Please call 703.838.2667 or e-mail Jennifer.Waugh@nhia.org to learn more about additional team savings for member organizations sending six or more staff!
2010 NHIA Annual Conference & Exposition
Symposia Programming
Through the vital support of educational grants, NHIA Breakfast and Lunch Symposia programs add tremendous value to your annual conference learning experience—offering detailed, clinically relevant content from subject-matter experts!
Tuesday, April 13
Breakfast Symposium:
Management of the Complex Parenteral Nutrition Patient—Mastering the Clinical Monitoring Essentials!
Supported by a grant from Hospira Worldwide, Inc.
Continuing Education Contact Hours:
Pharmacy and Nursing—1.5
ACPE #
VNA#
7:00-8:45 a.m.
Hilton Anatole
Education Overview:
Parenteral nutrition (PN) can be a life-sustaining treatment option for patients unable to tolerate the less invasive oral or enteral feeding options. However, the value of PN therapy must be weighed against the risks it entails—particularly for patients with chronic medical conditions, such as congestive heart failure, pancreatitis, diabetes and bariatric surgery. Gather with colleagues to acquire the clinical monitoring information that is essential for the safe and effective delivery of PN for medically complex patients.
Faculty: Jay Mirtallo M.S., R.Ph., F.A.S.H.P., B.C.N.S.P., Specialty Practice Pharmacist, Nutrition Support/Surgery, The Ohio State University, Delaware, OH
Breakfast Symposium:
Catheter Flush Solutions: Making the Best Choice for Each Patient!
Supported by a educational grants from Baxter Healthcare Corp and Medefil, Inc.
Continuing Education Contact Hours:
Pharmacy and Nursing—1.5
ACPE #
VNA#
7:00-8:45 a.m.
Hilton Anatole
Education Overview:
The perfect catheter flush solution has yet to be made, so in the meantime what should you use? Maintaining catheter patency and minimizing catheter infections all while simultaneously providing patients and caregivers with a flush solution that is safe and easy to administer can be a tremendous challenge for home infusion clinicians. As our understanding of catheter-associated bloodstream infections continues to evolve, the importance of identifying a flush solution that addresses the properties of biofilm, either via treatment/removal or prevention, becomes an increasingly critical pathway to positive patient outcomes. Explore a comprehensive overview of the wide variety of flush solutions currently in use and under development, including their primary purpose, side effects, dispensing and administration considerations.
Faculty: Marc Stranz, PharmD Vice President, Field Clinical Services, Critical Homecare Solutions
Wednesday, April 14
Breakfast Symposium: Antimicrobial Stewardship: New Strategies for the Battle Against Gram-Positive Microbial Resistance
Supported by a grant from Cubist Pharmaceuticals
Continuing Education Contact Hours:
Pharmacy and Nursing—1.5
ACPE #
VNA#
7:00-8:45 a.m.
Hilton Anatole
Education Overview:
We are losing the war against microbial resistance, and the new drug pipeline offers little hope for the future in terms of novel agents. In the midst of this crisis, the most immediate best hope lies with clinicians at the patient bedside who play a pivotal role in treatment success or failure. Gram-positive organisms continue to be a major cause of hospital-acquired infection, and an increasing number of these infections erupting in the community. With an evolving pattern of resistance to nearly all available agents, appropriate clinical management of these infections is paramount to treatment success. Historically, vancomycin has been the drug of choice for many of these organisms including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae, and penicillin-resistant Enterococcus spp. Yet with many of these organisms exhibiting reduced susceptibility and/or resistance to Vancomycin, treatment failures are requiring a new approach. New strategies in treating Gram-positive infections are needed, and this session will address the two primary battle fronts: i) development of new antimicrobial agents; and ii) revisiting existing antibiotics that still retain sufficient activity against Gram-positives.
Faculty: David Nicolau PharmD, FCCP, FIDSA, Director for the Center for Anti-Infective Research and Development, Hartford Hospital
Breakfast Symposium: Effective Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis in the Alternate Site Setting
Supported by a grant from Centocor Ortho Biotech
Continuing Education Contact Hours:
Pharmacy and Nursing—1.5
ACPE #
VNA#
7:00-8:45 a.m.
