16-19 March 2015, Tropicana Hotel, Las Vegas, NV

2015 Symposium Contact Hour Certificates

You can print your own certificate by going to www.mtsreport.com/nant/15 Enter your last name as it appears on your badge (including any suffixes) and the four digit number on your badge.  You can look up your name to get your four digit number here.

2015 Symposium Presentations

Presentions from the 2015 Symposium will be posted below as received by speakers.  Please feel free to download these presentations to use for in-service training in your dialysis facility.

• AmeriWater Water Treatment
• B. Braun Water Treatment
• Bed Bugs, Lawrence K. Park, MSPH, CHCM, CPEA, CWCP, CNCI, RPIH
• Beware the Biofilm, Jim Curtis
• Current Survey Citations and How to Avoid Them, Joan Travis, RN
• Dialyzer Dyamics - Testing Your Understanding, John Sweeny
• Effects of Na and K on the Body, Jenny Pedersen, RN, MSN
• Electrical Safety, Paul Haggarty
• ESRD Core Survey and Culture of Safety, Denise VanValkenburgh, RN 
• Fears & Tears, Terri Cally, LMSW (please contact the NANT office for a copy)
• Hemodialysis Machines - Testing Your Understanding, John Sweeny
• Keeping in Bounds - OSHA Compliance, Lawrence K. Park, MSPH, CHCM, CPEA, CWCP, CNCI, RPIH
• Kidney Transplantation:  The Difficulties- Real and Perceived, Alexander J. Gilbert, MD
• Moving Forward, John Sweeny
• NNCC Certification

2015 Program Highlights

• Click here for the 2015 Schedule-at-a-Glance (152 KB PDF)
• Click here to download the 2015 Symposium Brochure (483 KB PDF)
• Click here for 2015 Symposium registration 

Exhibitor Information

• Click here for the Exhibitor Prospectus for 2015 NANT Symposium (66 KB PDF)
• Click here for the Exhibitor Contract (746 KB PDF form)

Session Information

Workshops | General Sessions | Concurrent Session Tracks

Click on the symbol next to each session below in order to download the event to the calendar on your device.

2015 Workshops

Workshops provide opportunities for technicians to gain in-depth knowledge in three areas. Workshop fees include refreshment breaks (but not lunch). To ensure your participation, you must register in advance. Workshops begin at 8:30 am and end by 4:00 pm, with a break for lunch. All workshops offer a full day of education and 7.2 contact hours. Space is limited – register NOW!

• Are You in Compliance? ($75 member/$95 non-member)
  • There is an alphabet soup of organizations that dialysis units must be in compliance with: OSHA, Joint Commission, CMS, CDC and more. This six hour workshop features Larry Park, MSPH, CHCM, CPEA, Fresenius Medical Care NA; Danilo Concepcion, CBNT, CCHT-A, FNKF, Operations Manager, Renal Services, St. Joseph Hospital and Denise VanValkenburgh, RN, BA, consultant. If your dialysis unit is scheduled for an audit by any of these organizations, you don’t want to miss this workshop!
• Water Treatment For Dialysis Workshop($75 member/$95 non-member)
  • Participants will receive a copy of the newly published Water Treatment for Dialysis (a $50 member/$75 non-member value).
  • This workshop will feature authors of chapters of the newest book on water treatment for dialysis as well as an overview by AmeriWater, B. Braun and MarCor on their water treatment products. This workshop is a must for every biomedical technician!
• Machine Troubleshooting ($15 member/$25 non-member)
  • This workshop will provide insight into how to troubleshoot the Fresenius dialysis machines and review of common problems and how to avoid having them happen.

