Past the opportunity to see 250,000 home medical products and visit with 1,000 manufacturers, distributors and service companies on the exhibit floor, Medtrade 2003 also offers an educational program encompassing specialty training events and a full conference schedule. More than 180 sessions will cover business and industry topics in 11 different tracks, including: accreditation; business operations/customer service; home health/clinical; information technology; legal/legislative; pharmacy; profesional motivation; re/habilitation and assistive technology; reimbursement; respiratory; and sales and marketing. So sharpen your pencils and take notes, because class is officially in session. Check for last-minute additions, special sessions and events or time changes so you won't miss a thing!

Thursday, October 9

[7:30 a.m. - 8:15 a.m.]

Opening Session AAHomecare's “Washington Update”

[8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.]

Benchmarking HME Operations
Moderator: Jack Evans, Global Media Marketing

Surviving in the City: A Country Mouse's Tale
Speaker: Jane Bunch, Jane's Billing and Consultation Services Inc.

Point/Counter-Point: What a Buyer Looks for in Acquiring a Business and How a Seller Can Make Itself Attractive to a Buyer
Speakers: Jeffrey S. Baird, Brown & Fortunato, P.C.; Sharon D. Ford, Lincare Inc.

Sales Training Boot Camp: Improving Homecare Selling Skills
Speaker: Alison Cherney, Cherney & Associates Inc.

What You Need to Know about Opening a Nebulizer Pharmacy
Speaker: Mickey Letson, The Letco Companies

Audit-Proof Charts - Yes, They Are Possible
Speaker: Bruce Brothis, Centralized Billing & Intake Ltd.

Enteral Nutrition Marketing
Speaker: Anthony D'Antonio, Tony D'Antonio Consultants

Developing Your Most Important Asset - People
Speaker: Richard Hohmann Jr., Innovative Leadership of the Delaware Valley

How Networks Can Make Your Job (and Life) Easier
Speaker: Carlos Inacio, Computer Applications Unlimited

Bar Code Inventory and Lot Number Tracking
Speaker: Joseph Kennedy, Passport Homecare Equipment, dba DME-BAR-TRAX

The Perfect Duet: Matching Manual Chair Configuration with User Need
Speaker: Lynn Marschand, Invacare Corp.

What's Driving New LTOT Products: How You Can Make an Informed Purchasing Decision
Speaker: Robert McCoy, Valley Inspired Products

Orthotic Management of the Ulcerated Diabetic Foot
Speaker: Robert Meier, CAMP Healthcare

In Search of Seating Alternatives that Elevate Both Functional AND Skin Outcomes for the Aging Wheelchair User
Speakers: Tom Hetzel, PT, ATP, Ride Designs; Joan Padgitt, PT, ATP, Ride Designs

Medical Necessity of Powered Mobility: How to Document for Medicare
Speaker: Kevin Quaglia, Pride Mobility Products Corp.

Show Me the Way: Healing Wounds with Compression Therapy
Speaker: Kathy Smit, Sigvaris, Inc.

Micro-Monitoring Instead of Micro-Managing Your Accounts Receivable
Speaker: David Sommerfeld, The Sommerfeld Group

Delighting Your Customer
Speaker: Wallace Weeks, The Weeks Group Inc.

How to Influence/Communicate Effectively with Medicaid
Speakers: David T. Williams, Invacare Corp.; Cara C. Bachenheimer, Epstein, Becker & Green

[9:45 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.]

Targeted Referral Marketing
Speaker: Jack Evans, Global Media Marketing

Hot Secrets To Negotiate Managed Care Contracts - Or Anything!
Speaker: Neil Caesar, Health Law Center

Does the Client Qualify for the Equipment Ordered?
Speaker: Claudia Amortegui, The Orion Group

Strategies for Successfully Managing Your Homecare Sales Teams
Speaker: Alison Cherney, Cherney & Associates Inc.

Keep Your Hard-Earned Money! Navigating Documentation and Medical Necessity Requirements
Speaker: Jeffrey S. Baird, Brown & Fortunato, P.C.

Taking the Pulse of the Homecare Industry: From a Sales and Marketing Research Study
Speaker: Louis Feuer, Dynamic Seminars & Consulting Inc.

When Good Valuations Go Bad: Common Errors and Misconceptions in Business Valuation
Speaker: Dexter Braff, The Braff Group

The CHAP Model of Accreditation
Speaker: Dianne Feinstein, BA, CA, CHAP

Order Intake: The Key to Cash
Speaker: Jeanie Lane, Med Group

The Rules Regarding Compounding of Respiratory Medications
Speaker: Mickey Letson, The Letco Companies

Understanding Pediatric Mobility Options
Speaker: Lynn Marschand, Invacare Corp.

