Editor's Note

Training Schedule

• By Elisha Bury
• May 01, 2008

Spring is my favorite time of year to run. The beginning of running season is not weighed down with pressure to shave minutes off a solid 5K time or increase mileage to (hopefully) compete in a 10K. Your running shoes are new, and your muscles also feel new — they even seem to enjoy the burn of reacquainting with unexpected hills and turns not present during a winter of getting by on the treadmill. In fact, during those first couple of runs in the brisk spring air, you’re simply familiarizing yourself with the trails, easing your muscles back into the groove and you’re remembering why running is fun.

The HME show circuit gives me the same feeling.

This month, get your business muscles back in shape at Medtrade Spring. The show jumps track and lands in Long Beach, Calif., May 7-8. This smaller counterpart to the Medtrade fall show offers the intimacy of a small university and several opportunities for education, with the Continuum of Care conference May 6 and regular sessions May 6-8.

“The sessions that focus on new ways of doing business, whether that is home sleep testing or new oxygen delivery products, certainly will drive interest for respiratory care providers,” says Joe Randall, senior vice president of Nielsen Business Media and Medtrade show director.

If you’re slated for the next round of competitive bidding, take advantage of the National Competitive Bidding Seminar at the show. Offered May 6, this full-day conference focuses solely on the ins and outs of competitive bidding. The VGM Group and CAMPS have teamed up with Nielsen to bring you a wealth of information. Topics include how to determine a bid and how to navigate the electronic bid submission system. The conference promises to cover networking and subcontracting opportunities, provide a legislative update and put providers in touch with bidders from the first round.

Up next is a summer to get your clinical heart rate pumping, with SLEEP 2008 in Baltimore June 7-12, followed by the AARC Summer Forum in Phoenix July 11-13. VGM also hosts a member conference June 9-12.

For those of you reining in your budgets this year, consider a local show. Many state associations are ramping up conferences, and the reduced travel expenses to attend will surely appeal to budget-conscious providers. Member organization VGM will conclude its series of competitive bidding seminars this spring, and The MED Group offers a host of Webinars to build endurance for the challenging reimbursement season ahead.

With this training under your belt, you’ll be well-equipped to handle all that CMS throws at you with competitive bidding, home sleep testing and the oxygen rental cap that goes into effect in January 2009. You might also build up endurance to tackle the show floor at Medtrade, back in Atlanta this year, Oct. 28-30.

This article originally appeared in the Respiratory Management May 2008 issue of HME Business.