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General Sessions

Tuesday

• Become the Expert on Bedbugs in One Hour! – Larry Park, MSPH, CHCM, CPEA
  • The saying, “Sleep tight! Don’t let the bedbugs bite!” Is sometimes a reality for dialysis units. This session is guaranteed to give you useful information about how to deal with bedbug infestations. Larry Park is an energetic, engaging speaker who will give you specific tools and tips of how to deal with this pesky bug.
• The A & P Quiz Show – Amelia Bell Hawkins, MSN, RN, APRN-BC, CRNP-F
  • Anatomy and Physiology are the basics of dialysis. This interactive session will help you gauge your knowledge. How good will your score be?
• Fears and Tears: A New Way of Looking at Emotions in Dialysis Patients – Terri Cally, LMSW Education and Community Outreach Director, MARC Network 5
  • This session deals with biological and evolutional purposes of tears and our Fight or Flight response, and uses other evolutionary examples of adapted animals and human skin colors to illustrate biological realities in our patients.
• Facility Culture – Denise VanValkenburgh, RN, BA, Consultant
  • Since 2013, the dialysis community seems to have bought into the Culture of Safety concept. This session will explore the three levels of human behavior: inadvertent, at risk, and negligent as related to dialysis and the technicians’ role.
• Certification: Future Trends, Recertification Requirements – BONENT, NNCC and NNCO
  • With new certifications being introduced for dialysis technicians and the continuing need for recertification to maintain your dialysis position, certification is now front and center for technicians. Come prepared to learn the latest in dialysis technician certification.
• Baseline Patient Empowerment Project – Shad Ireland
  • Shad Ireland was born with healthy kidneys in May, 1972. Almost exactly eleven years later, in May, 1983, he and his mother got the news that those kidneys were now diseased and he would have to be on dialysis while awaiting a kidney transplant. Shad eventually underwent two transplant operations. The first kidney transplant, at age 18, lasted for three years. The second transplant was unsuccessful. Facing a life of illness and having been told he would probably only live until he was 25, Shad decided to cram as much living on the edge into his life as he could. To him, that meant partying and having a good time even as he endured regular dialysis. He had no real goals beyond making sure what happened in the next 24 hours was based on having fun.
  • Then one day in 1993, weighing just 75 pounds and recovering very slowly from the rejection of his first transplanted kidney, Shad was resting and watching television. Flipping between channels, he saw a race he’d not seen before – a triathlon. He was captivated by the strength and determination the contestants in this difficult race exhibited and told his mother he would some day compete in that race. The road to meeting that goal wasn’t straight or easy, but in 2004, Shad finished his first triathlon – the world famous Ironman – in Lake Placid, New York. He was the first dialysis patient to ever do so. By beating the astronomical odds against him through sheer guts and perseverance, he became a swimming, biking and running symbol of courage and hope in the face of a killer disease.

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Thursday

• What’s Wrong with This Picture? – Clarica Douglas, CHT
  
  • Pictures of dialysis units form the basis of this interactive session. What’s wrong in the picture? What’s right? This engaging session will help you go back to your dialysis unit with a fresh eye for what needs to be changed.
• End of Life Issues – Jeff Lux, DaVita
  • It’s a fact of dialysis – technicians are often helping their patients deal with end of life issues. This session will provide useful ideas of how to make things easier for your patients.
• Moving Forward – John Sweeny, BS, CHT
  • You’ve just finished this great boot camp… what’s next? NANT’s favorite speaker, John Sweeny, will give you concrete suggestions of how to take what you have learned back to your dialysis unit and how to share this information in a way that will impress your supervisor and ensure that you will be selected to attend the next great educational program that NANT has to offer.

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Concurrent Session Tracks

Clinical

• Fluid Management and Physiological Effects on the Body – Jennifer Pederson, RN, MSN, DaVita; Amelia Bell Hawkins, MSN, RN, APRN-BC, CRNP-F
  • This three part session will provide an overview on fluid management with a focus on sodium/potassium and phosphorous/calcium.
• Dialyzer Dynamics: Testing Your Understanding – John Sweeny, BS, CHT
  • Do you understand what is actually happening in the dialyzer during a treatment? Keep in mind that you can’t see fluid movement, watch molecules diffuse across a membrane, or even barely see the fibers inside, so what is really happening? This lecture will give you a chance to see if what you believe is correct through a series of questions and answers. Keep your own score and find out if your personal “picture” is correct.
• Transplantation Difficulties – Alexander J. Gilbert, MD, Transplant Nephrologist, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital
  • How can you help your dialysis patient get ready for a kidney transplant? This session will discuss the process your patient will go through from the day their name is put on the list through post recovery.
• Hands-on Session: Vascular Access
  • This session will include three stations that small groups will visit for hands-on practice: All about Buttonholes, Access Assessment, and Access Bingo.

