Do you have questions for the 2021 NICA Annual Meeting speakers?

Click on a section and category below to find the opportunity to ask speakers questions in advance of the Annual Meeting! Your proactive feedback will help inform the topics covered and ensure the content is relevant for each audience.

Operations

Join leading experts as they share best practices for the billing, coding, and collections aspects of revenue cycle management.

Speakers

  • Ethel Owen, CPC, CMPM, Practice Administrator, Arthritis and Rheumatology Associates of Palm Beach
  • Reetu Singh, CPC, Billing Manager, Cancer Care Institute
  • Rodney Wright, Founder and CEO, TANYR Healthcare, and Co-Founder and CEO, R2 Health

Do you want to more efficiently integrate new products into your infusion workflow? Learn best practices applied by the market’s leading early adopters to expand access to new treatment options for their patients.

Speaker

  • Christine Mann, MBA, CMOM, Chief Operating Officer & Director of Infusion Operations, DENT Neurologic Institute

A deep dive into different areas of the infusion workflow that can make or break an infusion service line. In this session, we will cover topics ranging from charting inventory and performance metrics to aging, collections, and continuity of care between sites of care.

Speakers

  • Kavita V. Nair, PhD, Professor of Neurology and Pharmacy, Rocky Mountain Multiple Sclerosis Center, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
  • Charlie Schadewald, President and CEO, Wasatch Infusion
  • Berkely Taylor-Allen, BSN, RN, Director of Clinical Operations, OI Infusion

It has become well known that the rising cost of Healthcare in the US is unsustainably straining our economy. Long gone are the days when companies or modest taxes easily covered full healthcare benefits.

As costs are increasingly passed on to consumers, the value based concept has become more than yet another cost bending payer profit strategy du jour. It is now central to a much broader range of stakeholders who depend heavily on a well managed risk pool, including families, employers, self-insured corporate plans, population health collaboratives, politicians, and economic development entities, as well as commercial and government payers. With breakthrough pharmaceuticals flooding the therapy pipeline, the value proposition for the efficient and effective delivery of expensive products must be a fundamental consideration for infusion center owners and managers.

This session will be comprised of two parts: 1) introduction to the concepts, mechanics and variations of value based models; and 2) a discussion around implications of VBPMs for infusion centers, including threats, opportunities and changes to the competitive landscape that may alter how you deliver and market your services.

Speaker

  • Joseph V. Fritz, PhD, CEO, DENT Neurologic Institute and DENT Neuroscience Research Center

Is your practice truly prepared for an emergency or natural disaster? Do you have a plan for managing your drug inventory during a power outage? How will you ensure continuity of care for your patients? This session will explore disaster and emergency planning, preparedness, and response from a variety of stakeholder perspectives.

Speakers

  • Brian Bejarano, Vice President of Operations Supply Chain, Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions
  • Kristen Finne, Program Director, HHS emPOWER Program, Senior Program Analyst, Division of Readiness, Office of Emergency Management and Medical Operations, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  • Jennifer Kuschinsky, RN, MBA, former Chief Strategy & Business Development Officer, Michigan Institute for Neurological Disorders (MIND)

Infusion services are subject to regular utilization management processes that can delay care for patients. In this session, we will unpack prior authorization, what pre-service review really entails, and how to successfully appeal denials. At the end of this session, you will be knowledgeable about what separates a truly persistent patient advocate from the average PA coordinator.

Speakers:

  • Amanda DeMarzo, PharmD, MBA, PACS, Associate Director Patient Access, Accreditation Council for Medical Affairs (ACMA)
  • Elizabeth Johnson, LPN, CPC, PACS, Director of Product Management, RxLightning Inc., CEO, 5015 Consulting, President and co-founder, National Association of Medication Access and Patient Advocacy

This session will explore the history of standards in healthcare, the evolution of NICA’s Standards Program, and the role of Standards in building an Infusion Center of Excellence network.

Speakers

  • Colin C. Edgerton, MD, FACP, FACR, Executive Chairman, American Rheumatology Network, Founding Member, Articularis Healthcare
  • Kaitey Morgan, RN, BSN, CRNI, Chief Clinical Officer, National Infusion Center Association, Director of Patient Experience, Infusion Access Foundation
  • Teresa Molina, Program Design Manager – Value-Based Program Optimization, Cigna

As the healthcare landscape continues to evolve, it’s more important than ever for infusion centers to take steps to ensure they are financially and clinically optimized as they prepare for the future. This session will share best practices that centers can leverage to improve revenue cycle management, sharpen negotiations with payers, and enhance inventory management, especially with the increased complexities that will come with the introduction of new therapies, such as biosimilars.

