5:30PM            

Registration and CME Activity (Room A)
Exhibits (Room B)

7:00PM

Opening Announcements (Room A)
Dinner Served
Introduction to Audience Response System

7:15PM

"California's Coordinated Care Initiative"

Overview:

Chronically ill patients frequently receive inadequate coordination of care due to the fragmentation of healthcare services across various settings and providers. This often results in medication errors, unnecessary or repetitive diagnostic tests, and preventable emergency room visits. Additionally, many of these patients are readmitted to the hospital as a result of preventable complications and disease management. The totality of these coordination failures not only hurt patients and their loved ones, but also exacerbate rising healthcare costs.

An effective care coordination plan provides physicians the strategies needed to excel and keeps patients satisfied by delivering the information and care needed to heal. Research has also shown that a well-coordinated care model can potentially lower risk and improve cost-effectivenss in patient care. However, healthcare providers and institutions must be willing to regularly collaborate and communicate in order to minimize inappropriate care. The root of this problem lies in the absence of interdisciplinary efforts, care plan strategies, and administrative resources to incorporate care coordination. This culminates with growing medical errors that contribute to an estimated 44,000 - 98,000 deaths per year.

Moreover, the majority of patients seen by our physician members are Chinese/Asian American immgirants and qualify for healthcare coverage under both Medicare and Medi-Cal. These patients already face multiple chronic illnesses and when coupled with language barriers are at the highest risk for other morbidities. They require individualized care plans and coordinated interdisciplinary teams to minimize harm from fragmented care.

Thus, there is an educational need among healthcare providers to learn and acquire improved communication, collaboration, and coordination skills for a more cost-effective healthcare delivery system. All of which will results in improved quality of care and clinical health outcomes. 

Faculty:
Monika Vega, MS
Senior Outreach Coordinator
Harbage Consulting LLC

Goal:
To improve patient care through a cost-effective healthcare delivery system and to minimize harm from fragmented care

Objectives:
At the end of this educational activity, attendees will be able to:

1. Review an overview of the "Coordinated Care Initiative" being implemented by the California Department of Health Care Services
2. Examine specific components required for various levels of care coordination
3. Apply collaboration skills to close gaps in care fragmentation and improve health outcomes for vulnerable patients

8:15PM

"Syphilis and Other STDs: An Update for 2015"

Overview:

The incidence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) is increasing in Los Angeles County (LAC), with reported cases of syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia all on the rise. LAC has recently experienced a dramatic increase in congenital syphilis cases, from 8 cases in 2013 to 31 in 2014. Over one-third of congenital syphilis cases in 2014 were infants born to Chinese nationals who traveled to Los Angeles County for birth tourism. Improved screening for sexually transmitted infections and treatment per Center for Disease Control and Prevention's 2015 STD Treatment Guidelines are necessary to address the epidemic of STDs overall and to control the local congenital syphilis outbreak. 

Faculty:
Susie Baldwin, MD, MPH
Sexually Transmitted Disease Controller
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
Division of HIV and STD Program

Goal:
To control STD outbreaks in Los Angeles by applying Center for Disease Control and Prevention's 2015 STD Treatment Guidelines

Objectives:
At the end of this educational activity, attendees will be able to:

1. Summarize recent increases in sexually transmitted diseases in Los Angeles County
2. Incorporate a sexual health assessment into their patient interviews
3. Manage sexually transmitted infections in their patients according to 2015 CDC STD Treatment Guidelines
4. Diagnose syphilis using patient history, examination, and serologic testing algorithms
5. Employ testing and treatment strategies to reduce the number of congenital syphilis cases in Los Angeles County

9:15PM

Announcements and Final Remarks