Wednesday at CMSA is traditionally Symposia Day. The day started for many at 7 a.m. and ended at 8:30 p.m. Topics focused on the continuum of care. All of the presentations were well planned, and pertinent to the practice. In addition to the symposiums presented, there were other meetings on the agenda.

I was invited to attend the Industry Council Meeting, which brought together employers from across the country to provide CMSA with information on challenges they face in addressing healthcare issues. I represented Dorland Healthcare Information. Deb Smith, a leader in the practice of case management, led the discussion and will develop a report for the CMSA Board of Directors to review and better understand the challenges employers are facing regarding absenteeism, presenteentism, productivity, health and wellness. The report will be used to develop initiatives to address various needs. To gain consensus, CMSA utilized advanced technology to learn the views of those in attendance and to understand the needs. One of the key messages that I came away with was the need to move forward with informing consumers about the role of the case managers and how utilizing case management can help address consumers’ needs regarding challenging healthcare issues. Look to Dorland Healthcare Information to provide leadership in this arena.

Following this meeting, I moved to the Chapter Leadership Meeting. This meeting brought together chapter presidents from around the country to give recognition to the role they play in growing the organizations. Pat Agius, Chair of the Chapter President’s Council, led the meeting and recognized a number of chapters for the creative initiatives they have brought to their chapters. Recognized initiatives included membership growth, excellence in technology implemented to inform and reach their membership, excellence in education, and conference management.

Peter Moran, the incoming CMSA President, addressed the chapter presidents and recognized that the chapters are the backbone of the organization. Today, the membership stands at 10,319 with 75 chapters across the United States. Peter empowered the chapter leaders to continue to bring questions, challenges and issues to the CMSA Board of Directors, but also to bring creative solutions. Peter encouraged case managers to share their successes and to celebrate their accomplishments.

Next I took some time to catch up with old friends and colleagues. Attending CMSA allows you to learn what people have done over the past year, to catch up with their changes and to learn about the new opportunities that have taken place over the past year. Afterward, I attended two symposiums. The first one was on COPD in Women: A Growing Trend, which was presented by Dr. David Tinkelman from National Jewish Medical and Research Center and another presentation sponsored by Evercare titled Strategies for Successful Advanced Care Planning.

At 4:30 p.m. the attendees gathered at the doors of the exhibit hall for the annual ribbon cutting by Connie Commander, the current President of CMSA. All attendees were welcomed into the hall by the current and incoming Board of CMSA. All of the exhibitors were ready to provide information and updated information to all.

Dorland Healthcare Information was a busy booth. This was mainly due to the fact that many attendees were interested in the materials at the booth. Those at the conference were the first to see the June/July issue of Case in Point. The cover of the magazine was a great hit at the conference. For those of you who have not gotten the magazine, I won’t spoil the surprise by telling you who is on our cover for this issue, but several of the case mangers wanted to know if they could frame the cover for their offices. In addition, attendees learned about some of the new initiatives that Dorland Healthcare Information will be rolling out over the next few months. On www.caseinpointmagazine.com, we will be sharing all of the entries that we received for the first Case Management Writing Contest. The site will be available on July 6 so make sure you check it out. In addition, we are in the process of organizing the Case Management Bookstore. The books contained on the site will be those written by case management leaders on various topics to enhance professional development. Lastly, I am in the process of interviewing case management leaders on a variety of topics. This site will be live by July 10. Across My Desk will keep you posted as we move forward with many of these enhancements.

The night capped off with the Dorland Healthcare Information Vendor Reception. The party had a western theme and was attended by over 100 exhibitors who have supported our case management products over the past year. The reception allowed attendees to relax, enjoy food, drink, music and a variety of popular card games, such as Texas Hold’em and Black Jack.

Thursday is another busy day, with the conference in full swing. More symposium covering topics such as Wound Care Management, Case Management Adherence Guidelines (CMAG) and a Genetic Primer: From the Bench to the Bedside. From there we will gather for the opening keynote speaker and an announcement of who will be named Case Manager of the Year. The Expo Area re-opens at 12 p.m. for brunch and runs till 4 p.m. Following the Expo, we move to the concurrent sessions and end the day with two appetizer symposia. Stay tuned for more updates…

Signing off from Denver,