2009 National Telehealth Conference Addresses Wide Range of Topics 

By Jan Peter Jachimowicz

December 2009 / January 2010

The 2009 National Telehealth Conference concluded the morning of Saturday, September 26.  The medical education conference for nurses and physicians focused on emergent, urgent, and/or telephone care.  A total of 13 CMEs and 15.6 contact hours were offered.  For the third consecutive year, it was held at the Hilton Hotel MSP Airport/Mall of America.  The location provided for easy access to and from the airport, as well as accommodations adjacent to shopping, dining, and entertainment contained within the Mall of America.

Nationally known presenters for this sixth annual conference included:

• Barton Schmitt, MD (Denver Children’s) speaking on pediatric infections. 

• David Thompson, MD (MacNeal Hospital, Berwyn, IL) presented “Dangerous Pregnancy Symptoms.” 

• Andrew Hertz, MD (Rainbow Babies Cleveland) offered clinical guidance on telephone triage of rashes. 

• Charles E. Crutchfield III, MD (Crutchfield Dermatology, Eagan, MN) offered his annually popular update on dermatology. 

• Carol Stock, RN, JD (Seattle) stressed the legal importance of telehealth documentation. 

• Felicia Lucas Busch, MPH, RD, addressed current trends and programs to combat childhood obesity. 

• Jayne Chatterton, RN, CPNP, CDE (Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota) spoke on diabetic care for pediatric patients. 

• Elizabeth Gilles, MD (Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota), presented “Triaging Pediatric Patients with Neurologic Symptoms.” 

• Kathleen Kulus, MD (CentraCare Women and Children’s Center, St. Cloud, MN), spoke on telephone triaging of newborns.

Addressing business topics were:

• Cliff Hurst, founder of Career Impact, provided a lively presentation on “Keeping Your Promises.” 

• Sue Altman, President of Call Center Consulting Network (3CN), offered highlights from national surveys of medical call centers. 

• Suzanne Wells, RN (St. Louis Children’s, St. Louis, MO) described the implementation of SBAR for her call center. 

Other presentations included:

• Peter Dehnel, MD and medical director of CPN Telephone Nurse Triage Services, addressed the gathering on asthma. 

• Allison Leonard, RN and Charlene Slaney, RN of Fonemed teamed up to present “Exposure Hotline: An Extension of Telephone Triage.” 

• Elizabeth Reeve, MD (Regions Hospital, St. Paul, MN), addressed mental health telephone triage. 

• Patricia Stinchfield, RN, CPN (Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota) updated the audience on vaccine safety, an annual hot topic. 

A late addition session was added to focus on H1N1.  Andrew Hertz, MD, director, Nurse Triage Call Center Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, OH, as well as Peter Dehnel, MD, medical director of Children’s Physician Network, moderated the brief presentation, which was followed by a question and answer session.

Watch for details on future conferences at www.cpnonline.org.  Click on “Reach for the Stars” icon on the home page or contact jan.jachimowicz@childrensmn.org.