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Pre-conference Workshops & Seminars

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

7:30 a.m.
Restristration & Continental Breakfast

Morning Workshop

8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Workshop A: Understanding Quality Management in the Laboratory: An Innovative Model That Delivers the Goods

The laboratory is a complex operation; thus, its quality activities need to be well organized and systematized for meeting customer needs and regulatory and accreditation requirements and for the best use of the laboratory’s limited resources. Fortunately, a simple model for laboratory quality management exists that fulfills all these needs, through using a management infrastructure to support the laboratory’s preanalytical, analytical, and post-analytical processes.

Speaker: Lucia M. Berte, President, Laboratories Made Better!, P.C.

Afternoon Workshop

1:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Workshop B: Getting a Fair Return on Investment: Pricing Strategies for Lab Tests

Pricing of clinical laboratory services can be risky business. Price tests too high and you risk losing referrals. Price them too low and you face government scrutiny and potential allegations of illegal inducements. How, then, do you go about setting reasonable prices for the services you provide? Should prices be based on cost or on value? Just how low is too low? How do you determine the appropriate return on investment? This workshop will address factors that affect pricing, methodologies for setting prices, the importance of having an effective laboratory information system to handle multiple fee schedules, revenue monitoring, and legal issues in setting prices for lab tests.

Speakers: Diana Voorhees, Principal/CEO, DV & Associates, Inc.; Donna Beasley, National Director, Revenue Builder For Labs, McKesson and S. Craig Holden, President and Chief Operating Officer, Ober|Kaler

5:45 p.m.
Lab Institute Welcome & Program Introduction
Doug Anderson, VP & Publisher, G-2 Reports and Dennis Weissman, Program Chair

6:15 p.m.- 7:15 p.m.
Keynote I:
The Unfinished Business of Health Care Reform: Finding a Workable Solution for Skyrocketing Costs

Controlling the costs of medical care has long been an elusive goal in U.S. health policy. And while a number of cost containment provisions were included in the recently enacted health care reform law, most independent experts agree that escalating costs in both Medicare and within the private health insurance industry remain a serious long term problem for the nation.

This opening keynote session will explore the major challenges and issues surrounding the continuing growth in health care costs and their implications for the provider community including the laboratory sector. Learn what's behind the newly formed Medicare Independent Payment Advisory Board and why its structure raises some serious constitutional and process questions that Congress must confront. The speaker will also address a number of critical questions including whether competition and free markets can really control health care costs and the feasibility of transforming the American health care sector from the current "volume-driven" system to one that is "value-driven."

William H. First, M.D., University Distinguished Professor in Health Care, Vanderbilt University, Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader, U.S. Senator from Tennessee, 1995-2007

7:15 p.m.- 8:00 p.m.
Keynote II:
Information Wants To Be Clear: Writing the Next Chapter of Healthcare Reform

The next step to improving healthcare in this country is to engage individuals in their care, towards the goal of more prevention, earlier detection, and smarter treatment decisions. This will demand that consumers take more responsibility for their health and feel empowered to act. But too often the system fails to offer a foothold – eager-to-participate consumers are met with scant information, incomprehensible data, and unreceptive (and overworked) providers. This presentation offers a way forward, proposing a new approach to engaging patients in their care, and a new approach to information design and communication that can result in better behaviors and better health.

Speaker: Thomas Goetz, Executive Editor of Wired, Author of The Decision Tree

8:00 p.m.- 9:00 p.m.
Opening Reception

Conference, Day 1

Thursday, October 14, 2010

7:00 a.m.
Registration and Continental Breakfast/Exhibits

8:00 a.m.
Introduction
Dennis Weissman, Program Chair

8:15 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.
Keynote III
Myths & Realities of Healthcare Reform: Does It Provide the Right Prescription?

