Annual Primary Care Conference
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Looking Forward to Fall 2012 in Denver, CO
Conference Highlights from Fall 2011 in Seattle, WA
FALL 2012 - JOIN US IN DENVER
The 2012 CHAMPS/NWRPCA Annual Primary Care Conference will be held at the Westin City Center in Denver, CO October 14-17, 2012. Please check this website again in the spring of 2012 for more details.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 2011 ANNUAL PRIMARY CARE CONFERENCE
CHAMPS and the Northwest Regional Primary Care Association (NWRPCA) welcomed attendees, exhibitors, and presenters from across the nation at this past year's Annual Primary Care Conference held October 22-25, 2011 in Seattle, WA at the Renaissance Seattle Hotel. Participants enjoyed formal and informal networking and educational opportunities with the Western Clinicians Network (WCN) as well as clinicians, board members, and administrative staff from health centers, Primary Care Associations, governmental offices, and related organizations in Regions VIII (Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming), IX (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and the Pacific Islands), X (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington) and across the country.
Please click or scroll down to learn more about:
Photo Memories
CHAMPS 2011 Award Recipients
Notable Speakers
Educational & Networking Sessions
Other Conference Events
Session and Event Handouts
NWRPCA and CHAMPS have each created photo journals of the 2011 Annual Conference. Click on the links below to enjoy these conference memories.
- CHAMPS Photo Journal: CHAMPS Executive Committee, Mountain/Plains Clinical Network Steering Committee, CHAMPS Board of Directors Meeting, 2011 CHAMPS Awardees, Welcome Reception, Learning and Networking, Opening Plenary, Exhibitors, Sessions, and Closing Plenary and Raffle
- NWRPCA Photo Journal: Plenary Sessions, Welcome Reception, Breakout Sessions, Bad Tie Contest, Exhibitors, Networking, Registration Desk
Each year, in conjunction with the Annual Primary Care Conference, CHAMPS recognizes outstanding contributions to the Community Health Center movement by individuals in Region VIII. Nominations are submitted by Region VIII Health Centers and Primary Care Associations, and awardees are chosen by the CHAMPS Executive Committee. CHAMPS honored the following highly-deserving individuals with awards during the CHAMPS Board of Directors Meeting on Sunday, October 23th:
Hanz Elzinga, MD, Director of Medical Services of Salud Family Health Centers in Ft. Lupton, CO, was given the Exceptional Clinical Leadership Award for demonstrating clinical excellence and commitment to providing quality health care for all. He is a model of the passionate, committed physician working at health centers today and is recognized for using his leadership and specialist talents to create a pro-bono surgery program.
Doug Follick, Board President of Community Health Center of Central Wyoming, Inc., in Casper, WY, was given the Exceptional Board Leadership Award in recognition of his service to Community Health Center of Central Wyoming, Inc., and to the communities it serves. In his 10 years of volunteer service on the board, his mediation skills, leadership skills, and calm demeanor have helped foster productive and cohesive Board and a successful health center.
Patricia Patrón, Executive Director of Family HealthCare Center in Fargo, ND, was awarded the Exceptional Administrative Leadership Award for demonstrating dedication to the health center mission through exceptional leadership and expertise. Her strong background in business has been instrumental in providing financial and operational sustainability to Family HealthCare Center.
Carolyn Shepherd, MD, Vice President of Clinical Affairs of Clinica Family Health Services in Lafayette, CO, was given the Exceptional Clinical Leadership Award for demonstrating clinical excellence and commitment to providing quality health care for all. Her innovative leadership has brought cutting edge office design, introduced alternative health care delivery methods, and quality improvement focused electronic health records to Clinica Family Health Services and her colleagues across the nation.
Donna Singer, Chief Executive Officer of Utah Navajo Health System in Montezuma Creek, UT, was awarded the Outstanding Advocate of the Underserved Award for demonstrating dedication to the health center mission through exceptional leadership and service. Her vehement dedication to Utah Navajo Health System over the past 11 years has helped the organization grow to be a model health center for Utah and the Navajo Nation.
CHAMPS held its Annual Board of Directors Meeting on Sunday evening. Board members received regional and national updates and calls for advocacy by the following speakers:
- Marc Wetherhorn, NACHC Federal and State Affairs Department National Advocacy Director
- HRSA representatives Jim Macrae, Associate Administrator of Primary Health Care;and Marguerite Salazar, HHS Region VIII Director
At the Opening Plenary on Monday morning conference participants enjoyed HRSA and NACHC Updates and a Keynote Address focusing on the current policy and healthcare environment. Speakers included:
- Jim Macrae, HRSA Associate Administrator for Primary Health Care
- Dan Hawkins, NACHC Vice President for Policy and Research
- Tray Dunaway, MD, FACS, CSP, CHCO, CHCC, a ‘dotsultant’ and surgeon gave a presentation called “Connecting the Dots of Healthcare” on how healthcare stakeholders can work together in the healthcare ecosystem to be patient-centered.
The Tuesday Closing Plenary was given by Kauila Clark, Certified Traditional Hawaiian Practitioner and healer, NACHC Chair of the Board, and board member of the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center in Oahu, HI. Kauila shared his experience with integrating traditional medicine into a community health center in Hawaii.
