Continuing Education
Wednesday, March 4
7:00- 8:45 a.m.
Breakfast Symposia
Smart Pump Technology—Improving Safety and Efficiency Across the Continuum of Care!
Supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Hospira Worldwide, Inc., Moog Medical Devices Group, and Smiths Medical
Hilton Baltimore Convention Center
Continuing Education Contact Hours: Pharmacy and Nursing—1.5
ACPE # 207-999-09-134-L05-P
Education Overview:
Patient safety and organizational solvency are often two of the most paramount concerns that keep home care clinicians, managers and executives up at night. In the quest to create work environments that decrease the likelihood of errors, promote patient safety and minimize organizational risk, we must answer several difficult questions: How do we evaluate the processes that lead to medication error reduction? Can we identify and standardize the IV medications associated with the highest risk of harm in the alternate infusion setting? Is there a role for technology to assist in reducing the errors that we are so reluctant to report? Be present for this innovative symposium that will address pump technology in the inpatient and outpatient settings—including the factors which have led to recent improvements in device design.
Faculty: TBD Breakfast Symposium- TBD
1.5 Contact Hours--Pharmacy and Nursing
ACPE # 207-999-09-135-L04-P
9:15- 10:45 AM
25-G Understanding pH and Osmolarity
Faculty: Marc Stranz, PharmD, Vice President Operations, East, Critical Homecare Solutions, Conshohocken, PA
1.5 Contact Hours
ACPE # 207-999-09-136-L01-P
Infusion nursing standards have long advised against short peripheral and midline catheters use for medications with a pH below 5 or above 9 and/or an osmolarity above 600 mOsm/Liter. The challenge is identifying the osmolarity of a drug that has been compounded in an infusion pharmacy. This presentation will provide an overview of vascular physiology and the impact of pH and osmolarity. Case studies will be utilized to demonstrate the impact of clinic al decision making regarding vascular access and drug delivery.
OBJECTIVES:
- Describe the impact of pH and osmolarity on vascular endothelium
- Review the data on phlebitis as a result of pH and osmolarity exposure.
- Demonstrate the ability to adjust pH and osmolarity of infusion solutions.
- Apply pH and osmolarity data in patient care.
26-G Management Engineering: Using Quantifiable Measurements to Manage an Infusion Practice
Faculty: David M. Franklin, MSA, CEO, Vital Care, Meridian, MI
1.5 Contact Hours
ACPE # 207-999-09-137-L04-P
If you are not measuring it, you are not managing it! This presentation will demonstrate the concepts and application of benchmarking and trending the performance of an infusion entity from a management engineering perspective; including operational metrics, financial performance, and productivity measurements. Stop guessing at how many employees you need and whether they are performing adequately - and start measuring!
OBJECTIVES:
- List various types of benchmarking
- Describe several categories of business metric measurements
- Identify how to calculate the number of employees necessary to run an infusion program.
27-G The Latest in Successful Self-Pay Collection Techniques
Faculty: Lisa Bargmann, BS, MBA, Chief Executive Officer, Bargmann Management LLC d/b/a Homecare Collection Service, Akron, OH
1.5 Contact Hours
ACPE # 207-999-09-138-L03-P
Patient pay collections are arguably one of the most difficult avenues of revenue to gather. This presentation will review the factors that must all converge to drive successful collections, including:
- An understanding of current collection law and regulations, at both the national and state levels;
- Hiring and training personnel to manage the collections process with tact and skill;
- Proven techniques to increase timely self-pay collections
OBJECTIVES:
- Learn how and when to speak to patients regarding their self-pay obligations
- State the purpose and basic premise of collection laws governing patient pay activities.
- Demonstrate techniques for managing the self-pay collection process.
28-G Program Selling: Productively Involving Clinicians in the Sales Process
Faculty: Marianne Duda, MS, RD, LDN, CNSD, National Nutrition Program Manager, Walgreen’s/Option Care, St. Petersburg, FL
1.5 Contact Hours
ACPE # 207-999-09-139-L04-P
Exchanging lab coats for suit coats can be an intimidating prospect for clinicians when introduced to the world of alternate site sales. The unfamiliar process of marketing our service can be a source of anxiety for clinicians more accustomed to being the target of a sales pitch. This session will provide nurses, pharmacists, dietitians and other clinicians a basic understanding of the sales call process, and offer tips on increasing their comfort level when interacting with potential referral sources. The role of the Account Manager versus that of the clinician will be delineated and a collaborative effort for successful sales explored.
