Explain the mechanism of action of anti-TNF therapies.
  3. Evaluate the effectiveness of a particular anti-TNF therapy and be able to make recommendations based on patient specific data.
  4. Describe the safety, dosing, and administration of anti-TNF therapies in the alternate-site setting.
  5. Use patient education tools to assist patients in choosing appropriate therapies.

9:15 – 10:30 a.m.

NHIA General Session:
Transforming the Face of Alternate-Site Infusion Through Emerging Technologies

Supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Hoffmann-La Roche Inc.

Phoenix Convention Center—South Building

ACPE #207-999-08-158-L04-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.25

Session Summary:
As our nation’s population ages and the need to reduce health-care costs rapidly grows, the movement towards more care in the home is going to escalate. Given our rapidly changing industry and the demographic implications looming on the horizon, today’s alternate-site infusion provider is at a critical juncture. Will you be able to successfully transform your organization to prepare for the future, while remaining true to your core business? There are many roads to consider—but the opportunities that new technologies have to offer may present our most advantageous path!

Eric Dishman, one of the world’s leading experts on digital health-care technologies, believes that emerging technology will be at the heart of this transformation. Dishman, PhD, BA, MSc, Founder and General Manager of Intel’s Health, Research and Innovation Group, drives global R&D for innovative health-care technologies and directs research on home-health technologies for seniors struggling with cognitive decline, cancer and cardiovascular disease. He regularly shares his expertise with policymakers and media to advocate for the adoption of new technologies and is routinely quoted in the mainstream press. This pioneering social researcher has briefed White House cabinet members and addressed White House conferences, Senate Committees and the National Governors Association. Be sure to hear Dishman offer an intriguing look at how emerging technologies are being utilized in other areas of health-care—and why alternate-site infusion providers must strategically harness such innovations to imaginatively transform the future of our own field.

Faculty: Eric Dishman, General Manager and Global Director, Intel Corporation, Health Research & Innovation Group, Portland, OR

Educational Objectives:

  1. Identify key healthcare issues faced by our nation as our population ages.
  2. Describe emerging home healthcare technologies for seniors struggling with cognitive decline, cancer and cardiovascular disease.
  3. Describe how innovative technologies are being used in other areas of healthcare.
  4. Discuss the ongoing efforts to advocate for the adoption of new technologies to address the needs of an aging population.
  5. Identify ways to transform the future of alternate-site infusion therapy through the use of emerging technologies.

10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Choice of Concurrent Education Sessions (A)
Phoenix Convention Center—South Building

1-A. Infusion Therapy for the Older Adult—Vital Considerations!

ACPE # 207-999-08-159-L01-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.5

Session Summary:

  • Appreciate how, much like pediatric patients, older adults often require special attention to be successful on home I.V. therapy—especially as elderly patients may frequently have multiple chronic conditions and increased functional impairments that can interfere with (or make performing) basic tasks associated with self-administration more challenging.
  • Consider why home infusion providers need to better prepare for addressing the needs of an older, more complex and growing generation of patients.
  • Recognize the clinical and functional difficulties faced by elderly infusion patients—and listen to the experience of a home infusion provider that routinely serves a high percentage of older adults.  

Faculty: Connie Maranville Sullivan, RPh, Infusion Director, Heartland IV Care, Lyons, CO

Educational Objectives:

  1. Describe the impact of an aging American population on medication utilization.
  2. Understand the pharmacokinetic changes and criteria for medication selection in the elderly.
  3. Describe the challenges facing elderly infusion patients.
  4. Evaluate infusion provider readiness for elderly home infusion patients
  5. Relate to one provider’s experience with serving the fragile and elderly.

2-A. Leadership and Team Building: Critical Ingredients for Today’s Alternate-Site Infusion Provider

ACPE # 207-999-08-160-L04-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.5

Session Summary:

  • Discover why effective leadership is so vital to ensuring proactive, positive change within your company—especially in an industry that changes as quickly as health care.
  • Review the core elements present in a true team-oriented environment, where everyone contributes to the overall achievement of the organization—and grasp how individual employees may be responsible for explicit tasks, yet are unified with other team members to accomplish holistic objectives.
  • Examine how to fully cultivate your own leadership skills and create a successful team, specifically within the context of our alternate-site infusion field.

Faculty: David M. Franklin, MSA, President, Advanced Care Consulting Services, Shelby Township, MI

Educational Objectives:

  1. List several key attributes of an effective leader.
  2. List necessary leadership skills and use case study examples to illustrate each skill.
  3. Define the key components of a team and key attributes of each team member.
  4. Describe several underlying key principles for effective team building.
  5. Compare and contrast various team building tactics.

3-A. Coding for the Infusion Reimbursement Professional—Anything But Clear-Cut!

ACPE # 207-999-08-161-L04-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.5

Session Summary:

  • Explore why coding for infusion therapy is not a straight-forward process.
  • Comprehend how, despite regulations designed to simplify and standardize coding, there are still a myriad of areas that prove to be pitfalls for reimbursement personnel.
  • Receive a “back to basics” overview of several different coding methodologies—and consider how to clarify many of the misconceptions that abound when submitting claims for infusion therapy.

Faculty: Heather Skow, CPC, CHCP, CCP, CMBS, CHI, Area Reimbursement Manager, Critical Care Systems, Inc., Nashua, NH    

Educational Objectives:

  1. Discuss HIPPA law and terminology as it relates to coding and claiming for home infusion therapy.
  2. Discuss ICD-9 Coding guidelines for outpatient coding.
  3. Discuss the Healthcare Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) for alternate-site infusion coding.
  4. Describe the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) coding system.
  5. Discuss key concepts in coding and reimbursement related to managed-care payers.

4-A. The Sales Process for the Novel Professional

ACPE # 207-999-08-162-L04-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.5

Session Summary:

  • Understand how new (or relatively new) sales professionals can effectively learn to set up, launch and build their sales territories.
  • Obtain valuable tools for assessing the market in a particular territory, organizing time, and pre- and post-sales call planning.
  • Ascertain how sales professionals unfamiliar with home infusion can quickly excel in this unique sector.

Faculty: Alison Cherney, MBA, President, Cherney and Associates, Brentwood, TN

Educational Objectives:

  1. State two ways to assess the sales territory.
  2. Identify techniques to prioritize top accounts.
  3. List the top five training subjects needed to build a business.
  4. Identify the three major ways customers create a competitive advantage.
  5. State the rationale for managing sales time.

4:15 – 5:45 p.m.

