Renal Physicians Association Annual Meeting offers fresh perspective on nephrology practice sustainability

Issue: March 2019

ByDale Singer, MHA

Under the leadership of Ron Hyde, MD, the Renal Physicians Association education committee has planned a variety of sessions for its upcoming annual meeting to help practitioners secure the future of their practices against the backdrop of an unpredictable legislative and regulatory environment.

Didactic presentations will address a newly defined nephrology scope of practice, how to utilize data to improve practice performance and successfully negotiate contracts, learn about succession planning, building a diverse practice to meet patients’ needs and expectations, and how to avoid physician burnout. Because early career physicians are the future of nephrology practice, session will highlight what they are looking for in a practice and how to accommodate the needs of graduating fellows. There will also be several clinical talks on how to better manage hypertension.

AMA CEO to speak

This year’s Louis Diamond Guest Lecturer will be James Madara, MD, CEO of the AMA since 2011. He will share his unique perspective on the future of medicine. Prior to arriving at the AMA, Madara spent the first 22 years of his career at Harvard Medical School, receiving both clinical and research training, serving as a tenured professor and as director of the NIH-sponsored Harvard Digestive Diseases Center. He then served as chair of pathology at Emory for 5 years and then served as dean of the medical school and CEO of the hospitals at the University of Chicago, bringing together the university’s biomedical research, teaching and clinical activities. Under his leadership, the AMA has refined its strategic approach, focusing on ideas that are aligned with the changing needs of patients and physicians.

Interactive workshops during the meeting will elicit conversations about women in leadership, branding and marketing your practice, how to manage a crisis and pain management. The business management track will offer attendees sessions on compliance, benchmarking, immigration issues and utilization of advanced practitioners.

Advocacy is at the cornerstone of RPA’s raison d’etre and has served as the vehicle through which changes in the nephrology practice environment have occurred. RPA’s Director of Public Policy, Robert Blaser, will share the latest developments on the federal stage from both the legislative branch and the administrative branch of government and how these laws and regulations affect nephrology practitioners and kidney patients. He will also share RPA’s 2019 legislative priorities that will shape the dialogue for the association’s 2019 Capitol Hill Day planned for June 22. Outgoing president, Michael Shapiro, MD, will also present an overview of the association’s activities over the past year in fulfilling its mission to represent and serve nephrology practitioners in their pursuit and delivery of quality kidney care.

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Since 1974, RPA has had a seat at the various tables where decisions are made that impact nephrologists’ ability to deliver high-quality and safe kidney care in exchange for appropriate compensation. The RPA Annual Meeting provides a unique venue for nephrology practitioners and administrators to learn how to comply with federal requirements and implement solutions that support practice success and long-term sustainability. The annual meeting enables participants to strategize with colleagues from around the United States away from the daily pressures of running a practice and caring for patients. As a result of learning from the sessions and informal engagement opportunities with peers, attendees return with a fresh perspective and renewed energy to tackle the challenges that await them.

For more information:
Dale Singer, MHA, is the executive director of the Renal Physicians Association, based in Rockville, Maryland.