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Biomedical

• Life Safety Codes – Danilo Concepcion, CBNT, CCHT-A, FNKF, Operations Manager, Renal Services, St. Joseph Hospital
  • Often biomed technicians are responsible for general facility management. Maintaining the dialysis facility is just as important as maintaining the dialysis machines. Preventive maintenance can forestall significant problems that can be detrimental to the health of dialysis patients and staff alike.
• Hemodialysis Machines: Testing Your Understanding – John Sweeny, BS, CHT
  • What is really happening in the dialysis machine during a treatment? You can’t see inside it – but the more you understand what is happening, the better you can keep it going. This lecture will give you a chance to see if what you believe is correct through a series of questions and answers. Keep your own score and find out if your personal “picture” is correct.
• Electrical Safety – Paul Haggarty, MarCor
  • Fluids and electricity don’t mix! But, that’s exactly what happens in a hemodialysis machine. This session is designed to review electrical safety that might result saving someone’s life… maybe even your own!
• Current Survey Citations and How to Avoid Them – Denise VanValkenburgh, RN, BA
  
  • Your unit is being surveyed next week – are you ready? This session will explore the most common survey citations and provide tips and techniques of how you can avoid being cited.
• Managing Your Team for Success! – Kevin Burns, Satellite Healthcare and Fran Rickenbach, CAE, IOM 
  • Getting all your team all moving in the same direction can be a challenge – but one you must meet if you want to climb your personal career ladder. This session will provide specific tips and tricks designed for biomedical technicians as well as a hands-on exercise which will give you a different view of how to build consensus.
• Hands-on Session: Techniques for Biomeds
  • This session will include three stations that small groups will visit for handy techniques.

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(Page last updated on 02/27/15)

2013 Symposium Program Highlights

To print your CONTACT HOUR CERTIFICATE please click here.  You will need to enter your last name and the 4 digit number from your badge.  If you have questions about your certificate,This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Click here for presentations in Acrobat from the 2013 Symposium

• Click here for the Schedule-at-a-Glance (836 KB PDF)
• Click here to download the 2013 Symposium Brochure (1.4 MB PDF)

Workshops | General Sessions | Concurrent Session Tracks

2013 Workshops

Workshops presented by Fresenius Medical Care and MarCor Purification provide opportunities for technicians to gain in-depth knowledge about each company's products and dialysis services.

There is a $15 charge to attend these workshops, which includes refreshment breaks (but not lunch). To ensure your participation, you must register in advance.

Workshops begin at 8:00 am and end by 4:00 pm, with a break for lunch. All workshops offer a full day of education and up to 7.0 contact hours. Space is limited – register NOW!

• Machine Troubleshooting – David Carlson, CBET, Fresenius Medical Care, NA
  • This workshop will provide insight into how to troubleshoot the Fresenius dialysis machines and review of common problems and how to avoid having them happen.
• Water Purification for Dialysis – Richard Benner, CWSIII, Mar Cor
  • Industry trends that impact dialysis will be discussed including: impact of new ISO standards for water, components of a typical water treatment system, new advances in water purification, the use of heat for disinfection, will be covered. How water quality plays an essential role in these new trends will be reviewed.

