2010 MGMA Conference: From New Orleans to Your Practice

Practice management experts from around the nation will be gathering in New Orleans for this year's MGMA 2010 Annual Conference and Physicians Practice is providing complete coverage of the event.

Taking place Oct. 24–27, the conference features numerous workshop sessions to help practices acquire tools and strategies to aid everyday operations, from implementing EHRs to how to boost staff morale.

The event kicks off Sunday, Oct. 24 with New Yorker staff writer and author Malcolm Gladwell sharing his thoughts on how to truly achieve healthcare reform in the United States. Twitter users can follow Gladwell's presentation in real time at twitter.com/physicianspract beginning at 5 p.m. CDT (6 p.m. EST).

Session Recaps

Whether you can’t make it in person this year, or you're planning to attend the event and want to maximize your experience, check out Physicians Practice Conference Insider, our special package of in-depth, on-location coverage of the MGMA Annual Conference, appearing here on PhysiciansPractice.com and in your inbox each day.

Our coverage will include many of the conference's keynote events and educational workshops; one-on-one interviews with key experts, leaders, and attendees; videos and podcasts direct from the conference hall floor; and frequent updates via Twitter.

Highlights of the event include:

• Charles "Chip" Kahn, president of the Federation of American Hospitals, and James Rohack, the past-president of the American Medical Association leading a discussion of how healthcare reform will require realignment of economic incentives for both providers and consumers.

• William Crounse, Microsoft's senior director for worldwide health, discussing how software and the Internet are transforming both healthcare and the delivery of services from medical professionals.

Other articles will look at physician/hospital integration, strategies and compliance tips to deal with Recovery Audit Contractors (RACs), the latest ICD-10 information, and delve into the principles of the patient-centered medical home.

Listen to the Presenters

In addition to our Web stories, Physicians Practice staff will be speaking to MGMA conference presenters prior to their sessions, offering podcast previews of what's in store for attendees.

Neal Baum, clinical associate professor of urology at the Tulane Medical School in New Orleans, discusses how to increase physician efficiency and productivity in one of a series of podcasts, while Penny Noyes of Health Business Navigators in Kentucky, offers advice on negotiating and understanding payer contracts.

Get a sneak peek at these and other sessions through our informative podcasts posted to on this page our Web site throughout the conference.

Video Presentations

Physicians Practice staff will also conduct video interviews with presenters, practice management experts, and administrators in attendance at this year's MGMA conference.

Follow Us Through Social Media

Throughout the four-day event, follow Physicians Practice on Twitter through the hashtags #ac10 and #MGMA as we update you on the latest goings on in New Orleans and the latest editions to our Web site.

Our "Friends" on Facebook will also get the opportunity to comment on our conference coverage, so be sure to tell us what sessions you "Like." That also goes for the members of our Physicians Practice group on LinkedIn - give us the thumbs up if you like what you see.

For all the latest from this year's MGMA conference, be sure to visit http://www.physicianspractice.com/conference-insider/mgma2010.