After decades of national debate, an historic measure to expand health coverage and reva.m.p the way care is delivered is now the law of the land. Its final passage not only represented the end of something big but also marked the beginning of a second crucial phase involving the challenges of implementation plus the ongoing political debate surrounding the wisdom of the new law. Reform proponents cite more coverage, consumer insurance protections, and lower medical costs in the long run as key benefits even as the final bill failed to offer insurance options outside of the current private system and made deep cuts in Medicare. As one of the nation’s leading cha.m.pion’s of reform, Dr. Howard Dean presents his perspective on the law and its aftermath including whether it represents real reform of the U.S. healthcare system.

Speaker: Howard Dean, M.D., Governor of Vermont, 1991-2003; Founder, Democracy for America

9:15 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.
Putting the Midterm Elections Under the Microscope: Can Faith in Government Be Restored?

It’s not hard to find reasons why Congress receives all time low approval ratings given continued high unemployment and tough economic conditions for many Americans. Meantime, the public saw big banks get bailed out and had to endure the always messy and increasing dysfunctional and partisan legislative process that finally produced a healthcare reform bill but with no GOP votes. Fueled by a strong anti-government sentiment, will the November elections turn into a bloodbath for incumbents of both parties or look more like 1994, when Democrats got clobbered and lost their majority? Get the latest election forecast, find out how the push to repeal health reform will play out and how the current deep distrust of government can be turned around.

Speaker: Norman Ornstein, Resident Scholar, American Enterprise Institute

10:15 a.m. -10:45a.m.
Networking Break and Exhibits

10:45 a.m. -11:30a.m.
Decoding the Healthcare Reform Law: 10 Top Changes Affecting Labs and Pathologists

Signed into law by President Obama on March 23, landmark healthcare reform legislation will have far-reaching impact in both the near and longer term for virtually all providers, including clinical laboratories and pathologists nationwide. Ranging from specific cuts in Medicare fees to expanded coverage of testing for prevention and wellness, the measure also includes provisions to transform the healthcare delivery system such as linking payment to quality outcomes and encouraging the develop.m.ent of new patient care models. Speakers in this session will detail specific reform requirements having the most significant impact for labs and pathologists, including a discussion of their effective dates.

Speakers: Alan Mertz, President, American Clinical Laboratory Association and Donald Lavanty, Esq., Principal, The Federal Group

11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
The Federal Compliance Blitz: Enforcement Challenges Ahead for Labs and Pathologists

Federal fraud and abuse enforcement efforts in healthcare have ra.m.ped up considerably in the past year with the implementation of several new initiatives designed to increase anti-fraud efforts, including the expansion of the healthcare Prevention and Enforcement Action Tea.m. (HEAT) in 2009; the enactment of the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009; the inclusion of anti-fraud, abuse and waste provisions in healthcare reform legislation enacted in March 2010; and the appropriation of increased funds to enforcement efforts in federal budgets. The government clearly is signaling a crackdown on healthcare providers. This session will Examine these recent changes and how clinical laboratories and pathologists can ensure they don’t get caught in the government’s enforcement net.

Speaker: Hope Foster, Esq., Mintz Levin

12:15 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.
Luncheon

Morning Breakouts

A. It’s a New Era for Labs: Innovative Approaches to Utilization Management and Clinical Effectiveness

The healthcare financing landscape is rapidly changing: more payment bundling, more payer scrutiny over genetic testing, more attention to clinical effectiveness. Laboratories can’t afford to be just test order fulfillment centers. How can your laboratory become a strategic player to improve clinical efficiency and effectiveness? How can you identify which tests are overused and misused, and how can you get physicians to change their ordering practices?

Speaker:Brian Jackson, M.D., Medical Director of Informatics, ARUP Laboratories

B. Danger Signs for Pathologists: Avoiding Legal Blind Spots and Hurdles in Your Practice

Pathologists face legal risks on a daily basis, from reaching agreements with specialists on technical and professional component billing, to responding to requests from referral sources for electronic health record donations, to setting up in-house histology labs for physicians. In addition, pathologists will face even more challenges as they cope with the impact of healthcare reform on their business. This session will Examine key legal risks facing pathologists and provide guidance on how best to prepare for the future.