Maneuvering Your Way through the Medicare Coding, Coverage and Reimbursement Process
Speakers: Marcia Nusgart, R. PH., Nusgart Consulting; Jennifer Hutter, MedSearch Legal Nurse Consultants

Selection of Support Surfaces and Reimbursement
Speaker: Jeanne Perla, Ph.D, RN, Gaymar Industries

Guarding Healthcare Information Privacy
Speaker: Michael Reagan, Vericept Corp.

Patient Management: An Opportunity for Revenue Growth
Speaker: Ann Tisthammer, ResMed and other guest speakers

Delivery Technician Certification Program: Overview
Speaker: Randy Schluter, ZDS

Latest Developments in Specialized Seating for Bariatric and Other High-Risk Patients
Speaker: Jack Van Dyke, Talley Medical

Service & Parts Can Improve Your Bottom-Line
Speaker: David Waggoner, Invacare Corp.

Getting Results - Fast!
Speaker: Wallace Weeks, The Weeks Group

Managing FDA Inspections - Preventing Regulatory Actions
Speaker: John Willenbrock, Gas Regs Inc.

[11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.]

Hiring and Training Your Reimbursement Staff
Speaker: Maureen Hanna, Healthcare Reimbursement Consultants

Support Surfaces for the 21st Century
Speaker: Cynthia Fleck, The ROHO Group

Understanding Your Ten Key Referral Sources
Speaker: Louis Feuer, Dynamic Seminars & Consulting Inc.

How to Improve and Measure the Cost of Collecting Your Money
Speaker: Esther Apter, Healthcare Management Solutions Inc.

So Kids Can Be Kids
Speaker: Julianna Arva, M.S., ATP, Permobil Inc.

Schemes, Scams and Flimflams: Marketing Schemes and Business Arrangements to Avoid
Speaker: Jeffrey S. Baird, Brown & Fortunato, P.C.

Marketing Products for the Breast Conserving Surgery and Reconstruction Markets
Speaker: Geri Bonnevier, Amoena

Managing by the Numbers
Speaker: Donald Clayback, The MED Group

Common Postural Problems and Potential Equipment Solutions - A Starting Point for Choice
Speaker: Elizabeth Cole, MSPT, Sunrise Medical, Education Department

The New CHAP Standards for HME/RT Organizations
Speaker: Dianne Feinstein, BA, CA, CHAP

ICD-9-CM Codes Are Your Ally: How an ICD-9-CM Code Can Establish Medical Necessity
Speaker: Denise M. Fletcher, Brown & Fortunato, P.C.

Audit Survival Tips
Speakers: Jeanie Lane, The Med Group; Mike Davis, The Med Group

How to Build and Keep a Large Diabetic Shoe Business
Speaker: Steve Lutzker, The Lutzker Group Inc.

Product Development in Home Respiratory Care
Speaker: Nicholas Macmillan, Sunrise/Outside the Box Consulting

Choosing and Adjusting Gait Trainers to Optimize Outcomes
Speaker: Ginny Paleg, PT

How Will Telemedicine Affect Your Company?
Speaker: Sheldon Prial

Skin Care Problems and Prevention in Diabetic Clients
Speaker: Bindu Ramchandani, Silipos

Preparing for and Successfully Handling a Medicare DME Physical Site Survey
Speaker: David Sommerfeld, The Sommerfeld Group

Competing Effectively
Speaker: Wallace Weeks, The Weeks Group Inc.

Medicare Derobed: A Look at Your Best Payer's Expenditures 2000 - 2002
Moderator: Jim Sullivan, HME News

Friday, October 10

[7:30 a.m. - 8:15 a.m.]

Opening Session “Outlook for HME: 2004 - 2008”
Speaker: Wallace Weeks, The Weeks Group

[8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.]

Case Managers or Care Managers: Who Are They, What Do They Do, and Why Should I Care?
Speaker: Susan Rogers, Rogers Consulting Group

Strategic Marketing for Home Healthcare
Speaker: Sanket Akerkar, mdi Consultants Inc.

The Role of Community Pharmacies in the Identification and Treatment of COPD
Speaker: Timothy Buckley, RRT, Walgreens Health Initiatives

Power Mobility: The Ever Changing Story of Center Wheel Drive
Speaker: Michael Babinec, Invacare Corp.

