The Good, Bad and the Ugly - What Do the New Conditions Mean for You? – Katrina Russell, RN, Chief Operating Officer, Dialysis Consulting Group, Inc., Seattle, WA

Conditions Implementation Checklist - Not Your Average Honey-Do List - Debra Punch, CEO Alliance Management, Renal Consultant, Ventura, CA

The Good, Bad and the Ugly - What Do the New Conditions Mean for You? – Katrina Russell, Chief Operating Officer Dialysis Consulting Group, Inc., Seattle, WA

An overview of the new Conditions and what they mean for your facility, from both day-to-management to patient care. This informative session will review all of the facets of the new conditions, the changes you need to implement, and resources to help you ensure that you are ready.

Patient Assessment/Care Plans, QAPI: Weve got that covered! – Janice Magnuson, RN CNN (Facility Administrator, Tri-Cities Dialysis, Geneva, IL) and Densie VanValkenburgh, RN BA (Executive Vice President, Liberty Dialysis, Malvern, PA).

Janice Magnuson and Denise VanValkenburgh are Co-Chairs of the Conditions for Coverage Subcommittee of the NRAA Quality Committee. They will review 3 key Conditions in subpart C of the new CfC: Patient Assessment (494.80), Patient Plan of Care (494.90) and Quality Assessment Process Improvement (494.110). They will present the work of the Subcommittee and highlight useful resources and documents the team has developed to assist NRAA members to comply with these sections of the CfC.

Life Safety Codes – Tony Messana, Executive Director, St. Joseph Hospital Renal Program, Orange CA

Facilities will need to understand and comply with the 2000 Edition of the Life Safety Code of the National Fire Protection Association. These will be reviewed and discussed so as to give your facility a better understanding of what is needed to comply.

Water Treatment - Danilo Concepcion, Operations Manager, Renal Services, St. Joseph Hospital, Orange CA

Water treatment is a dialysis practices that can vary greatly from facility to facility. The updated Conditions for Coverage has incorporated water treatment as a dedicated condition. The focus to this medical device and process is critical to the safety and quality of care.

Update on NRAA Documents to Assist with Electronic Medical Records – Wayne Evancoe, Administrator / CEO, Hortense & Louis Rubin Dialysis Center , Troy, NY

Wayne Evancoe has led a subcommittee of the NRAA Quality Committee gathering resource documents and tracking tools for Electronic Medical Records (EMR). Wayne will explain the subcommittee’s research on new electronic systems and online reviews of the systems that members can reference. This brief presentation will lead into the next presentation on CROWNWeb software.

CROWNWeb software - Matthew McDonough, Network 7

The new ESRD Conditions for Coverage published in April of 2008 require the submission and maintenance of electronic patient and provider records for all dialysis providers in the United States (§494.180(h)). To support this mandate, CMS is developing CROWNWeb, a web-based software application that all dialysis providers will be required to use beginning on February 1, 2009. CROWNWeb will support the CMS-established goals of quality improvement and performance measurement.
 
This presentation will explain the specific use and benefits of CROWNWeb:
 
    * What is CROWNWeb?
    * Facility Module Overview
    * Patient Module Overview
    * Where to obtain more information?
 
Access to CROWNWeb is free. Dialysis facilities will have to complete a verification and authorization process starting in the third quarter of 2008. Be prepared by attending this important and informative presentation.

Conditions Implementation Checklist - Not Your Average Honey-Do List - Debra Punch, CEO Alliance Management, Renal Consultant, Ventura, CA

We will wrap up the day with a presentation by Debra Punch, an experienced independent dialysis consultant and active member of NRAA, who will provide a helpful checklist to assist with your compliance efforts. Debra will discuss an organized approach to identifying the steps your clinic should take to assess the gap between current practice and the new regulations, as well as provide examples of actions to take related to additional requirements.

NRAA President’s Address – Stan Langhofer

Come hear NRAA President Stan Langhofer’s recap of the past year and his thoughts about how NRAA should position itself for the future.

Kidney Survivor: Tips to Help Your Patients Thrive – Dawn Dungan, Renal Support Network, PEPP Speaker

Surviving chronic Kidney disease requires a team effort.  Healthcare professionals will learn the history of dialysis and patient survival, as well as ways to support and encourage patients who want to be more involved in their own care with successful long-term results.  As survivors, patients motivate and encourage fellow patients through their own long-term survival techniques.