Hilton Anatole
Education Overview:
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the most common and debilitating forms of autoimmune disease, affecting more than 21 million people worldwide. With an economic impact estimated at $128 billion annually, and contributing 500,000 hospitalizations each year, RA has a greater impact on business and industry in the United States than any other disease. We know that RA shortens life expectancy, negatively impacts quality of life, and within 10 years of diagnosis fewer than 50% of affected patients are able to work or function normally on a day to day basis. We also know that a wide range of treatment options exist for this disease, and that when an effective treatment is identified, irreversible damage can be halted. After reviewing the pathophysiology and treatment of RA, including the current emphasis on new drugs that target specific immune system components implicated in disease progression, clinicians attending this session will be better prepared to participate in the care management of patients with RA in the home and alternate site setting.
Faculty: Julie Williams, M.B.A., B.S., R.N, Director of Ambulatory Infusion Suites, Coram Infusion Services, an Apria Healthcare Company, Dallas, TX
Thursday, April 15
Breakfast Symposium:
Immunoglobulin Therapy in the Treatment of Neurological Disorders—Clinical Considerations and Prospects for the Future
Supported by an educational grant from Talecris Biotherapeutics
Continuing Education Contact Hours:
Pharmacy and Nursing—1.5
ACPE #
VNA#
7:00-8:45 a.m.
Hilton Anatole
Education Overview:
High-dose immune globulin therapy is an important treatment option for patients diagnosed with autoimmune neurological disorders. Come and receive a comprehensive overview of the pathophysiology of immune globulin therapy in the treatment of neurologic disorders—as well as considerations necessary to attain safe and productive administration of therapy with maximal clinical results. Also hear about the current and ongoing research—and what the future may hold with regards to immune globulin treatment.
Faculty: Marinos Dalakas, MD, Director of the Division of Neuromuscular Diseases, Department of Neurology, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
Breakfast Symposium:
Central Line Associated Blood Stream Infections- Choosing the Prevention to Match the Cause
Supported by educational grants from Covidien and CareFusion
Continuing Education Contact Hours:
Pharmacy and Nursing—1.5
ACPE #
VNA#
7:00-8:45 a.m.
Hilton Anatole
Education Overview:
Catheters serve a critical role as portals for infusion therapy delivery in the home setting. Disruption of that portal due to an infection not only interrupts delivery of the prescribed infusion therapy, but can lead to further systemic complications such as sepsis. This program will provide an overview of the sources of catheter infection, with emphasis on current research that can be applied to care of the home infusion patient. The focus of this discussion is on the prevention of catheter associated infections through the correct use of catheter-care products and clinical technique in the delivery of care.
Faculty: Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RN, BC, CRNI, President, Lynn Hadaway Associates, Inc, Milner, GA
Box Lunch Symposium:
Providing IgG Therapy and Getting Paid For It: A Team Approach is the Key to Success!
Supported by an educational grant from Innovatix, LLC
Continuing Education Contact Hours:
Pharmacy and Nursing—1.5
ACPE #
VNA#
12:15-2:00 p.m.
Hilton Anatole
Education Overview:
Uses for immune globulin G (IgG) therapy have exploded in the last decade, with a growing list of autoimmune diagnoses in which disease progression or symptoms have been slowed or halted following administration of this blood product. Such off-label use can pose reimbursement challenges, however, as payors are increasingly searching for ways to control or manage this costly therapy. Providers often find themselves in the position of justifying their clinical services when claims have been denied, spending time and resources on recouping dollars already spent. A proactive, multi-disciplinary approach is critical to ensure a positive outcome for both the patient receiving the therapy and the provider seeking payment for services rendered. Be present for this vital educational symposium that will bring together a diverse group of infusion professionals to outline the keys to a successful IgG therapy program—from patient referral to discharge.
Faculty: Frank Marr, Pharm.D. B.S., R.Ph, General Manager, Walgreens-OptionCare; Jeanne M. Lugli, General Manager, Advantage Reimbursement, LLC; Alan Huber, BS Pharm, Pharm.D., Vice President of Operations, Biofusion Inc.