Speaker: Jane Pine Wood, Esq., McDonald Hopkins

C. Keeping Ahead of the CLIA Curve: The Next Chapter on PT, Personnel and Policies

More than two decades after their implementation, the Clinical Laboratory Improvement a.m.endment (CLIA) standards are still evolving, and compliance with them remains key to reimbursement under Medicare and Medicaid. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the agency charged with CLIA oversight, continues to work on many aspects of laboratory oversight, including proficiency testing, electronic health records, waived testing, personnel qualifications, and much more. This session will provide an update on the latest CLIA initiatives, the most common deficiencies and how to avoid them, and what labs can expect in the coming year from CLIA.

Speaker: Judy Yost, Director, Division of Laboratory Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

C. Bringing Blood Transfusion Costs Under Control: How External UR Can Produce Real Savings

Hospitals must find a more effective way of managing their blood usage and ever - higher costs associated with transfusing patients in light of projections of continuing cost escalation into the future along with recommendations contained in new management guidelines issued by the Joint Commission. This session will Examine hazards and problems with current hospital blood transfusion practice, present case studies for both in-house peer review and independent external UR and assess their results, and discuss how external UR impacts the costs of blood transfusion.

Speaker:David Jadwin, D.O., CEO and Chief Medical Officer, Columbia Healthcare Analytics, Inc.

2:45 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.
Networking Break and Exhibits

Afternoon Breakouts

3:15p.m. - 4:15p.m. (E-H)
E. The Next Wave of LEAN: Thinking Inside & Outside the Laboratory

As the costs associated with performing laboratory testing continue to rise, process improvement Programs such as LEAN can boost efficiency both inside and outside of the lab. Willow Grove, Pennsylvania-based NMS Labs has made such efficiencies a reality through through broad-based LEAN initiatives that recently allowed the company to avert a scheduled across-the-board price increase. This session will provide one perspective of how the smaller “niche” reference laboratory can apply modern industrial management techniques to meet the challenge of affordably offering low-volume, esoteric tests with high-quality delivery of services, and have money left over for the innovation necessary to remain relevant

Speaker:Eric Rieders, Ph.D., President and CEO, NMS Labs

F. Getting It Done Right: The Latest on Clinical Lab and AP Coding and Billing

Improper coding of laboratory and pathology tests is more common than many in the industry realize and can lead to lost revenue or allegations of upcoding. This session will review CPT coding changes for 2011, provide guidance on the proper use of codes and modifiers, discuss the National Correct Coding Initiative and medically unlike edits, and review new policies that affect lab and pathology billing practices.

Speaker:Diana Voorhees, Principal/CEO, DV & Associates Inc.

G. A View From the Top: The Outlook for Hospital & Health System Laboratories

To gain a strategic assessment of how hospitals and health systems view the future of their laboratories, pathology arrangements, outreach Program operations, and the overall lab financial environment following enactment of healthcare reform, a special national poll was conducted this summer of hospital CEO, COOs, CFOs and VPs. This session presents survey results and analysis which will provide a critical perspective to help laboratory and pathology executives better understand how the C-suite views hospital/health system laboratories.

Speaker:Barry Portugal, President, Health Development Services, LLC

H. Getting A Handle On Lab and Pathology Deals: The Ebb & Flow in Today’s M&A Market

Merger and acquisition activity has heated up significantly in the laboratory and pathology sectors in 2010 after being in the doldrums for most of last year as a reflection of the credit crunch and the economic downturn. Both strategic players and private equity firms have made targeted acquisitions, the biggest splash being Welsh Carson’s purchase of Spectrum Laboratory Network for $230M and subsequent merger with Carilion Labs. This session will analyze industry dyna.m.ics and financial factors influencing the lab and pathology M&A market, describe the sources of capital for acquisition and expansion, discuss how to maximize the value of your company and look at valuation trends and what is driving them.

