Heartland at Home Commences

The virtual version of VGM’s annual Heartland event began this week on Monday with a keynote on how COVID-19 will impact the industry going forward.

• By David Kopf
• Jun 18, 2020

More than 1000 registrants logged on and tuned into VGM & Associates’ Heartland At Home this week, starting a four-week series of online learning opportunities that runs June 15 to July 10.

Initially slated for June 15 to 17 as a conference and expo at the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center in Waterloo, Iowa, COVID-19 required VGM to reengineer the event as a four-week virtual conference that emphasizes education and connecting providers.

The event started with a keynoted address from VGM’s regulatory and payer relations experts, Mark Higley, Ronda Buhrmester, Craig Douglas and John Gallagher, on the topic of COVID-19’s impact on the industry called HME in the Post-Pandemic Era: Analysis & Commentary. The keynote launched a program that has been eight weeks in the making.

“We’re excited to kick the conference off with such a timely session,” said Jill Blaser, design and development manager with VGM Education and Heartland education chair. “This team has been busy providing essential advice and resources during the pandemic and will give a riveting update on how it affects the HME industry moving forward.”

In terms of format, one day during each of the Heartland At Home’s four weeks will feature a session from five tracks:

• Billing and reimbursement
• Rehab
• Business operations and leadership
• Respiratory
• Accessibility

Each of the sessions lasts 60 minutes and includes course materials and the ability to interact with presenters via a chat feature. Attendees that complete the sessions are eligible for contact hours and CEUs.

Additionally, Heartland At Home is featuring special sessions, such as Change Management: Handling Changes Within the Organization as an Industry Leader, which is presented by Wes Wheeler, president of UPS Healthcare, and The New World: Seizing Opportunity in a World of Disruption, which is presented by VGM CEO, Mike Mallaro.

Registration is open during all four weeks of Heartland at Home and comes at no cost to VGM members.

“Registration is still open for those that are interested, and the process is as simple as visiting our agenda page and selecting the courses you’re interested in — think a la carte,” noted Kelly Kopriva, event coordinator with VGM and Heartland planning committee member. “We also encourage businesses to share the opportunity with their entire staff.”

Learn more at vgmheartland.com/agenda. Providers with questions can call (877) 484-6901.