Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Lookin' for adventure? You can be prepared for more than just whatever comes your way. In the future, you'll not only be a case manager but a

space age Marcus Welby – dealing with new fields such as genomics, bioinformatics and pharmacogenics. This program will explore the top trends

and your options for teaching wellness and coordinating patients with their environment, technology and treatments. Plus, you'll learn how to be

more balanced so that you can focus on the things that truly matter to you, without sacrificing your own health or happiness.

This will be a brief overview of Labor Code Title V subtitle A and discussion of how court case law has shaped the issues of treating psychological

conditions be they pre-existing or not in work comp related issues. Issues such as the injured workers' report of intensity of pain, perception of the

quality of treatment, and other psychological/ psychosocial issues impact treatment of injured worker will be discussed. Also, a presentation of the

disability management guidelines produced by the disability management early intervention work group of the TBI division of worker's compensation

will be given.

The delayed roll-out of the CMS Recovery Audit Contractors Program has raised many questions about the role and functions of case management

teams in 2009. What is the best practice model? How do we insure compliance with the RAC areas of review and balance this with other role

functions? How do we manage all the additional work generated by the RAC process? Explore the current staus of this important regulatory

change, and the implication for case managers as financial and clincal advocates for patients and health care organizations.

The last ten years have been years of change for social work – especially in medical settings. Social workers may find themselves asking questions

like: “What will happen to our role in the future?” or “Where do I fit in this ever-changing profession?” In this workshop, participants will explore the

changing roles of social workers, talents and skills that are now required for social workers to succeed, how social workers can help expand and

enhance social work, and ways to personally handle the stress of change.

This session will include information regarding Medicaid and VA benefits and the advantages of patients doing some planning so they are not left in

a crisis situation when it comes to paying for their health care costs. Included in the session is an overview of the qualifications for each program

and the potential pitfalls people are likely to be subject to and deny or penalize their eligibility causing financial hardship.

The presentation will differentiate between focal injury and diffuse axonal injury based on clinical presentation and imaging and the prognostic

issues associated with these findings. Learn the current guidelines regarding seizure prophylaxis following traumatic brain injury and how the

Rancho Los Amigo Scale impacts the approaches to patient care. The different care settings will be highlighted, focusing on the appropriate site for

individuals with a variety of combinations of active clinical problems.

This session will discuss the history of SCS, neuroanatomy and physiology, types of pain, how SCS works, patient selection and applications of

SCS and the “pieces and parts” of SCS.

Autonomic dysfunction is a common condition after Traumatic Brain Injury and Spinal cord Injury. The presentation discusses clinical signs and

symptoms, differential diagnosis and management of this disorder. It is important to also recognize other disorders that can present like Autonomic

Dysfunction.

Family violence and sexual assault often become “family secrets” that are not discussed outside of the family. Because of cultural and societal

beliefs many victims never speak out or seek help, so they go unidentified and underserved. JCAHO and Texas Family Code both require

screening and assessment. Are you prepared to work with this type of victimization. Participants of this workshop will discuss: the dynamics of

personal victimization, ways to identify victims who present for services, appropriate questions to ask potential victims, and effective crisis

intervention. Special ethical challenges will be discussed such as mandatory reporting of victimization, balancing personal safety and self

determination, and developing firm boundaries to protect professionals from emotional stress.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Dr. Block will discuss the incidence rates and costs associated with Chronic Pain Syndrome. Learn why special care should be exercised in

managing spine pain cases and the risk factors associated with transition from acute to chronic pain. Dr. Block will discuss the benefits associated

with early identification of patients at risk for developing chronic pain and when injured patients should be referred for chronic pain risk cleaning.

Have you ever had the feeling that your life is out of control? Life is full of experiences that make us happy, sad, frustrated, mad….and sometimes

can put us “over the edge”. We learn as we get older that we have little control over our circumstances but we have total control over the way we

react to them. Join Sally as she navigates through life using humor to deal with change. It is truly a pain relieving prescription for dealing with life by

self-medicating.

Failed Back Surgery Syndrome (FBSS) can arise from one of numerous distinct causes, and multiple distinct causes may be present in a patient.

Attendees will learn the four wrongs/mistakes with first surgeries and how to avoid failed back surgery syndrome.

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a client-centered, directive method for enhancing intrinsic motivation to change by exploring and resolving

ambivalence. The technique of MI incorporates a series of well defined strategies to move the patient toward the end goal of self-motivation to

change behavior. Chronic disease affects the majority of the population and patients that we work with on a day to day basis. Behavior modification

achieved by MI is the latest industry trend. This session will provide the fundamental skills of MI to incorporate in your daily workflow processes.

Maneuvering your way through the mental health court system can be frustrating and confusing. This course will help a clinician better understand

the mental health laws in Texas, attain a working knowledge of mental health law language and procedures. This course is provided from a

clinician's perspective when attempting to initiate the commitment process for inpatient psychiatric treatment.

Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, strokes, traumatic brain injury and other conditions result in cognitive challenges for many individuals.

Individuals are frustrated and sometimes frightened by the changes happening to them. Families share those feelings and the pain of cognitive

losses and personality changes. In a nation where independence is valued so highly, the degrees of dependence that accompany cognitive decline

create stressors and ethical and legal questions for both patients and their loved ones. Family caregivers ‘walk a tightrope” in their efforts to honor

the autonomy, integrity and history of a spouse or parent who now may need help with activities of daily living, personal safety, health care

decisions and financial management. This session will address all of these issues.

The “Sandwich Generation” describes those who are sandwiched between the dual responsibilities of caring for their own children and for aging

parents or relatives. This group usually falls in the 35 to 64-year-old age range, although people outside that range can also be considered part of

the Sandwich Generation. This session will discuss the financial burdens, time crunches, personal neglects and increased stresses that comes with

this generation. Learn how to assess and plan for a “better sandwich.”

The role of the case manager was forged from necessity and founded in advocacy. As healthcare professionals, case managers work in partnership

with a variety of people who are challenged by their circumstances and, often, fearful of the predicted outcome that they face. To survive, case

managers must be able to hone their individual ability to accept change, to promote accountability, to create dreams, to focus on the future and,

even, to understand failure. This program discusses some of the legal and ethical challenges and considerations in medical management today.

Standards of Practice and Ethical Statements are reviewed and discussed. Issues addressed in case management literature are presented and the

audience is encouraged to voice any concerns related to this topic. The program also addresses the primary quality functions of the healthcare

delivery team as well as national quality initiatives including Core Measures, National Patient Safety Goals and implementation of evidence based

guidelines. The program concludes with a review of national transition of care strategies and the goals of advancing patient adherence and persistency.

We are all conditioned by the environment we find ourselves part. During this very entertaining session you will learn how to develop skills

necessary to take yourself lightly while you still take your problems seriously. Learn how the “lighten up” lifestyle can enhance your career,

relationships and general health.

Knee replacement surgery in Costa Rica? Coronary artery bypass surgery in India? Stem cell treatments in China? Bariatric weight loss surgery in

Portugal? A facelift in Brazil? These are just a few examples of choices available to consumers within a developing segment of the globalized

health care economy called medical tourism. This presentation will describe the factors that have contributed to the increasing popularity of medical

tourism, the economic aspects of global healthcare, and some of the more popular destinations for various healthcare procedures. Special

emphasis will be placed on the role of the case manager in effectively carrying out the roles of assessment, planning, facilitation and advocacy

within the context of medical tourism.

The movement of patients between levels of care, different facilities and providers is a dynamic process which presents multiple challenges for the

case manager. Each setting may have its own policy and process leading to issues with communication and care coordination. This program offers

key definitions, processes, barriers, and opportunities for optimal transitional care planning.

Patients being treated for mental illness are often times placed in treatment facilities against their will. They often refuse participation in

court-appointed treatment and experience additional stress and exacerbation of their illness. This session will focus on the dynamics that occur for

this population and ethical dilemmas and considerations faced by healthcare workers while caring for mentally ill patients.

Learn the difference between a leader and a manager. This session will explain the differences, the traits of a leader and how mentoring and

measuring performance is important to being a good leader.

This talk will cover the advanced training necessary to conduct a thorough presurgical screening. It will include biopsychosocial model with special

reference to challenges to evaluating patients in the disability management setting. Psychiatric examination, pain medicine examination, objective

psychiatric measures, objective physical examination measures, objective neuropsychiatric measures will be covered. The necessity for thorough

mental and cognitive examination with objective measures as well as physical examination and integration of all medical documentation in and

evidenced-based medical context will be stressed.

Implementation of the present on admission indicator will bring changes to Medicare reimbursement, and other payers may follow Medicare’s lead.

Precision will be added to ICD-9-CM coding in administrative data. What impact will the addition of this information have on public reporting? Will

your hospital’s coding improve the accuracy of safety and quality of care measures such as the AHRQ Patient Safety Indicators? Will this new

information in the public domain increase the validity of hospital report cards and improve the accuracy of results of public mortality reports? Will

the new information increase the efficiency of your hospital’s quality improvement activities? Learn the answers to these questions and more by

participating in this session.

The bioethics discussion that needs to take place for living donations will be discussed in this session. Also Dr. Corpier will cover global exploits of

living kidney donation in foreign countries and an overview of countries performing transplants on U.S. recipients.

