Schedule of Events
Monday
9/11
11:00 am
Regirer Nurse Scholarship Golf Tournament (Separate registration required)
Hanging Rock Golf Club
Salem, VA
The Regirer Nurse Scholarship Golf Tournament helps VHCA-VCAL raise funds to award scholarships each year to nursing students who work in VHCA-VCAL member centers.
Join us in supporting this great cause and the nurses who are so critical to quality resident care! In addition to playing in the tournament, there are various sponsorship opportunities available offering you the chance to be recognized prominently at the tournament. Contributions are also tax deductible. Contact Doran Hutchinson for more details.
6:30 – 7:30 pm
Welcome Reception
Come to the Welcome Reception and catch up with friends and colleagues, enjoy a drink, have something delicious to eat, and get ready for a great convention experience.
Tuesday
9/12
7:30 am
Registration & Continental Breakfast
8:30 – 9:30 am | Opening Keynote
Dream Makers: Surround Yourself with the Best to Be Your Best (NF, AL)
Jim “The Rookie” Morris
We all have dream makers and dream killers in our lives. Learn how to differentiate between the two and how to surround yourself with the best people possible to make you the best you can be! Jim takes you through his life story sharing how dream makers and dream killers shaped him into the man he is today.
9:30 – 9:45 am
Break
9:45 – 10:45 am | General Session
DC Update (NF, AL)
Mark Parkinson | President & CEO | AHCA/NCAL
Mark Parkinson will provide a DC update and the direction the sector is headed. He will discuss the challenges and opportunities confronting long term care and the major trends and how to take advantage of them and continue to push forward.
10:45 – 11:00 am
Break
11:00 – 12:15 pm | General Session
National Quality and Regulatory Updates (NF, ALF)
Debbie Meade | CEO | Health Management
The forces impacting long term care and post-acute care have been unrelenting. Debbie Meade will cover the latest and anticipated regulatory changes, AHCA’s advocacy on improving the regulatory system, and share how you can engage in these efforts. She will also discuss quality improvements delivered by nursing facilities across the nation and provide resources to assist both nursing centers and assisted living member with their quality journey.
12:15 – 1:15 pm
Lunch
1:15 – 4:00 pm
Trade Show
3:30 – 4:00 pm
Trade Show Reception
5:00 – 6:00 pm
Pledge Partners’ Reception (Invitation only)
6:00 pm
Dinner on Your Own
We have left Tuesday evening open so you can meet up with friends, customers, and business partners for dinner. Check out the options in Downtown Roanoke!
Wednesday
9/13
8:00 am
Registration & Continental Breakfast
8:30 – 9:30 am | Keynote Session
From Devastation to Inspiration (NF, AL)
Joe Torrillo | Lieutenant with the NYC Fire Department (retired)
Buried alive twice on the day that everyone remembers where they were when America was attacked four times in three different locations, Joe Torrillo survived with major life-threatening injuries. You will be inspired listening to him recount every second of what it was like being buried twice and his road to recovery.
9:30 – 9:45 am
Break
9:45 – 10:15 am
Annual Meeting
10:15 – 11:15 am | Concurrent Sessions 1
What Leadership Needs to Know to Work with the MDS Team (NF)
Alicia Cantinieri | VP of MDS and Education | Zimmet Healthcare Services Group, LLC
Is your team ready for the many changes in the year ahead? The past few years have been challenging for the long term care profession, and facility teams are stretched. With new Requirements of Participation introduced in October 2022, a new MDS version set to become effective in October 2023, and the ongoing CMS audits of antipsychotics and schizophrenia, it does not appear we will get a break. With the new MDS version, we also expect changes to quality initiatives, including QRP, Staffing, and Five-Star. Updates will also involve looking at facility policies. MDS and PDPM are team sports; however, due to differences in responsibility, the interdisciplinary team and leadership often speak different languages. This session will enhance the leadership team’s knowledge regarding what they need to know to better work with the MDS team and what needs to be in place to ensure compliance with survey and reimbursement.
Improving Healthcare Employee Engagement and Retention Through Impactful Recognition (NF, AL)
Nate Hamme | President | Ceca Foundation
Can workforce recognition solve the healthcare staffing crisis? Staffing shortages, record levels of burnout, and waning employee engagement pose a critical threat to quality patient-resident care. Low-cost, high-impact initiatives to increase morale and retention are essential for cash-strapped organizations. Fortunately, decades of research have touted workforce recognition for its outsized impact on caregivers. Learn how to implement essential best practices in the science of recognition, and leverage technology to build credible, lasting programs that engage caregivers and ease the staffing burden on leadership teams.
11:15 – 11:30 am
Break
11:30 – 12:30 pm | Concurrent Sessions 2
Navigating Five-Star: Directions for Success (NF)
Beth Divelbiss | Director of Clinical Outcomes, Data and Education | Kissito Healthcare
CMS’s Five-Star rating system is ever-changing. New rules and requirements are added on a regular basis, often impacting a facility’s rating, and public perception of care. Providers knowledge of the system paradigm is power—power to improve. Beth Divelbiss will cover the three domains of Five-Star including survey management, staffing/PBJ and quality measures. This session will take a deep dive to explain the how behind the what: how to plan for successful surveys; how to interpret staffing expectations based on daily census and acuity; and how to manage quality metrics to attain a higher star rating.
