Register today and join us on December 10, 2021 for a conference focusing on changes in the health care system precipitated by the COVID pandemic. Presenters will review systems of care for wellness and rehabilitation for people with disabilities and the way in which care providers strategized to meet the needs of individuals they served this past year.

Clinical and classroom teaching was dramatically impacted by social distancing mandates and health and safety concerns.  Presentations will review how educators perceived the new strategies for teaching over the pandemic and what aspects of clinical teaching will be changed forever. In addition, the influence of telehealth had a major impact on traditional service delivery models. For some fields of health care, the innovative clinical strategies which evolved will facilitate patients improved access to physical, behavioral health care and specialist consultant services.  For other disciplines in medicine, the pandemic had major negative health status outcomes.  Consumers were differently impacted by economic, social, geographic and disability related variables.

The keynote speaker is Lisa Iezzoni, MD. Dr. Iezzoni is a professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Mongan Institute for Health Policy at Massachusetts General Hospital. She has spent over three decades conducting research examining health care quality, delivery systems and policy issues relating to persons with disabilities. Dr. Iezzoni is also the first woman to be appointed as a professor in the department of medicine at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, MA and is a member of the Institute of Medicine in the National Academy of Sciences.

Learning Objectives. At the conclusion of this conference, participants should be able to:

1. Review best practice models that arose to circumvent unique clinical issues during the pandemic

2. Recognize new modalities for teaching and professional development using virtual platforms and distance learning in combination with new triage strategies to meet clinical needs

3. Identify changes in clinical care that evolved and discuss the role that practitioners, program planners and payors will have to move new innovations and visions of more efficient practice forward

4. Discuss the potential role of telehealth and the “hybrid” model of care to meet the complex needs of people with disabilities, with close attention to existing racial and ethnic disparities across sub-populations.

How to Register. Click here to register online. This event is free for students, interns, residents, patients, and family members. American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters will be available on Zoom during the conference.

For More Information. Download the conference brochure here or contact Doreen Barkowitz at barkowitzdh@upmc.edu.

Supporting Organizations:

• Community Care Behavioral Health Organization
• Allegheny HealthChoices, Inc.
• FISA Foundation

Continuing Education Credit Information. In support of improving patient care, the University of Pittsburgh is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Physician (CME). The University of Pittsburgh designates this live activity for a maximum of 5.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Other Healthcare Professionals: Other health care professionals will receive a certificate.