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General Sessions

Tuesday

• Taking Care of the Patient – Lori Hartwell
  • NANT is delighted to welcome back Lori Hartwell to our symposium. Lori Hartwell has made a difference in the lives of people with chronic kidney disease. She is the model of living a fulfilling life despite chronic illness. A kidney patient since age two, having survived 40 plus surgeries, 13 years of dialysis and now living with her fourth kidney transplant, Lori founded the patient-led Renal Support Network in 1993 to instill "health, happiness, and hope" into the lives of fellow patients.
• Dialysis Technology – Impact on Delivered Prescription – Joe Johnston, Sr. VP, Biomedical Services and Technology Integration, Fresenius Medical Care NA
  • When you enter a prescription into a dialysis machine, do you know exactly what the patient will receive? Errors, random variations and design details about how devices and disposables used all affect the delivered prescription. This session will explore examples and discuss how you, the dialysis technician, can better control the delivery of the prescription to your patient.
• Emergency Preparedness
  • If you had any doubts of the impact of an emergency on your clinic, you won't after you hear real-life stories from dialysis technicians who struggled to provide dialysis to their patients during Hurricane Sandy, tornadoes, and other emergencies. What you learn in this session will make you a valuable member of your clinic's emergency preparedness team.
• Taking Yourself to the Next Level – Anthony Messana, Executive Director – Renal Services, St. Joseph Hospital
  • The dialysis profession has many opportunities for dialysis technicians. NANT members who started as technicians are choosing a wide range of career paths that build on their dialysis technology expertise. Learn how you can chart your course to the next level in your profession.

Thursday

• Interactive Teambuilding – Janet Mlodzikowski, RN, BSN, CNN, CCM, Clinical Educator, Wellspan
  • Technicians know the value of teamwork – but what do you do when your team isn't working? This session will provide you with specific ideas and techniques to ensure your team is effective.
• Home Modalities – Dori Schatell, MS, Executive Director, Medical Education Institute
  • Dialysis at home is not the same as in the clinic – and, how can your clinic benefit from having patients dialyze at home? Learn both in this informative session.
• When Disaster Comes to YOUR Clinic
  • So many technicians have dealt with natural disasters this year. This interactive session will give us a chance to learn from each other and share the small successes of providing the life-saving dialysis treatments under very difficult situations. You won't want to miss this affirming session!

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Wednesday Concurrent Session Tracks

Clinical

• Shopping for Care – Sizzlin' Sun NANT Chapter
  • Everyone loves to shop, but if you had to shop for items that would make for a fabulous work day and great experience would your list of ingredients match up to that of our patients? Come shop with us, literally, and check out ways to combine the ingredients on our lists, and those of our patients to create the perfect recipe for a happy work environment! Come on down to the Sizzlin' Sun Store! No value cards needed to walk away with our daily deals, and we offer a freshness guarantee on innovative outlooks!
• Interventional Access from the Floor – Aslam Perez, MD, Interventional Nephrologist and Medical Director, Southwest Kidney Institute
  • If you have ever wondered what goes through the mind of a Nephrologist when he/she is rounding in our facilities assessing the access' of our patients, here is your chance to find out!  This session is led by Interventional Nephrologist Dr. Aslam Pervez, MD and will provide invaluable insight regarding the red flags and signs that would indicate further access evaluation may be required.  Timely and appropriate intervention for vascular access is critical for our patients, so join us and add key information to your arsenal of access knowledge.
• PD Quick Starts – Janett Hartley,RN, Facility Administrator, Home Dialysis
  • Moving into the future, the culture of dialysis is increasingly carving out new territory.  Chronic Hemodialysis is moving aside from center stage and saying good bye to the days of being a solo headliner.  Home modalities are increasingly becoming more prevalent as the patients choice of therapy.  Learn how peritoneal dialysis urgent starts are just one of the many ways home modalities are moving up to share the stage as the new headliners in town.
• QAPI and Technicians – You CAN Make a Difference – Teri Spencer, RN, TB Spencer Consulting LLC
  • The new CMS survey has a significant component of Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement, including a QAPI survey tool for the review of the facility program. While traditionally technicians have not had a primary role in the QAPI program in their facility, now CMS expects ALL facilities to include technicians in the QAPI activities. This session will help you best prepare for these new responsibilities.

