Sunday Recap from NHIA 2023
With record attendance and beautiful spring weather in D.C., we had a full first day of action at NHIA 2023, starting off early with our three preconference seminars: Executive, Sterile Compounding and Revenue Cycle, covering valuable information for professionals in a variety of roles.
Identifying Industry Trends
NHIA President and CEO Connie Sullivan kicked off the Executive Preconference, sponsored by McKesson, with a data-rich snapshot of the home infusion industry landscape and important issues and drivers over the next several years. Sullivan identified the Top 5 Trends of 2022 impacting the future, including:
- Growth of infusion suites as a primary site of care, built with the patient experience in mind
- Health system expansion into home infusion
- Growth of specialty drugs, including the high number of new approvals and increase in prescribing
- Workforce challenges marked by the inability to hire pharmacy technicians and nurses
- Continuing margin pressures exacerbated by supply chain challenges and related cost increases
Patient Advocates and Inspirational Stories
Among our first education track sessions, we heard from two young and incredible long time home infusion patients.
Savannah S. Cooper began dancing competitively from a young age and didn’t let her PICC line stop her. She has relentlessly pursued her dream of becoming a professional performer. Savannah learned to access her own port and manage her own health care as she attended college away from home and traveled around the country while performing. Recently she was featured on a Times Square billboard and a Netflix film as a featured dancer.
Vincent Rosche, III received a PICC line at 6 years old and a port at 8 years old when he learned how to access his port with supervision at a young age. In high school he could use a backpack provided by his home health team to receive TPN infusions without classmates knowing. He is now a personal trainer with 4 certifications and specializes working with disabled clients, whether chronically disabled or recovering from surgeries. He also competes in and has won body building competitions. None of this would be possible without home health for his TPN. He encourages companies in the industry to hire patients to provide valuable perspective and help improve all aspects of care, communication and even product development.
Making Shift Happen
Engaging, emotional, intense, hilarious… our opening Keynote had it all. Anthony Trucks brought us a template for shifting into success, sharing how he overcame an abusive childhood in foster care to make it to the NFL, and then overcame a career-ending injury to become a successful entrepreneur and a better husband and father.
It takes honest reflection, a decision, and small committed steps each and every day to make big shifts in your life. You can begin to experience more and more “Aww shift” moments, moments of overwhelming positive emotion and create these on demand by following this template.
The character he has built by putting in the work, recognizing his shortcomings and committing to tackling them is a great example for anyone and can be applied to any aspect of life. His maxim on showing up each and every day illustrates this process and why it is so important to contribute to your world and not passively watch it go by: “What you create, creates you.” The hard work builds the person and then that person steps into amazing outcomes.
Special thanks to Brightree for sponsoring the Opening General Session.
Other Education Highlights
This year’s reformatted New Drugs and Biologics session was a big hit. The extended session enabled attendees to eat lunch and network and provided more time for our 12 residents to detail the last year’s new drugs, including details and implications surrounding their use.
The Sterile Compounding Preconference, sponsored by B Braun, featured Selma Mitchie from USP explaining some of the ideas behind the most recent updates to General Chapter <797> standards. The Sterile Compounding Preconference and Revenue Cycle preconference culminated in Ask the Expert panels, allowing attendees to address their most pressing concerns with top industry experts.
Additional education sessions covered leveraging data for profitability, working with physicians, criminal liability in nursing, and identifying the role sales can play in reducing payment delays.