Integrating Powered Mobility, Computer Access and Control of One's Environment
Speaker: Chris Chovan, Quantum Rehab, A Division of Pride Mobility

Safe Oxygen Handling, Storage, Transport and Transfilling Systems
Speaker: David J. Marquard II, Applied Marketing Inc.

Managing Your Most Important Asset - People
Speaker: Richard Davis, Paragon Ventures, LLC

The Diabetic Arena: Navigating Documentation and Medical Necessity Requirements
Speaker: Denise M. Fletcher, Brown & Fortunato, P.C.

Surviving an Extrapolated Audit, Part 1
Speakers: Maureen Hanna, Healthcare Reimbursement Consultants; Carolyn McElroy; Mintz Levin

Home Access for the Home/Office
Speaker: Thomas Hebda, Private-Door

Is Order Intake to Blame for Your Poor Cash Flow?
Speaker: Miriam Lieber, Lieber Consulting

On the Web and Beyond
Speaker: Libbie Lockard, Van G. Miller and Associates

Homecare ONLINE: Are You Connected?
Speaker: Diana McAuliffe, McAuliffe Consulting

Bariatrics: A Medical Care Dilemma
Speaker: Patrick Meeker, The ROHO Group Inc.

Functional Positioning & Independent Manual Mobility for Clients with Complex Needs
Speakers: Phil Mundy, PDG Product Design Group; Nancy Balcom, PDG Product Design Group Inc.

Update on Respiratory Issues Facing Manufacturers & Providers
Speaker: Marcia Nugart, R. PH, Nusgart Consulting, LLC

The Low-Air-Loss Support Surface: The Myths and the Truth
Speaker: Laurie Rappl, Span-America

An Update on the FDA Regulations and the Home Healthcare Provider
Speaker: Alan Schwartz, mdi Consultants Inc.

Doing Business in Europe
Speakers: Bernd Thomas, AGIT mbH; Deep Krishnan, TUV Rheinland of North America Inc.; Ralph Kirschner, US1 Advertising

Using the ABN Process to Create Cash Sales
Speaker: David T. Williams, Invacare Corp.; Cara Bachenheimer, Epstein, Becker & Green

[9:45 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.]

The 60-Minute Sales Manager
Speaker: Louis Feuer, Dynamic Seminars & Consulting Inc.

Billing Properly for Upscale Respiratory Products: Put ABN to Work for Your Business
Speakers: Dennis Fitzgerald, RRT, Reg. Mgr. NE, AirSep Corp.; Cara Bachenheimer, Epstein, Becker & Green

Development in the Pediatric Population; Using Assistive Technology to Maximize Potential
Speaker: Amy Bjornson, PT, APT, Sunrise Medical, Education Department

ACHC Accreditation for Rehabilitation Technology
Speaker: Floyd Boyer, RRT, RCP, North Carolina Respiratory Care Board

Denials for Dollars: Successful Strategies for Working Denials
Speaker: Jane Bunch, Jane's Billing and Consultation Services Inc.

Referral Source Strategies: How to Become a Preferred Provider - Part I
Moderator: Jack Evans, Global Media Marketing

Conquering Carpal Tunnel Syndrome & Other Repetitive Stress Injuries
Speaker: Donald Fareed, Pro Band Sports Industries

Accessing Technology
Speaker: Byron Guisbert, Adaptive Switch Labs

Marketing Your Pharmacy
Speaker: John Hacker, The Letco Companies

The ABN Process: How Does It Impact You?
Speaker: Miriam Lieber, Lieber Consulting

Owners and Managers - What Will Impact Your Business in the Future
Speaker: Terri B. Maggio, Maggio Enterprises

Effective Web Solutions
Speaker: Mike Mallaro, The VGM Group; Dan Tovar, VGM-Forbin

Structural Tension Charting - The Key to Organizational Design
Speaker: Jacki McClure, The MED Group

Getting High in Africa
Speaker: Jeff Pagels, Varilite

Preventing Immobilization Syndrome through 24 Hour Positioning
Speaker: Trudie Read, Bodypoint Designs

Candid Camera … Take a Look at Your Business
Speaker: Jonathan Sadock, Paragon Ventures LLC

Key Principles of Diabetic Foot Care
Speaker: Richard Schnaittacher, Apex Foot Health Industries Inc.

Presentation Skills for Sales Professionals
Speaker: Kathy Taylor, The MED Group

Maximize Your Profit in Home Oxygen Delivery
Speaker: Thomas Williams, Strategic Dynamics Inc.