Speaker:Timothy Johnson, Managing Partner, England & Company

Late Afternoon Breakouts

4:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. (I-L)

I. Beyond LEAN and Conveyor Belts: What’s Next in Lab Automation

Automation has long been a favorite strategy for lowering labor costs, reducing error rates, and increasing analytical speed in the clinical laboratory. Hundreds of labs nationwide use robot manipulators, conveyors, and instruments, often in concert with process improvement Programs such as LEAN, but what's next in lab automation, particularly when total lab automation (TLA) isn't a realistic option? This session will preview the future of laboratory automation, focusing on advances in modular approaches that can be tailored to laboratories of various sizes, throughput needs, and anticipated growth rates.

J. Gaining a Measure of Control: Advanced Compliance Strategies for Labs

Compliance with ever-changing rules and regulations is an ongoing challenge for clinical laboratories. Some issues are especially difficult to keep up with, such as changes to the Stark law and anti-kickback statute. This session will address some of your toughest compliance challenges, from restrictions on freebies for referring physicians to TC/PC billing to what’s required on physician orders.

Speaker: Peter Kazon, Esq., Senior Counsel, Alston & Bird

K. To Test or Not To Test: That Is the Real Question

As increased emphasis is placed on prevention and wellness, clinical laboratories are struggling with pitfalls and misconceptions related to screening and risk assessment. This session will tackle key issues including criteria for effectiveness of laboratory screening tests, limitations of screening tests, screening recommendations by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), and the main biases applicable to screening tests and their impact on health outcome.

Speaker: Shahram Shahangian, Ph.D., Supervisory Health Scientist, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

L. Secrets for Enhancing Hospital Lab Profitability: Proven Tips and Techniques

As hospital and health system executives conclude that the passage of healthcare reform will impact the financial viability of their organization, they will likely begin weighing a variety of strategies to improve the financial performance of their various service lines, including laboratories and related outreach Programs. This session will present tools, methods, and strategies required to improve the overall performance of laboratory operations. In addition, the speaker will share real life exa.m.ples of how each has been used and the improvements achieved.

Speaker: Earl Buck, Chief Operating Officer, Chi Solutions Inc.

5:30p.m. - 7:00p.m.
Talk to the Experts Reception
Sponsored by Quadax

Conference, Day 2

Friday, October 15, 2010

7:00 a.m.
Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:45 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
The New World of Laboratory Medicine: It’s Not Just Your Father’s Microscope Any More

To thrive in today’s highly competitive market, clinical laboratories need to look beyond traditional models of service delivery and begin to “think outside the box.” This may mean integrating with other diagnostic services and sea.m.lessly delivering different types of results, from laboratory to imaging, to physicians and other clients. This session will explore how lab medicine has changed and is likely to evolve in the coming years and how you can position yourself for the future.

Speaker: Richard C. Friedberg, M.D., Ph.D., Chairman, Department of Pathology, Baystate Health, and Professor and Deputy Chair, Department of Pathology, Tufts University School of Medicine

9:30 a.m. -10:00 a.m.
Exhibits and Networking Break

10:00 a.m. -10:45 a.m.
Getting the Best Results: An Evolving Role for Pathologists and Lab Directors

As clinical laboratory tests grow increasingly complex and play an ever greater role in clinical decision-making, pathologists and laboratory directors must embrace new roles within the healthcare system. By developing from providers of results into clinical consultants, lab directors can assist physicians in test selection and the provision of patient-specific, expert-driven narrative interpretations of complex lab evaluations. Michael Laposata, M.D., Ph.D., a leader in efforts to refine and evolve the role of the laboratory director, will discuss the value of adding interpretative comments to enhance clinician understanding of laboratory results, as well as show evidence linking interpretative comments to clinical outcome.

Speaker: Michael Laposata, M.D., Ph.D., Edward and Nancy Fody Professor and Executive Vice Chair of Pathology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and Pathologist-in-Chief, Vanderbilt University Hospital

10:45 a.m. -11:30 a.m.
A Clinical Digital Pathology Solution: Is It Ready for Prime Time?