Speaker

  • Amy Valley, PharmD, Vice President of Clinical Strategy and Technology Solutions, Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions
Management

The outpatient infusion delivery channel is rapidly growing, and the specialty medication pipeline is not slowing down any time soon. How can infusion centers keep up to date on new products as well as updates to current therapies? How should infusion providers disseminate information to staff and referral sources with a consistent message? How can an organization be assured staff is storing and handling medications with such high price tags? This session will provide strategies for how an interdisciplinary team can successfully navigate these challenges together.

Speakers

  • Ashley Lewis, Organizational Development Specialist, Palmetto Infusion Services
  • Andra Tisdale Hall, PharmD, AIC Pharmacy Director, Palmetto Infusion Services 
  • Emily Huff, RN, Nurse Educator, Palmetto Infusion Services
  • Lindsey Savickas, RN, BSN, Chief Operating Officer, Infusion Associates

How is the patient experience in your practice? Learn how your practice can make small, yet powerful adjustments to optimize the patient experience and improve customer satisfaction.

Speakers

  • Karen McKerihan, MSN, NP-C, Director of Infusion Services, Articularis Healthcare
  • Marissa Shackleton, Executive Director, The Elliot Lewis Center 
  • Andrea Zlatkus, CMPM, CRHC, CRMS, Executive Director, National Organization of Rheumatology Management (NORM)

Organizational agility is essential for healthcare companies in quickly adapting to changing customer needs, competitor responses, opportunities, as well as changes in reimbursement and regulatory guidelines. This session will examine how to build a culture of agility, track important KPI and KQI metrics, and digest a case study where an agile culture enabled an infusion operator to strategically reposition quickly and efficiently to integrate COVID-19 monoclonal antibody therapies into their service offerings in two sites. 

Speakers

  • Ken Idicula, MHA, Senior Director of Operations, Multispecialty Physician Partners, LLC, MPP Infusion Centers®
  • Joshua Smith, Chief Executive Officer, PURE Infusion Suites
Clinical

Mast cells, a component of the immune system, are located throughout the human body and have significant influence over complications from I.V. medications and catheter insertion. This presentation will discuss the pathophysiology of these complications highlighting two patients that died when these complications were not recognized and treated appropriately.

Speaker

  • Lynn Hadaway, M.Ed., RN, NDP-BC, CRNI, President, Lynn Hadaway Associates, Inc.

The administration of complex therapies, like biologics, requires specialized training and specific competencies. This session will explore the competencies required for consistent, high-quality care and best practices in training and documenting competency among staff responsible for preparing and administering complex therapies.

Speakers

  • Lou Anne Epperson, MSN, RN, IgCN, Director of Clinical Services – Nursing, Amerita Specialty Infusion Services
  • Kristin Yeager, APRN, FNP-BC, District Operations Manager – Austin/Round Rock/Kyle Infusion Centers, Paragon Healthcare
Advocacy

This session will touch on the disparities that exist in today’s healthcare system, specifically focusing on the role of limited English proficiency (LEP) in creating significant inequities in health outcomes. Hear from three speakers who will discuss the incidence of health disparities, the role of LEP, and available resources created to address harm caused by miscommunication with patients.

Speakers

  • Kindyl Boyer, MPP, Director of Advocacy, National Infusion Center Association and Infusion Access Foundation
  • Gary A. Puckrein, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer, National Minority Quality Forum
  • CAPT David Wong, MD, Pediatrician, Epidemiologist, and Chief Medical Officer, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health

Explore different factors driving primary and secondary non-adherence and best practices in shared decision-making to improve adherence rates, optimize health outcomes, maximize quality of life and minimize burdens of disease. 

Speakers

  • Lauren Dunlap, PACS, Executive Director and Co-Founder, Advocacy & Awareness for Immune Disorders Association (AAIDA)
  • Salvatore Napoli, MD, Neurologist and Founder, Neurology Center of New England and MS Clinic
We look forward to seeing you in June!

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