EDUCATIONAL & NETWORKING SESSIONS
The conference offered attendees a broad range of educational and networking sessions organized around the following tracks: Patient-Centered Medical Homes (PCMH), Clinical, Operations, Governance, Policy/Environment, Human Resources/Workforce, Finance, Governance, and Health System Transformation. More than 50 sessions, intensives, roundtable lunches, breakout meetings, and plenary sessions provided rich opportunities to learn from clinicians, administrators, and board members in Regions VIII, IX, X, and from other regional and national consultants. Presenters from the Western Clinicians Network (WCN) contributed a robust curriculum to the clinical track. Continuing Education credit hours were offered for dentists, physicians, accountants, human resources professionals, and board members.
The conference got off to a strong start with full day intensive Board Sessions from beginning to advanced levels, including:
- A two-part intensive on Developing the Leader Within
- A two-part session on Strategic Planning Quick Start for Board Members
Diverse Clinical Sessions were offered throughout the conference including:
- Integrating Dental and Medical Care for Diabetic Patients
- Managing Diabetes and Hypertension Patients Using EMR Reports
- Patient-Centered Care Means Meeting Patients Where They Are
- Health Center Role in Graduating “PRIME” Providers
- Utilizing Clinical Scribes in a Health Center
- Achieving Excellence of Care in Community Health Centers
- Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) and Adult Health
- Practice-Based Research Network: A.T. Still University & HRSA’s CHARN Project
- Medication Safety and Managing Pain
Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Sessions addressed issues from application to implementation and integrating care:
- Customer Service – A Matter of Life and Death
- Rx for Information: Health Information Literacy and Cultural Competency
- Medical Home and Meaningful Use: Is There a Place for Behavioral Health?
- Primary Care Behavioral Health Integration for High Needs Population
- PCMH: Integrating Substance Misuse Screening, Intervention, and Referral (SBIRT)
- “How Good By When?” – The Why and How of PCMH
- Barriers and Aids to PCMH: Lessons from CareOregon’s Primary Care Renewal Initiative
- NCQA Patient Centered Medical Home: The Application Process
Multiple sessions were offered in the robust Leadership and Policy Tracks, including:
- HST: System Redesign Learning Laboratory
- HST/PCMH: System Redesign: Medical Home and a World-Class Workforce
- HST: System Redesign: Optimizing the External Environment
- Preserving the Health Center System
- The Massachusetts Healthcare Reform Experience
- Community-Based Partnerships in an ACO Environment – The Colorado Model
- Policy Dialogue with NACHC
- From Volume to Value: Primary Care and Payment Reform – The Oregon Model
- Working With Business Communities – The South Carolina Model
- Adverse Childhood Experiences and Adult Health – Policy Implications
Additional Operations, Human Resources, Fiscal, and IT Sessions were available during the conference to anyone interested in expanding their knowledge and understanding of topics including:
- Ops: Meaningful Use Boot Camp
- Ops: LEAN Management Principles and Practices for CHCs
- Ops: Bending the Cost Curve: Innovative Models for Care Coordination
- Ops: Using EMR Scribes in Primary Care Practice
- Ops: Using the UDS Mapper
- Ops: CHC Basic: Are You New to All This?
- Fiscal: Federal Financial Report (FFR) Intensive
- Fiscal: Healthcare Reform and the FQHC Revenue Cycle
- Fiscal: Financial Reporting Best Practices
- HR/Workforce: Celebrating Compassion: Beating Burnout in CHC Staff
- HR/Workforce: Successful Recruitment and Retention Planning
- HR/Workforce: The Impact of Healthcare Reform on HR and Workforce
- HR/Workforce: The Mandate: Intentional Teaching
- HR/Workforce: Behavioral Interviewing – Strategy for Fit, Retention and Performance
- HR/Workforce: Innovative Performance and Team Management
- HR/Workforce: Coaching as a Competitive Advantage in Staff Development
Many separate Roundtable Sessions and Lunches were held over two days for PCA Executive Directors and CHC Chief Financial Officers, Chief Executive Officers, Clinic Operations staff, Board members, and Human Resources staff, to give conference participants the opportunity to collaborate with other experts in their fields.
The Annual Conference is more than board meetings, educational sessions, plenary speeches, and roundtable lunches! Participants had other formal and informal ways to learn about resources, win prizes, and inspire one another.
The Exhibitor Hall was filled with organizations representing business services; healthcare services, equipment, and supplies; IT solutions; mission support; and 340B pharmacy management.
This year's annual Prize Raffle raised more than $640 for FirstPlace, a nonprofit that serves families in crisis by providing excellent culturally competent education, housing, and support services enabling families to achieve permanent stability. Conference participants from across Regions VIII, IX, and X were encouraged to donate raffle prizes and purchase tickets. Raffle prizes were distributed after the Tuesday Plenary.
Honorable guests Richard Kovar, MD, the American Academy of Family Physician’s 2012 Family Physician of the Year, and U.S. Congressman Jim McDermott visited the conference for the Welcome Reception on Sunday evening.
Many session and plenary speakers provided electronic versions of their presentations which have been posted on the NWRPCA website and are available to conference attendees. Click HERE to review and download available Session Handouts using the username and password provided at the conference.
