Bill Klaproth (Host): Welcome to the ASHRM Podcast, made possible by the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management, to support efforts to advance, safe and trusted healthcare through enterprise risk management. You can visit ashrm.org/membership to learn more and to become an ASHRM member.

I'm Bill Klaproth. And with me is Dennis Durbin, Jr., Director of Claims and Risk Management at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health as we talk about the ASHRM Annual Conference, September 28th through the 30th, and what to expect and look forward to. Dennis, welcome.

Dennis Durbin, Jr.: Hi, Bill. I'm excited to join you today to get to talk about the ASHRM Conference.

Host: Excited to talk to you. The ASHRM Conference is always great, so we're excited to get this sneak preview from you, Dennis. So, could you share some highlights we can expect at this year's ASHRM Annual Conference?

Dennis Durbin, Jr.: Yes, Bill. I'm really excited about this year's ASHRM's Conference in Charlotte. I think it's going to be a time for great networking amongst healthcare professionals. There are going to be numerous sessions that cover the many different domains of healthcare risk management, allow time for collaboration in the solution center and allow time for mentoringship with risk professionals from all areas of our country.

Host: That sounds great. It always is a great conference. So, dennis, you being on the conference committee, you certainly would be able to answer this. So, what makes the ASHRM Annual Conference a crucial event for healthcare risk managers? Why is this a must-attend?

Dennis Durbin, Jr.: It allows risk professionals to share best practice and build connections that can elevate your career in your organization. It's an event that allows everyone to come to collaborate, talk about best practice and what we can do as healthcare risk managers to prevent and mitigate risks within our organizations.

Host: So, Dennis, you being on the conference committee, you certainly know the agenda. What are some big topics this year that you're going to be covering that attendees should not miss?

Dennis Durbin, Jr.: Well, I think when you start with the workshops, there's some great workshops to look into. If you're wanting to look at like a mock deposition, there's going to be a workshop on that. That'll give great perspective on how to dissect a deposition, what that looks like. It's a great team. There are other numerous workshops that provide insight on the different domains of risk management.

The sessions that'll start Sunday afternoon and run until Tuesday, run from patient safety, risk management, claims management. It'll give you as a risk manager to find different information from different topics that'll be able to give you insight on what best practice looks like across the country.

Host: Yeah, that sounds really good. A lot of great things are happening at the ASHRM Annual Conference. You mentioned earlier, this is a great way to network and collaborate. Can you talk about some of the opportunities or social maybe events or gatherings that you're going to have that will promote that collaboration and networking?

Dennis Durbin, Jr.: What I find the best is when you're having breakfast and lunch at the solution center. It's a time to sit at a table with people you may not know. Go sit at a table with a group of people that you do not know, introduce yourself and start networking, that you can build that network, that you can find those answers throughout the year. When you have questions that pop up, you'll have people that you can reach out to from different areas and different years of experience. So, that solution center time to network with different people, different organizations is pivotal for career growth.

Host: Yeah, absolutely. Those common hour times, like you mentioned, breakfast, lunch, those are always great to meet new people. Do you have any opening ceremonies or sessions or something like that, keynotes event where people can also meet each other and network?

Dennis Durbin, Jr.: The keynote speakers are a great time to get in the room, get to speaking with different people from different areas, while also hearing from keynote speakers that can provide pivotal information that can enhance your career.

Host: Absolutely. So in your opinion, Dennis, how can someone maximize their experience at the ASHRM Annual Conference?

Dennis Durbin, Jr.: Go to the ASHRM website, look at the agenda, figure out which sessions are you're wanting to attend. I know in September, you'll be able to download the ASHRM app, which will allow you to navigate more quickly and, when you're there at the conference in person, to say, "I'm going to go to which session." That way, you're able to prepare yourself, know what you want to get and what you want to learn while you're there. The app allows you to look and see what members are attending and to see who you'd like to network with while you're at the conference.

Host: Yeah, the app is such a great resource and that's such a good idea, Dennis. So, thank you for bringing that up. I'm just curious, you've been to a lot of these, you're on the conference committee. What are you personally looking forward to at this year's conference?

Dennis Durbin, Jr.: The networking to me is one of the most important features when you get there and you start meeting people from different risk programs to learn what they do, how they do it, and to be able to learn from the different sessions on topics that spark your interest the most. So for me, I looked at the agenda and there's several that I want to attend based on the speaker themselves who I just know that have a history of presenting information well and also on topics that I haven't heard before. And I think they're going to get to see, at this year's conference, there's lots of topics that have not been presented in the last several years.

Host: Yeah. I think that's really important. And like you said earlier, go to the ASHRM website, check out the agenda. Find some sessions that you're looking forward to. And you said you're going to cover a myriad of topic. There's going to be many workshops, there's going to be keynotes covering many things. You talked about captive consideration. How about AI? Are there sessions on AI? And how about cybersecurity?

Dennis Durbin, Jr.: There are. There are several different topics. It's very diverse this year that'll hit topics such as AI and cybersecurity. There's stuff on debriefing, purpose practice, and patient safety. I think it'll be well-rounded. And people will get to see different perspectives from different speakers on topics that we have not heard in the past.

And there's some that you've heard in the past that will be given more information on, that they will have taken that topic, done more research, have the newest data, and able to present it in a new way.

Host: Yeah, absolutely. So, why is it so important for someone to go to the annual conference? I know there's education and networking. But from your point of view, why is this, again, a must-attend event? What do people bring back to their hospitals and why is it so important for them to attend?

Dennis Durbin, Jr.: To be able to grow as a risk manager, you have to be able to network and get the latest education on the hottest topics in the country to come back and be able to provide that best practice in your organization to prevent and mitigate risks, whether that's at the bedside, at a corporate level, or if you're in the entrance arena. You want to be able to have the latest information and statistics and data to be able to support your initiatives.

Host: Absolutely. Can you share how the ASHRM Conference or being a part of ASHRM has helped you in your career?

Dennis Durbin, Jr.: Being a part of ASHRM has been a highlight in my risk management career. I've been in healthcare for over 25. And risk management is very diverse. And being an active member of ASHRM and also having my CPHRM allows me to stay up-to-date to have the latest information and to network with other colleagues to bring back new ideas to my organization to help us grow, to be the leading provider of healthcare in our area.

Host: Yeah. A lot of great information, a lot of great sessions, and you will walk away with actionable things you can do when you get back to your workplace. And it's always good to grow your career, enhance your career with education, and by meeting people and networking and all of those things. Absolutely. Dennis, thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate it. Is there anything else you want to add? Anything else that we missed that you want to cover?

Dennis Durbin, Jr.: I think we covered a lot of topics. I just highly encourage people to utilize this conference that's available, to be able to go network, learn, grow, come back to your organizations and present the latest information so that you can continue your growth in your careers.

Host: Very well said, Dennis. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.

Dennis Durbin, Jr.: Thank you.

Host: You bet. That was Dennis Durbin, Jr. And come join the 1500 plus members of the Healthcare Risk Management Community at the 2025 ASHRM Annual Conference. It is September 28th through the 30th. Register at ashrm.org/annual-conference. The ASHRM Podcast was made possible by the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management to support efforts to advance safe and trusted healthcare through enterprise risk management. You can visit ashrm.org/membership to learn more and to become a member. And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and check out the full podcast library for topics of interest to you. Thanks for listening.