With the constantly growing demand for pathology services, digitization of pathology images offers the opportunity for increased laboratory productivity and efficiency, including improved workflow, faster turnaround times, easier collaboration and digitized patient records. Digital pathology is also very relevant to personalized medicine, which requires a complete, quantitative picture of the patient’s medical condition. This session presents some of the major issues surrounding whole-slide digital imaging, including how it compares to conventional light microscopy in routine surgical pathology and whether a clinical digital pathology solution is ready to be deployed.

Speaker: Gene Cartwright, CEO, Omnyx

11:30 a.m. -12:15 p.m.
Point/Counterpoint: Debating the Future of Gene Patents in the Lab Industry

In a ruling that has immense implications for the scientific and medical communities, a New York federal court has declared invalid the patents on BCRA1 and BCRA2 thereby calling into question the validity of some 2000 patents now held on human genes. Now on appeal, the case intensifies the debate of whether or not genes can be patented. Proponents argue yes so long as they are isolated from their natural state and purified while opponents counter that isolating a gene does not alter the structure of the DNA itself, which is a product of nature and cannot be patented. Likewise, the pro patent side contends that they provide companies with security and the ability to profit from risking their investment to bring products to the market while the anti-patent side insists that patents severely limits the dispersion of and access to critical information

Speakers: Kevin E. Noonan, J.D., Ph.D., McDonnell Boehnen, Hulbert & Berghoff, LLP and Debra G.B. Leonard, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Pathology and Lab Medicine and Vice Chair for Lab Medicine and Director of Labs, Department of Pathology and Lab Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College and New York-Presbyterian Hospital

12:15 p.m. - 12:45 p.m.
Luncheon
Presentation of the 2010 Laboratory Public Service National Leadership Award
Sponsored by Kellison

Presentation of the Washington G-2 Reports’ Dennis Weissman Scholarship Award for Excellence
in the Clinical Laboratory Sciences
Sponsored by McKesson

1:45 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.
Who Do You Want to Dance With? Finding the Right Strategic Business Partner

Now that national healthcare reform is a reality, the case for strategic alliances and partnerships in the laboratory industry becomes even more potent in dealing with the evolving and turbulent market dyna.m.ics created by accelerating change in consumer interests, medical practice, technology, research, reimbursement models and delivery systems, a.m.ong other areas. Strategic partnerships uniquely enable participating organizations to extend their operational reach as well as providing flexibility, adaptability and responsiveness while retaining the basic fabric of the participating companies. This session presents four different lab and pathology partnership models, discusses the pros and cons of strategic alliances and offers advice on managing them.

Speakers:

• Keith Laughman, CEO, Medfusion
• Tom Tiffany, Ph.D., CEO, PAML/ Catholic Health Initiatives
• Patricia Hughey, CEO , UniPath
• Myla Lai Goldman, M.D., CEO & Chief Scientific Officer, CancerGuide Diagnostics

3:15 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
When All Is Said & Done: Making Change Work for Your Organization

Recent passage of U.S. healthcare reform serves to underscore the revolution in healthcare occurring as a result of far reaching changes in the practice of medicine, and society at large. Of particular importance include changing demographics and disease patterns, advanced technologies, an emphasis on transparency, effectiveness and efficiency, changes in healthcare delivery systems and payment incentives & methods, changing professional roles and increasing consumerism, patient empowerment and autonomy. This wrap-up roundtable of senior lab and pathology executives will focus on critical changes affecting the lab and pathology sectors – ranging from government reforms to testing and technology advancements – and discuss their strategic significance to the future growth and success of different industry market segments.

Speakers:

• Keith Laughman, CEO, Medfusion
• Tom Tiffany, Ph.D., CEO, Pa.m.L/ Catholic Health Initiatives
• Patricia Hughey, CEO , UniPath
• Myla Lai Goldman, M.D., CEO & Chief Scientific Officer, CancerGuide Diagnostics
• Dennis Weissman, Program Chair

4:00 p.m.
Adjournment

Register Now, or call Jeff Watkins at 800-401-5937 ext. 4709 or email Jeff at jwatkins@ioma.com

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