Session 2101 – 1.5 CME I 1.5 ABPM
Fitness-for-Duty Medical Evaluations for Firefighters and Law Enforcement Officers: Guidelines from NFPA and ACOEM
Moderator:
David J. Louis, MD, MS, FACOEM*, HQ Air Force Materiel Command, Beavercreek, OH
Faculty:
Daniel G. Samo, MD, FACOEM*, Northwestern Memorial Physicians Group, Chicago, IL
Thomas R. Hales, MD, MPH*, NIOSH-CDC, Cincinnati, OH
Fabrice Czarnecki, MD, MA, MPH*, The Gables Group, Inc, Baltimore, MD
Occupational medicine physicians frequently provide fitness for duty medical evaluations for public safety employees. This evaluation requires knowledge of job requirements and various medical conditions. The decision must balance the rights of not only the employee and the employer, but also the civilian population they have sworn to protect. This session will update the attendee on the latest NFPA fitness-for-duty medical evaluations for Fire Fighters, and ACOEM's fitness-for-duty medical evaluations for law enforcement officers. The ACOEM guidance document has chapters on diabetes, seizure disorders, cardiovascular system, vision, hearing, medications, and pulmonary conditions. Emphasis during this session will focus on sections approved since AOHC 2008, including the management of pregnant firefighters and law enforcement officers. This session is sponsored by the Public Safety Section.
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Session 2102 – 1.5 CME I 1.5 ABPM
Federal and Military Occupational Medicine Overseas
Moderator:
Christopher J. Jankosky, MD, MPH*, USUHS, Bethesda, MD
Faculty:
Illy Dominitz, MD, MPH, MBA*, MDSU2, Virginia Beach, VA
Patrick R. Laraby, MD, MS, MBA, MPH, FACOEM*, US Department of Defense, Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs), Washington, DC
Michael A. Montopoli, MD, MPH*, National Science Foundation, Office of Polar Programs, Arlington, VA
On any given day there are dozens of U.S. physicians practicing occupational medicine overseas for federal and military agencies. These interactions with our international colleagues stimulate scientific advancement, promote sharing of best practices, and enhance disaster preparedness and relief. As the growth of global business accelerates, it is essential that occupational and environmental medicine physicians develop a robust multi-cultural awareness. This session will review worldwide occupational medicine opportunities, and provide guidance on the required skills and attitudes to practice effectively within a foreign culture. Presentations will include personal experiences in areas as diverse as Afghanistan, Vietnam, and Antarctica. The session will conclude with a presentation from the Office of the Secretary of Defense, review of the current policies and provide insight into future directions for international military cooperation. This session is sponsored by the Federal and Military Section.
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Session 2107 – 1.5 CME I 1.5 ABPM
Medications and Driving: The Federal Perspective
Moderator:
Ellison H. Wittels, MD, FACP*, FMCSA, Houston, TX
Faculty:
James Swart, US Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
This session offers the attendees the opportunity to learn what two major US DOT administrations are doing to prevent the use and abuse of licit but impairing medications and how driving is affected. The session will be conducted in part by senior managers from the U.S. Department of Transportation and will focus on the growing issue of the use of licit, but potentially impairing, prescription and over-the-counter medications; discus the FRA process of creating a comprehensive medical program for workers in safety critical positions; and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s. Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance (ODAPC) responsible for Part 40 of the Federal Regulations, the Procedures for Transportation Workplace Drug and Alcohol Testing Programs.
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Session 2110 – 1.5 CME I 1.5 ABPM
Traumatic Brain Injury, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Major Depression in OEF/OIF Veterans
Moderator:
Ryung Suh, MD, MPP, MBA, MPH*, Georgetown University, Vienna, CA
Faculty:
Terry Schell, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA
Rosalie Pacula, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA
Audrey Burnam, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA
Approximately 1.6 million U.S. service members have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. A number of studies have attempted to quantify the psychological toll on troops since these deployments began. This session will present new data to document the nature, scope, and costs of the mental and cognitive impact, as well as to assess the capacity of the systems to provide evidence based care. This session will summarize findings from an independent population based survey of returning service members; highlight the short and long-term consequences associated with three conditions of particular concern among veterans and the estimated direct economic costs of these conditions; and will describe the services and systems of care designed to provide treatment of these conditions, the evidence supporting the services being offered and discuss identified gaps in access to and quality of care being provided. Finally, the session will offer insights on the current challenges in meeting the needs of returning service members with mental health conditions. This session is sponsored by the Federal and Military Section.
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Session 2111 – 1.5 CME I 1.5 ABPM
Navigating Your Legal Requirements to Reasonably Accommodate Disabled Employees
Moderator:
Irma Rodriguez Moisa, Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo, Cerritos, CA
Faculty:
Irma Rodriguez Moisa, Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo, Cerritos, CA
Margaret A. McCausland, ESQ, Law Offices of Margaret A. McCausland LLC, Conshohocken, PA
Providing accommodations to disabled employees can be a daunting task and create legal exposure. This session will provide an introduction to the legal requirements to provide reasonable accommodation to employees and provide practical advise to minimize your legal exposure to these types of claims. This session will also discuss the recent revisions to the ADA regulations that take effect on January 1, 2009.
