Growing Trade Show Ready for Masses
In preparation for an anticipated 10% increase in attendance at this year’s Medtrade Spring, trade show organizer VNU Expositions has taken measures to ensure attendees are not stuck in long registration lines as some were last year.

“The marketing person and VNU have sent an incredible amount of emails, faxes, and marketing messages to try to get people to register before they get there,” says Denise McClinton, press representative for Medtrade Spring. There also will be a separate registration area for people who have preregistered and just need to pick up their badge. That way, those who have preregistered do not have to wait in the same line as people who are doing on-site registration, which is a more time-consuming process because of the forms that need to be filled out, McClinton adds.

VNU expects more than 450 exhibitors and 4,100 attendees to fill the Las Vegas Convention Center during the 2004 annual home health care midyear buying and educational event, and the show’s popularity has made it a stand-out in the trade-show industry. Tradeshow Week recently named it one of the 50 fastest-growing trade shows in North America based on the size of its exhibit hall.

The show’s educational offerings have grown as well. This year Medtrade Spring offers 75 planned educational programs, including a number of special programs such as the Billing and Sales Boot Camp and the half-day Continuum of Care workshop. Among these programs, the Accreditation Summit is one of the most exciting additions this year, according to VNU Expositions’ interim group show director, Zuzette Estevez, who has stepped in for the previous group show director, Cory Smith, who now directs VNU Expositions’ Building Group. Another new event at Medtrade 2004 is the keynote address by Bruce Vladeck, former administrator of the Health Care Financing Administration (which later became Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services), on Wednesday, March 17, from 7:30 am to 8:15 am.

The educational sessions will begin on March 16, and the exhibit hall will be open March 17, from 10 am to 5 pm, and March 18, from 10 am to 4 pm. Medtrade Spring also will host the annual Party by the Pool at the Las Vegas Hilton on Tuesday, March 16, at 5 pm; the American Association for Homecare is hosting the annual Golf Classic from 1 pm to 4 pm that same day.

Summit To Address Accreditation Options
It may not be soon, but it will happen. National accreditation will be mandatory under the recently enacted Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, and Medtrade Spring is offering providers the chance to prepare.

An afternoon session called the Accreditation Summit will be open to all Medtrade Spring conference attendees and will be moderated by Steve Vinci, RRT, RCP, general manager of Timberlake Corp, Sacramento, Calif, and president of the California Association of Medical Product Suppliers, along with a representative from the American Association for Homecare.

The summit on Tuesday, March 16, the day before the exhibit hall opens, will be divided into two sections. From 1 pm to 2:30 pm, “Dueling Accreditation” will focus on comparing the accreditation bodies. Representatives from the Accreditation Commission for Health Care Inc, the Community Health Accreditation Program, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, and the Compliance Team Inc will give brief descriptions of their accreditation services, including their accreditation process, benefits, and costs. During “The Future Role of Accreditation in Healthcare,” from 2:45 pm to 4 pm, panelists will discuss how their programs can best meet the accreditation requirements of HME companies under the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003.

Although the summit is conveniently timed just months after the law’s passage, VNU Expositions’ educational committee already had it on the agenda, according to Denise McClinton, press representative for Medtrade Spring.

“This was already in the plan, which is wonderful to show that Medtrade is on top of where the industry is heading,” she says. “I think it was just great planning on the educational committee’s part.”

Former HCFA Administrator Bruce C. Vladeck, PhD, former administrator of the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA, the organization now known as Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services) under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1997, will address attendees on “The Future of Medicare” on Wednesday, March 17, from 7:30 am to 8:15 am. Although Vladeck is a long-time advocate of providing health care services to disadvantaged persons, particularly in urban settings, he has expressed opinions members of the home health care industry may find controversial. “He is not an opponent of competitive bidding, I’ll put it that way, but maybe getting insight from someone who is thinking like Washington thinks is a good thing, definitely worth getting up a little earlier and coming over for,” says Denise McClinton, press representative for Medtrade Spring. Currently, Vladeck is professor of health policy at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and a consultant to a wide range of health care and other nonprofit organizations. During his tenure at HCFA, the organization assumed responsibility for administration of the State Child Health Initiative and large portions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. In addition to writing articles and book chapters, Vladeck also authored the book Unloving Care: The Nursing Home Tragedy (Basic Books, 1980).

Providers: Rock the Capital
The future of home health care lies in the signatures of lawmakers who may not fully understand the needs of providers and beneficiaries. Medtrade Spring and Home Health Care Dealer/Provider have created a venue at this year’s show for providers to ensure that their legislators make informed decisions. Called the Advocates Corner and located at the end of the 1800 aisle in the exhibit hall, this smaller version of the fall Medtrade’s Grassroots Central will offer providers the chance to:

• Email a letter right from the Medtrade show floor to state or federal officials through The MED Group’s Capitol Connection or the VGM Group’s DC Link. These Internet programs also provide data about current legislation and elections, as well as ways to contact local and national media via form or personalized letters.
• Pick up free lobbying information from 18 state associations that represent 31 states.
• Explore the online VGM MesaNET, a free state association communications program.
• Receive an “I Fight for Home Health Care” sticker.
• Check out the networking bulletin board.

Visitors who stop by the Advocates Corner on Wednesday, March 17, at 2 pm will get the opportunity to meet and speak with state association leaders during a reception sponsored by The VGM Group.

2004 Party by the Pool Time Slot Changes
To avoid competing with providers, exhibitors, and organizations holding receptions, the Party by the Pool this year will commence the day before the exhibit hall opens instead of the day of its opening.

“By doing the Medtrade Party by the Pool the first night, on Tuesday, people have a chance to network,” says Denise McClinton, press representative for Medtrade Spring. “Especially with what’s gone on the last couple of months, networking is going to be crucial.”

Featuring live music, hors d’oeuvres, and cocktails, the party—the fifth annual event—will be held at the Las Vegas Hilton on Tuesday, March 16, from 5 pm to 6:30 pm. For ticket information, visit www.medtradespring.com or call (800) 933-8735. Tickets also will be available at the show in the registration area.