Choice of Concurrent Education Sessions (B)
Phoenix Convention Center—South Building

5-B. Successful Vascular Access Options for Pediatric Home Infusion

ACPE # 207-999-08-163-L01-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.5

Session Summary:

  • Review the history of vascular access device use in pediatric patients since the 1970s.
  • Recognize how complications related to vascular access devices can be significantly reduced through appropriate device selection, careful ongoing assessment and effective education of the family caregiver.
  • Study the most common complications of vascular access devices in children—and identify appropriate measures to prevent their occurrence.

Faculty: Baird Mallory, FACS, FAAP, FRCPS, MD, Maine Pediatric Surgical Associates, Portland, ME

Educational Objectives:

  1. Review the history of vascular access device development including key innovators and the catheters that they developed.
  2. Review vascular access catheter types and common complications associated with each type.
  3. List evidence-based best practices for catheter care for each type of access device.
  4. List considerations in vascular access device insertion and care specific to the pediatric population.
  5. List regulatory efforts and guidelines aimed at improving catheter outcomes.

6-B. 2008 Joint Commission Update—What You Need To Know!

ACPE # 207-999-08-164-L03-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.5

Session Summary:

  • Receive all the new or updated Joint Commission standards and survey processes for 2008.
  • Explore the Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goals and other planned changes.
  • Acquire valuable preparation strategies and tips to help ensure your organization’s success with the Joint Commission’s most difficult standards.

Faculty: Darryl S. Rich, PharmD, MBA, FASHP, Surveyor, The Joint Commission, Roseville, CA

Educational Objectives:

  1. List the top ten non-compliant Joint Commission standards for home care organizations scored on surveys in 2007.
  2. Describe strategies that can be used to maintain compliance with the standards that are most commonly found to be non-compliant.
  3. Describe the new Joint Commission requirements for enteral and infusion pumps that became effective in 2007 as a result of the CMS Part B Quality Standards.
  4. List the top ten non-compliant National Patient Safety Goal requirements for home care organizations scored on surveys in 2007 and strategies to maintain compliance for each.
  5. Identify the implementation expectations and implementation timeline for the new 2008 National Patient Safety Goal requirement related to anticoagulation therapy as it applies to home infusion organizations.

7-B. Using Information Systems and Technology to Maximize Reimbursement Results

ACPE # 207-999-08-165-L04-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.5

Session Summary:

  • Examine how information systems and technologies are constantly changing—but the fundamental goals of billing and collections remain the same: presenting information about the drugs dispensed, the supplies and equipment provided, and the nursing services rendered in the correct format/in a timely manner to the responsible party, so as to receive prompt payments.
  • Discuss how the core technologies of the information system play a critical role with regard to receiving reimbursement in an efficient manner (and hear how they may also impact not getting reimbursed at all).
  • Comprehend the most common reimbursement mistakes and obstacles—and grasp how to fully leverage technology to obtain the maximum benefit from your information system to achieve reimbursement goals.

Faculty: Pete Tanguay, President, Rock-Pond Solutions, Conway, AR

Educational Objectives:

  1. Explain the cause of, and at least one resolution to, the most common reimbursement problems in the following areas: authorization, contract pricing, unbilled A/R management, electronic billing, staff productivity, collections and A/R management.
  2. Compare and contrast the roles and responsibilities of the software vendor and the internal management team related to maximizing reimbursement results achieved from the information system.
  3. List three primary responsibilities of an information system manager and explain why this position is critical for a home infusion provider.
  4. List the stages in the system life cycle within an organization and explain how reimbursement challenges change through the cycle.
  5. Give three examples of how data mining can be used to implement a reimbursement audit function that measures error rates and staff productivity to achieve specific reimbursement goals.

8-B. Real-World Tips for Creating Successful Incentive Plans

ACPE # 207-999-08-166-L04-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.5

Session Summary:

  • Engage in a thorough review of how incentive plans can be created around revenue, net revenue, cash collections or referrals—and how they can be either commission- or bonus-based.
  • Investigate genuine examples of how incentive plans can be productively set up in different types of organizations.
  • Receive valuable tips on how to best manage sales incentive plans in your own company.

Faculty: Alison Cherney, MBA, President, Cherney and Associates, Brentwood, TN

Educational Objectives:

  1. State the three basic elements of incentive plans.
  2. List the major pros and cons of commission plans.
  3. State the major pros and cons of bonuses.
  4. State the major rationale for matching up incentives to marketing plans.
  5. List the five major issues with managing incentive plans and how to overcome them.

 

Tuesday, March 11

7:00 – 8:45 a.m.

Breakfast Symposium:
Maximizing Antimicrobial Pharmacodynamics in the Treatment of Resistant Gram-negative Infections

Supported by an unrestricted educational grant from AstraZeneca

Hyatt Regency Phoenix

ACPE # 207-999-08-198-L04-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.5

Session Summary:
There is an increasing number of patients being discharged from hospitals with nosocomial infections attributed to multiresistant gram-positive and gram-negative pathogens. Pharmacists and nurses caring for patients in the alternate-site infusion setting are increasingly involved in managing these infections after hospital discharge. In the last several years a number of novel antibiotics and treatment regimens have been developed. This program is designed to specifically address the treatment of resistant gram negative infections and highlight examples of the application of pharmacodynamic principles to maximize treatment outcomes.

Faculty: David Nicolau, PharmD, FCCP, Director for the Center for Anti-Infective Research and Development and Coordinator for Research in the Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and Pharmacy, Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut

Educational Objectives:

  1. Describe the current status of antimicrobial resistance rates among predominant gram-negative pathogens.
  2. Describe changing epidemiology of resistant infections and factors contributing to these changes.
  3. Identify strategies to manage these infections and minimize the development of resistance.
  4. Discuss the susceptibility of bacterial pathogens to carbapenems and other broad-spectrum agents.
  5. Employ pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic principles to provide optimum outcomes when using meropenum in the alternate-site setting.

Breakfast Symposium:
Diagnosis and Treatment of Immune-Mediated Neuropathies

Supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Talecris Biotherapeutics

Hyatt Regency Phoenix

ACPE # 207-999-08-167-L01-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.5

Session Summary:
Pharmacists and nurses practicing in the alternate-site setting often encounter patients being treated for immune-meditated neuropathies. Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP) and Multifocal Motor Neuropathy (MMN) are examples of neurological diseases treated with intravenous therapies. Join us to explore the current definition, diagnosis and treatment guidelines for immune-mediated neuropathies—and discuss specific regulatory and reimbursement issues related to such treatment approaches.

