Home health care professionals interested in receiving the most up-to-date information in home care should attend Medtrade Spring 2006 from March 21 to 23, 2006. This year’s educational conference gives HME providers and other home health care professionals the tools they need to succeed. Once again, Medtrade Spring will take place at the Las Vegas Convention Center. “Medtrade Spring is the HME industry’s ‘partner for success,’ and show producers take that role seriously,” says Art Ellis, group vice president for VNU Expositions, producers of Medtrade. “The planning that has gone into the educational programming will be evident as providers come to Las Vegas seeking solutions and go home with concrete ways to increase their success.”

The Medtrade Spring conference program will offer 3 days of sessions to assist attendees in providing cost-effective quality care to patients. The program is carefully planned by the Medtrade Educational Advisory Committee. “In the HME industry, continuing education is the lifeblood of the provider, particularly in light of regulatory changes facing HME providers over the next several years,” says Jeff Baird, JD, chairman of Brown & Fortunato PC’s Healthcare Group, Amarillo, Tex, and a member of the Medtrade Educational Advisory Committee. “AAHomecare and the Medtrade Educational Advisory Committee have put in many hours selecting programs and quality speakers that will address the many challenges and opportunities facing providers. This is a responsibility that AAHomecare and the Education Planning Committee do not take lightly.”

Two preshow conferences sessions will take place on Tuesday, March 21. The sixth Continuum of Care conference and The Brutal Facts...What’s Real in Reimbursement for 2006 will be presented by AAHomecare and Medtrade. Both conferences will take place from 8:00 am to 12:15 pm.

The Brutal Facts presentation will offer providers clear coverage criteria, real-life examples of documentation they should have in their files, and techniques for getting reimbursed for common denials, say conference organizers. “Reimbursement is in a state of constant change—it isn’t a department that just collects the money; it is about what product lines you choose, what type of order the intake department may need, and how to organize it all to get paid. It is a business process,” says Kim Brummett, vice president of reimbursement for Advanced Homecare, Greensboro, NC, and a member of the Medtrade Educational Advisory Committee. “Unfortunately, 2006 is going to be the year of more change than the industry has ever seen, and it is important to stay up on the latest information—and this seminar is designed to do just that.”

The Continuum of Care conference continues to meet a need for specialized educational content on four of the most popular topics in home health care. The conference will offer a series of programs in the following four areas:

• Oxygen/Respiratory Issues (sponsored by Respironics);
• Prosthetics and Orthotics;
• Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology; and
• Sleep-Disordered Breathing Therapy (sponsored by ResMed)

Continuing education credits will be offered by the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC), the Board of Orthotist/Prosthetist Certification (BOC), the National Registry for Rehabilitation Technology Suppliers (NRRTS), and the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA). “The Continuum of Care conference is a must for HME providers and their staffs. The expert information that will be given on the wide array of topics is vitally important to remaining successful in today’s fast-changing environment,” says Kim Kianka Roberti, director of education and meetings for AAHomecare.

The Medtrade Spring educational conference kicks off on Tuesday afternoon. The opening session will focus on accreditation, one of the most talked about topics in the industry. An Update on Accreditation will be presented at 1:00 pm and will include a question-and-answer session with representatives of the American Commission for Health Care, the Community Health Accreditation Program, and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations; 16 additional sessions will follow.

The conference continues with 55 additional sessions throughout the day on Wednesday and Thursday that will cover the pertinent issues in accreditation, business management, home health, legislative and regulatory issues, mergers and acquisitions, oxygen and respiratory, rehabilitation and assistive technology, reimbursement, sales and marketing, and sleep-disordered breathing.

In addition to the educational conference, attendees will have access to more than 450 manufacturers of HME products and technology. The exhibit hall will be open Wednesday, March 22, from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and Thursday, March 23, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.

Attendees who register for Medtrade Spring by February 13 can receive special discounts on the conference and exposition. The early bird registration cost is $20 for the exposition and $145 for the educational conference, which includes all sessions and the exposition. Those interested in attending the Continuum of Care conference and The Brutal Facts can also take advantage of an early bird discount of $225 that includes the conference, all educational sessions, and the exposition. For more information, visit www.medtradespring.com or call (800) 933-8735. VNU Expositions’ upcoming health care events include Medtrade 2006, scheduled for September 19- 21, 2006, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, and Medtrade Spring 2007, which will be held on April 24–26, 2007, in Las Vegas. DP