NPAC 2022: Exploring the Spectrum

The conference is April 11-13 in Austin, Texas and sponsored by the American College of Physician Advisors.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Clarissa Barnes is vice president of member engagement for the association.

For the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the American College of Physician Advisors National Physician Advisor Conference (NPAC) is happening in person, April 11-13 in Austin, Tex. Over the past several years, physician advisors have expanded their efforts from their more traditional roles and explored new areas, often spurred on by new COVID challenges. To highlight the increasing breadth and depth of physician advisor work, the NPAC 2022 theme is “Exploring the Spectrum.” 

This year’s NPAC Chair is Elizabeth Quinn, MD, CHCQM-PHYADV. Emeric Palmer (MBBS, MBA, FACP, CHCQM-PHYADV) fills a new board of directors’ role for the American College of Physician Advisors (ACPA) as NPAC Champion. Together, they have sought to craft a conference experience that mixes talks from industry experts with new voices. The conference itself is a mix of longer and shorter presentations in both familiar and new topic areas.

Planned main-stage presentations include a joint talk between Dr. Ronald Hirsch and Dr. Erica Remer related to the intersection of utilization management and clinical documentation integrity (CDI), and how documentation can impact medical necessity determination.

Two former presidents of the ACPA have planned presentations – Dr. Charles Locke will be talking about his published work related to the financial impact of removing orthopedic surgeries from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Inpatient-Only list, and Dr. Edward Hu will be discussing emergency medical care and the implications of care rendered to stabilize an emergency medical condition versus post-stabilization care. 

Afternoon sessions will be quick-hitting presentations spread out over a variety of tracks. This year there will be a new track especially for new/early career physician advisors. Additionally, there will be tracks for Regulatory and Financial Strategy, Professional Leadership, Clinical Documentation Integrity, Regulatory and Financial Strategy, and Evolving Roles.

Throughout the course of the conference, there will be multiple talks related to new ways physician advisors have gotten involved in their hospitals or health systems, from behavioral health facilities to transfer centers. 

NPAC 2022 will allow plenty of time and opportunity for attendees to ask questions of the featured speakers, bounce new ideas off each other, and dive into deeper discussion about the topics of each day. Additionally, current ACPA President Dr. Juliet B. Ugarte Hopkins will discuss the state of the physician advisor field and the future of the College.

To add to the familiar offerings, NPAC 2022 will have some new features, including an on-site head shot studio so that registrants can update their professional photos – and an optional “Bat Cruise” Tuesday evening on Lady Bird Lake to view the world-famous Austin bats. 

The 2022 National Physician Advisor Conference, “Exploring the Spectrum,” will prove to be a welcome return to seeing and learning from friends and colleagues from across the country. The ACPA has taken steps to minimize infection risk as much as possible while still promoting networking interactions for those who want them. NPAC 2022 draws closer, and I, along with the ACPA leadership, can’t wait to see you there!

For up-to-date information about the Conference and other ACPA work, check out the website https://acpadvisors.org/ or follow us on social media via LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter.