Improve continuity of care while empowering patients to be their own healthcare advocates.

Conference Agenda

Transitions of care is one of the biggest topics in healthcare today. The Navigating Through Care Transitions: Improving Continuity of Care Conference will bring together the multidisciplinary team for a dynamic and interactive event to learn models of care and innovative processes leading to improved outcomes across the continuum of care and appropriate use of healthcare resources.

This two-day event will provide participants with the tools to:

• Reduce avoidable hospital re-admissions
• Focus on patient-centered care
• Decrease medication errors
• Increase self-efficacy of patients and family/caregivers
• Improve patient outcomes
• Identify the relationship between compassion, kindness, and patient satisfaction
• To improve continuity of care by empowering patients and their families to be their own healthcare advocates.

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN. SIGN UP TODAY!

By clicking on the registration button you will be taken to our Eventbrite registration page for easy online registration and online payment. There is a service fee for paying and registering online.

* For a reduced service fee, you can register online and select the option to pay by check. Once you have selected the number of tickets and choose to checkout- under payment methods- select pay by check. Mail your check to: The Northwest Hospital Alliance, 2003 Kootenai Health Way, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814.

Early-Bird Registration Rate (ends 03/01/17) Extended to 04/18/17!: $499
Early-Bird Group Registration Rate (3 or more from the same facility): $480
Onsite Registration Rate (begins 04/19/17): $600

The exciting line-up of topics and presenters focus on patient-centered care and transitions through the complex continuum of care.

Transitions of Care- the Scope of the Problem of poor Quality Care Transition

A six-prong multi-faceted approach to improving quality and safety (that includes meeting the patients at their level, engaging family caregivers, aligning financial incentives, improving cross setting collaboration and communication, building professional competencies and ensuring accountability. 

Don’t reinvent the wheel- Dr. Coleman will share tools and resources available in the public domain.

Stump the doctor to discuss real life scenarios and come up with solutions. 

Eric A. Coleman, MD, MPH, is Professor of Medicine and Head of the Division of Health Care Policy and Research at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. He is the Director of the Care Transitions Program, aimed at improving quality and safety during times of care “handoffs”. He also serves as the Executive Director of the Practice Change Leaders. Dr. Coleman was recognized with a 2012 MacArthur Fellowship for his work in bridging innovation and practice through enhancing the role of patients and family caregivers in improving the quality of their care transitions.

Known for the “Coleman Model”, Dr. Coleman is a national speaker and facilitator helping groups to develop and hone their own patient centered transitions of care work.

Transforming Patient Lives: The Art of Person-Centered Care
Allison Massari takes her audience on a journey, offering tools to rise above any obstacle, and find peace, purpose, and happiness despite turbulent times. She explains, “The power of what you do goes far beyond the technical part of your job. You are healing the places medicine cannot touch. In fact, YOU are the medicine.” As an advocate for both patient and healthcare provider, Allison’s powerful understanding of the essential nature of patient-centered care fortifies audience members, offering applicable tools for managing change, adversity, and the everyday challenges of being human.

Allison is on the “Best Keynote Speakers” List. Named One of the Top 10 Best Speakers in North America for Motivation – M&C Magazine.

Exploring Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Nursing and Nursing Education
Piri Ackerman-Barger, PhD, RN, is an assistant clinical professor at the UC Davis Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing. She is an expert at teaching methodology in health sciences, social determinants of health, collaborative practice and organizational change. A much sought after speaker, in this talk Piri will tie in aspects of equity, diversity and inclusion and how it relates to perceptions and impacts care.her chronic disease programs.

Who Should Attend:

The conference is open to anyone engaged in improving health care quality and transitions of care.
This includes: Physicians, nurses, pharmacists, nurse practitioners, case managers, care navigators, discharge planners, social workers, therapists, and administrators representing hospitals, clinics, skilled nursing, rehabilitation, home health, palliative care, and hospice organizations.

Lodging:

The Coeur d’Alene Resort
115 South 2nd Street, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814

Special Room Rates:

Lake Tower $159.00
Park Tower $ 139.00
North Wing $119

Individual reservations can be made by calling the Resort’s reservation desk at 888-965-6542. 
To secure these special rates, you must reserve by March 9, 2017.

Check- In: 4:00 p.m. and Check- Out: 12:00 Noon.

The room rates are subject to State & Lodging Tax and Surcharge.

Cancellation Policy

Cancellation requests must be submitted in writing to the Northwest Hospital Alliance.
By email: nwhospitalalliance@gmail.com
By regular mail: Northwest Hospital Alliance, 2003 Kootenai Health Way, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814

Cancellations received by close of business on Friday, March 30, 2017 will receive a full refund, minus a $30 administrative fee. No refunds will be made for cancellations received after Friday, March 30, 2017.

