Education picks up steam as show returns to Atlanta

ATLANTA - With a nod toward the industry's increasingly clinical bent and attendant need for education, Medtrade has refined its seminars this year to meet the needs of companies that "have gone out of their way to hire RTs, PTs, OTs and nurses," said Louis Feuer, the show's director of education. "Our goal is to bring comprehensive education to everyone in an HME provider's business," said Cory Smith, director of sales for VNU Expositions, which produces Medtrade. "Eventually, we want to be to the point where an HME owner can bring his whole staff and be able to justify it." Within the offering of this year's 220 seminars, attendees will be able to find ample offerings for billing, marketing, HIPAA, legislative updates and other traditional fare. Additionally, Medtrade has bumped its CEU offering from about 15 seminars to 30-40, nine of them sponsored by The MED Group, Feuer said. When it comes to nurses and other clinical practitioners who frequently need the additional CEU units, the show should hold more value than ever, Feuer said. Among the show's educational offerings: 4 An HME billing boot camp sponsored by VGM, featuring Jane Bunch, running 1-5 p.m. on Oct. 27 and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 28. 4 Hands-on training centers on the show floor for rehab/assistive technology and respiratory/sleep disorders. 4 A Continuum of Care Conference sponsored by AAHomecare and Medtrade, with seminars running throughout the day on Oct. 28, in the following three tracks: rehab and assistive technology; home health nursing and respiratory/sleep disorders. 4 HMExcellence Awards, where HME News, AAHomecare and Medtrade will crown the nation's best rehab, HME and home respiratory therapy providers, plus the first and second runner-ups in each category. "The industry is placing a lot of emphasis on credentialing and raising the standards, and we want to make sure that Medtrade is a source for the extra education," Smith said. HME