The Expo’s virtual conference hall simulates in-person networking.

The confluence of currently vital subjects to long-term care providers makes the 2016 McKnight’s Online Expo a “must-attend” event more than ever before.

Organizers have responded by assembling an impressive line-up of nationally respected speakers. They will educate and entertain during five webinars March 29-30, which also offer free continuing education credit for each session.

Thousands of CE certificates were earned at last year’s event, and organizers expect another record turnout this year.

Full registration information can be found at www.mcknights.com/Expo2016.

This two-day bonanza is, as they say, fun for the whole family (of long-term care professionals — from the C-suite to the nursing station, and numerous points between).

Attendees need only tune in via their Internet-enabled device to partake in the sessions. Each features a live Q&A segment at the end, enabling individuals to help put their own stamp on the content.

Before and after each session, visitors will find it advantageous to use mouse-click around the virtual exhibit hall. It will feature informational, giveaway and live discussion opportunities with top vendors.

“Each year, the turnout is bigger than the one before,” said McKnight’s Editorial Director John O’Connor. “This is a testament to the outstanding content our speakers bring to attendees, who then find it useful in their every day work lives.”

Popular beginnings

The first expo session kicks off at 10 a.m. Eastern Time with speaker Leah Klusch, RN, BSN, FACHCA, leading the session “MDS 3.0 Update: Get ready for more changes.”

“Providers need to know what’s coming, and how they better have their documentation in order,” says Klusch, the executive director of the Alliance Training Center.

With the federal government continuing to change how residents are classified and paid for under Medicare, this is a prime opportunity to stay well informed.

The second session will explore one of the most asked about issues in long-term care wound care today: deep-tissue injuries. Eminent researcher Joyce M. Black, Ph.D. RN, FAAN, a past president of the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel and an associate professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, will lead the webinar, subtitled “Recognition, strategies and risk.”

“Deep-tissue injuries can be costing you. If you don’t know how and when they form, you could be losing out,” says Black.

The webinar, like all in the Online Expo line-up, will be valuable for a broad range of providers. In this case, nurses, aides and even non-clinical personnel will gain a greater understanding of what’s at stake, and how to thrive.

The final webinar of Day 1 will be David Finkelstein’s session, at 1 p.m., “Technology trends and best practices for 2016.”

The complexity of care and increased expectations of seniors have stretched the information technology staff at many long-term care facilities, says Finkelstein, chief information officer at RiverSpring Health. In understanding technology trends and best practices in 2016, providers can understand how to balance IT needs.

“BYOD — Bring Your Own Device — has introduced more support requirements, as well as data security risks which need to be addressed and mitigated,” he explains. “These issues are combined with the difficulty in raising capital for infrastructure projects at the same time reimbursement rates have dropped.”

Attendees at Finkelstein’s session will hear in-depth strategy on  issues, as well as risk mitigation.

“My goal is to have each audience member have enough information to ask themselves and their management team how mature their IT strategic plan is, how aligned it is with the business strategic plan, and how they can find more information about the topics presented,” he explains.

Day 2

Quality is one of the hottest topics in long-term care, and the second day’s sessions kick off with “Engaging staff in reducing readmissions to improve quality” at 11 a.m.

Elaine Healy, M.D. FACP, CMD, will center her session on hospital readmissions and what can be done to decrease them. Healy is the United Hebrew Home’s medical director as well as its director of quality assurance and performance improvement.

She will discuss how “competing, often conflicting, and frequently colliding influences of patient/family expectations, professional liability exposure and bottom-line financial pressures render the PAC/LTC setting one of the highest-risk venues in the healthcare continuum. 

“Physicians and facilities have to straddle the perilous chasm between potentially failing to provide appropriate care and risking their own financial viability when considering a hospital transfer.”

Session attendees will learn about integrating underused facility resources and strengthening the ability to manage patients in a dynamic environment. A part of that is the quality improvement process. 

“I find the QAPI process thrilling and am convinced that embedding its principles and practices into the facility’s everyday operations on both the clinical and operational levels is the best way to guarantee survival, success and, indeed, professional satisfaction in these challenging times,” she says.

The final webinar, “The state of capital availability,” will be led at 1 p.m. by Beth Burnham Mace, the chief economist and director of capital market outreach for the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care. 

The session will delve into what kinds of capital sources are most prevalent and must-know options for all providers.

Registration is ongoing at www.mcknights.com/Expo2016.