Member service company VGM Group Inc., its members and partners are gearing up for the 13th edition of the organization’s four-day Heartland Conference educational and networking event in Waterloo, Iowa.
Nearly 1,000 home medical equipment providers, vendors, speakers and industry participatns are expected to attend the event, which opens Monday with pre-conference educational sessions and a golf tournament, followed by a hog roast and fireworks display.
A running theme for the event will be “Define Your Future,” and to that end Heartland will feature nine tracks of education, 72 speakers, 74 sessions and up to 21.5 contact hours will be available through Thursday, when the conference concludes. Also, seventy-eight exhibits will be staffed by 272 vendor representatives.
Some key sessions at the event include:
- The keynote address Tuesday morning will be presented by inspirational speaker David Wagner, the best-selling author of “Life as a Daymaker: How to Change the World by Simply Making Someone’s Day,” and a cancer survivor. As the founder and owner of JUUT Salonspas, the original Aveda concept salons, Wagner addresses more than 50,000 individuals annually.
- One of the country’s foremost experts on audits, Founder and President of The van Halem Group, Wayne van Halem, who will present a special session, “Audits: What Does the Future Hold?” Tuesday.
- VGM Government Relations and People for Quality Care, VGM’s advocacy group, will sponsor a town hall forum, “Caring for the Aging and Disabled: How Investing in DME Saves the Government Money and Provides Better Care for Americans,” Wednesday from 1 to 2 p.m. in the Ramada Hotel’s Corral Room. A recent study showing that investing in home medical equipment upfront saves money in the long run will be discussed, and attendees will have an opportunity to voice concerns to congressional staff members. The event will be broadcast live at www.twitter.com/qualitycare14.
- U.S. Rehab, VGM’s complex rehab division, will sponsor tech training, which teaches hands-on repair of power mobility equipment; individuals may take Certified Environmental Access Certification training; and a special daylong “Billing and Audits: Ensuring Compliance” session will be offered Monday.
In addition to the education event and product displays at the show, attendees also can participate in various networking events and tours of the VGM Group campus.