Open Director at Large Position!

The board of directors is seeking interested members for the director at large position. Please contact Stephanie Kress at sakress@verizon.net with interest. A short biography needs submitted by July 5, 2018 for consideration.

2018 AALNC Forum in Clearwater, Florida

AALNC- American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants 2018 Annual Forum Clearwater, Florida Stephanie Kress, BSN, RN, CMSRN
With sun, sand and a warm dry breeze at temperatures in the mid 80’s on the Gulf Coast, our national organization could not have chosen a better location for the 2018 Annual Forum. Held at the Hilton in Clearwater, Florida, the amenities boasted a warm, elegant, convenient and relaxing environment enjoyed by all who attended this year.
The AALNC kicked off the agenda with activities that allowed for learning, networking and an opportunity to meet with associated vendors tailored to legal nurse consultants and life care planners at all levels of skill level and expertise. Both days featured a choice of multiple sessions related to the implications of clinical issues in the legal field, the business aspect of legal nurse consulting and LNC roles, services and functions.
Clinical-focused presentations included the impact of standard of care in the diagnoses of anorectal anomalies, missed diagnoses in the pediatric population, the pitfalls and successes of telehealth, the prevalence of osteoarthritis and osteoporosis in association with patient falls and associated morbidity and mortality and the interpretation of terminology in spinal imaging. Mental health topics were also covered by renowned practitioners and legal analysts in relation to the litigation of post-traumatic stress disorder and the liability of health care professionals in patient suicide.
The roles of the LNC in the legal process were explored through talks pertaining to the detection of fraudulent charting in nursing home cases, diversifying your practice by providing summaries and bill reviews, LNC opportunities in acute care, tips and tactics of evaluating electronic medical records and survival and risk mitigation of Zone Program Integrity Contractor auditing. Court-focused discussions were also given concerning the exoneration of a nurse by an LNC in a civil and criminal action and the use of 3-D illustration videos for simplifying jury interpretation.

LNC business topics encompassed gaining skills for using Adobe, advice for steady growth of your business using marketing methods and social media and how to plan for and implement retirement strategies for your LNC practice.
If you have never been to an Annual Forum, I personally recommend attending to enhance your personal growth as a both a practitioner and legal nurse consultant, make connections with business partners and to learn about invaluable resources available to you for your expansion of knowledge in the field. It is also a wonderful time to escape the routine of your daily life and focus on the advancement of your career and business.

Read about the success of our 2017 conference!

"Wonderful conference this year. The speakers were excellent and incredibly knowledgeable about their topics"

"Great venue and food. Impressive vendors and amazing speakers. Networking was encouraged and done."

" GREAT!!!"

(From a nursing student) "This was a very insightful conference. Valuable information was presented in which I believe is beneficial to know before entering the field. Many things said that are not taught in a lecture hall."

"Audience loved the room and meals. This was a great opportunity to network."

"This was wonderful! I found it to be very informative!"

"This conference was very good. The venue was very nice and all the speakers were engaging. The mock trial was superb."

These are just a few of the many positive comments received from the AALNC Pittsburgh Chapter Conference. The conference, titled "Cover Your Assets: Protection for the Healthcare and Legal Professional", was held on November 4th, 2017 at Duquesne University.

Over 50 attendees were present. Attendees included new LNC's, seasoned LNC's, people curious about LNC, independent LNC's, in-house LNC's, case managers, Life Care Planners, students and representation from risk management and legal departments. Five people traveled over 2 1/2 hours to attend and someone came from Seattle Washington!

A major highlight included an introduction from our National AALNC president, Debbie Pritts. Debbie commended the AALNC Pittsburgh Chapter for it's strength as a chapter and it's dedicated members and board. She inspired attendees with her story of working as an LNC and becoming the national AALNC president. Attendees were thrilled to meet Debbie in person.

Nearly every attendee rated the speakers "5/5" on their post conference survey. Diane Mead, 2017 AALNC Pittsburgh Chapter President and Bethany Hospice CEO started the day off with a welcome that blew attendees away. She brought her guitar, grabbed a couple of brave audience volunteers and a got the crowd going with a hilarious song about hospice. Stephanie Kress, 2018 Pittsburgh Chapter AALNC President and conference chair warmly welcomed all the attendees. She sincerely thanked those who helped with conference, including the sponsors, board of directors and volunteers. The speaker line up included "Facility and Hospice Partnerships, Avoiding Undue Litigation" by Diane Mead, "Pennsylvania's Approach to Impaired Nurses" by Kathie Simpson, "Seven Deadly Sins of Nursing Practice" by Lori Klingman and "The Importance of Legal Nurse Consulting in a Defense Law Firm" by John Conti.

The conference was made possible in large part to the strong support from our sponsors. Sponsors were featured in the conference booklet and will be on our AALNC Pittsburgh Chapter website for one year. Table vendors were available for networking during breaks and provided baskets for a Chinese auction. Conference attendees received lots of goodies in their drawstring bag and a full color booklet with presentation PowerPoint slides and sponsor ads.

THANK YOU to the conference volunteers who spent countless hours making the conference successful in so many ways!

Congratulations Debbie A. Pritts!

Check out the excellent interview with our AALNC National President, Debbie Pritts.

Click here for the interview!