Medtrade 2008 Preview

Atlanta will play host to the 29th annual expo and conference next month as HME professionals take over the Georgia World Congress Center Oct. 27-30 for Medtrade 2008.

With its 240,000-square-foot exhibit floor and more than 100 educational sessions, the show promises to be a one-stop shop for everything HME.

To kick off the event, Medtrade’s keynote session, called “Opportunities and Challenges Ahead — The State of the HME Industry,” will feature a panel discussion on the outlook for Medicare policy, trends that will impact the industry going forward, top legislative battles for 2009, challenges facing HME providers and manufacturers and current and future advocacy events.

The session will be moderated by American Association for Homecare President and CEO Tyler Wilson, and featured panelists will include:

• Cara Bachenheimer, senior vice president of government relations, Invacare Corp.
• Georgetta Blackburn, vice president of government relations, Blackburn’s
• Lawrence Higby, CEO, Apria Healthcare Group
• Alan Landauer, CEO, Landauer Metropolitan

• Schedule At-A-Glance

  Pre-Show Conferences

  Monday, Oct. 27

  Scott Meuser, chairman and CEO, Pride Mobility Products
• John Miclot, president and CEO, Respironics

“Our industry has achieved an important goal with passage of the Medicare bill, which imposes a moratorium on the competitive bidding program and mandates reform,” Wilson said.

Expo Show Floor Hours

Tuesday, Oct. 28

“But the HME industry still faces serious challenges, and this roundtable discussion with thought-leaders in the home care community will provide insights about how we can meet them.”

Wednesday, Oct. 29

The keynote session will be held Tuesday, Oct. 28, at 8:45 a.m.

Thursday, Oct. 30

For more information about Medtrade 2008, visit www.medtrade.com.

Educational Conferences

Tuesday, Oct. 28

8:00 am – 5:00 pm

• Continuum of Care
• Conquering the DME Challenges: Accreditation, Competitive Bidding and Reimbursement

Presented by AAHomecare

10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Wednesday, Oct. 29

10:00 am – 5:00 pm

10:00 am – 3:00 pm

7:30 am – 8:30 am

8:45 am – 9:45 am

Thursday, Oct. 30

Keynote Address: State of the HME Industry

Special Events

Tuesday, Oct. 28

3:00 pm – 4:00 pm

7:30 am – 9:45 am

Accreditation Central

October 28-30, 2008
Georgia World Congress Center
Atlanta, Georgia

3:00 pm – 4:00 pm

4:15 pm – 5:15 pm

AAHomecare’s Washington Update

7:30 am – 9:45 am

Special Events

Tuesday, Oct. 28

3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Welcome Reception: Medtrade Oktoberfest(on the Expo floor)

5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
AAHomecare’s Stand Up for Homecare Reception(Omni Hotel)

Accreditation Central

October 28-30, 2008
Georgia World Congress Center
Atlanta, Georgia

The time has come. All HME providers who want to retain Medicare billing privileges must be accredited by Sept. 30, 2009.

Which accrediting organization is best for your company? What are their distinguishing characteristics? How do you begin the process? How much does it cost?

Find the answers to these and other questions at Medtrade’s Accreditation Central to get the information you need for making decisions and moving forward.

Sponsored by HomeCare, Accreditation Central will feature representatives from many of CMS’ approved accreditation organizations whose representatives will be on hand to talk with you during exhibit hall hours.

• Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC)
• Board of Orthotist/Prosthetist Certification (BOC)
• Community Health Accreditation Program (CHAP)
• Healthcare Quality Association on Accreditation (HQAA)
• The Compliance Team
• The Joint Commission

HOURS OF OPERATION

Tuesday – Wednesday, Oct. 28-29

10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Thursday, Oct. 30

10:00 am – 3:00 pm

SCHEDULE OF PRESENTATIONS

Tuesday, Oct. 28

11:00 am – 12:00 pm

Accreditation Simplified

In celebration of the 10-year anniversary since her launch of the DMEPOS industry’s first product ine and service specific accreditation program, Sandra C. Canally, RN, president of The Compliance Team, Inc., a CMS-approved DMEPOS accrediting body, reprises her series of mini-seminars that focus on everyday operations and how to streamline them to meet and/or exceed mandated government quality standards without breaking the bank to do it. Owners and managers will learn about practical solutions to oversight requirements and how the simplification of everyday operations works wonders in improving their patient care practices, and as often as not, their bottom lines.
Presented by: Sandra Canally, RN, The Compliance Team

1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

HQAA Today

An overview of how HQAA manages external rules, regulations and requirements will be given as well as updates and improvements to the HQAA Web-based accreditation system. An overview of the Accreditation Continuation Toolkit will also be presented.

Presented by: Mary Nicholas, MHA, Executive Director, Healthcare Quality Association on Accreditation (HQAA)

Wednesday, Oct. 29

11:00 am – 12:00 pm

ACHC Accreditation, How to Prepare

Learn the process for successful ACHC accreditation from start to finish. Learn about the benefits that your entire organization will realize from an ACHC accreditation. We describe what makes ACHC different and unique to other accreditors as well as all the resources that are in place to ensure your success and operational improvement.

Presented by: Timothy Safley, ACHC HME Clinical Advisor, Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC)

1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Accreditation: Significance Today and In the Future

Now that accreditation is mandated for all DMEPOS suppliers, what are the implications for the industry today and in the future? Will accreditation raise the bar? Will the industry respond favorably to the efforts of comprehensive accreditation offered by the major accreditors, or seek to minimally meet CMS Quality Standards? This discussion will involve the significance of both processes from a standards and best-practices approach.

Presented by: Bob Floro, Director, The Joint Commission

Thursday, Oct. 30

11:00 am – 12:00 pm

CHAP Accreditation – A Process not an Event

Overview of the CHAP accreditation process with an emphasis on the organization’s preparation for accreditation, the CHAP self study/self assessment process and how to use the preparation for accreditation as a foundation for performance improvement initiatives within the organization. Emphasis will also be on the CHAP CARES client portal for ongoing resources for compliance with the CHAP standards and the CMS Quality Standards for DMEPOS suppliers.
Presented by: Gwen Franzgrote, MA, RRT, Director of HME Services, Community Health Accreditation Program (CHAP)

1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

BOC- The Best Accreditation Investment

CMS has set Sept. 30, 2009, as a deadline for current and prospective suppliers to have their facility accredited. In this session we will discuss the deadline date and reasons for submitting an application for accreditation as quickly as possible. Attendees will learn all the product categories that BOC has been approved to accredit. BOC wants to be your professional partner throughout the accreditation process.
Presented by: Wendy Miller, Facility Accreditation Director, Board for Orthotist/Prosthetist Certification: International (BOC)