Biomedical

• Role and Evolution of AAMI/ANSI Standards for Dialysis Fluids – Vern Taaffe, President, RPC
  • The need for hemodialysis fluids has led to the development of AAMI dialysis standards, which CMS has adopted. This session will discuss the evolution of this process and the implementation of the new ISO harmonized AAMI dialysis standards.
• Unusual Event Investigations – Brooks Rogers, VP Biomedical Support Services, Fresenius Medical Care
  • What, Who, When, How, Why – Protecting the patient, and collecting data and materials for investigating root cause.
• The Ins and Outs of Water Testing in Dialysis – Impact on Patient Care: A New AAMI TIR – Jo-Ann Maltais, PhD, Maltais Consulting
  • The AAMI Renal Disease and Detoxification Committee is currently working on a Technical Information Report (TIR) to help dialysis professionals understand the contaminants in water and their impact on dialysis. It aims to describe the hemodialysis patient symptoms associated with exposure to the contaminant and the effects of these contaminants if not removed on the water treatment systems and downstream equipment. Lastly it describes various detection methods or test(s) used to measure the contaminants and the problems associated with the testing including interferences that can lead to invalid results.
• Technical Implications for the Extracorporeal Circuit – Brooks Rogers, VP Biomedical Support Services, Fresenius Medical Care
  • How the system interfaces with the machine. What is measured by the machine and what is not. Changes in performance parameters of the extracorporeal circuit.
• How to Build an Effective Biomed Training Program – Scott Gilliland, DaVita and Heather Paradis, Fresenius Medical Care
  • Your facility administrator looks to you to design a training program for new biomedical technicians. What's important to cover? In what order should ideas be presented? This session will help you respond to this challenge – or help to inform the individual at your facility who is in charge of your training program.
• Oh, No! My Water Broke! Problems That Leave Your Clinic All Wet – Richard Benner, CWSIII and Robert McMullen, MarCor Purification
  • When water systems fail, it impacts your dialysis clinic in many ways. We'll look at the common failures and how to ensure the patients are not negatively impacted.
• DIY: When You HAVE To Do It Yourself!
  • Tips and techniques you should use when making plumbing or basic electrical repairs to your water system.

Professional Development

• What's My Type? Understanding Personality Preferences in the Workplace – Andrea Weiss, MS, NCC, MCC
  • Why doesn't everyone use a to-do list? Why do some people always seem to be having fun? Why does a sudden change of plans make me feel uncomfortable? And what does personality have to do with all this? A lot!
  • In this workshop you will discover your personality type and gain insight into how personality preferences impact your interactions with patients, co-workers, supervisors and administrators. By completing the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), and engaging in fun and insightful activities, you'll discover how your personality impacts your communication style, your decision-making processes, and your contributions to the team. You will be able to immediately apply what you've learned to improve your work and personal life, as you gain a better understanding of yourself and begin to appreciate the differences in others.
  • Note: Participants must commit to the entire three hour workshop. You will not be able to join the workshop after the first session.

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(Page last updated on 01/15/12)

21-24 March 2016, Tropicana Hotel, Las Vegas, NV

2016 Contact Hour Certificates

You can print your own certificate by going to www.mtsreport.com/nant/16 Enter your last name as it appears on your badge and the four digit number on your badge.  You can look up your name to get your four digit number here.

2016 Symposium Presentations 

Pre-Symposium Workshops

• Program Development John Sweeny
• Presentation Skills John Sweeny

Symposium

• Product Development: Meeting Needs Beyond the Checklist Curtis Woods
• Dialysis Reimbursement: How Has it Changed? What Does the Future Hold? Anthony Messana
• Disaster Preparedness Lawrence K. Park
• Infection ControlHeather Weirich
• Dialyzer Reuse Priti Patel
• Biofilm: Where Does it Come From and Why is it Such a Problem Jo-Ann Maltais
• Fluid Management During Dialysis Anne Diroll
• Dialysate Composition: Accuracy of the PrescriptionJoe Johnston
• Vascular Access Dr. Gregg Miller
• Precipitation Reactions in Dialysis John Sweeny
• Carbon and Chlorine Issues in Hemodialysis Water Treatment Systems Burke West
• Hemodialysis Modalities - Which is Best for Your Patient Dori Schatell
• Complex Water Treatment Problem Solving Jim Baker
• Bringing Empathy to the Dialysis Facility Robin Siegal
• From a Patient's Perspective 
• Going Beyond the Checklist Susan Novak and Wisconsin Chapter

2016 Program Highlights

• Click here for the 2016 Schedule-at-a-Glance
• Click here to download the 2016 Symposium Brochure

Exhibitor Information

• Click here for the Exhibitor Prospectus and Contract (878 KB PDF form)

Session Information

Workshops | General Sessions | Concurrent Session Tracks

Click on the symbol next to each session below in order to download the event to the calendar on your device.

