Scottsdale, Arizona

Practitioner and award-winning clinical instructor, Louis Kuritzky, MD, reviews a variety of clinically relevant items that, despite their utility, are not well known. His discussion includes the efficacy of aspirin in the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes, common sense recommendations for reducing senior falls, the hypertension consequences of NSAIDs, new safety margins for the use of metformin, a little-known use of tranexamic acid, the longevity of second-hand smoke toxicity, and sorbet as a treatment for drug-induced Xerostomia.

Former Southwest Ohio Drug Task Force chief, Commander John J. Burke, lays out the scope and nature of prescription drug abuse in this country, the driver behind drug seekers targeting healthcare practices. Areas discussed include doctor shopping, drug theft and other forms of diversion, internet pharmacies, top drugs of abuse and new abuse deterrent formulations, drug seeker practices and behaviors, prescription monitoring programs and more.

Professor of pharmacy and family medicine, C. Wayne Weart, PharmD, in this first installment of a two- part talk, reviews five immunization updates as well as several new FDA approvals and guideline and safety changes. Areas covered include vaccines for HPV-9, Tdap, Hepatitis A, measles, mumps and flu, guideline changes for low dose aspirin, and new approvals of ICS/LABAs and migraine medications.

Clinical psychologist, Joseph W. Shannon, PhD, defines personality disorders and their causes and then previews the various types of this affliction and their shared characteristics, flaws vs disorders, as well as trait vs character-based flaws and their relevance to recovery.

Director of University of Michigan’s Chronic Pain & Fatigue Research Center, Daniel J. Clauw, MD, dispels long held misconceptions about chronic pain and dives into nociceptive and centralized pain, their characteristic symptoms and the differing therapies indicated by the three pain mechanisms. Areas discussed include “Fibromyalgia-ness” and its pathophysiology, pain-associated symptoms, and mechanism-appropriate pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic therapies.

Financial exposure, an unhelpful distraction from patient care and oft cited factor in professional burnout, can be reduced through effective risk management and asset protection. Practicing attorney and financial management expert, David B. Mandell, JD, MBA, reviews these risks and then offers techniques for both limiting them and protecting personal and professional assets against related financial exposure. Approaches discussed include retirement and other benefit plans, asset titling, exempted assets as well as trusts and other asset ownership structures.

Board certified geriatric psychiatrist, Allan A. Anderson, MD, CMD, DLFAPA, explores strategies to slow or even avoid cognitive decline. Approaches discussed include medications, supplements, cognitive exercises, as well as dietary and lifestyle modifications.

After reviewing brain operation during a crisis situation, medical emergency expert and oral surgeon, Daniel G. Pompa, DDS, discusses the types of medical emergencies, screening for risk factors via history and simple tests, the “index of suspicion”, “thin slicing”, the DASH questions, the OODA protocol and more.

Practicing family practitioner, Louis Kuritzky, MD, reviews the symptoms and diagnosis of persistent seasonal and perennial allergies, and then explores treatment options including allergen and toxin avoidance, environmental control, hygiene, pharmacologic options, and allergen specific immunotherapy with particular emphasis on its sublingual application.

Changes to medical malpractice litigation since 2007 have increased the significance of the defendant doctor’s deposition to the point where it is now sometimes called “the new trial.” 43-year medical malpractice defense veteran, Ralph F. Valitutti, Jr., Esq., surveys this new environment and then offers 11 specific recommendations and warnings designed to assist defendants more effectively prepare for and perform at their deposition.

Drawing on over 30 years of clinical psychological counseling experience, Joseph W. Shannon, PhD, returns to explore eight of the most problematic personality disorders and guidelines for dealing with afflicted patients. Disorder types discussed include antisocial, histrionic, sociopathic, borderline, narcissistic, paranoid, schizotypal, and compulsive-perfectionistic.

Oral surgeon and medical emergency author and speaker, Daniel G. Pompa, DDS, returns to complete his two-part talk by reviewing the emergency response kit and its proper usage. Drugs and devices discussed include oxygen tanks, epinephrine, spirits of ammonia, benadryl elixir, nitroglycerin spray, aspirin, albuterol, glucose, midazolam, narcan, nitrous oxide, AEDs and more.

The man who many credit for naming Hepatitis C, Louis Kuritzky, MD, discusses the epidemiology and prevalence of Hepatitis C (and of course the etymology of its name), and then reviews the deficiencies of old CDS screening guidelines, the benefits of age-based screening, and current treatment options.

Board certified family practitioner, Richard Honaker, MD, FAACP, surveys myriad practical, nuts and bolts approaches to improving patient care while simultaneously boosting revenue and practitioner satisfaction. Areas discussed in this first installment of his two-part talk include proactive determination of patient’s medical needs, enhancing the physician-patient and doctor-staff relationships, optimizing generalist-specialist interaction, internal and external practice marketing, and much more.

Type 2 diabetes patients mainly die from cardiovascular causes. Professor of pharmacy and family medicine, C. Wayne Weart, PharmD, dives into the new ADA, EASD and AACE treatment guidelines focusing on CVD status, other comorbidities and patient preferences. Areas covered include medical and lifestyle approaches to diabetes prevention, the benefit of lowering CVD risk, glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors, glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists, relevant studies and outcome trials, and more.

Nationally renowned speaker, author and consultant, Elizabeth Woodcock, MBA, FACMPE, CPC, shows how to improve practice efficiency and profitability by optimizing patient appointment scheduling. Areas discussed include no-shows and cancellations; new vs. established patient lag times and appointment ratios; cancellation conversion; predictive booking; staggered appointment and staff scheduling; self-scheduling; level loading and more.

Evidence-based medicine instructor, C. Wayne Weart, PharmD, completes his two-part talk with a review of six newly FDA approved drugs, their dosing, benefits, risks and cost. Medications discussed include inhaled levodopa, cannabidiol oral solution, esketamine nasal spray, brexanolone IV, febuxostat, and zolgensma, the most expensive drug in the world.

Veteran attorney and asset protection specialist, Ike Z. Devji, Esq., offers a holistic survey of legal and financial pitfalls facing the practicing professional, along with suggestions for addressing them. Areas discussed include professional liability, business risks, disability, business interruption, corporate structure, succession planning, comprehensive liability insurance programs, asset protection techniques and more.

Over 80% of healthcare practices fall victim to fraud or embezzlement. Former tax accountant and veteran practice consultant, Susan Childs, FACMPE, reviews the particular vulnerabilities of medical offices and then offers policies and procedures to mitigate opportunities for theft as well as the telltale signs of potential embezzlers. Areas discussed include anonymous reporting mechanisms, employee monitoring, financial functions separation, “off book” fraud, medical identity threat and more.

Veteran practitioner and practice management consultant, Richard A. Honaker, MD, FAACP, returns to complete his two-part presentation on enhancing patient care while doing the same for your bottom line as well as the happiness of patients, practitioners and staff. Topics addressed include coding optimization, history and physicals, common skin procedures, patient recall methods and more.