Faculty: Carol Lee Koski, MD, Medical Director, GBS/CIPD Foundation International, Baltimore, MD

Educational Objectives:

  1. Describe the clinical and laboratory diagnostic criteria for immune-mediated neuropathies treated in the alternate-site setting.
  2. Describe the immunopathologic mechanisms underlying immune-meditated neuropathies.
  3. Compare and contrast results of clinical trials exploring treatment approaches for immune-mediated neuropathies.
  4. Describe the anti-infective, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory mechanisms of action of IVIG.
  5. Discuss the regulatory and reimbursement issues related to treating patients with neurological diseases with IVIG in the alternate-site setting.

9:15 – 10:30 a.m.

NHIA General Session:
Leading With One Clear Voice-A Call to Fellowship

Featuring NHIA Leadership
Phoenix Convention Center—South Building

ACPE #207-999-08-168-L04-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.25

Session Summary:
Change is never easy and always creates anxieties—however, like it or not, systemic changes in our field and throughout all of health-care are coming at a rapid rate. Will we be ready to holistically combat our challenges, while capturing our many opportunities? Without question, small, medium and large providers, along with all key stakeholders, must better connect through a reciprocal fellowship if we are to successfully navigate a changing landscape—while speaking to congress, the media and others with a unified voice.

Receive a comprehensive update on the latest advocacy efforts to ensure meaningful Medicare coverage for alternate-site infusion patients—with an emphasis on what we each need to do to secure productive outcomes on Capitol Hill. Then listen to a seasoned NHIA Leadership Panel examine how we can transform the future of our field for the better, via deeper collaboration. Enhancing our shared focus on leadership, vision, courage, innovation and fellowship will enable our industry to cultivate a much-needed collective sense of purpose and direction. Join your peers for this provocative dialogue to discern how we can more effectively channel our compassionate actions and vital stories with one common voice to greatly advance the field.

Educational Objectives:

  1. State why Medicare Part D is the wrong benefit for home infusion.
  2. Discuss the strategy NHIA pursued in 2007 to work with CMS to fix the Medicare problem without legislation.
  3. Describe the legislative strategy NHIA is pursuing in 2008.
  4. Discuss the benefits of getting involved in grassroots efforts to Medicare legislation.
  5. Discuss how the infusion community can join work together to transform the infusion field.

10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Choice of Concurrent Education Sessions (C)
Phoenix Convention Center—South Building

9-C. New Parenteral Drugs and Biologicals 2007: A Review for Home Care Practitioners [C]

ACPE #207-999-08-169-L01-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.5

Session Summary:

  • Review how, since January of 2007, the FDA has approved a number of new pharmacological entities to treat acute and chronic conditions—specifically reflecting upon this content from the perspective of the home care clinician.
  • Examine the new parenteral drugs and biologicals approved in 2007, their role in disease management and their clinical application in home care.
  • Obtain a brief overview of select pipeline drugs.

Faculty: Anna Nowobilski-Vasilios, PharmD, MBA, FASHP, BCNSP, Chicago, IL

Educational Objectives:

  1. Highlight the pathophysiology and therapeutic goals for each corresponding disease state.
  2. Discuss the indications and appropriate role of each new agent.
  3. Describe the major adverse effects, contraindications, and precautions for each new agent.
  4. List issues relating to dosing, administration, storage, and program implementation for each new agent.
  5. Discuss patient education and monitoring interventions that would lead to achievement of therapeutic goals.

10-C. Comprehending Ambulatory Infusion Center Models

ACPE # 207-999-08-170-L04-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.5

Session Summary:

  • Discover why, with over 200 biological therapies in the biotech pipeline, the need for ambulatory infusion centers (AICs) will continue to grow.
  • Receive a practical, hands-on, 30-minute summary of the various AIC models that exist today.
  • Hear vital insights offered by a panel of AIC consultants and providers with experience in setting up and managing ambulatory infusion centers and services.

Faculty: David M. Franklin, MSA, President, Advanced Care Consulting Services, Shelby Township, MI; Ed Neuman, Vice President, CFO, HomeCare IV of Bend, Inc., Bend, OR; and Barbara Nolet, MA, ARNP, President, Northwest Management Associates, Gig Harbor, WA

Educational Objectives:

  1. Compare and contrast three different business models for ambulatory infusion centers.
  2. Describe key strategies for business development of a freestanding ambulatory infusion center.
  3. Describe basic drug and service reimbursement requirements for operating a physician office-based ambulatory center.
  4. Identify the various regulatory and reimbursement requirements related to the hospital-based ambulatory infusion center.
  5. Discuss various business strategy considerations when planning and implementing an ambulatory infusion center.

11-C. Medicare Restructuring Update 2008

ACPE # 207-999-08-171-L03-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.5

Session Summary:

  • Ascertain the structure in which home infusion therapy claims are adjudicated under Medicare Part B. 
  • Learn how to identify the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) contractors that are involved with enrollment, setting policy, processing of claims, appeals and audits.
  • Understand how (starting in 2005 and continuing through the present) these contractors and their responsibilities have changed significantly under provisions of the Benefits and Improvement Act of 2000 (BIPA) and the Medicare
  • Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA)—including conversion of Durable Medical Equipment Regional Carriers (DMERCs) to Durable Medical Equipment Medicare Administrative Contractors (DME MACs).

Faculty: Pamela Dentino, Reimbursement Project Manager, Option Care Inc., Buffalo Grove, IL

Educational Objectives:

  1. Identify the role of DME MACs (Durable Medical Equipment Medicare Administrative Contractors) in the Medicare process and how they relate to providers.
  2. Identify the role of PSCs (Program Safeguard Contractors) in the Medicare process and how they relate to providers.
  3. Identify the role of QICs (Qualified Independent Contractors) in the Medicare process and how they relate to providers.
  4. Identify role of the NSC (National Supplier Clearinghouse) in the Medicare process and how they relate to providers.
  5. Discuss the Medicare competitive bidding program and new accreditation requirements for DMEPOS (Durable Medical Equipment Prosthetics and Orthotics Suppliers).

12-C. Compliance and Sales: Identifying Marketing Opportunities While Avoiding Compliance Hurdles

ACPE # 207-999-08-172-L04-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.5

Session Summary:

  • Consider how alternate-site infusion organizations can engage in a variety of creative business arrangements with other health care providers—inclusive of adopting and implementing programs that incorporate marketing to referral sources.
  • Recognize how to avoid potential regulatory violations when entering into these dealings.
  • Analyze innovative business arrangements and marketing programs that fit within the current regulatory landscape.

