PMDA Spring Symposium –
You Don’t Want to Miss This One!
You do not want to miss the 2023 PMDA Spring Symposium. It’s got EVERYTHING. A great location, a fabulous line-up of nationally recognized speakers, and a full day of networking and education that will inspire, enlighten, and earn you up to 6.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™, and 2 management hours and 4.5 clinical hours toward certification as a Certified Medical Director (CMD) in post-acute and long-term care medicine. For our physician assistants and nurse practitioners, these CMD credits have been designated as AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ by an ACCME accredited organization and satisfy the requirements for 2 Pharmacology Hour(s) for nurse practitioners.
This all-star, too good to miss conference kicks off Friday, May 12, from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Wyndham Lancaster Resort and Convention Center, in Lancaster PA. The convention center is situated on 160 sprawling acres and features an 18-hole golf course, outdoor and indoor pools, basketball and tennis courts, an on-site fitness center, and a 1.9-mile walking trail, and all of Lancaster’s memorable attractions including Dutch Wonderland, museums for every interest, and outlet shopping are close by.
The educational program is as enticing as the location, the perfect blend of thought-provoking clinical and non-clinical sessions designed to deliver high impact information you can use right now! You definitely don’t want to miss these speakers:
Aspiration, Dysphagia, and the Food Consistency Conundrum – Rollin Wright, MD, MS, MPH – Dr. Rollin Wright, Associate Professor of Medicine with Penn State Health-Hershey Medical Center’s new Division of Geriatric Medicine, will review different types of aspiration and how to manage aspiration events in place, discuss the Patient Self-determination Act regarding patient’s rights to refuse, examine prescribed food and fluid consistencies, and address aspiration as a signal of end of life.
Documentation and Coding 2023 – Christina DeFrancisco, DNP, APN, FNP, CWS – With more than 15 years of long-term care experience, our 2019 Clinician of the Year Award recipient Christina DeFrancisco is an integral part of Genesis Physician Services and the go-to coding expert for her colleagues. Her Spring Symposium session will provide an overview of the 2023 CMS documentation, coding, and billing for the post-acute and long-term care setting.
Tuberculosis Infection: Risks, Screening and Treatment – Alex Benjamin, MD, CIC, FIDSA – Dr. Alex Benjamin, Chief of Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology at Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown, PA, will provide two informative sessions for our meeting. This session will discuss TB screening and test interpretation and consider the pros and cons of the multiple treatment regimens for TB infection.
Management of CHF Exacerbation in the LTC Setting – Leon Kraybill, MD, CMD – Congestive Heart Failure (“CHF”) is a common condition in LTC residents, and CHF exacerbation is a common cause of hospital admission. Dr. Leon Kraybill, Medical Director, Geriatric Division Chief, Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health, will discuss how early recognition of worsening CHF, and appropriate interventions can manage CHF in the facility, prevent hospital admission, and improve quality of life.
Connecting Older Pennsylvanians with the Outdoors: The Power of Nature to Combat Social Isolation and Improve Quality of Life – Nicole Faraguna - A multitude of health benefits result from spending time outdoors. For long-term care residents, it is even more critical. Nicole Faraguna, Director of Policy and Planning in the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will discuss opportunities for Recreational Therapists to improve outdoor recreation opportunities for all in the PALTC setting.
MDR-uh-O’s: How Can We Reduce Acquisition and Transmission – Alex Benjamin, MD, CIC, FIDSA – In his second session of the day, Dr. Alex Benjamin, Chief of Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology at Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown, PA, will update attendees on novel MDRO’s and review the existing literature supporting enhanced barrier precautions in light of the increasing evidence that transmission and colonization occur in residents not previously harboring these pathogens.
Clinical Cases and Pearls in SNF/LTC – John Loome, MD, CMD – Dr. John Loome, Senior VP of Medical Affairs for Genesis Physician Services and Genesis HealthCareSM will provide a case-based review that will help attendees recognize medication adverse effects and interactions, geriatric syndromes seen in nursing home care, and how to deal with certain ethical situations that arise in the nursing home.
Management of Bone Health in PALTC Practice – Michele Bellantoni, MD, CMD - Dr. Bellantoni is Associate Professor and Clinical Director of the Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and the Medical Director of the Specialty Hospital Programs of the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and the Johns Hopkins Medicine Skilled Nursing Facility Collaborative. Her session will focus on the management of bone health in PALTC practice setting, the appropriate use of diagnostic studies such as bone density, bone health nutrition, and use of FDA approved medications for the treatment of osteoporosis.
Hip Fracture: Best Practices in the PALTC Setting – Thomas Lawrence, MD, CMD - PMDA past president Dr. Thomas Lawrence is a Geriatric Medicine specialist practicing with Main Line HealthCare, and a member of the Board of the American Board of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine, (“APBLM”) where he serves as the Chair of the faculty and Course Director of the AMDA Core Curriculum on Medical Direction. His session will review clinical issues regarding the post-operative care of hip fracture patients as they transition to the PALTC setting, and include a discussion of pain management, osteoporosis treatment, and medication deprescribing.
Pain Management – Deborah Way, MD, CMD - Dr. Deborah Way is a PMDA Past President and the 2021 recipient of the Society’s Duncan MacLean Founder’s Award presented in recognition of her outstanding contributions to PMDA and the PALTC Community. Her session will feature an overview of current and promising therapies available to effectively manage pain in the PALTC setting.
Pain Panel - The last clinical session of the day takes a deeper dive into pain management with Drs. Bellantoni, Lawrence, and Way at the helm, ready to answer your most pressing questions.
Public Policy Developments in PALTC Medicine – David Nace, MD, MPH, CMD – No PMDA educational program is complete without a public policy update from Dr. David Nace, AMDA past president, PMDA past president and Clinical Chief of Geriatric Medicine, Director of Long-Term Care, Chief of Medical Affairs UPMC Senior Communities. His interactive presentation will update attendees on state and national policy issues affecting PALTC medicine. Bring your questions!
Orientation to the AMDA New Provider Program – Michele Bellantoni, MD – Dr. Michele Bellantoni returns to close out the day with a look at AMDA’s recently published New Provider Orientation Program, a three-hour, online educational series designed to introduce the setting of care, the regulations and finances unique to PATLC practice, and the common clinical issues that occur including transitions in care and interdisciplinary team practices.
Rest assured that there will be ample time to visit with our exhibitors and to catch up with colleagues in between this awesome line-up of presentations.
Registration is FREE for members in training; $35 for non-physician/non-members; $75 for PMDA members; and $85 for non-members. For more information and to register for the meeting, visit: Home (eventscloud.com).
We’re looking forward to seeing you in Lancaster.
