NHIA ramps up networking, highlights women in leadership

AUSTIN, Texas – Networking will remain front and center at the National Home Infusion Association’s 2024 Annual Conference, says COO Jennifer Charron. 

This year’s event will once again feature its popular roundtable sessions, but they have been moved to the beginning of the conference to allow attendees to meet each other early on, she says. 

“(Attendees) felt the roundtables really helped develop long-term relationships outside of the conference,” she said. “We’ve also added even more networking and interactive sessions (and) new workshop-like sessions that are a little bit longer but are really focused on getting people engaged.” 

The conference, which takes place March 23-27, 2024, at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas, is expected to draw about 1,500 attendees, and like last year, this year’s early registrations are already breaking records, says Charron. 

Leadership 

In 2023, the Women in Leadership Luncheon was shifted to a general session, a move that proved popular. It is now open to all attendees, and its content focuses on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility, says Charron. 

“There’s a lot of data out there that health care, in particular, is highly staffed by women but the leadership roles are not at the same percentage,” she said. “And that’s not just women, it’s people of color and any diversity really. The workforce is becoming more diverse, and I don’t think we’re seeing that at the top levels. Personally, as a woman executive, what I love to see women promoting women and working with women to help them become leaders, so they feel strong in the programs that they are doing and really promoting that DEI beyond just women so that we have a good equitable solution at the top levels of organizations.” 

Education 

The conference education schedule offers nearly three dozen sessions built around five tracks: clinical, leadership, nursing, revenue cycle, and sales and management. 

“The conference is a great time for us to really vary the education we offer,” says Charron. “Some of it’s clinical, going through a disease state and helping people take better care of patients. On the other side, there’s things helping you on legal issues or education on human resources or reimbursement.” 

Takeaways 

Health care right now is hard, says Charron. Levels of burnout are high, and it can be a struggle for providers to manage it all. 

“When they get back to their offices, I want them feeling rejuvenated and inspired,” she said. “I want them to go back and share their knowledge and continue to feel good about what we’re doing.”