Faculty: Clay Stribling, Esq, Attorney, Brown & Fortunato, PC, Amarillo, TX

Educational Objectives:

  1. List statutes and regulations that govern marketing programs.
  2. Describe business arrangements that can be entered into by infusion companies, pharmacies, HME companies, home health agencies, hospitals, physicians and other providers.
  3. Identify innovative marketing programs that focus on marketing to referral sources.
  4. Identify arrangements and programs that might violate anti-fraud laws.
  5. Describe business arrangements that are legally acceptable.

3:15 – 4:45 p.m.

Choice of Concurrent Education Sessions (D)
Phoenix Convention Center—South Building

13-D. Pharmacokinetics—Basic Principles and Practical Applications

ACPE # 207-999-08-173-L01-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.5

Session Summary:

  • Comprehend how “pharmacokinetics” attempts to accurately describe the time course of a drug as it is metabolized in the body.
  • Receive an overview of the basic pharmacokinetic principles—and grasp the practical applications of these principles to the alternate-site infusion practice.
  • Examine how the derivation, manipulation and study of related mathematical equations of varying degrees of sophistication have enabled clinicians to better understand the kinetics of absorption, distribution and elimination of medications.

Faculty: Pammi J. Farren, RPh, PhD, Branch Infusion Manager, Apria Healthcare, Columbus, OH

Educational Objectives:

  1. Describe basic principles of pharmacokinetics.
  2. Compare and contrast graphical and mathematical descriptions of pharmacokinetics.
  3. Discuss the impact of patient- and drug-specific factors on pharmacokinetic parameters.
  4. Describe how to apply pharmacokinetic principles to medications used in home infusion.
  5. List how to apply pharmacokinetic principles to aminoglycoside therapy.

14-D. VAD Workshop—Special Focus on Vascular Access Devices
Part I: Care and Maintenance of Vascular Access Devices in the Alternate-Site Setting

Please Note: Participants must attend BOTH Parts I (14-D.) and II (19-E.) of the VAD Workshop to receive Continuing Education Contact Hours—no partial credit is allowed: Total CE credit for Parts I and II is 3.0 contact hours for Nursing, as well as Pharmacy.

ACPE # 207-999-08-174-L01-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 3.0

Vascular access is an essential component of care for the home infusion patient—this special satellite workshop will provide a total of three hours of programming, featuring two leading experts on vascular access devices. Beyond the didactic material presented, there will also be an opportunity for interactive dialogue, where attendees can address clinical issues with the faculty. Part I of the VAD Workshop will specifically cover the following:

Session Summary:

  • Discover best practice guidelines for flushing of vascular access devices in the home care environment—and discuss current/ongoing studies related to needless devices and strategies for prevention of device-related infections.
  • Review evidence-based practices for stabilizing vascular access devices—as well as interventions for the prevention of device-related bloodstream infections.
  • Compare and contrast recently introduced vascular access technologies used in the home care setting.

Faculty: Lynn Hadaway, MEd, RNC, CRNI® , Lynn Hadaway Associates, Inc., Milner, GA

Educational Objectives:

  1. Identify best practice guidelines for flushing of vascular access devices in the home care setting.
  2. Discuss current and ongoing studies related to needless devices and strategies for prevention of device-related infections.
  3. Discuss evidence-based practices for securing vascular access devices.
  4. Describe interventions for the prevention of device-related bloodstream infections.
  5. Compare and contrast recently introduced vascular access technologies used in the home care setting.

15-D. How Will Competitive Bidding Affect Your Pharmacy?—Prepare to Succeed in a Changing Marketplace!

ACPE # 207-999-08-175-L03-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.5

Session Summary:

  • Recognize how competitive bidding will change the market for Durable Medical Equipment (DME) suppliers and pharmacies.
  • Assess whether the products and services provided by your pharmacy may or may not be included.
  • Explore the regulatory maze of complex rules and regulations that apply—and learn what you will need to know to survive.

Faculty: Clay Stribling, Esq, Attorney, Brown & Fortunato, PC, Amarillo, TX

Educational Objectives:

  1. List the DME competitive bidding provisions of the Medicare Modernization Act.
  2. Discuss the key components of the competitive bidding process.
  3. Describe how competitive bidding will affect pharmacies.
  4. Discuss current regulatory and court initiatives to repeal competitive bidding.
  5. State the necessary steps to take if an organization is not awarded a contract under competitive bidding.

16-D. Medicare Part D Workshop—Special Focus on Reimbursement Challenges
Part I: Background and Contracting

Please Note: Participants must attend BOTH Parts I (16-D.) and II (21-E.) of the Medicare Part D Workshop to receive Continuing Education Contact Hours—no partial credit is allowed: Total CE credit for Parts I and II is 3.0 contact hours for Pharmacy, as well as Nursing.

ACPE #207-999-08-176-L03-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 3.0

The implementation of Medicare Part D represented the single most significant change in the Medicare program since its inception over 40 years ago. How do these changes affect the typical alternate-site infusion reimbursement department?  Join us for this hands-on, three-hour workshop to examine the day-to-day, practical aspects of the Medicare Part D Program. The first session of the Workshop will specifically address the following:

Session Summary:

  • Obtain a thorough background on the Part D program, including the key legal elements and benefit structure facets that you should be aware of.
  • Understand the core fundamentals of Medicare Advantage programs.
  • Review critical Medicare Part D contracting issues—and begin to analyze the Part D program in terms of alternate-site infusion operations.

Faculty: Jeanie Smith, Vice President, Reimbursement, Critical Care Systems, Nashua, NH; Sharon Niewinski, Medicare Reimbursement Specialist, Option Care, Buffalo Grove, IL; and Bruce Rodman, MBA, Vice President, Health Information Policy, National Home Infusion Association, Alexandria, VA

Educational Objectives:

  1. Describe the legal history of the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Benefit.
  2. Explain the critical gaps in coverage for home infusion therapy under the Medication Part D program.
  3. Discuss reimbursement operations for submitting claims to Medicare Part D plans for home infusion drugs.
  4. Outline the process for billing flushes, diluents and supplies for home infusion patients with Medicare Part D
  5. Describe the use of internet applications to assist in submitting claims to Medicare Part D plans.

17-D. Taking Your Game to the Next Level: Advanced Training for Infusion Sales

ACPE #207-999-08-177-L04-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.5

Session Summary:

  • Learn how to cultivate skills that will translate into more referrals and increased alternate-site infusion revenue.
  • Discuss solid strategies for reading your customers, carrying sales conversations and assessing how to truly know when a sales call went well.
  • Acquire advanced closing techniques to use when “closing the sale”—and realize how to vary your sales approach, depending upon who you are talking to.

