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Education

Current Concepts in Palliative Care: Update and Review Course

August 28 - 30, 2008

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Course Brochure

Click here to view a pdf of the course brochure.

Who Should Attend

This course provides a thorough update on current practice and a comprehensive foundation for the ABMS certification examination for

  • hospice and palliative care physicians
  • nurses
  • family medicine physicians
  • internists
  • oncologists
  • psychiatrists
  • hospitalists
  • emergency medicine physicians
  • others interested in pallitiative care.

How You Will Benefit

You will learn about current practices, clinical advancements, and research updates in palliative care from experts in the field; expand your clinical knowledge and acquire the necessary resources and skills for delivering quality care to your patients; and attain a comprehensive foundation for ABMS certification examination.

The purpose of the course is to improve the quality of patient care by preparing physicians and other health care providers to integrate palliative care into all health care for serious or life-threatening conditions and to ensure that pain and symptom control, psychosocial distress, spiritual issues and practical needs are addressed with patients and their families throughout the continuum of care.

Course Objectives

  • Assess patient pain, other symptoms, and side effects and recommend a care plan based upon the best available evidence.
  • Identify psychological and psychiatric aspects of patient care including grief and bereavement.
  • Perform a spiritual, existential, social, and cultural assessment of patients and recommend care plans.
  • Analyze communication techniques and group dynamics used with the interdisciplinary care team, families, and patients in palliative care.
  • Discuss legal and ethical concerns related to palliative care.

Schedule

Thursday, 8 am-6 pm
Basic Pain Neuroanatomy and Pathology
Opioid Pain Therapy
Adjunctive Pain Medication Therapy
Invasive Pain Management and Other Issues
Cancer Therapy
Cancer Radiation Therapy and Nuclear Medicine
HIV/AIDS
Urgent Nonpain Symptoms
Prognosis

Friday, 8 am-5:15 pm
Pediatric Issues
Neurological diseases
Dyspnea, Cough, and Acute Airway Obstruction
End Stage Heart Disease
Depression, Anxiety, and Delirium
Anorexia, Cachexia, and Artificial Nutrition and Hydration
Wound Management
Nausea, Vomiting, Constipation, and Bowel Obstruction
Care of the Imminently Dying Patient
Bereavement

Saturday, 8 am-2:30 pm
Communication Techniques and Breaking Bad News
Ethics and Legal Decision Making
Spiritual and Cultural Issues
Systems Theory and Patient, Family, and Team Dynamics
Hospice Administration Issues
Billing

Planning Chair

Steven Oppenheim, MD

Preparing for the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Certification Examination

AAHPM shares this "How to Prepare" flyer for the hospice and palliative medicine certification exam and offers these resources to provide a broad knowledge base in hospice and palliative medicine. They can be used to help you in preparing and reviewing for the ABMS certification examination.

Hospice and Palliative Care Training for Physicians: UNIPAC book series, 3rd edition
Scheduled for release in spring 2008, the third edition of the popular UNIPAC book series has been completely revised to incorporate the latest evidence in hospice and palliative medicine. Order them today by calling 847/375-4712 or click here. The books will also be available for purchase at the course.

HPM PASS—Hospice and Palliative Medicine Physician Assessment and Self Study Tool
This e-learning tool is an interactive practice test to help review for the board certification examination. It includes up to 150 test questions to help assess your knowledge in key areas of hospice and palliative medicine and uncover areas where additional review may be helpful. HPM PASS includes correct and incorrect answers along with current references. For further information, visit http://www.aahpm.org/physresources/hpmpassdemo.html.

Note: AAHPM is not involved in developing the certification exam and has no specific knowledge of the actual questions that will be included on the exam. The committee developed the HPM PASS questions after review of the exam outline with an intent to emphasize concepts listed by ABIM.

Fast Facts
These free 1-page summaries include over 195 critical topics in hospice and palliative medicine. They are peer-reviewed, evidence-based, and can be searched using key words. Fast Facts are a good place to search when looking for resources on a specific topic. Visit www.aahpm.org/resources/index.html.

The exam content and blueprint is now available. This document includes the content areas covered, their relative percentages, and the approximate number of questions in each area to expect on a typical exam. Click here to view the blueprint on the American Board of Internal Medicine's Web site.

Travel Information

Hotel
Hyatt Regency Chicago
151 East Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60601
Tel: 312/565-1234
For reservations call 888/421-1442
Rate: $185 single/double, plus applicable taxes
Please note this rate is guaranteed until July 24, 2008, provided that rooms in the AAHPM block are still available. Later reservations will be taken on a space-and-rate available basis. Please be sure to mention that you are attending an AAHPM course.