NRAA Regional meetings

This is a great opportunity to interact with fellow members in your region to discuss legislation, regulations and other developments impacting dialysis facilities in your part of the country.

Exhibitor/Vendor Meeting - (with NRAA Executive Committee)

Vendors – meet with the leadership of NRAA to share your feedback on how to best partner with NRAA and the dialysis facility members.

PAC Recognition Lunch

NRAA members who have contributed to the NRAA PAC are invited for a lunch, with an update on NRAA PAC efforts in DC.

NRAA Business Meeting

Hear the latest association news, including committee news, financial updates and projects for the year ahead. Also, come meet the new Board of Directors. NRAA leadership will be on hand to answer questions and offer updates on the association. This is also a great time to discover how you can become involved in helping NRAA better serve members and the community.

Adapting to Change in the Workplace - Bill Gallagher, Counselor and Consultant, TeamWorks-Works, Medford, OR

"Life is change.  Growth is optional.  Choose wisely."
Karen Kaiser Clark

Change in healthcare is inevitable. How we react to change is more important than the change itself. As professionals, how do we respond to these intrusions that we have no control over?

In this presentation, we'll look at the natural responses of resistance, fear and even loss; moving toward acceptance; embracing the change; preparing staff for change; understanding how different personalities react to change and maintaining a realistic perspective on change for the future.

Speaker Bill Gallagher has been counseling and professionally working with people in the Medford, Oregon area for 25 years. In addition to his counseling practice, he is currently hosting a radio talk show called "Balance Point," interviewing authors from all over the country on a variety of subjects.

As a motivational speaker, Bill conducts conferences, retreats, workshops, and seminars on personality issues, conflict management and working successfully with others.

Washington Update - Jerry Klepner, NRAA Legislative Counsel (BKSH, Washington, DC)

The legislative and regulatory sectors in Washing­ton, D.C. have a big impact on the ESRD and dialysis communities. Jerry Klepner of BKSH & Associates will present updates on recent developments in our nation’s capital that will definitely continue to challenge managers and administrators of ESRD facilities. Come hear how the new Medicare bill will impact your operations and patient care. Jerry will also discuss how each of us can get involved with NRAA and our grassroots efforts and help make a difference for the ESRD industry, ourselves, and the patients we serve.

Bundling Update – Bruce Thompson, Owner/President, Gaia Software & Consulting, Morrison, CO

As the reimbursement structure shifts to bundling, it is critical that facility administrators be aware of the issues and impact of bundling for all ESRD services, including drugs and lab services.   This session will give you an idea on what to expect and how to prepare.  

Healthcare Debate - Democrat and Republican Presidential Candidates Point of View - Jerry Klepner and Rich Meade, BKSH

With the Presidential election taking place just weeks after the NRAA Conference, this is a unique opportunity to hear where the Presidential candidates stand on issues of importance to the healthcare and ESRD communities. Jerry Klepner and Rich Meade, both from NRAA’s Legislative Consulting firm BKSH & Associates, will present a debate. Jerry Klepner will present the Democratic view held by Barack Obama and his colleague Rich Meade will present the Republican side espoused by John McCain.

NOTE: While this session will offer a debate of the Presidential candidates’ positions, note that they are NOT speaking on behalf of or representing the respective campaigns.

Panel Presentation - Maureen Michael, Chief Executive Officer, Central Florida Kidney Center Inc., Orlando Florida; Bruce Thompson, Owner/President, Gaia Software & Consulting, Morrison, CO; Dan Nye, Vice President of Finance, Community Dialysis Units, LLC, Canton, OH

In addition to affecting everything from reporting, operations and patient care, the new Conditions of Coverage also impact the business and financial end of your facility. What can you expect in the way of financial impact? Hear how the implementation of the Conditions will impact your expenses, your overhead and your overall income and profit.

Hot Topics - NRAA Board of Directors

The Conference will close with one of NRAA’s most popular programs – the Hot Topics session. This interactive forum will feature expert presentation, followed by Q & A and open discussion on the topics currently impacting the dialysis provider. Come prepared to share your questions and your views. This is a dynamic exchange of ideas and information that you can apply to your facility.