The New FDA Oxygen Transfilling Requirements
Speaker: Vianna Zimbel, Vianna Zimbel Consulting

[11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.]

The Role of Pharmacy in Home Care
Speaker: Sheldon Prial

Dependence to Independence: A Case Study Demonstrating Multiple Assistive Technology Integration
Speaker: K. Missy Barnes Ball, Freedom Designs Inc.

Surviving an Extrapolated Audit - Part II
Speaker: Maureen Hanna, Healthcare Reimbursement Consultants; Carolyn McElroy; MintzLevine

Negotiating the Seating and Mobility Device Highway: How Do We Get This Stuff Paid For Anyway?
Speaker: Amy Bjornson, Sunrise Medical

Re/hab Issues Update
Speaker: Rita Hostak, Sunrise Medical Sponsor: American Association for Homecare

Risky Business: Gambling with Inadequate Intake Procedures
Speaker: Jane Bunch, Jane's Billing and Consultation Services Inc.

AAHomecare's Financial Performance Survey: Results and Benchmarks
Speaker: William Cron, Ph.D

Compliance is Key in Sleep Therapy
Speaker: Alan Cross, C & C Homecare Inc.

Competitive Bidding - What We Know Now
Speakers: Asela Cuervo, Esq., AAHomecare; Penelope Solis, Esq.

Referral Source Strategies: How to Become a Preferred Provider - Part II
Moderator: Jack Evans, Global Media Marketing

Therapeutic Uses of Localized Temperature Therapy
Speaker: Laura Grisanti, RN, CNOR, Gaymar Industries, Inc., Plexus Medical; Colleen Kratz, Gaymar Industries

So You Want to Sell …Or Already Are Selling
Speaker: Joe Groden, JG Consulting

Medicare Questions & Answers: An Open Forum
Speaker: Miriam Lieber, Lieber Consulting

Profit Planning For An Exit Strategy
Speaker: Marc Rose, Paragon Ventures LLC

Relationships That Work: Business Arrangements between HME Companies, Pharmacies, Hospitals and Physicians
Speaker: Darrel J. Scott, Brown & Fortunato, P.C.

Are You Ready for the Medicare DME Business?
Speakers: Sheree Studinger and Nancy Parker, Palmetto GBA/National Supplier Clearinghouse

Real-Time: How Technology Is Revolutionizing the Homecare Industry
Speaker: Gregory Taylor, Brightree/Fidelis Software

Justifying Multiple Power Seat Functions - A True Challenge or a Myth?
Speakers: Anjali Weber, Permobil Inc.; Julianna Arva, M.S., ATP, Permobil Inc.

Marketing your Business to the Medical Community
Speaker: Becky Weldon-Martin, Amoena

Diamonds Are the DOTs Best Friend! The Placarded Vehicle: When to Placard, and What Is Required
Speaker: Vianna Zimbel, Vianna Zimbel Consulting

Saturday, October 11

[7:30 a.m. - 8:15 a.m.]

Opening Session “Size May Not Matter: Winning in a Challenging, Competitive Market”
Speaker: Timothy S. Mescon, Ph.D.

[8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.]

New Laws & Regulations That Impact Home Care Companies
Speaker: Asela Cuervo, Esq.

Avoiding the JCAHO SOCKO: The Evolving JCAHO Survey of Home Medical Equipment Providers
Speaker: Vianna Zimbel, Vianna Zimbel Consulting

How to Effectively Select A Medical Management System For Your Company
Speaker: Jim Clark, SoftAid Inc.

The Knowledge Paradigm
Speaker: Susan Rogers, Rogers Professional Guidance

Power Positioning - Considering Clinical Assessment and Prescription
Speakers: Allan Boyd, Motion Concepts; Sheila Buck, Therapy Now

Pay Now or Pay Later! Self-Auditing Your Reimbursement Department
Speaker: Jane Bunch, Jane's Billing and Consultation Services Inc.

Implementing Oxygen Transfilling of High Pressure Oxygen Cylinders in Your Organization
Speaker: David J. Marquard II, Applied Marketing Inc.

Effectively Train Employees and Develop a Win-Win Relationship
Speaker: Mike Davis, The Med Group

HME Showrooms That Sell
Speaker: Jack Evans, Global Media Marketing

Case Managers: Understanding and Reaching to This Market
Speaker: Louis Feuer, Dynamic Seminars & Consulting Inc.

