Each year ASH sponsors special policy and practice-related sessions at the annual meeting. Below is a listing of this year's events.
Policy-Related Sessions
ASH Grassroots Network Breakfast
Sunday, December 11, 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.
ASH’s influence among Members of Congress and the Executive Branch is due in part to the Society’s Grassroots Network, a group of ASH members who contact their elected officials and share the Society’s messages, concerns, and recommendations. The Grassroots Network Breakfast provides a forum for all interested members to learn how they can participate in ASH’s advocacy efforts, communicate with Congress and the White House, become effective advocates for hematology, and discuss the Society’s legislative priorities for 2012.
Practice-Related Sessions
Practice Forum: How to Prepare Your Practice for ACOs and Other Payment and Health Reforms
Saturday, December 10, 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., Manchester Grand Hyatt, Randall Ballroom DE
Practice Forum Reception
Saturday, December 10, 7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., Manchester Grand Hyatt, Randall Ballroom A
The 2011 Practice Forum will address the impact of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) and other payment and health reforms on hematology practices. The ASH practice community will learn about evolving delivery systems through examples from several hematology practices around the country. The Forum will provide important information to the practice community to help prepare hematologists for the transitions in the practice environment. The session will also include an overview of the latest legislative and regulatory highlights from Washington.
A special reception for practitioners will immediately follow the Practice Forum. The reception provides an opportunity for participants to network and talk directly with members of the ASH Committee on Practice to express issues of concern, learn more about the Society's practice-related initiatives, and share personal experiences. Beverages and hors d'oeuvres will be provided.
Special Symposium: Quality Indicators: Examples and Relevance to Hematology
Saturday, December 10, 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Quality indicators are becoming guides toward the provision of safe and effective patient care. Although clinical medicine remains more “art” than “science,” there is increasing evidence that adherence to a minimum standard of practice, guided by evidence, improves both short- and long-term outcomes and may be resource-sparing. Further, performance on some quality indicators is now linked to reimbursement to hospitals and providers. Therefore, quality indicators have become an increasingly important part of the practice of hematology. This session will focus on three clinical areas of hematology in which quality measures have been developed and are available to practicing clinicians: malignant hematology, venous thromboembolism prevention, and sickle cell disease. The session will examine how such measures are derived, how they can be measured, and the potential consequences of failure to adhere to these indicators. Specific examples will be cited to highlight these issues.
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