Venous thomboembolism (VTE) is a common condition that comprises of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). DVT and PE

are responsible for over 2 million deaths annually. Given that VTE may be preventable in many cases, case managers are pivotal in helping

increase awareness and prevention of VTE. This program will address case management interventions for patients who have a significant risk for

venous thromboembolic disease. The presentation will review the continuum of care model and highlight the patient touch points and opportunities

for management and prevention of VTE. The program will conclude with a review of the case manager role and provide real examples of how case

managers can appropriately manage patients to reduce recurrent events and costly hospital readmissions.

Of the many capacities that the human brain exhibits, the capacity for use of language stands apart from others in its richness and its complexity.

Whether spoken, signed or gestural, language is a tool that is essential to the communication of needs and desires and allows for the fullest

expression of the mind of an individual. With acquired brain injury, language dysfunction is a common and often devastating sequela. The capacity

for language use, in most cases, is not uniformly and totally abolished; rather, certain language functions are preferentially affected and the once

efficiently transparent operations are brought into stark relief by their dysfunction. The patterns of language dysfunction in the brain-injured patient,

therefore, provide a unique opportunity to isolate and identify these distinct language functions both for the purpose of advancing research as well

as for optimizing therapy. An awareness of the diversity of language dysfunction will also allow for a more tailored approach to family education and

the anticipation of communication needs. Using case examples, Jude Theriot, MD examines communication processes affected by brain injury,

three uncommon types of communication dysfunction and the rehabilitation process.

Attendees will learn the scope of practice for a clinical social worker at the micro, mezzo and macro levels. Learn to distinguish clinical and

non-clinical social work practice as well as gain an understanding of current models of practice in an acute care setting and identify areas for future

development.

This session will assist in improving quality management of patient care for terminally ill patients at or near the time of death. This presentation

includes a discussion of the importance of spiritual care at the time of death, a description of five major world religions and their basic beliefs. We

will also examine some of the specific needs and concerns of the family surrounding their death rituals and beliefs. Emphasis will be placed on how

as caregivers we can minister to the diverse spiritual needs of those in our care.

When author and brain injury case manager Michael Mason was invited to see the “brain injury capital” of the world at Balad Air Force Theater

Hospital in Balad, Iraq, he couldn’t decline the offer. The Pipeline gives audiences an uncensored, spectacular, and heart-wrenching look at military

trauma care in Iraq. Mason also takes audience into flying intensive care units and the VA rehabilitation world, and concludes with a realistic view of

the triumphs and challenges that today’s brain injured service members face.

Stroke is undoubtedly one of the most traumatic and stressful events that can happen to a person and family. It is the leading cause of disability in

the United States and the second leading cause of death worldwide. Thus, further research needs to be done and treatment strategies need to be

created to aid in recovery for those effected by stoke. This presentation will provide an overview of the study currently being conducted using of

Transcrainial Direct Current Stimulation and shaping modules.

Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) aka Pay for Performance (P4P) will dramatically change reimbursement and determine the financial success of

hospitals. P4P will assess each hospital’s performance and an incentive payment is based on the rate of improvement for each performance

measure. Case Managers are key to the collaborative efforts needed to effect practice change and maintain sustainability across service lines.

This program will define key terms in VBP/P4P, identify barriers and opportunities with implementation, outline a collaborative education process

and describe care management’s role/intervention in VBP/P4P. Sweeping regulatory changes in Medicare rules and reimbursement impact case

management practice by providing opportunities for increased trans-disciplinary collaboration and patient advocacy.

The Medical community often times feels the financial strain of providing medical care for our unfunded community residents. It is our responsibility

as medical professionals to ensure we continue to provide this care regardless of the payor source of the patient as well as ensure we promote a

cost effective way of providing that care. This session will introduce case studies of several positive outcomes of the patients by providing medical

services by partnering with local hospitals. The collaborative effect of the acute care hospital and the placement of long term care services are

essential in outcomes management.

Opiate addiction and dependence is a continued and growing problem in the United States. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and

Health in 2005 reporting initiate illicit drug use in people ages 12 and older, the most frequently reported use was that of pain relievers- even more

than marijuana. The increasing number of prescriptions for opiate pain relievers and ease of internet drug purchasing have created challenges for

providers, managed care and our healthcare system in general. In 2002, Suboxone was approved for the treatment of opiate dependence. It is the

first drug to be given the indication for use in outpatient practice. This program is designed to increase awareness and decrease the treatment gap

of clients with Opioid addiction. In addition the learner will gain knowledge about the pharmacology, application and treatment strategies using

buprenorphine products (Suboxone/Subutex).

One of the few constants in life is change. How we deal with it is up to us. This presentation offers solid content and delivers practical strategies for

dealing with change and the stress it can cause. LaDonna's back-to-the-basics approach empowers audiences to embrace change and use it as a

positive growth opportunity.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

professional designation for case managers and the standard by which all who are working as case managers are measured. Preparing for the

examination can be daunting. What to study, how to study. This presentation will provide the tools that are necessary for successful preparation for