February 28 – March 1, 2013 • Wynn Las Vegas • Las Vegas, NV

9:00 The Northwestern Experience: Development & Evolution
of the Observation Unit – Maximizing Bed Utilization,
and Staffing Experiments with ED vs. Hospitalist Control
This session will provide a case study on the development and
evolution of the Observation Patient Management program at
Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
Special emphasis will be placed on reducing hospital
readmissions, maximizing bed utilization, and effective integration
of hospitalists within the program.
David Zull, MD, FACEP
Professor, Emergency Medicine & Internal Medicine
Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine
Co-Director, Observation Unit
NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
9:45 Networking Break and Refreshments
10:15 Applying Care Protocols to Stabilize Patients
in Less than 24-Hours
Learn how Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center has developed
protocols to maximize the clinical and operational efficiency of its
Observation Unit and ED by quickly and effectively assessing
patient conditions and determining appropriate patient
classification. The session will specifically highlight the hospital’s
strategies for stabilizing patients remanded to Observation within
a 24-hour period.
Mark Flitcraft, RN, MSN
Unit Director, Department of Nursing
Medical Intensive Care Unit & GONDA Observation Unit
RONALD REAGAN UCLA MEDICAL CENTER
Thursday, February 28, 2013 • 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Redesigning Value-Based Observation Units: Sustainability in the Evolving Healthcare Landscape
With the Healthcare Reform, hospitals are
now being re-designed in order to meet the
required quality and pay-for-performance
metrics. In this quest for quality improvement
and mission to conserve valuable healthcare
dollars, Observation Units hold the key to
success. This session discusses practical
applications on creating/maintaining a
sustainable observation unit, including:
• Practical strategies on value based reengineering
of Observation Units
• Looking toward the future – ensuring an
operational observation unit, not just for
today
MAIN CONFERENCE WORKSHOP SESSION
• Re-designing value based observation unit
– one that is sustainable a decade down
the line
• Maintaining sustainability while redesigning
the current Observation Unit or creating a
new one from scratch
ABOUT THE WORKSHOP LEADER:
Kayur Patel, MD, MRO, FACP, FACPE,
FACEP is a Director at HEALTH CARE EXCEL.
Dr. Patel, a nationally-recognized authority
and a national speaker on the subject of
quality in healthcare is a result-oriented
Business and Healthcare Leader with over
two decades of experience in the Healthcare
ww.2013observation.com
11:00 Capitalizing on the Role of the Clinical Charge Analyst
in Optimizing Revenues for Observation Stays with
Nursing Ancillary Services
Community Health Network has achieved great success in
capturing significant revenues for Observation stays. This is
achieved through best practices in coding and close collaboration
between clinicians and billings staff. This session will highlight
viable strategies for maximizing revue capture for Observation
stays. Points of coverage will include:
• Billing and coding
• Tools to assist clinicians in capturing revenue
• Staff coordination
• Assessing your results to show value
Elizabeth Sims, MSN, RN
Network Director, Observation & Outpatients in a Bed
COMMUNITY HEALTH NETWORK
11:45 Reduce Risk and Increase Benefits through Optimizing
Observation Services
Observation care is a well-defined set of specific, clinically
appropriate services, which include ongoing short-term
treatment, assessment, and reassessment, that are furnished
while a decision is being made regarding whether patients will
require further treatment as hospital inpatients or if they are able
to be discharged from the hospital.
Understand how to reduce the risk of audits and benefit from
streamlining the process, reducing cost, and increasing quality by
"Doing it Right the First Time."
Sandra Sieck, RN, MBA
President
SIECK HEALTHCARE
12:30 Conference Concludes
Industry. Currently, he serves as a Director
with Health Care Excel, a Quality Improvement
Organization for Indiana. A practicing
physician, Dr. Patel's forte is in aligning
physicians and hospital leaderships for
successfully converting the challenges of
healthcare reforms into opportunities for
community, physicians and hospitals.
Formerly Senior Vice President of TeamHealth
and a Chief Medical Officer of a Midwest
hospital, Dr. Patel is a Fellow of American
College of Physicians, American College of
Physician Executives, and American College of
Emergency Physicians.