Disease Management Colloquium
Sponsored by the Department of Health Policy at Jefferson Medical College
Date: May 7-9, 2007
Location: Philadelphia, Pa.
Today, wellness and disease management are the buzz words of the healthcare industry. The Disease Management Colloquium was a conference packed with information, best practices and opportunities to ask questions of leaders in the industry so that programs can be improved. Kudos go out to David Nash, MD, and his team for coordinating an excellent conference.
Out & About Overview:
Personally, I was excited to cover this meeting as case managers, disease managers and others involved in the practice are readers of Case in Point. Attending this meeting allowed me to learn firsthand about the trends and challenges in the industry and network with professionals who I could tap into for future articles, topics that we could explore in educational supplements, web cast and other innovative events I plan to cover going forward.
I attended Day Two and Three of the conference and found the agenda packed with so many interesting topics that it was difficult to choose which session to attend. The most important piece of material given to attendees was the tri-fold that held each days schedule that many marked on arrival so they could navigate the conference.
Highlights:
Pre-Conference: The conference spanned four days and was kicked off with a Pre-Conference that focused on disease management and outcomes reporting. There was a training session followed by a new certification examination for those who are involved in outcomes reporting. In addition, there was a session on the recent Disease Management Outcomes Guidelines Report and other return on investment insights.
Day one was a full day that laid the groundwork for the meeting. Three major topics were discussed that day:
- The future of disease management and how effective disease management can be used to address many chronic conditions.
- The relationship between evidence based medicine and disease management.
- How disease management can meet the challenges of the aging population.
Day two allowed attendees to pick from a variety of tracks and attend sessions they felt would best meet their needs. Tracks included:
- Track A: Disease Management in the Community Setting
- Track B: HIT for the Consumer
- Track C: Quality Improvement
- Track D: Meeting the Challenge: Coordinating the Care of Multiple Chronic Conditions
Day three, which I was unable to attend, was an excellent way to wrap up the conference, according to colleagues who did attend. All werebrought back together for a look at the future of disease management presented by Tracey Moorehead, the Executive Director of Disease Management Association of America. Warren Todd discussed international disease management. In addition, there were two roundtable discussions — a Medical Officer Panel and a CEO Roundtable, where a lively exchange took place.
Take-Away Thoughts:
This was an excellent conference for anyone involved in disease management. As I mentioned above, this meeting was packed with important information that professionals in the field of disease management could use to improve their organization as well as their individual practice. If you attended the meeting, but felt that you missed sessions that you wanted to hear, or did not attend the conference, you are in luck. All of the sessions were taped, so the entire meeting is available in a variety of formats that will allow you to view or listen to any of the session you feel are important to your practice. If you are from an organization or part of a disease management practice, this would be a great way to provide continuing education to your staff. For information on the post conference audio tools, go to www.dmconferences.com/cdrom2007/cdrom.html.
For advance planners, the Eighth Disease Management Colloquium is already scheduled, so you can make your plans to attend next year’s event. The meeting is scheduled for May 19 - 21, 2008 in Philadelphia. Go to www.DMConferences.com to learn more.