Prevent Bullying and Suicide in Long Term Care Facilities (NF, AL)
Ingrid Provident | Education Specialist | Select Rehabilitation
Bullying and suicide rates among the elderly have become an issue in care facilities. Loneliness, social isolation, and feelings related to a lack of purpose put our elders in a unique situation and at a high risk of being bullied and/or having thoughts of suicide. Ingrid Provident will present statistics about suicide and bullying rates as well as ways staff in long term care facilities can add programming to improve the emotional health of the residents. Important community resources will be shared to minimize the impact of these behaviors on the residential community. A focus on providing residents healthy respect and promoting open communication will be discussed.
12:30 – 1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30 – 3:00 pm | Concurrent Sessions 3
Trauma-Informed Care Regulatory Overview and Practical Application: A COVID-19 Perspective (NF)
Joel VanEaton BSN, RN, RAC-CT, RAC-CTA, Master Teacher | Executive Vice President of PAC Regulatory Affairs and Education | Broad River Rehab
Understanding trauma-informed care is important as it represents an integrated approach to the Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) understanding residents holistically. As we move beyond the COVID crisis, IDTs must approach resident assessment with an eye, ear, and heart toward understanding resident-specific trauma and how a resident specific experience of trauma may affect the nuance of care planning, goal setting, and outcomes achievement. Attendees will benefit from an understanding of how a truly interdisciplinary approach is necessary to a resident oriented, outcomes driven concept of care that allows past and present trauma to inform specific care pathways.
Building A Positive Work Environment: It Begins with Staff (NF, AL)
Judy Salisbury | Founder/President | Logos Presentations
We all have the responsibility and power to influence our environment for good, but sometimes that can be challenging. In this fun, interactive session, Judy Salisbury will show you how to build memories, not misery in your unique workplace. She will teach you how to leave your baggage or a bad day at the front door and how to help others to do the same. Salisbury also exposes the unintentional impact confrontations can have on our staff and residents, which can potentially lead to lawsuits, bad press, and/or career loss. She will also share insights on how your organization can disembark from the harmful and hurtful gossip train.
3:00 – 3:15 pm
Break
3:15 – 4:15 pm | Concurrent Sessions 4
Post-Acute Outcomes: Who Is the Judge? (NF)
Keely Kent | Vice President of Compliance and Clinical Services | Continuum Therapy Partners
Depending on who is judging, patient outcomes can take on many different forms and meanings. Patient-reported outcomes, Family reported outcomes, clinical outcomes, Five-Star Ratings, and value-based purchasing are various lenses through which patient outcomes may be interpreted. As we work towards providing the best outcomes for all parties are you prepared to be judged? Whether it is clinical or patient-reported, how are your facilities ensuring the best quality outcomes are happening at every level? During this session, Keely Kent will review outcomes, explain the impact outcomes have on your patients and organizations, and help you implement solutions for what is sure to be an outcomes-based healthcare future.
Utilizing Collaborative Care Approaches to Support Life Long Cognitive Wellness and Dementia Care Throughout the Continuum (AL)
Robert Maxwell, MA CCC-SLP/CDP | Clinical Director | Powerback Rehabilitation
Robert Maxwell will provide a comprehensive examination of multifactorial care approaches that work in conjunction to promote and support cognitive wellness and dementia care throughout the continuum. He will explain how using an interprofessional collaborative approach will focus on the integration of rehab services to maximize social engagement, positive behaviors, and functional skills. Maxwell will share case examples highlighting positive client successes and facility outcomes.
6:30 pm
Cocktail Reception
7:15 pm
Awards Banquet
Thursday
9/14
8:00 am
Registration & Continental Breakfast
8:30 – 10:00 am | General Session
In Their Own Words, Why Employees Stay (NF, AL)
Craig Deao | Managing Director | Huron Consulting Group
Craig Deao will present new research uncovering the driving forces of workforce retention with leaders and staff. From escalating wage wars to severe talent shortages, organizations are feeling the effects of the workforce crisis plaguing the industry. Leaders across the industry recognize change is needed to address the long-term threats these challenges pose to their organizations. Deao will share the findings that detail the drivers of retention and where leaders should focus.
10:00 – 10:15 am
Break
10:15 – 11:15 am | Concurrent Sessions 5
HIPPS Analysis: Your Roadmap to ADR Success and Denial Prevention (NF)
Jennifer Rowe, BSN, RN, RAC-CTA, DNS-CT, QCP, C-NE | Vice President Clinical Reimbursement | Trio Healthcare
Alicia Taylor, PT | Area Vice President | Aegis Therapies
ADR document checklists for medical record audits are non-specific. How do you know if you have pulled all the necessary documents to adequately support the MDS? What exactly are auditors looking for? This session will demonstrate how to double check your medical record submission by examining the HIPPS code.
