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 Yvonne Masters, Chief Risk Officer for District Medical Group as we talk about the ASHRM Annual Conference coming up September 28th through the 30th and what to expect and look forward to.

Yvonne, welcome.

Yvonne Masters, JD, BSN, CPHRM: Hi, Bill. Thanks for having me.

Host: Of course. I'm so excited to talk to you. I always love getting people's viewpoints of the ASHRM Conference, your perceptions of it and what you're excited about. So very interested to talk to you. So Yvonne, could you just share some highlights that you think we can expect at this year's ASHRM Annual Conference?

Yvonne Masters, JD, BSN, CPHRM: Well, I think one of the things that we really tried to do when planning this conference, is to have a wide variety of topics that cover all of the domains and are applicable to practitioners of all levels. You know, I hope that all attendees will find that there's really something for everyone at this year's conference.

Host: I love how you said that, there's something for everyone, basically all practitioners of any level at the conference and a wide variety of topics, which is one of the hallmarks of the ASHRM Conference. So I think that is great. So in your view, what makes the ASHRM Annual Conference a crucial event for healthcare risk managers?

Yvonne Masters, JD, BSN, CPHRM: Well, I think one of the things is certainly the opportunity to mix and mingle with other healthcare providers, who are interested in healthcare risk management. And I say healthcare providers, you know, really and truthfully, not all ASHRM members come from the healthcare world, but a large variety of us do come from the practitioner side.

So certainly that opportunity to interact, but also the opportunity to get others' perspectives on what's going on within the world of healthcare risk management. Sometimes we're very isolated. We sit in our little ivory towers, we review everything that's going on at our own facility, our own healthcare system, and we kind of lose sight of the rest of the world and what's happening across healthcare risk management in general. So I think it's good to get different perspectives.

Host: Yvonne, I love how you say it's a great opportunity to get other perspectives. In any profession, of course, sometimes you get wrapped up in your own little bubble sometimes, and it's always good to get that outside viewpoint, and that's what the ASHRM Conference brings. So I love how you said that.

So Yvonne, if I'm somebody and I come up to you and I say, Yvonne, tell me, what do you think are the key sessions or topics that you think I should attend or not miss? What would you say?

Yvonne Masters, JD, BSN, CPHRM: Certainly, you know, we're very excited to have some specific speakers back with us again. One in particular is Monica Cook, who is a renowned speaker on all things mental health related, and I think most of what we look at in healthcare risk management is related to the medical side and we sometimes lose sight of the mental health or behavioral health side.So I think anytime you have an opportunity to hear what Monica has to say, it's a good day.

We have a session specifically on enterprise risk management as it relates to medical ethics. And I think we sometimes lose sight of the ethics in enterprise risk management. So I'm looking forward to that session.

Of course, it's always lovely when we can see what the current trends in litigation are. You know, what are settlements like, what are we seeing in laws across the country, and looking at that in different jurisdictions and thinking about how neighboring jurisdictions sometimes impact our own jurisdiction.

So certainly the case reviews are good. And then lastly, anytime that a presenter is willing to offer a toolbox, I think that that's a really good session to attend because you're leaving with some takeaways that you can actually take home and use in your environment if it's applicable to you.

Host: Okay, I've got my list here. Thank you, Yvonne. I appreciate it. Monica Cook, keynote check, medical ethics, check, trends in litigation check and look for any presenters that offer toolkits. I love that. That is great. Okay. Let me ask you personally now, because you're a risk manager, what session are you looking forward to attending personally?

Yvonne Masters, JD, BSN, CPHRM: Personally, there is a session by Catherine Biasetti called Through the Looking Glass, A Risk Professional Surrealistic Journey As a Patient and Family Advocate. When we looked at the abstract for this particular session, I loved the fact that she uses a different narrative that makes it a little bit light and fun. I also loved the fact that there seems to be some interactive storytelling, audience role play. So I think that this is going be a really fun session. I say that hoping that not everybody runs in there so that there's still a seat left for me, but that's one that I'm really looking for.

Host: Make sure you leave a seat for Yvonne everyone, please save her a seat in there. I love it. So why do you feel that this is a great conference to attend for someone to enhance their career? How does the conference enhance career growth?

Yvonne Masters, JD, BSN, CPHRM: Well, I think first of all, you need to focus on the certification as a healthcare professional, through the CPHRM, and that certainly is what a lot of organizations are looking for when they're looking for someone to support their risk program. So, the certification is through ASHRM and a lot of the tools that they have prior to the conference, support certification as a healthcare risk professional.

But then beyond that, I think the key takeaways that you can share with your organizations, make it a key event to attend. Interacting actually with the vendors can be very helpful. I know we all like to, especially given that many of us are nurses, and nurses are always taught to do as much as they can on their own without seeking help.