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Monday, April 27
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Meal Session 7204 – 1 CME I 1 ABPM
Things That Go Bump in the Night–Sleep Disorders and Commerical Operations
Moderator:
Natalie P. Hartenbaum, MD, MPH, FACOEM*, OccuMedix, Maple Glen, PA
Faculty:
Natalie P. Hartenbaum, MD, MPH, FACOEM*, OccuMedix, Maple Glen, PA
Sleep disorder are recognized as contributing to a significant number of medical condition related incidents in the transportation industry. This session will address sleep disorders; the types, their diagnosis, treatments and objective testing. Additional fee required. Seating is limited: Pre-registration required.
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Session 2201 – 3 CME I 3 ABPM
OSHA Injury and Illness Recordkeeping Process
Moderator:
Patrick J. Beecher, MD, MPH, MBA, FACOEM*, General Motors Corporation, Detroit, MI
Faculty:
Patrick J. Beecher, MD, MPH, MBA, FACOEM*, General Motors Corporation, Detroit, MI
Stephen Newell, JD, ORC Worldwide, Washington, DC
Donna Peck, Fern River, Inc., Manassas, VA
In 1970, Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act. The Act requires that some employers report workplace injuries and illnesses that meet certain requirements. This session will cover recordkeeping rules, underlying concepts, recordkeeping requirements, case analysis, and recording criteria. Time will be allocated for Q&A and discussion. This session is timely, in light of the recent Congressional hearings on the topic. This session is sponsored by the Michigan Occupational and Environmental Medicine Association Component.
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Session 2207 – 3 CME I 3 ABPM
Commerical Driver Medical Examination Updates
Moderator:
Natalie P. Hartenbaum, MD, MPH, FACOEM*, OccuMedix, Maple Glen, PA
Faculty:
Natalie P. Hartenbaum, MD, MPH, FACOEM*, OccuMedix, Maple Glen, PA
Kurt T. Hegmann, MD, MPH, FACOEM*, Rocky Mountain Center for OEH, Salt Lake City, UT
Several Medical Expert Panels have met and offered recommendation to the FMCSA Medical Review Board (MRB) to update or modify existing medical standard and guidelines. The MRB has also offered suggestions for change. In addition, the FMCSA is moving towards implementation of a National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners. This session will review recent and pending changes in guidelines and processes in the medical certification of commercial motor vehicle operators. If time permits, case discussions will illustrate these changes and other challenging issues for commercial driver medical examiners. This session is sponsored by the Transportation Section.
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Session 8000 – 3.0 CME I 3.0 ABPM
U.S.N.S. Mercy Worksite Visit
Moderators:
CDR Patrick Laraby, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs), Washington, DC
Christopher J. Jankosky, MD, MPH*, USUHS, Bethesda, MD
Attendees will visit the hospital ship, the USNS Mercy. Attendees will tour the ship and be provided insight into specific shipboard afloat occupational and environmental programs to include heat stress, noise, preventive medicine, as well as general tour of the ship's tremendous medical facilities. Discussion will include what capacity the ship has to care for war casualties and crew members. Attendees must wear long pants, sturdy shoes (no open toed shoes or heels), bring two forms of Government-issued picture IDs, and be prepared for a security search. Attendees must also indicate their country of citizenship on the registration form. Additional fee required. Seating is limited: Pre-registration required; no on-site registrations accepted.
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Tuesday, April 28
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Session 2304 – 1.5 CME I 1.5 ABPM
MRO Controversies
Moderator:
Elizabeth A. Jennison, MD, MPH, MBA, FACOEM*, Honeywell International, Morristown, NJ
Faculty:
Douglas W. Martin, MD, FACOEM, FAADEP, FAAFP*, St. Luke's Center for Occupational Health Excellence, Sioux City, IA
David K. Walker, MD, Substance Abuse Testing Control Unit, Medicine and Occupational Health, ExxonMobil, Houston, TX
Richard O. Dockins, MD, MPH*, Medicine and Occupational Health, ExxonMobil, Houston, TX
David M. Batey, PhD, MPH, Substance Abuse Testing Control Unit, Medicine and Occupational Health, ExxonMobil, Houston, TX
Karl Auerbach, MD, FACOEM*, Strong Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Rochester, NY
Medical Review Officers are continually challenged to interpret drug test results for both regulated and non-regulated testing. In this session, common and not so common difficulties with Federally Regulated Drug Testing Programs will be discussed and reviewed. We will also spend time discussing varying scenarios that arise in non-regulated testing. Real life case scenarios will be presented that cover unusual or challenging issues for the MRO. Provided that the GAO (General Accounting Office) meets its anticipated deadlines of providing updated information about FMCSA enforcement activities related to drug testing regulations and proposing options to address the challenges identified, this topic will be reviewed as a follow-up to our 2008 session. A new challenge for companies and MROs is how to expand the scope of drug testing to include overseas affiliates. Representatives from a major US-based multi-national firm will discuss how they have implemented drug testing in approximately 80 countries worldwide, and the role of the MRO in these programs. This session is sponsored by the MRO Section.