Rebuilding Consumer Confidence – Strategies for Improving Consumer Relations (NF, AL)
Barbara Speedling | Quality of Life Specialist | Innovations for Quality Living
The general public has never had a positive view of long term care. The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the negative public perceptions and stimulated an increase in the demand for alternatives to long-term placement. Winning consumer confidence requires more than a focus on amenities. Building trust requires a confident, consistent, coordinated team approach to customer care and service.
11:15 – 11:30 am
Break
11:30 – 12:30 pm | Concurrent Sessions 6
From Healthcare to Health: Population Based Programming + Cross Continuum Staffing (NF)
Payden G. Dowling | Vice President of Clinical Partnerships | HealthPro/Heritage
Marla Lockhart | Regional Vice President | HealthPro/Heritage
Healthcare providers are programmed to take care of those with illness or injury, but it is just as critical to promote the capabilities of those that are well! How do you accomplish this while balancing the resident acuity factor, amidst staffing struggles no less? Payden Dowling will explore the establishment of foundational practices such as full community rounding, technology integration opportunities, holistic wellness approaches, home and community-based service expansion, and the role of channel partners. Join us as we discuss critical service adjustments from IDT role evolution to partnerships and programming to move your community into a population health model mindset.
Behavioral Health – Addressing Trauma, Grief, and Depression (NF, AL)
Barbara Speedling | Quality of Life Specialist | Innovations for Quality Living
The restrictions imposed on visitation and social activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic caused a spike in reports of depression, anxiety, and suicidal thinking in many environments. Residents, their families, and your staff have all been working through the emotions brought on by stress, isolation, and fear. Responding to the behavioral health needs resulting from the pandemic requires that all staff understand the basic responsibility to provide culturally competent, trauma-informed care.
Trade Show
Why make time to attend the show? VHCA-VCAL’s Trade Show is a convenient, interactive forum where you can learn about the innovative products and services available to make sure your residents and patients receive the highest quality care.
Why exhibit? The VHCA-VCAL Trade Show is a great venue for meeting with decision makers, purchasing officers, and others who work in Virginia’s nursing centers and assisted living communities. Come make new connections and grow existing partnerships that enhance the quality and services you provide.
Reserve a BoothVHCA-VCAL Member – $850 ($950 after July 1)
Non-Member – $1,550 ($1,650 after July 1)
Reserve a booth by August 1, 2023 for the best selection.
Pledge Partners
We are incredibly grateful to our Pledge Partners, those companies, colleagues, and friends, who demonstrate unwavering commitment to our profession. We are grateful for their ongoing support to help us safeguard and strengthen representation of the long term and post-acute care profession, to the government, media and public during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
Support from our Pledge Partners makes the Convention & Trade Show and other VHCA-VCAL events possible. Interested in becoming a Pledge Partner? Contact Doran Hutchinson.
Attire
Attire for the Convention & Trade Show is business casual. For your comfort, please bring a sweater or jacket as temperatures in meeting rooms fluctuate. Attire for the banquet is semi-formal dress.
Cancellations received by the deadline will receive a full refund. No refunds or credits will be granted if cancellation is received after the published deadline. Substitutions are always welcome. All cancellations involving a credit card transaction will be charged a 10% administrative fee. No shows or cancellations made after the event will not receive a refund and/or will be expected to pay any outstanding invoice. VHCA-VCAL’s receipt of your registration is your commitment to pay the invoice in full.
Survey Related Cancellation
If a facility is having a survey, the administrator and DON of the facility are able to cancel their registration without a penalty. Facilities must provide this information in writing to doran.hutchinson@vhca.org.
By registering for and/or attending this event, I acknowledge and agree that photographs, video, and other recordings of the event may be taken by VHCA-VCAL or parties acting on behalf of VHCA-VCAL, and that these photographs, video, and other recordings may be used by VHCA-VCAL in any media now known or later invented for any purpose related to VHCA-VCAL’s mission, including education, promotional, and awareness related use. I give VHCA-VCAL unlimited permission to use my name, likeness, image, statements, and other information I may give to VHCA-VCAL, whether through registration, at the event, or otherwise, that may be necessary for VHCA- VCAL to make use of its rights in the photographs, video, and other recordings.
Health and Safety Protocols
(Updated May 11, 2023)
Our goal is always to keep our event attendees healthy and safe. As a precautionary measure, VHCA-VCAL asks attendees who are sick and/or have active symptoms of fever, cough, or shortness of breath to please refrain from attending our events for the benefit of all concerned. Substitutions are welcome for any registered attendees who must refrain from participating in an event due to exposure/illness. (See the Cancellation and Refund Policy for more details.)
The CDC recommends staying up to date with vaccines and testing if you have symptoms. Further, it says people may mask at any time.
Meetings and events held on-site at a long term care facility must follow the host facility’s protocols.