The Northwest Hospital Alliance recently hosted the Northwest Antimicrobial Stewardship Summit. The Summit was meant to be a launch to form a regional, if not statewide, effort toward developing Antimicrobial Stewardship Plans for facilities, but more than that, to work as a unified community to change the way antibiotics are thought of and prescribed – a cultural shift.

The purpose of this one-day event was to provide participants with the tools they need to plan and develop an Antimicrobial Stewardship Program within their own facility, as well as to establish a collaborative work group to implement a regional Antimicrobial Stewardship Program and Initiative. Visit the Summit’s Webpage for event handouts as well as other Antimicrobial Stewardship resources.

Nursing Grand Rounds (NGR) provide a forum for nurses between our partner hospitals to share clinical expertise, nursing best practices and education on related topics to improve patient outcomes and enhance patient experiences, as well as building collaboration and respect across the continuum of care. An NGR is a presentation given by nurses who share nursing care and are focused on a particular case.

In a partnership with the North Idaho College School of Nursing, the Nurse Leaders Peer Group of the Northwest Hospital Alliance developed this successful strategy to improve communication, build relationships, gain knowledge, and improve patient care by hosting quarterly Nursing Grand Rounds.

Kathleen Barbera presents the featured patient flow of care while in the ICU at Kootenai Health.
The format includes the case study of a patient who presented at one of the partner critical access hospitals and was then transported to Kootenai Health for specialty care that was needed.

The first Grand Rounds, held last December, featured a patient with a traumatic brain injury. The most recent Grand Rounds held on March 22, featured a patient with a ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI). Each NGR had more than 50 participants with videoconferencing used to bring partner hospital teams together.

Presenting a case study of a particular patient enables nurses to systematically examine a specific patient’s episode of care, review the pathophysiology, evaluate the nursing care provided and relate “doing of nursing care” to evidence and science.

“While the intention was to use this as a nursing education opportunity, we have found that inclusion of the EMT’s, air or ground transport teams, and others associated with the care of the patient may lead to a bigger learning opportunity, especially as it ties to Idaho working toward it’s Time Sensitive Emergency (TSE) structure.” According to Chris Way, Chief of Kootenai County EMS and Region 1 chair of the TSE Initiative, “If we all work together and learn from each case, we may be able cut precious time from the continuum of care for the patient.”

Regularly scheduled educational opportunities are associated with increased professionalism and improved outcomes for patients.

“Given the success of our current NGR’s, we plan to continue the conference style education opportunity on a quarterly basis,” said Tari Yourzek, Boundary Community Hospital Chief Nursing Officer. “They will occur in March, June, September and December. Participation of bedside nurses is encouraged in an effort to mentor and support professional development.”

The Northwest Hospital Alliance presented the North Idaho College nursing program with a $100,000 grant to help support nursing education in our region.

Pictured (from left): (front) Nancy Murren, NIC; Dr. Lita Burns, NIC; Marian Underdahl, NIC; Joan Simon, Kootenai Health; Tari Yourzek, Boundary Community Hospital (back) Eilene Pickett, NIC; Brittany Heidenreich, NIC; Kim Mitchell, NIC; Shannon Badgett, NIC; Misty Robertson, Bonner General Health; Beth Bates, Shoshone Medical Center; and Claudia Miewald, Kootenai Health

“North Idaho College is grateful for the longstanding partnership with the Northwest Hospital Alliance. The relationship truly is symbiotic,” said NIC Vice President for Instruction, Dr. Lita A. Burns (previously dean of Health Professions and Nursing). “North Idaho College Nursing Programs achieve outstanding student success because of the excellent clinical education the students receive at Kootenai Health and the other Alliance partner hospitals. The nurses are willing to teach and mentor students knowing that one day the students will be their peers.”The Hospital Alliance has a history of supporting the program, gifting $1.2 million over the past decade.

“The Northwest Hospital Alliance is delighted to be able to extend this grant funding to the nursing program at North Idaho College,” Joan Simon, Kootenai Health Chief Nursing Officer, said. “We see as part of our mission that we have a responsibility to ensure a knowledgeable, skilled and stable nursing workforce. These dollars will serve to strengthen the collaboration between the hospital and our academic partner, NIC; allowing us to work together on initiatives that strengthen and advance are professional nursing workforce in our region.”

The funds will not only help to educate future area nurses, but will also help those currently in the field maintain competencies and further develop their skill sets.

“The Northwest Hospital Alliance has enjoyed a long-standing relationship with North Idaho College, specifically when it comes to nursing education,” Tari Yourzek, Chief Nursing Officer at Boundary Community Hospital, said. “Funds given will assist in keeping the quality of nursing education at the level our region has grown to expect. In addition, the collaborative efforts of the college and the nursing leadership in our region have fostered a great relationship between our local hospitals and NIC. The future of nursing depends on these relationships in order to provide our community with the highest quality patient care and outcomes.”