2022 Practice Leadership Seminar

Formerly known as the Practice Management Seminar

Co-Chairs: Rebecca Dale, MD, and Rachel Reinhardt, MD

Friday, March 11, 2022

Venue

The Washington State Conference Center, Seattle, WA

Brochure

Online Registration Has Closed. Onsite registration will be available.

Register right away so that all of the key leaders in your practice can take part in the new Practice Leadership Seminar. Physicians, administrators, and other key team members will enjoy an in-person and interactive workshop to re-think your processes to be both patient-centered and team oriented, increasing not only your efficiency, but your joy in your day-to-day work. 

Why is lean so effective? This operating philosophy views value from the eyes of the patient, and any part of the experience that does not contribute to the effective delivery of care is an area for improvement. For example, time spent by a physician or other team member consulting with a patient is an added value, whereas time spent looking for supplies or other team members is waste. Ultimately, lean identifies waste and works to create a revised clinic flow that is calm and efficient. Lean process analysis uses value stream mapping, which analyzes where in the clinic a patient interacts with staff, waits, or moves, and assigns a time to these activities. For example, during a patient visit that took 88 minutes, the process time (value-added time with staff or the physician) might be 41 minutes and the wasted patient time (waiting or moving through the office) might be 47 minutes. Using this information, the practice can reduce or eliminate waste by focusing on the non–value-added moments and identifying opportunities to improve that flow. To reduce wasted patient wait time, lean design examines factors such as these:

• Front desk efficiencies. Are there potential delay factors at check-in, including whether the front desk staff is moving around to access printers, forms, or other information?
• Supply location. Are supplies located in easy-to-access areas, such as top drawers or wall-mounted shelving, to reduce unnecessary search time?
• Screening and testing processes. Are patients moving back and forth to waiting rooms or the lobby before getting to the physician’s examination room? The whole process can be reengineered for efficiency by using examination and tech rooms interchangeably, so patients don’t need to move unnecessarily.
• Staff location. Are physicians, scribes, and technicians located close to each other for easy communication?
• Patient flow technology. Use of HIPAA-compliant lean software such as eSynchrony (FlowOne Lean Consulting) allows staff members to capture realtime patient visit data and wait times. This facilitates improvement based on unbiased data.

Faculty

Aneesh Suneja, MBA, BChE

We are pleased to bring Aneesh Suneja, MBA, to lead this in-depth seminar. Aneesh is the president of FlowOne Lean Consulting, the author of two books “Lean Doctors” and “Make Your Clinics Flow with Synchrony,” and a dynamic speaker who is regularly invited to national conferences for his expertise. Perhaps most importantly, his experience goes beyond theory to real results, having helped numerous practices improve patient care, practice health and team dynamics.

Schedule

All Attendees must be vaccinated and show proof of vaccination by uploading their vaccine card when registering for the meeting. Masks required.

Registration Fees

Your fee will be based on whether you are an employee of a WAEPS member practice. In order to take advantage of the significant member discounts, the members 2022 dues must be paid prior to registration.

Registration Fee per Person

Fee includes course materials, breakfast, lunch, refreshment breaks and President’s Reception.

Physicians wishing to participate in the Practice Management Program as well as the physician scientific CME program should register for the dual pass via the physician registration form. There is an additional fee of $50 for the dual pass.

Reciprocal society members

WAEPS has reciprocal arrangements with ophthalmology societies in Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alaska, and British Columbia. Physicians and their employees providing proof of membership in their respective state and province societies may register at the Active WAEPS Member rate. Please contact our office for details if you would like to take advantage of this opportunity: [email protected]

Overnight accommodations 

A discounted room block is available at the nearby Seattle Sheraton Grand Hotel, 1400 6th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101.  The Sheraton Hotel is located an easy 2 block walk to the Seattle Conference Center. The rate is $150 per night. Space is limited. Rooms can be booked until 2-11-22 or until all rooms in the block are filled. To go directly to the reservation website and receive the discounted room rate, click here.

Accessibility

We encourage participation by all individuals. If you require accommodations, please notify Kim Conn at the WAEPS office at least two weeks prior to the conference. Note that our conference venue is fully accessible and ADA compliant. 

Other Participant Needs

Moms needing access to our “pump room” during breaks should contact us for details. Special dietary needs? Indicate these on your registration form or contact us via phone or email and we’ll do our best.

Cancellations

Cancellation requests must be submitted in writing. There is a $50.00 fee for cancellation before March 1, 2022. There are no refunds for cancellations after March 1, 2022..

Questions regarding registration? Please contact the WAEPS office at 206-956-3635 or email [email protected]

Information about each of the other components of our annual meeting 

For information about the other programs and for printable brochures, please click on the links below:

_{Opens in a new tab/window}

Ophthalmic Coding, Documentation, and Reimbursement Seminar

Ophthalmic Medical Personnel (Tech) Program

Physician Program