2016 Workshops

We offer three pre-symposium workshops on Monday:

• The Professional Development Workshop will present an overview of skills and techniques the NCT or NBT needs to climb his or her career ladder.
• MarCor will offer a workshop on Water Treatment that will provide an overview of a wide range of water treatment issues and solutions.
• Fresenius Medical Care will offer a workshop providing opportunities for technicians to gain a deeper understanding about troubleshooting their dialysis machines.

There is a $25 charge to attend these workshops, which include refreshment breaks (but not lunch). To ensure your participation, you must register in advance. Workshops begin at 8:30 am and end by 4:00 pm, with a break for lunch. All workshops offer a full day of education and up to 8.3 contact hours. Space is limited – register NOW!

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General Sessions

Tuesday

•  Patient Relations – Relating Patiently – Patti Wood, MA, CSP
  • Do you want to use the power of the first impression to understand your patient’s personality as quickly as possible? Would you like to know five ways to hear a patient?Have you ever wondered what a patient was thinking but not saying? Do you know the secret differences between the way male and female patients share their concerns and symptoms? Do you want to gain the eyes and attention of your patients? Have you wanted to establish rapport quickly to immediately put your patient at ease? Do you want to know two things to do when someone isn’t listening to you? This session will fulfill your needs!
• Product Development: Meeting Needs Beyond the Checklist – Curtis Woods, Renal Therapy Group, Fresenius Medical Care NA
  • Machine technology and supplies have changed over the years, due in no small part to how researchers have moved beyond the checklist to find and develop the best products that they can. This session will focus on how new product development depends on moving beyond the checklist.
• Dialysis Reimbursement: How Has it Changed? What Does the Future Hold? – Anthony Messana, Executive Director for the Dialysis and Transplant Program, St. Joseph Hospital, in Orange, CA
  • How your dialysis unit gets reimbursed for patient care has a huge impact on everything your unit does. This session will explain recent changes in reimbursement policies and what is anticipated for the future. Understanding the finances of your unit will help you be a better part of the CKD patient care team.
• Disaster Preparedness – Larry Park, MSPH, CHCM, CPEA, CWCP, CNCI, RPIH, Vice President – Corporate Health, Safety, Environmental Affairs, Engineering, Security & Risk Management, Fresenius Medical Care North America
  • Disasters come in many forms – fires, floods,riots, snow – and yet your clinic still needs to provide dialysis to your patients. This session focuses on how you can be prepared for those things that you know will happen –and those you haven’t even considered.
• Chemical Reactions in Dialysis – John Sweeny, BS
  • The entire body’s functions can be described using chemical equations. Most of these are quite complex and hard to understand.Some however are not, and once understood explain why we dialyze our patients the way we do.
• Who is Watching? Who is Hacking? – Anthony Giandomenico, Senior Security Strategist, Fortinet
  • As the cyber security expert with Fortinet FortiGuard Labs, Anthony delivers knowledge, tools and methodologies to properly demonstrate advanced threat concept and defense strategy. This session will provide you with information about how your unit’s computer network could be hacked and how to be sure both it and your personal systems can be safe from unwanted users and followers.

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Thursday

• Bringing Empathy to the Dialysis Facility – Robin Siegal, LCSW, Adjunct Lecturer, USC School of Social Work
  • Technicians and technologists work with individuals with chronic illness. Some patients you like, some are challenging – but how do you identify with any patient to give them the empathetic care that will enhance their treatment – and their life? This session will include exercises to help you understand how to work with all your patients.
• From a Patient’s Perspective – Troyce Crucchiola
  • As a dialysis patient, Troyce has been stuck more than 3,000 times… and has never gotten sick from a water problem or any kind of bio system failure. So, Troyce understands how important both NCTs and NBTs are to his life-sustaining treatment. Troyce first spoke at the NANT Symposium in 2003, and received rave reviews from the participants.
• Going Beyond the Checklist – Susan Novak, BS, CHT, Supervisor, Wisconsin Dialysis, Inc. and the Kidney Kleaners Chapter
  • Our charge to you is to continue to go beyond your daily checklist. This session will help you incorporate what you have learned in the last three days and provide action plans of how you can take this information back to your dialysis clinic to share with your colleagues.