Government Relations and NCB Grass-Roots Update
Speaker: John E. Gallagher, VGM & Associates

When You DON'T Need an Attorney!
Speaker: Mickey Letson, The Letco Companies

The Retail Transaction and Informed Consent
Speaker: Terri B. Maggio, Maggio Enterprises

Negotiating the Sale of Your Business: How to Play the Game
Speaker: John Moffitt, Value Alternatives Inc.

No Lift, Great Shift: Introducing a No-Lifting Policy into the Home-Based Environment
Speaker: Louise O'Shea, O'Shea & Associatesl

Wheelchair Skills Training - Whose Job Is It Anyway?
Speaker: Tina Roesler, The ROHO Group; Marty Ball, Ti Sport

After Breast Surgery Fitter Training, Part 1
Speaker: Louise Rose, Jodee, Inc.

HIPAA Privacy Essentials for Business Associates
Speakers: David T. Williams, Invacare Corp.; Cara C. Bachenheimer, Esq., Epstein, Becker & Green

Reimbursement Hot Potatoes: Do You Prefer Baked, Mashed or Both?
Speaker: Maureen Hanna, Healthcare Reimbursement Consultants

[9:45 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.]

After Breast Surgery Fitter Training - Part II
Speaker: Louise Rose, Jodee Inc.

The Seating Assessment - Establishing Priorities
Speaker: Judy Rowley, Motion Concepts; Sheila Buck, Therapy Now

Medicare CMNs and the Law
Speaker: Ann Berriman, Law Offices of Ann E. Berriman, P.C.

Clinical Application of Lightweight Wheelchairs with and without Customization
Speaker: Priya Das, MSPT, MSED

How to Become a Great HME Sales Person
Speaker: Steve Lutzker, The Lutzker Group Inc.

Pushing with Power! The Revolutionary Technology of Hand Rim Activated Power Assist Wheel
Speaker: Kendra Betz, MS, PT

Seven Habits of Highly Effective HME Managers
Speaker: Dexter Braff, The Braff Group

You're in a Cash Flow Business: Now Act Like It!
Speaker: Bruce Brothis, Centralized Billing & Intake Ltd.

Accreditation and Compliance - Kissing Cousins?
Speaker: Neil B. Caesar, Health Law Center

Temperature/Humidity Issues and Management for the Seated Patient
Speaker: Evan Call, Weber State Univ./EC Service Inc; Barbara Levy, Care Partners

EMS Units: The Untapped Resource for REHAB
Speaker: Sidney Fernald, CRS Technologies Inc.

Retail Showroom Design & Merchandising
Speaker: Edward Lemar, Gladson Design Group

Management Tools to Best Detect Operational Performance
Speaker: Miriam Lieber, Lieber Consulting

The Review Process
Speaker: Terri G. Maggio, Maggio Enterprises

Therapeutic Footwear
Speaker: Ross Marty, Acor

The Problem with Problem Solving - The Path of Oscillation
Speaker: Jacki McClure, The MED Group

Profiling the Buyers - A Humorous Look at a Serious Subject
Speaker: John Moffitt, Value Alternatives Inc.

Preparing for a HIPAA Audit
Speaker: David Pfeil, Arrow Professional Enterprises

Strategies for Effective Use of Technology
Speaker: Wallace Weeks, The Weeks Group Inc.

Doing Your Best is a Lifetime Job
Speaker: Skip Wilkins, Concord Elevators & Lifts

[11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.]

So What Do The New Rehab Codes Mean Exactly
Speaker: Claudia Amortegui, The Orion Group

Maintaining a Healthy Company: Routine Exercise for Success
Speaker: Gina Bienkowski, Ultimate Resource Inc.

CMNs - Getting Them Right the First Time
Speaker: Bruce Brothis, Centralized Billing & Intake Ltd.

Decisions, Decisions: Key Elements to Consider Before You Sell Your Business
Speakers: Bruce Burns, Affinity Ventures Inc.; Daryl Sakol, Affinity Ventures Inc; Cathy Battreall, Sweetwater Medical Group

Closing the Deal: Legal Land Mines in Homecare/HME Acquisitions
Speaker: Neil B. Caesar, Health Law Center

Stability Is Many Things to Many People
Speakers: Evan Call, Weber State Univ./EC Service Inc.; John Phillips, Otto Bock Health Care

Your Marketing Plans for 2004
Speaker: Louis Feuer, Dynamic Seminars & Consulting Inc.

Mobility Market Place
Speaker: Dan Meuser, Pride Mobility Products Corp.

Wireless Technologies Enter the Medical and Healthcare Industry
Speaker: Bjarne Flou, Penell A/S