Faculty: David Adair, MBA, Regional Sales Manager, Chartwell Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, PA

Educational Objectives:

  1. Describe personality types and list strategies to read customers quickly.
  2. Identify successful skill sets which help to carry conversations.
  3. List the key elements necessary to demonstrate an understanding of customer motivation.
  4. List the characteristics of a successful sales call versus an unsuccessful sales call.
  5. Describe the benefits of utilizing a closing technique.

5:00 – 6:30 p.m.

Choice of Concurrent Education Sessions (E)
Phoenix Convention Center—South Building

18-E. Specialty Infusion—Past, Present and Future!

ACPE #207-999-08-178-L04-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.5

Session Summary:

  • Understand a clear definition of the term “specialty infusion” and then compare it to what we think of as traditional home infusion, as well as specialty pharmacy.
  • Engage in a thorough review of the economics of specialty infusion—including the costs of goods and services (COGS), labor, the impact of USP 797 and the effect of the NIOSH alert on facility requirements.
  • Study risk-management considerations related to the high cost of handling and compounding specialty infusion drugs—inclusive of specialty drugs currently in the pipeline and service models that are suitable for each drug’s administration.

Faculty: Marc Stranz, PharmD, Healthcare Consultant, Evergreen, CO

Educational Objectives:

  1. Compare and contrast the term “specialty infusion” to traditional home infusion and specialty pharmacy.
  2. Discuss the financial considerations of providing specialty pharmacy infusion drugs and services.
  3. List risk-management considerations when compounding and handling specialty infusion drugs.
  4. Discuss the impact of the biotechnology pipeline and the use of various pharmacy distribution models on specialty infusion pharmacies.
  5. Describe several emerging business models for providing specialty infusion drug products and clinical services.
  6. Interactive discussion and Q and A

19-E. VAD Workshop—Special Focus on Vascular Access Devices
Part II: Vascular Access Device Complications in the Alternate-Site Setting [C]

Please Note: Participants must attend BOTH Parts I (14-D.) and II (19-E.) of the VAD Workshop to receive Continuing Education Contact Hours—no partial credit is allowed: Total CE credit for Parts I and II is 3.0 contact hours for Nursing, as well as Pharmacy.

Part II of the VAD Workshop will address the following content areas (in addition to offering attendees opportunities for interactive discussion with the faculty about pertinent clinical questions):

Session Summary:

  • Learn how to differentiate between local and systemic complications of vascular access devices—and acquire nursing and medical interventions to manage these difficulties.
  • Explore the "SBAR" (Situation; Background; Assessments; Recommendation) model for communicating with physicians regarding catheter complications and interventions being recommended.
  • Assess techniques for salvage of vascular access devices, as well as prevention of related complications.

Faculty: Jim Lacy, RN, BSN, CRNI® , Clinical Leader, Western Area, Boston Scientific, Draper, VT

Educational Objectives:

  1. Differentiate between local and systemic complications of vascular access devices.
  2. Describe nursing and medical interventions to manage these complications.
  3. Describe the "SBAR" model for communicating with physicians regarding catheter complications and interventions recommended.
  4. Discuss techniques for salvage of vascular access devices.
  5. Discuss prevention of vascular access complications.

20-E. Alternate-Site Infusion Legislative and Regulatory Update

ACPE #207-999-08-179-L03-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.5

Session Summary:

  • Obtain an overview of the significant legislative and regulatory changes that are on the horizon for alternate-site infusion suppliers.
  • Comprehend the latest modifications in federal and state guidelines, via an enlightening and interactive presentation format.
  • Attain the knowledge required to best prepare your organization for these recent and anticipated changes.

Faculty: Clay Stribling, Esq, Attorney, Brown & Fortunato, PC, Amarillo, TX

Educational Objectives:

  1. Identify significant legislative and regulatory changes implemented in 2007.
  2. Identify potential legislative and regulatory changes coming for 2008.
  3. Discuss how suppliers can prepare for upcoming changes.
  4. Identify how regulatory and legislative changes impact compliance programs.
  5. Identify key contacts for legislative and regulatory initiatives.

21-E. Medicare Part D Workshop—Special Focus on Reimbursement Challenges
Part II: Nuts and Bolts, Internet Applications and Best Practices

Please Note: Participants must attend BOTH Parts I (16-D.) and II (21-E.) of the Medicare Part D Workshop to receive Continuing Education Contact Hours—no partial credit is allowed: Total CE credit for Parts I and II is 3.0 contact hours for Pharmacy, as well as Nursing.

Part II of the Medicare Part D Workshop will address the following content areas (in addition to offering attendees opportunities for interactive discussion with the faculty and an expert panel about relevant Part D reimbursement questions):

Session Summary:

  • Discover pragmatic, successful approaches for implementing Medicare Part D as an alternate-site infusion provider, while appropriately managing reimbursement challenges.
  • Learn how to productively address all the key aspects of Part D internet applications—including eligibility, test claims, queries, available websites, and NCPDP vs. X12 billing.
  • Examine critical payer source issues—and hear best practices from a dynamic panel of experts.

Faculty: Jeanie Smith, Vice President, Reimbursement, Critical Care Systems, Nashua, NH; Sharon Niewinski, Medicare Reimbursement Specialist, Option Care, Buffalo Grove, IL; and Bruce Rodman, MBA, Vice President, Health Information Policy, National Home Infusion Association, Alexandria, VA

Educational Objectives:

  1. Review important considerations when contracting with Medicare Part D plans.
  2. Identify best practices for contracting with Part D plans.
  3. Discuss future considerations for participation in providing drugs and services for Medicare Part D patients.
  4. Identify best practices for implementation of Medicare Part D billing at your infusion organization.

22-E. Effective Sales and Marketing Today: Meet the Experts!

ACPE #207-999-08-180-L04-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.5

Session Summary:

  • Engage a seasoned panel of infusion sales professionals from national to local providers, as they answer your most pressing questions about developing and growing the sales function at your organization. 
  • Obtain key insights on recruitment and retention of top performing sales personnel, growing business in rural markets and managing customer objections.
  • Receive effective, efficient and innovative ideas to help grow your referral base, as you analyze real-world examples of sales programs that have achieved proven results.

Faculty: David Grady, Owner and Consultant, Superior Specialty Pharmacy, LLC dba Big Sky IV Care and Spotted Dog Consulting, LLC, Kalispell, MT; Len Holman, RPh, Option Care of Northeast Ohio, Canfield, OH; and Jayne Van Brunt, RN, BSN, Infusion Market Manager, Apria Healthcare, Redmond, WA

Educational Objectives:

  1. State the three most common sales and marketing strategies utilized by smaller companies competing against national rivals.
  2. Identify the three most common objections experienced by large infusion companies competing against smaller, locally owned businesses.
  3. List the three most common strategies for growing business in rural markets.
  4. Describe successful sales strategies utilized by companies without individuals solely dedicated to the sales function.
  5. Identify recruitment and retention strategies for seasoned sales professionals.