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Concurrent Session Tracks

Wednesday

Clinical

• Infection Control – Heather Weirich, BSN, RN, CNN, Independent Dialysis Foundation
  • Control of infection in a dialysis unit is critical to its success. With her membership on the Network 5 (MARC) Infection Prevention Subcommittee and Medical Review Board as well as the CDC Dialysis BSI Prevention Collaborative Steering Committee, Heather Weirich has a passion for infection control.
• Fluid Management During Dialysis – Anne Diroll, RN, CNN
  • Fluid overload (FO) is common in hemodialysis patients and leads to complications such as hypertension, left ventricular disease, myocardial stunning, with its associated fibrosis, arrhythmias, heart failure, and sudden cardiac death. If better fluid management resulted in just a 20% reduction in hospitalizations your clinic would not only improve health and outcomes for dialysis patients, it would also demonstrate a commitment to continuous Quality Assurance Performance Improvement (QAPI).
• Vascular Access – Gregg Miller, MD, Vice President, Operations, Fresenius Vascular Care
  • This session will focus on proper needle placement, AV fistula button holes and what does a good fistula/graft sound and feel like?
• Hemodialysis Modalities – Which is Best for Your Patient? – Dori Schatell, MS, Executive Director, Medical Education Institute
  • There is a wide range of modalities for your CKD patients – but how can you help them pick the one that will best meet their needs? This session will review the modalities and provide helpful ideas of how to help your patients make informed choices.

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Biomedical

• Biomicrobiology and Reuse – Priti R. Patel, MD, MPH, CDC Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion
  • CDC is conducting bloodstream infection (BSI) surveillance and promoting BSI prevention among hemodialysis facilities. The CDC Dialysis BSI Prevention Collaborative is a partnership of freestanding and hospital based outpatient dialysis facilities across the country aimed at preventing BSIs in hemodialysis patients. CDC provides evidence-based prevention guidelines and access to the National Healthcare Safety Network, a surveillance system that allows facilities to track infections.
• Biofilm: Where Does it Come from and Why is it Such a Problem? – JoAnn B. Maltais, Ph.D., Maltais Consulting
  • Endotoxins are small, stable, bacterially derived hydrophobic molecules which can easily contaminate labware. Thorough cleanliness is required to substantially reduce endotoxin levels. This session will address methods, cultures and sampling techniques for controlling biofilm.
• Dialysate Composition: Accuracy of the Prescription – Joe Johnston, Fresenius Medical Care
  • While NBTs may think that they do not have direct contact with the CKD patient, the composition of the dialysate is critical to ensuring the nephrologist’s prescription is being accurately delivered to the patient. This session will review the steps to be taken to ensure quality care for the CKD patient.
• Chemical Reactions in Dialysis: Precipitation – John Sweeny, BS
  • From the coating of pipe walls in water distribution lines to the improper building of bones in the body, precipitation is something to be avoided. Understanding what causes precipitation and how to prevent it is key to performing successful dialysis treatments.
• Carbon and Chlorine Issues in Hemodialysis Water Treatment Systems – Burke West, PE, CWS-VI, President, Nelson Environmental Technologies, Inc.
  • This session will include the various states of chlorine and the dynamics of how they interact with carbon. The emphasis will be on actual issues that biotechs encounter and how to address them. The session will be more practical than theoretical.
• Complex Water Treatment Problem Solving – Jim Baker, MWS, Vice President, AmeriWater
  • No matter what water treatment equipment your dialysis clinic uses, you often run into more complex problems – you know, the ones that aren’t fully explained in the manual. This session will address these complex problems and make suggestions of how to identify solutions. Have a problem you can’t solve? Be prepared to share it during this session – you’ll get your answer!

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Speaker Information

• Copyright Law
• Speaker Registration Step-by-Step
• 2016 Speaker Expense Reimbursement Guidelines and Form

(Page last updated on 01/21/16)