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Session 2308 – 1.5 CME I 1.5 ABPM
Worker's Compensation and Disability Management for Federal Employees
Moderator:
Timothy M. Mallon, MD, MS, MPH, FACOEM*, United States Army, Bethesda, MD
Faculty:
Scott E. Cherry, DO, MPH*, National Capital Consortium, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
Marianne Cloeren, MD, MPH, FACOEM*, Managed Care Advisors, Perryville, MD
Samuel Jang, DO, MPH, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC
The Federal Employee's Compensation Act (FECA) provides compensation benefits to civilian employees assigned to federal agencies to include the Department of Defense for disability due to injury and illness sustained while in the performance of duty. The Departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force have implemented varying policies and procedures with different outcomes and lessons learned. During this session, recent research will be presented regarding the cost effectiveness of using medical case managers to review workers compensation cases. Further, the workers’ compensation cases occurring between June 2000 and May 2008 were examined to determine if there was an association between costs, injury rates and the demographic variables of age, sex, and occupation. In addition, the Army has instituted an effective workers compensation costs containment program and these best practices will be reviewed. This session will allow the audience to appreciate relevant strategic, operational, and tactical implementation "pearls" in federal and military service specific programs that may be applicable in other federal and civilian settings.
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Session 2309 – 3 CME I 3 ABPM
Real-World Spirometry: Avoiding Pitfalls and Interpreting Results Using 2005 American Thoracic Society (ATS) Guidelines
Moderator:
Mary C. Townsend, DrPH*, M. C. Townsend Associates, LLC, Pittsburgh, PA
Faculty:
Mary C. Townsend, DrPH*, M. C. Townsend Associates, LLC, Pittsburgh, PA
William L. Eschenbacher, MD*, VA Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH
Though spirometry is widely used in occupational settings, physician training rarely emphasizes spirometry’s pitfalls and interpretations, and confusion often exists about spirometry’s essential elements. This session presents current information on: (1) requirements for a valid test; (2) volume and flow-type spirometer advantages and disadvantages; (3) spirometer calibration and equipment errors that arise during testing; (4) selecting predicted values and interpreting test results; and (5) evaluating results longitudinally. Changes under the 2005 American Thoracic Society (ATS) Spirometry Guidelines will be emphasized and real-life case examples will be discussed. Testing errors and spirometer types will be demonstrated. Discussion will be encouraged.
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Session 2310 – 3 CME I 3 ABPM
Building a Better Mousetrap: Improving Surveillance of Occupational Injuries and Illness
Moderator:
Robert K. McLellan, MD, MPH, FAAFP, FACOEM*, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH
Faculty:
John Mendeloff, PhD, Center for Health and Safety in the Workplace, Rand Corporation, Pittsburgh, PA
Kenneth D. Rosenman, MD*, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
Laura S. Welch, MD*, The Center for Construction Research and Training, Silver Spring, MD
The OSHA Act mandated the creation of a recordkeeping system to track the burden of occupational injuries and illnesses. At both the establishment and national level, the OSHA Log 300 is often used as the key barometer of trends in occupational health and safety. This session will examine research that indicates that reliance on the Bureau of Labor Statistics Annual Survey of the OSHA Logs significantly under-counts the actual incidence of occupational injuries and illnesses. Speakers will present current initiatives to improve the validity of the BLS survey and to develop a more comprehensive suite of epidemiological tools as indicators of occupational health.
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Session 2311 – 3 CME I 3 ABPM
NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Program: Responses to Interesting or Unusual Problems
Co-Moderators:
Melody M. Kawamoto, MD, MS-OH*, NIOSH, Cincinnati, OH
Bruce P. Bernard, MD, MPH, NIOSH, Morgantown, WV
Faculty:
Carlos Aristeguieta, MD*, NIOSH, Cincinnati, OH
Elena H. Page, MD, MPH*, NIOSH, Cincinnati, OH
LCDR Rachel L. Bailey, DO, MPH*, NIOSH, Morgantown, WV
Judith Eisenberg, MD, MS*, NIOSH, Cincinnati, OH
Loren C. Tapp, MD, MS*, NIOSH, Cincinnati, OH
Each year, the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Program receives approximately 400 requests for workplace evaluations from employers, employees, unions, and government agencies. We will present current and recent projects that have caught our attention as being interesting or unusual. We will also give updates on ongoing activities that may be of interest to AOHC participants. In addition to reporting our findings, conclusions, and recommendations, we will attempt to address the following: Factors that influenced our decision to respond (e.g., specific workplace needs versus public health impact or research needs) and type of response; Factors that influenced our selection of methods and recommendations (e.g., validity and feasibility vis-à-vis precision and accuracy, specific workplace needs versus research needs); and Relevance of information to AOHC participants (e.g., new problem, evaluation methods, recommendations, communication approaches while considering issues such as effectiveness, feasibility, generalizability).
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