 

Wednesday, March 12

7:00 – 8:45 a.m.

Breakfast Symposium:
USP <797>: New Requirements for Compounding Sterile Preparations

Supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Hospira Worldwide, Inc.

Hyatt Regency Phoenix

ACPE #207-999-08-181-L01-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.5

Session Summary:
Always an exceptionally “hot topic” in our field, this symposium will be presented by members of the USP Sterile Compounding Expert Committee and will offer a thorough review of the current status of regulations affecting sterile compounding—including an update on USP Chapter <797> revisions, as well as USP’s role in standards of practice. Come and learn about the implications of USP Chapter <797> changes for pharmacy organizations compounding sterile preparations.

Faculty: Eric Kastango, MBA, RPh, FASHP, President & CEO, Clinical IQ, LLC, Florham Park, NJ, and Donald Filibeck, PharmD, MBA, National Director, Pharmacy Services, Critical Care Systems, Nashua, NH

Educational Objectives:

  1. Explain the USP revision process and the ongoing role of USP in standards of practice.
  2. Summarize key changes proposed for the next USP <797> and their implications.
  3. Review the USP Chapters: contamination risk levels, personnel cleansing garbing and gloving, primary and secondary engineering controls, environmental monitoring, and cleaning and disinfection.
  4. Explain the evidence-based science behind the proposed changes in USP <797>.
  5. Describe plans for the future for USP <797>.

9:15 – 10:15 p.m.

Choice of Concurrent Education Sessions (F)
Phoenix Convention Center—South Building

23-F. Ensuring Patient Safety through Medication Reconciliation

ACPE #207-999-08-182-L05-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.0

Session Summary:

  • Recognize how medication errors are among the most common medical errors, harming at least 1.5 million people every year—and grasp how accurate medication reconciliation across the healthcare continuum will eventually reduce medication errors/delays, while streamlining the admission, transfer and discharge processes from one care setting to another.
  • Hear how the Joint Commission has made medication reconciliation a National Patient Safety Goal and review the campaigns that several other national patient safety organizations have initiated to standardize processes across all healthcare settings.
  • Explore medication reconciliation process improvement approaches and focus on the critical steps required to meet accreditation standards—with particular attention paid to the role of home infusion pharmacies when collaborating with hospitals and home health agencies.

Faculty: Brian Swift, PharmD, MBA, Director, Health Ventures, Jefferson Health System, Philadelphia, PA

Educational Objectives:

  1. Discuss the implementation of a medication reconciliation process improvement initiative at your home infusion organization.
  2. Describe the use of Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) in improving medication reconciliation processes.
    Identify medication reconciliation best practices for home infusion providers.
  3. Describe the use of Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) in improving medication reconciliation processes.
  4. Discuss the implementation of a medication reconciliation process improvement initiative at your home infusion organization.

24-F. Achieving Accreditation though CHAP (Community Healthcare Accreditation Program)

ACPE #207-999-08-183-L03-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.0

Session Summary:

  • Receive a comprehensive overview of the CHAP accreditation process, utilizing its new web-based portal.
  • Understand the important components of accreditation—with a detailed comparison of the old and new processes.
  • Obtain useful tips about how to favorably plan for and attain CHAP accreditation at your organization.

Faculty: Ken Fagerman, RPh, M.M., VNA of West Michigan, Grand Rapids, MI

Educational Objectives:

  1. Identify CHAP five steps to accreditation.
  2. Compare old application processes with new processes.
  3. Describe the self-study process.
  4. Relate the self-study process to the site-visit process.
  5. Identify the components of the site-visit report.

25-F. Ensuring Private-Pay Collections Success

ACPE #207-999-08-184-L04-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.0

Session Summary:

  • Discuss how one of the most difficult aspects of infusion reimbursement is effectively collecting receivables from the patients you serve.
  • Identify the critical areas to focus your private-pay collection efforts on—and discover key best practices that will successfully drive in more of this valuable revenue.
  • Learn how to effectively address these ever-growing receivable accounts that have such a significant impact on your organization’s bottom line.

Faculty: David Bargmann, BS, MBA, Chief Operating Officer, and Lisa Bargmann, BS, Chief Executive Officer, Bargmann Management, LLC dba Homecare Collection Service, Akron, OH

Educational Objectives:

  1. Identify the financial impact patient receivables have on your business.
  2. Determine your current patient receivable recovery results to more effectively manage your patient A/R.
  3. Identify strategies to improve front-end intake processes for regulatory compliance and improved collections.
  4. List several identified best practices to effectively bill and collect patient pay receivables.
  5. Describe variable-cost solutions to help improve your bottom line.

26-F. Everyone Sells!—How to Create a Sales-Driven Company

ACPE #207-999-08-185-L04-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.0

Session Summary:

  • Recognize that for any business to succeed today, it is essential for all employees to know their responsibility to the customer.
  • Comprehend how true sales-oriented companies that “put the customer first” are quickly taking the place of operationally-driven organizations with a more internal focus.
  • Acquire tips and simple techniques for building a staff where “everybody sells”—and examine real-world examples of how to create a sales-driven environment within your own company.

Faculty: Anne K. DiRenzo, MS, Vice President of Business Development, MediLink Homecare, Inc., Hammonton, NJ

Educational Objectives:

  1. Identify strategies that contribute to home infusion business growth.
  2. Describe efficient sales and communication techniques that contribute to business growth in a home infusion organization.
  3. Identify ways the entire staff in your organization can contribute to increasing sales.
  4. List five ways to create a customer service-oriented organization.
  5. Describe ways to integrate customer service and business growth strategies into current operations at the participant’s organization.

10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Choice of Concurrent Education Sessions (G)
Phoenix Convention Center—South Building

27-G. Patient Safety: Strategies for Preventing and Controlling Infections [C]

ACPE #207-999-08-186-L05-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.5

Session Summary:

  • Explore how preventing and controlling infections is an integral component of an effective patient safety program in all care settings—and review key strategies for providing care and infusion therapy in the home, given the especially unique infection prevention and control challenges that arise in this setting.
  • Understand the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) hand hygiene guidelines, including how they are to be implemented in the home environment.
  • Discuss approaches for reducing the risk of infection transmission associated with the use of medical equipment and supplies in the home—and what measures should be taken by home care staff to prevent the transmission of multi drug-resistant organisms (MDROs).

