Looking for some great tips to energize and revitalize your program? Then meet us in beautiful, leafy Chicago this October.
RYAN Associates/NAOHP is offering 226 pragmatic tips at its 26th annual national conference and expo. Spend Oct. 8 –10 with us at the historic Drake Hotel and learn a bevy of new strategies to help you navigate these turbulent times in healthcare.
We developed 12 conference course topics based on a survey of NAOHP members. The focus will be on providing high-quality, cost-effective, and revenue-generating services in the changing healthcare environment.
Courses include managing revenue and expenses, benchmarking, delivering exceptional on-site services, modern sales and marketing strategies, legal and regulatory aspects, integrating wellness services and urgent care services, drug testing, packaging multiple services, and shaping the future of the industry. In addition, special sessions will feature mini-presentations by vendors, how to interface occupational health with employee health, and an open NAOHP board meeting.
The conference will be held at the luxurious Drake Hotel in the heart of Chicago’s Gold Coast on the Magnificent Mile. The Drake has 537 guest rooms and five restaurants. The Magnificent Mile is Chicago’s shopping hub, with the world’s best boutiques and restaurants a stone’s throw away from your room. Local attractions include the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Newberry Library.
Fun activities in store are three evening receptions, including one at the famous Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse, a Sunday golf outing at the Harborside International Golf Center, and watching the exciting Chicago marathon. Attendees will have ample opportunities to exchange ideas, acquire knowledge, and network with colleagues all against the backdrop of the Windy City.
Pre-conference Oct. 6 – 7
Once again this year, the annual conference will be preceded by a two-day pre-conference, held on Saturday and Sunday, October 6 and 7. The pre-conference will feature Course 1: Core Components for Profitable Occupational Health Programs. This course emphasizes cost-effective program management. It is intended both for those new to the field as well as those who want to refine their business-management skills. It’s also for those planning to take the NAOHP examination to obtain a certificate of competency in occupational health program management. The pre-conference curriculum will also feature a review of the occupational health vision, achieving operational excellence, staffing models, product line development quality assurance, patient satisfaction, financial management, and sales and marketing.
On Saturday Oct. 6, the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine will teach a course titled Worksite Wellness: The Healthy Worker Advantage. Industry leaders Dr. Ron Loeppke and Pam Hymel will lead the course, to be held 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday Outings
Join all of Chicago to cheer on the runners of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Sunday morning, Oct. 7. The marathon starts in Grant Park at 7:30 a.m. and participants will wind their way through the city. Spectators can watch them run by just four blocks from the Drake on La Salle Street. Then on Sunday at noon, tee off at the Harborside International Golf Center. All skill levels are welcome, and players will be paired by skill level. Green fees run $95 and are payable in advance with conference registration. Sunday evening join us at a welcome reception at the Drake to see some old friends and make new ones, sponsored by MediTrax.
Monday Oct. 8
On Monday, the conference kicks off with a special keynote presentation by Emily Friedman, one of the top minds and speakers on healthcare today. (See our interview with Ms. Friedman on page 5.) Ms. Friedman will be talking about occupational health’s evolving role in the healthcare reform era and is sure to raise some interesting points that will keep everyone talking over the following days.
Dive into courses two through four on Monday:
- Course 2: Integrating wellness services into occupational health programs
- Course 3: Benchmarking: when excellent really means excellent
- Course 4: Delivering exceptional on-site services
Then check out two special sessions in the afternoon:
- Vendor mini-presentations. A rapid-fire introduction to vendors that can serve you better. Learn in five minutes from each vendor what they have in store to save you time when the vendor exhibit opens on Tuesday morning.
- Interfacing occupational health with employee health
Monday evening celebrate 26 years of camaraderie and achievement in the breathtaking Drake Grand Ballroom for a gala reception, sponsored by UL PureSafety.
Tuesday Oct. 9
On Tuesday morning the vendor exhibit opens at 7:30 a.m., and courses continue starting at 8:30 a.m. with sessions that offer a range of tips on getting the most out of your programs.
- Course 5: Managing revenue and expenses
- Course 6: Drug testing: efficiencies and regulations
- Course 7: Legal and regulatory aspects of occupational health
- Course 8: Packaging multiple services under the occupational health umbrella
- Course 9: Integrating occupational health and urgent care services
- Course 10: Adapting to reform: the Illinois challenge
Continuing education
Nurses: Contact hours for continuing education in nursing have been applied for through the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN), an accredited approver of continuing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. Approval is pending.
Physicians: Contact hours for continuing medical education (CME credit) have been applied for through the American Academy of Family Physicians. Approval is pending.
NAOHP Certification/Re-certification
The NAOHP will offer a written examination for occupational health professionals to obtain a Certificate of Competency in Occupational Health Practice Management via a proctor after the conference. RYAN Associates’ pre-conference course provides a foundation for the examination.
Professionals who successfully passed the exam more than three years ago must be re-certified to retain their status. Certificate holders who wish to become re-certified must complete eight approved units/hours and a professional profile form available from the NAOHP. Call 800-666-7926 or visit www.naohp.com for additional information.