Click here to make your hotel reservations online.

Airline
United is offering special meeting discounts for attendees of the AAHPM's Current Concepts in Palliative Care: Update and Review Course and The Hospice Medical Director Course.  Simply call (or have your travel agent call) our Special Meeting Desk at 1/800-521-4041 and refer to Meeting ID Number 550KO to receive a 2 – 15% discount off applicable fares.  If you purchase your ticket at least 30 days prior to travel, you will receive an additional 5% discount (on most classes of service).  This special offer applies to travel on domestic segments of all United Airlines, United Express, TED and United code share flights (UA*) operated by US Airways, US Airways Express and Air Canada. 

To purchase your ticket online, visit www.united.com and receive a 5% discount off the lowest applicable fares.  After you link to www.united.com, enter your origin and destination, travel dates, and your promotion code number 550KO; available flights will then be displayed.  Flights that qualify for the discount will be clearly identified with a red star symbol, which means that the itinerary is "electronic certificate eligible.” When you select an electronic certificate eligible flight, United will automatically calculate and present your discounted fare.  This special offer applies to flights to or from the US only. There are no fees for booking online.  Note the Code 550KO is case sensitive and the characters need to be capitalized.

To check schedules and to take advantage of this offer, please visit www.united.com or call 1/800-521-4041.

Ground Transportation

From O’Hare International Airport
The Hyatt Regency Chicago is 18 miles from O'Hare International Airport.
GO Airport Express: Shuttles depart from the lower level baggage claim area. GO Airport Express runs daily every 15 mins from 6:05am-7:45pm. 
One-way (single traveler)—$25.00 each
Round trip—$46.00 each
Look for blue and white vans with red lettering. Service for the disabled is available. Reservations are needed 1 day in advance. Call 888/284-3826 to make a reservation.

Taxi: Approximately $35–$45, each way

From Midway Airport

The Hyatt Regency Chicago is 12 miles from Midway Airport
GO Airport Express: Shuttles depart from lower baggage claim area.
One-way (single traveler)—$20.00 each
Round trip—$36.00 each

Taxi: Approximately $30–$40, one way

Faculty Disclosure

In accordance with the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education’s Standards for Commercial Support, all CME providers are required to disclose to the activity audience the relevant financial relationships of the planners, teachers, and authors involved in the development of CME content. An individual has a relevant financial relationship if he or she has a financial relationship in any amount occurring in the last 12 months with a commercial interest whose products or services are discussed in the CME activity content over which the individual has control. AAHPM requires that all relevant financial relationships be resolved prior to planning or participation. Relationship information will be disclosed in writing in program materials.

The material presented in each course represents the opinions of speakers and not necessarily the views of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

Continuing Education Credit

Physicians
The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to sponsor continuing medical education for physicians. AAHPM designates the Current Concepts in Palliative Care: Update and Review Course for a maximum of 20.25 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM. Each physician should claim only those credits commensurate to the time that he/she actually spent in the activity.

Application for CME credit for the Current Concepts in Palliative Care: Update and Review Course has been filed with the American Academy of Family Physicians. Determination of credit is pending.

Nurses
The Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA) is a coprovider of the Current Concepts in Palliative Care: Update and Review course. The Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association is an approved provider of continuing education by the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. The Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association is approved by California Board of Registered Nursing (provider # CEP 7976) as a provider for continuing education for nurses.

Registration Information

Rates

Early Bird Discount (before or on July 15)
$495 AAHPM Member (Physician)
$450 AAHPM Member (RN or Other Professional)

$595 Nonmember (Physician)
$550 Nonmember (RN or Other Professional)

Regular Fee (after July 15)
$595 AAHPM Member (Physician)
$550 AAHPM Member (RN or Other Professional)

$695 Nonmember (Physician)
$650 Nonmember (RN or Other Professional)

Chicago

Chicago is the perfect summer destination, offering a vast array of restaurants, attractions, shopping, and museums. Enjoy fine dining at the city’s numerous gourmet restaurants. Visit the shops on Michigan Avenue, Chicago’s Magnificent Mile. Explore popular attractions such as Millennium Park, the Sears Tower, the Museum of Science and Industry, the Shedd Aquarium, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Field Museum of Natural History. There’s something for everyone in Chicago. Visit these Web sites to help you plan your trip to Chicago:
www.choosechicago.com
www.chicagoillinois.com
www.chicagousa.com