Faculty: Mary McGoldrick, MS, RN, CRNI® , Home Care and Hospice Consultant, Home Health Systems, Inc., Saint Simons Island, GA

Educational Objectives:

  1. Discuss the importance of infection prevention and control strategies as a patient safety initiative.
  2. Compare and contrast the World Health Organization’s (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and
  3. Prevention’s (CDC) hand hygiene guidelines.
  4. Describe strategies to reduce the risk of infection transmission associated with the use of medical equipment, devices and supplies used in the course of providing home care.
  5. Describe infection prevention and control issues specific to patients with multi drug-resistant organisms (MDROs) receiving care in the home.
  6. Identify methods to strengthen the infection prevention and control practices in the home care setting.

28-G. Accreditation the ACHC Way!

ACPE #207-999-08-187-L03-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.5

Session Summary:

  • Receive a thorough overview of the ACHC (Accreditation Commission for Health Care) standards.
  • Grasp the core elements of the critical quality improvement standards as they specifically relate to home infusion clinicians and the management team.
  • Discover ways to improve compliance with these standards via the quality improvement process.

Faculty: Sherry Hedrick, RN, BSN, MPH, Director of Clinical Compliance and Accreditation, Accreditation Commission for Health Care, Inc. (ACHC), Raleigh, NC

Educational Objectives:

  1. Describe the concept of accreditation and CMS deeming authority.
  2. Discuss the unannounced survey process.
  3. Identify critical ACHC standards for home infusion pharmacies.
  4. Identify several strategies to improve compliance with critical standards.
  5. Describe the relationship between infusion nursing standards and pharmacy standards.

29-G. Critical Contracting—Developing Successful Strategic Contractual Relationships

ACPE #207-999-08-188-L04-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.5

Session Summary:

  • Examine the essential elements of contracting for small and large companies—from the perspectives of both the home infusion business manager and reimbursement professional.
  • Assess the art of negotiation, key strategies for effectively operationalizing contracts and approaches for sub-contracting with home health entities and/or other vendors.
  • Discuss the key communications involved in cultivating strategic contractual relationships and learn how to obtain all appropriate documentation required in this process.

Faculty: Shelby Marshall, Vice President, Contract Management & Business Development, Critical Care Systems, Nashua, NH

Educational Objectives:

  1. Discuss health plan perspectives on negotiating infusion contracts.
  2. Identify the appropriate individuals within health plans with whom to negotiate.
  3. Identify negotiation strategies for your organization’s reimbursement and operational objectives.
  4. Describe concepts for effectively implementing contract requirements.
  5. Identify key components of vendor subcontract arrangements.

30-G. Remaining Ahead of the Competition through Therapy-Specific Selling and Niche Marketing

ACPE #207-999-08-189-L04-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.5

Session Summary:

  • Understand the basics of discerning opportunities for niche markets by emphasizing the strengths of your company—while also leveraging the weaknesses of the competition.
  • Grasp the core building blocks of identification, implementation and continual assessment of niche strategies that produce long-term revenue generation (versus short-term successes).
  • Cultivate no-nonsense approaches for matching your company’s capabilities with the most vital needs of referral sources—and learn how to constantly adjust niche marketing plans to remain ahead of competition.

Faculty: Helen Michener, Critical Care Systems, Shermans Dale, PA

Educational Objectives:

  1. Identify strengths and weaknesses of your own company in the eyes of key referral sources.
  2. Identify strengths and weaknesses of your competition in the eyes of key referral sources.
  3. Develop complete understanding of marketplace needs as expressed and described by top referral sources.
  4. Identify and implement strategies which match your company strengths with most vital needs of referral sources.
  5. Describe key elements of implementing ongoing monitoring strategies to constantly review and adjust niche marketing plans to remain ahead of competition.

12:15 – 1:15 p.m.

Box Lunch Symposium:
Title TBD

Phoenix Convention Center—South Building

ACPE #207-999-08-190-L04-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.0

NHIA is in the process of developing a one-hour “Box Lunch Symposium” for the last day of the 2008 Annual Conference—ensuring you have a chance to eat, while further feeding your hunger for knowledge!

1:30 – 2:30 p.m.

Choice of Concurrent Education Sessions (H)
Phoenix Convention Center—South Building

31-H. Diabetic Foot Infections: New Classification Tools

ACPE #207-999-08-191-L01-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.0

Session Summary:

  • Consider how patients with diabetic foot infections are frequently treated with intravenous antibiotics in the alternate-care setting—and review the Diabetic Foot Infection Guidelines published by the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
  • Examine how these evidence-based consensus guidelines describe whether or not a diabetic foot ulceration is infected—and if infected, the severity of the infection, the organisms causing the infection and antibiotics needed to treat those organisms.  
  • Focus on how best to address the significant role of resistant organisms in these cases.

Faculty: Warren Joseph, DPM, FIDSA, VA Medical Center, Coatesville, PA

Educational Objectives:

  1. Discuss the pathophysiology for ulceration and infection of the diabetic foot.
  2. Differentiate the severity of diabetic foot infections based on criteria from the IDSA.
  3. Understand the Infectious Diseases Society of America Diabetic Foot Infection Guidelines.
  4. Define the role the MRSA plays in the diabetic foot infection.
  5. Determine appropriate antibiotic therapy for the treatment of the varying severities of diabetic foot infections.

32-H. Patient Satisfaction—How to Measure It and How to Improve It!

ACPE #207-999-08-192-L04-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.0

Session Summary:

  • Understand why it is so critical for alternate-site infusion organizations to collect patient satisfaction data—and then to utilize that data correctly to enhance company services, while growing business.
  • Comprehend if you are you collecting the right kind of information and/or if you should you be gathering additional data from other sources—and ascertain if you are analyzing such data appropriately.
  • Evaluate a mix of both theory- and reality-based examples to learn how best to assess your patient satisfaction program and further improve your organization’s performance.
  • Faculty: L. Rad Dillon, Director of Clinical Support, Curlin Medical, Inc., Huntington, CA, and Melissa Leone, RN, BSN, National Director of Nursing, Apria Healthcare, Hamden, CT

Educational Objectives:

  1. Identify strategies for improving satisfaction data collection rates.
  2. Identify ways to expand the satisfaction evaluation process to include all customer types.
  3. Describe the best strategies for selecting and phrasing satisfaction survey questions.
  4. Provide a “core question set” of questions that could be used to standardize satisfaction data for home infusion therapy.
  5. Identify analytical pitfalls to avoid and best practices to use in the handling of satisfaction data.
  6. Identify ways to use satisfaction evaluation results to improve customer service.
  7. Describe how to best use satisfaction results in marketing efforts.