OBJECTIVES:
- Define the role of the clinician during the sales call process.
- Name two ways clinicians assist the sales effort during daily activities.
- List three ways that account managers can facilitate effective collaboration with clinicians for optimal sales activity outcomes.
11:00-12:00 p.m.
29-H Infection Control In the Home Environment: Critical Information for Today—and the Future!
Faculty: Susan Poole, BSN, MS, CRNI®, CNSN, Director, Accreditation, Walgreen’s/Option Care, Deerfield, IL
1.0 Contact Hours
ACPE # 207-999-09-140-L01-P
- Learn key information about MRSA and other Multi-Drug Resistant Organisms (MDROs) that are an increasing concern in home care.
- Identify specific steps that should be taken to minimize or eliminate the risk of infection in your home infusion patients and staff.
- Understand the current Medicare initiatives that are driving change in how hospitals handle infections, and the proactive steps you can take to minimize their potential impact in the home infusion setting.
OBJECTIVES:
- Discuss the known and unknown in prevention and treatment of resistant microbes (MRSA, VRE, C. diff)
- List specific tasks to minimize or eliminate risk of infection in home care patients.
- Discuss issues and effect on homecare of Medicare non-reimbursement for hospital-acquired MRSA infections.
- Describe training issues and specific examples related to prevention of infection in health-care workers and patients.
30-H Collaborating with Schools of Pharmacy to Strengthen the Home Infusion Workforce
Faculty: Pammi Farren, RPh, PhD, Branch Infusion Manager, Coram, an Apria Healthcare Company, Columbus, OH, Mary R. Monk-Tutor, PhD, MS, RPh, FASHP, Professor and Director of Assessment, Samford University/McWhorter School of Pharmacy, Birmingham, AL
1.0 Contact Hours
ACPE # 207-999-09-141-L04-P
Identify the components of current pharmacy curricula that are applicable to home infusion practice, and the gaps that make it difficult for a new graduate to function in the home infusion pharmacy. Understand the opportunities that exist for enhancing clinical pharmacy education to prepare new graduates for work in the field of home infusion. Develop a strategy for collaboration with schools of pharmacy to enhance pharmaceutical practice in the home infusion setting.
OBJECTIVES:
- Understand the current landscape of pharmacy education as related to infusion education
- Discuss the potential for enhancement of infusion education
- Describe challenges related to integrating home infusion topics into US pharmacy curricula
- Suggest methods to overcome challenges related to integrating home infusion topics into US pharmacy curricula.
- Contribute toward the enhancement of infusion education
31-H Medicare Part D Operations
Faculty: Joe Carter, RPh, Pharmacy Manager, Accredo Health Group, Warrendale, PA; Vicki Wilson, Regional Director of Reimbursement, Air Products Healthcare, Conshohocken, PA
1.0 Contact Hours
ACPE # 207-999-09-142-L04-P
- Understand the nuts and bolts of billing Medicare Part D, beginning with management of the referral and verification of patient eligibility;
- Identify effective methods of communicating with the patient and physician regarding coverage options and gaps;
- Review Medicare Part D covered drugs, formularies, flushes and diluents with a goal of receiving accurate reimbursement that reflects the care and services being provided.
OBJECTIVES:
- Describe the Medicare Part D benefit, including the role of PBMs (Pharmacy Benefit Mangers).
- List training requirements and delineate responsibilities across staff.
- Describe the necessary communication between all involved parties.
32-H Sales 101: How to Effectively Work a Hospital
Faculty: PJ Sant’Eufemia, BS, Senior District Manager, Chartwell, PA, Pittsburgh, PA
1.0 Contact Hours
ACPE # 207-999-09-143-L04-P
- The majority of home infusion patients begin their course of treatment following discharge from a hospital. Consequently, it’s critical that sales representatives understand the hospital as a tremendous source of referrals, and manage it accordingly. This presentation will:
- Review techniques and goals applied in identifying key decision makers and the basic referral process of the hospital account;
- Outline a strategic approach to the physical facility that will maximize the sales representative’s time spent on-site;
- Describe account saturation with value-added services such as case management teams, Advisory Board opportunities and regular upper level meetings.
