Health Care/Business Institute a Hit in D.C. (2011)

You have accessThe ASHA LeaderASHA News1 Jun 2011Health Care/Business Institute a Hit in D.C. Janet BrownMA, CCC-SLP Janet Brown Google Scholar More articles by this author , MA, CCC-SLP https://doi.org/10.1044/leader.AN3.16062011.10 SectionsAbout ToolsAdd to favorites ShareFacebookTwitterLinked In http://www.asha.org/Publications/leader/2011/110517/Health-Care-Business-Institute-a-Hit-in-D-C-.htm The 2011 ASHA Health Care/Business Institute took place in the Washington, D.C., area April 9–10 in full view of the blooming cherry trees. With almost 600 attendees, the North Marriott Conference Center was buzzing with speech-language pathologists attending sessions, networking, and browsing the exhibits, bookstore, and display tables staffed by ASHA units and special interest groups. In evaluations, attendees praised the quality of the speakers and topics. In the plenary session, Claudia Busch Lee, a one-time SLP who is now an organizational trainer, executive coach, and president of her own company, discussed how to create powerful conversations. Using humor and examples from her personal life, she led the audience in self-reflection and exploration of influential relationships. The conference offered three concurrent clinical tracks in dysphagia, neurogenics, and pediatrics along with one or two concurrent sessions on business and private-practice topics. The Business Institute addressed issues from the basics of how to make the transition to private practice to more advanced topics on financial analysis and strategic management. Reimbursement issues such as billing, coding, and Medicaid also were addressed. Lynn Steffes, a physical therapist whose business-consultant clients include speech-language pathology practices, regaled the audience with an entertaining three hours of practical marketing tips and examples. Business Institute speakers also addressed ethics, cultural competence standards and interpreters, contracting and personnel management, and persuasion and influence. A number of presentations, in both the business and clinical tracks, featured experts from other disciplines. Thomas Finucane, a well-known gerontologist from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, presented compelling evidence against the use of tube feeding for individuals with advanced dysphagia. Art Kramer, a neuroscientist, presented animal and human evidence comparing the benefits of different types of physical and mental “exercise” programs on cognitive function throughout the life span. Jennifer Mahnke, a dietitian with the Cleveland Veterans Administration Medical Center, provided an in-depth look at how a diet order is processed from the physician to the kitchen staff to the bedside, and how SLPs and dietitians can better understand one another. Finally, Gerard Gioia, a pediatric neuropsychologist from Children's National Medical Center, discussed concussion and executive function in children and adolescents. In the pediatric track, sessions explored the hot topics of iPads, iPods, and apps, along with head injury, stuttering, apraxia, and feeding disorders. In the swallowing track, presenters examined the accuracy and reliability of instrumental assessment management of the frail elderly, esophageal dysphagia, and the latest research on sensory and motor functions. Adult neurogenics topics included voice, apraxia/dysarthria, augmentative and alternative communication, and interventions with the medically fragile patient. Leadership in Health Care Program Debuts On the Friday evening preceding the Health Care Conference/Business Institute, 28 speech-language pathologists and audiologists attended a full-day workshop to kick off ASHA's year-long Leadership in Health Care Development Program. The group represented a spectrum of professional experiences ranging from one to 34 years in the field, and came from a variety of settings—hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, clinics, and private practice. The participants applied for the program in December; it also will include six webinars and six team meetings during the course of the year. Looking Within Led by consultants Kevin Nourse of Nourse Leadership Strategies and Alice Waagen of Workforce Learning LLC, participants took an emotional intelligence assessment and explored their individual profiles in the context of enhancing their leadership skills. Then they applied components of project management, such as identifying stakeholders, developing a project vision, and learning to use project management team tools. Participants worked in teams to share ideas and solicit feedback on projects they are developing as part of the program. Evaluations from the workshop were very positive and when asked about the most rewarding aspect of the workshop, one participant commented, “Everything—the participants have been instrumental in facilitating project refinement, validating ideas, and offering constructive criticism.” Webinars conducted by the consultants throughout the year will address running a virtual meeting, building high-performing teams, motivating and influencing others, coaching and mentoring, conflict management, and strategic agility. The webinars also will give the participants an opportunity to share their progress and solicit feedback on their projects. Launched in 2008, the ASHA Leadership Development Program is in its third cycle. It is designed to support members as they take on volunteer leadership roles in ASHA, state associations, and other professional organizations and to develop their skills to be more effective in influencing and persuading others in their professional settings. A parallel program for members in schools settings will be launched on July 7 with a workshop preceding the ASHA Schools Conference. ASHFoundation Fundraiser On the Saturday evening of the Health Care Conference/Business Institute, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation hosted a fundraising event at the national office. Participants had the opportunity to taste a number of wines under the tutelage of an expert from a local vineyard. The attendees learned and enjoyed as they also sampled a small appetizer to complement each wine. Author Notes director of health care services for speech-language pathology, can be reached at [email protected]. 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