Faculty: L. Rad Dillon, Director of Clinical Support, Curlin Medical, Inc., Huntington, CA, and Melissa Leone, RN, BSN, National Director of Nursing, Apria Healthcare, Hamden, CT

33-H. Medicare Part D: Past, Present and Future Legislative Efforts

ACPE #207-999-08-193-L03-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.0

Session Summary:

  • Gain historical perspectives on how the Part D program came into existence.
  • Join with your colleagues in discussion of the hurdles encountered in the first two years, the success and failures, and the gaps in coverage for home infusion therapies—and hear how NHIA intervened to correct many of these issues.   
  • Obtain an overview of NHIA’s role in drafting legislation to provide a meaningful benefit (specifically HR 2567), as well as the future prospects for Medicare recipients in need of home infusion therapy—and, most importantly, find out what you can do with your U.S. Representatives and Senators to get legislation passed.

Faculty: Bruce E Rodman MBA, Vice President of Health Information Policy, NHIA, Alexandria, VA; Cynthia E Berry Esq., Attorney at Law, Powell Goldstein LLP, Washington, DC; John R Magnuson, Vice President of Legislative Affairs, NHIA, Alexandria, VA

Educational Objectives:

  1. State the legislative history leading to the Medicare Part D program, projections of beneficiary counts and costs of the program.
  2. Describe NHIA’s advocacy actions and results pertaining to deficiencies in Part D for covering home infusion therapy.
  3. List key steps NHIA undertook in 2007 to obtain meaningful coverage for home infusion for Medicare beneficiaries.
  4. Recite key strategies NHIA is undertaking in 2008 to support passage of Medicare infusion legislation in the 111th Congress.
  5. Describe actions that you should be undertaking in support of passing needed Medicare legislation to cover infusion.

34-H. Cultivating an Effective Clinician Transition to Sales

ACPE #207-999-08-194-L04-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.0

Session Summary:

  • Grasp the different features of successful sales and clinical roles—and determine which characteristics are required to be effective at transitioning a clinician to a sales position.
  • Recognize the common pitfalls and study key strategies for achieving productive outcomes when initiating such a role conversion—and appreciate how a clinical sales person can still serve an important clinical role in the organization.
  • Explore how this approach can help your company better align often limited resources to attain improved sales results.

Faculty: Tracy Collins, RN, Infusion Partners, Knoxville, TN

Educational Objectives:

  1. List three attributes of a successful sales person.
  2. Identify the skills necessary for a clinical person to perform in a sales capacity.
  3. Name three characteristics that translate well from clinical to sales.
  4. Determine the major pitfalls that clinicians experience in the sales process.
  5. Identify strategies for clinicians to develop to overcome common pitfalls when transitioning to the sales role.

2:45 – 4:15 p.m.

Choice of Concurrent Education Sessions (I)
Phoenix Convention Center—South Building

35-I. Ensuring Clinical Documentation Meets the Needs of Your Reimbursement Team

ACPE #207-999-08-195-L04-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.5

Session Summary:

  • Review the everyday communication challenges that frequently exist between clinicians and the reimbursement team.
  • Identify what the clinical staff knows about their patients that the reimbursement team needs to know in order to bill on a timely, accurate basis—and realize the benefits of a defined communication process to achieve this goal.
  • Assess clinical documentation/communications from the clinical team to the reimbursement staff—and examine alternate communication methods to help further ensure success.

Faculty: Cindy Gricheck, RN, BSN, CRNI® , Manager, Infusion Operations, Air Products Healthcare, Monroeville, PA, and Vicki Wilson, Senior Manager/Consultant, Reimbursement Concepts, Weirton, WV

Educational Objectives:

  1. List challenges to overcome when communicating pertinent information.
  2. Define what information needs to be communicated and to whom from the clinical staff to the reimbursement staff and vice-versa.
  3. Define the elements of successful communications.
  4. Identify various forms of communication.
  5. Describe benefits of communication from the clinical personnel to reimbursement department.

36-I. Disease Management Programs—Best Demonstrated Practices

ACPE #207-999-08-196-L01-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.5

Session Summary:

  • Receive an overview of the intent of disease management programs, including their benefits for both the alternate-site infusion provider and insurance company.
  • Hear about two disease management programs that are currently being successfully managed by home infusion providers.
  • Obtain valuable information and insights that will enable you to initiate similar programs at your organization.

Faculty: Melissa Leone, RN, BSN, National Director of Nursing, Apria Healthcare, Hamden, CT; Nita Meaux, RN, CRNI®, Director of Risk Management/ Heart Failure Program Director, Walgreens/ OptionCare, Montgomery, TX; and Kristie Jesionek-Brewton, RD, LD/N, CNSD, Lead Infusion Nutrition Support Dietitian, Apria Healthcare, Spring Hill, TN

Educational Objectives:

  1. State the pros and cons of providing a disease management program for a specific patient population.
  2. Identify three ways to market a disease management program to contracted payers.
  3. List three components of a successful heart failure disease management program.
  4. Identify how the home infusion patient benefits from a heart disease management program.
  5. Explain how nutritionally challenged patients can benefit from a disease management program.
  6. Identify two ways that the contracted payer can benefit from a comprehensive nutrition management program.
  7. Discuss the pros and cons of developing a disease management program in home infusion.

37-I. Sales Growth Indicators and Strategies: Outcomes to Success!

ACPE #207-999-08-197-L04-P
VNA Approver Number:
Pharmacy & Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours: 1.5

Session Summary:

  • Learn how home and alternate-site infusion professionals can maximize growth opportunities and measure productivity within the infusion sales arena—and, via active learning techniques, explore utilizing performance metrics to determine sales growth.
  • Understand the factors impacting patient retention, service augmentation and resource availability to facilitate customer commitment.
  • Analyze referral breakdown, effects of service delivery and clinical accountability, all in relationship to infusion growth potential and prospective market share—and recognize the need for a commitment between sales and operations to sustain a culture of support to ensure unified success.

Faculty: James Tanner, PA, Vice President, Sales and National Accounts, Wren Medical Systems, Gurnee, IL

Educational Objectives:

  1. Outline performance metrics to determine sales growth and patient revenue.
  2. State specific strategies intended to augment customer retention and their potential impact on infusion revenue.
  3. Identify how to extrapolate opportunities from referral trends that can enhance infusion revenue.
  4. Investigate the impact of service delivery and clinical accountability in gaining and securing infusion market share.
  5. Give an example of the need for a commitment between sales and operations to sustain a culture of support and unified success.

 

 

 

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