Basic Management Skills Program: Monday, August 10

Sunday • Monday • Tuesday • Wednesday • Thursday 

8:00 am – 8:45 am
Welcome Breakfast for New Members and First-Time Attendees


8:00 am – 9:00 am
Continental Breakfast


8:00 am – 9:00 am
RoundTables
Employee Compensation
Moderated by Hazel C. Hacker, MHA, FAHRA,
Edison Imaging Associates, P.A., Edison, NJ

Front Office Best Practices
Moderated by Stephanie D. Spencer, RCVT, MBA,
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, Newark, NJ


9:00 am – 11:00 am
Grand Opening Ceremony and Keynote
Generously sponsored by Carestream Health DRX-1

Building a Radiant Future (OR, Why Radiology Must Fly):
The Proactive Path to the Next Level in American Radiology
John J. Nance

American healthcare is at a critical moment of change driven by financial, safety, quality, and professional challenges, and the very model of healthcare is in the last stages of metamorphosis from the cottage industry model of total physician autonomy and independence to the forced birth of what has to become a true “system.”  In fact, we do not have a healthcare “system,” but the political and financial winds of change are forcing the issue, and the medical profession is looking for leadership in how to bring it about, as well as what this brave new “system” will look like.

Much as anesthesiology in the US forced itself through a Renaissance in concept, procedures, and overall safety performance in the eighties, it’s time for radiology (as an increasingly vital component of healthcare) to take a leadership role, not only in terms of embracing and stabilizing the use of new technologies, but as physicians, leading the way in redefining how radiologists are forged through the fires of medical school, and how practice standards can lead the way for the rest of medicine.

Whether we’re dealing with an office or a major hospital, the inevitability of human failure dictates that only a team of medical professionals led by physicians have the chance of reducing the potential impact medical mistakes to zero patient impact.  The opportunity for the already-established methods of cooperative practice used in radiology to be the driving example for the rest of the physician community is clear; it simply takes a Renaissance in understanding and determination to lead.

Finally, the opportunity for radiology to establish an entirely new method of exciting and recruiting new members of the discipline - even before medical school - may in itself have the potential to massively change the old ways of forging doctors.  Eliminating the traditional methods of browbeating and harassment through residency in favor of the vastly more profession means of teaching pioneered in aviation is more than a need, it is an absolute necessity if the medical profession in general is not to be doomed to perpetual retraining and perpetual clashes with the other vital team members: nurses, other physicians, and ultimately the patients.

You will learn to:

• Identify the ways in which radiology as a specialty can become a model for best practices for the rest of the physician community.
• Understand the inevitability of individual susceptibility to human mistake and the curative effects of Collegial Interactive Teams to zero the potential for medical mistakes to harm patients or practices.
• Understand the concept and the benefits of Barrierless Communication.
• Embrace and explain why nurturing new recruits to radiology even prior to medical school

11:00 am – 2:30 pm
Exhibit Hall Open
Lunch served 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm

2:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Face-to-Face Communication
Roberta M. Edge, CRA, FAHRA
Sutter Gould Medical Foundation, Modesto, CA

Multiple factors influence successful face-to-face communication situations including individual personalities, word selection, body language, setting, type of meeting or interaction, location and electronic media. Radiology leaders will find themselves doing everything from listening to employees and resolving conflicts to conducting meetings. As “middle managers” we find ourselves dealing with all levels of an organization. Skills required to conduct a successful meeting or interaction, be it one-on-one or a group, are acquired and honed with practice. The focus of this session will be some tried and true methods in listening for meaning, knowing when to fix and when to absorb information. We will evaluate synchronous and asynchronous methods of communication and make decisions about which media are most appropriate for which settings. We will also cover a radiology leader’s role in offering community education as well as staff education. Interacting with radiologists as team members, not as adversaries will also be explored.

You will learn to:

• Define the parts of communication.
• Use tools to help facilitate communication in different settings.
• Use listening techniques.
• Identification of difficult personalities
• Use meeting set up and facilitation effectively.

4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Art of Negotiation
Debra A. Lopez, CRA, FAHRA, AHRA
President-Elect, San Jose, CA

This session will define what negotiation is and describe situations where good negotiating skills may come in handy. The session will focus on important negotiations that occur in the Imaging work environment and more specifically on negotiating for services, supplies, and capital purchases. Participants will learn the importance of and how to prepare for negotiation. Attendees will understand needs vs. wants vs. desires, and what can be negotiated. Some negotiating styles, strategies, and tactics will be explored, and body language will also be discussed. The session will wrap up with a discussion on completing and reviewing your negotiation result.

You will learn to:

• Define “negotiation.”
• Understand how good negotiation skills give you an edge.
• Prepare for negotiations.
• Manage the negotiation process.
• Use various negotiation styles.
• Understand and use body language.
• Document your agreement.