OBJECTIVES:
- Identify the referral process in hospitals.
- Verbalize understanding of referral integration as it pertains to revenue streams.
- Implement account saturation techniques.
12:15- 1:45 p.m.
Box Lunch Symposium
Baltimore Convention Center
Continuing Education Contact Hours: Pharmacy and Nursing—1.5
ACPE # 207-999-09-144-L04-P
NHIA is in the process of developing a 90 minute “Box Lunch Symposium” for the last day of the 2009 Annual Conference
2:00-3:00 PM
33-I Delivering the Best Care Possible: Simplifying Competency Assessments
Faculty: Cathy Sasser, RPh, Clinical Operations Performance Manager, Critical Care Systems, Nashua, NH
1.0 Contact Hours
ACPE # 207-999-09-145-L04-P
One of the challenges facing home infusion organizations is looking beyond the regulatory requirements for competency assessment and to develop a competency assessment program that assures the delivery of the best possible care. Managers often get stuck in the mindset of assessing competency “because it is required” and overlook the elements that are most important for the delivery of solid clinical care.
This session is designed to help the home infusion manager simplify the competency assessment process by looking at alternative, innovative approaches in the design and implementation of their competency assessment programs and focusing on the elements that relate to care their clinicians are delivering.
OBJECTIVES:
- Verbalize the differences between competency assessment and performance evaluation.
- Create a meaningful competency assessment program.
- Develop useful competency assessment tools and techniques.
34-I Emergency and Disaster Preparedness: Achieving a Constant State of Readiness
Faculty: Kevin L. Ross, RN, BSN, National Director, Nursing, Critical Care Systems, Nashua, NH
1.0 Contact Hours
ACPE # 207-999-09-146-L04-P
Many members of the infusion community are still dealing with recovery from hurricanes Katrina and Rita nearly three years after the disaster. With the first half of 2008 bringing winter storms, severe flooding in the midwest, earthquakes in California and Nevada and hurricanes making landfall on the Gulf Coast, emergency management is a top priority for all home infusion organizations. This program will discuss the identification of potential disasters and discuss techniques for mitigating, planning and responding to future disasters while reducing recovery time.
OBJECTIVES:
- Identify potential disasters to which your organization is vulnerable.
- List four phases of emergency management.
- Discuss the development and implementation of emergency management plan.
35-I Solving Reimbursement Killers!
Faculty: Julie Runyon, Regional Vice President PFS Western Region, Coram, An Apria Healthcare Company, Sacramento, CA; Bryan Briley, Regional Vice President PFS Central Region, Coram, An Apria Healthcare Company, St. Louis, MO
1.0 Contact Hours
ACPE # 207-999-09-147-L04-P
- Identify the internal and external issues that are preventing your organization from receiving payment for goods and services
- Learn how to mitigate the challenges that stand in the way of your company being paid what you are owed.
- Take home a strategic plan for reimbursement processes that proactively strive for payment
OBJECTIVES:
- Verbalize how to identify and resolve external causes of non-payment of claims.
- Verbalize how to identify and resolve internal causes of non-payment of claims.
- List strategies to prevent non-payment of claims.
36-I Using Reporting and Management Tools to Define Sales Success!
Faculty: Kelly Aldridge, BSW, Area Vice President, Air Products Healthcare, Conshohocken, PA
1.0 Contact Hours
ACPE # 207-999-09-148-L04-P
Managing a sales territory and team requires consistent communication and management of data to ensure market growth. This session will identify tools for the sales manager to understand trends in the business, track and manage the performance of the sales team and determine resources necessary to create accountability for goal and revenue attainment.
OBJECTIVES
- Identify reporting tools to manage trends in your business.
- List methods for monitoring and developing the performance of your sales team.
- Outline techniques to manage the process of sales goal attainment.
3:15-4:45 PM
GENERAL SESSION
NHIA Legislative Hill Day General Session
1.5 Contact Hours—Pharmacy and Nursing
ACPE # 207-999-09-149-L04-P