And nobody likes to spend money, but sometimes there are certain tools that may be available in the vendor hall that really will enhance your organizational understanding of your risk picture. So interacting with the vendors I think is really important. But it's really that interactive learning that allows us to be better because we're stronger when we work together. And it's the sharing and the collaboration that I think really benefits the risk professional who attends this conference.

Host: Yeah, some really great points. Like you said, key takeaways are always good things you can bring back to your hospital or health system. You mentioned certification, even vendors, you can learn some great stuff from vendors as well. And the interactive learning. Let's focus in on that interactive learning a little bit. The next step of that, networking and collaboration, what opportunities are there for networking and collaboration at the event, and how important is that?

Yvonne Masters, JD, BSN, CPHRM: Well, certainly there are after hours cocktail mixers. Sometimes the networking happens because you're seated next to someone interesting at a session that you know, you have a common interest. You both showed up to this session. Sometimes some of the better networking opportunities really are those that are sponsored after hours by some of the sponsors.

Lockton has a nice event, I'm not sure if AON has an event this year, but looking for those after hours opportunities to interact with others in the community is really a good place to mingle. And then lastly, sometimes the local chapters have very good opportunities to interact.

So seeking those out. Don't just think that the conference is over at 4:30 and I'm going to go back to my hotel and turn on Netflix. Take advantage of all the opportunities that are available to you during the three days of the conference.

Host: Yes. And if you're the type of person that's like, oh man, I gotta go in there and introduce myself and mingle, you just gotta do it. You gotta do it, be prepared. You just have to do it. Introduce yourself. People are in the same boat and field the same way you do. Just strike up that conversation. You instantly will have common ground because you're in the risk care management field.

And it's just, you just have to do it. And you never know who you're going to meet. And believe me, you are going to meet people there that will become instrumental in your career. No doubt about it.

Yvonne Masters, JD, BSN, CPHRM: I want to share a little anecdote. I just dropped my daughter off at college and she was very, very anxious about meeting new people. Is anybody going to like her? And one of our close friends here just graduated from college and she spent her last two years as an RA. And what she said to my daughter is, put yourself out there.

You only have to do it once. And then you will begin to develop that network, so that you end up meeting people who support you through the rest of your college career. So my daughter, who's not a very outgoing person, went out there to one mixer, and I'll be quite honest, she really hasn't called a whole lot since.

Host: Wow. Great story. Well, she, Madden is building a group of new friends.

Yvonne Masters, JD, BSN, CPHRM: Yes, yes.

Host: Which is great, and it's the same thing that can happen for you at the ASHRM conference, so we ask you to do that too. Okay, Yvonne, in your opinion, you've been to conferences, you know the drill. How can attendees, new attendees, even people that have been there before, maximize their experience at the ASHRM Annual conference?

Yvonne Masters, JD, BSN, CPHRM: I think the best way to maximize your experience is to download the AHA app. And I think it's early September that all the conference materials will be available on the app and start looking at sessions that interest you. Put them on your time table. And another thing that one of my friends taught me last year is look at what of those things that you're interested in, will be available virtual, which are only available at the conference. If it's something you're really interested in and it's available virtual and there's something else during that time that you'd like to attend, maximize things that way because you're going to have the opportunity to attend the virtual conference in November and maximize those CEUs that way.

So that's something that I wish I would've paid more attention to last year.

Host: That is a great tip. So if the session is offered virtually or there's a recording of it that you can access after the conference and there's another one at the exact same time, go to the one that is not going to be available after the conference, so then you can maximize your time and take in that information from both of those sessions.

That is a great tip, Yvonne. Thank you so much. This has really been exciting talking to you. I can tell your passion and how excited you are for the ASHRM conference. Before we wrap up, Yvonne, is there anything else you want to add?

Yvonne Masters, JD, BSN, CPHRM: I know so often we look at conferences as an opportunity to step away from work. Maybe we're more focused on spending time in the environment than spending time at the conference. But I really feel like ASHRM has so much to offer and so much learning is available.

Really try and focus on spending as much time as you're physically available. Which I know sometimes, you know, spending a whole day in a conference is long and exhausting, but really try and maximize your time in the sessions.

Host: Yep. Another good point. I know some conferences are in exotic locations and you want to get out there and see the cities, but that's a great point. You're there to learn and the sessions are all really good, and you will get great information you can bring back to your hospital or health system. Yvonne, thank you so much for your time. This has really been great. I appreciate it. Thank you again.

Yvonne Masters, JD, BSN, CPHRM: Thank you, Bill. I've had fun here.

Host: Oh, well good. I'm happy. That's our goal. So, we've achieved our goal. That's great, Yvonne, thank you again. And that is Yvonne Masters. And come join 1500 plus members of the Healthcare Risk Management Community at the 2025 ASHRM Annual Conference. It is September 28th through the 30th. It's chockfull of goodness just as Yvonne has told you. To register, just go to ashrm.org/annual-conference. Once again, just go to ashrm.org/annual-conference to sign up. And 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. Check out the full podcast library for topics of interest to you. Thanks for listening.