Pandemic Influenza: Health Plan and Employer Preparedness

A Webinar and Audio Conference discussing the status, implications, preparedness and response issues regarding potential pandemic influenza from a health plan and employer perspective with Robin A. Robinson, Ph.D., Director, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and Assistant Deputy Secretary, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), U.S. DHHS ; David Sarabacha, MBA, Senior Manager, Deloitte & Touche, LLP; and Uday Deshmukh, MD, MPH, CPE, Medical Director, CIGNA.

Thursday, May 28th, 2009
1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Eastern (10:00 - 11:30 a.m. Pacific)
Click here to find out what time your event starts in your time zone.

Individual Registration Fee: $225. Audio Conference CD-ROM: $40 for attendees; $285 for non-attendees after the event. Click here to register or call 209.577.4888, or click here for a downloadable order form you can fax or mail. Corporate Site licensing also available.

The current H1N1 outbreak highlights the critical need for health plans and employers to adequately plan, prepare and respond to potential pandemic influenza, as an integral part of the overall national pandemic preparedness strategy. This webinar begins with an overview of pandemic influenza issues, current status, and national strategies and implications. The discussion then focuses on the role of health plans and employers, both in regard to serving the needs of members and employees, and well as maintaining business operations. Clinical, communications and management issues will be covered.

The faculty presentations will address topics including:

• National strategy and plan for pandemic influenza
• Relevant statistics and assumptions regarding pandemic influenza
• Current status of swine flu developments, issues, and medical countermeasures
• Role of health plans and employers in pandemic preparedness activities
• Health Plan perspectives on pandemic influenza planning and response
• Member and Employee Communications strategies and issues
• Pandemic surveillance, alert, response and recovery strategies
• Business Continuity Management and BETH3 considerations   

Webinar Agenda: (Eastern Time)

• 1:00 pm - 1:05 pm Introductions and logistics
• 1:05 pm - 1:35 pm Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Medical Countermeasures: Overview and Status Report  - Robin A. Robinson, Ph.D., Director, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and Assistant Deputy Secretary, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services , Washington, DC. 
• 1:35 pm - 2:00 pm - Pandemic Preparedness – Not Only An Event Specific Plan, but a Component of BETH3 Readiness  - David Sarabacha, MBA, Principal, Security & Privacy Services, Deloitte & Touche, LLP, Seattle, WA.
• 2:00 pm - 2:30 pm - Health Plan planning, response and perspectives on Pandemic Influenza  - Uday Deshmukh, MD, MPH, Medical Director, CIGNA, Philadelphia, PA
• In addition to a thorough discussion of their presentations, the Webinar will include ample time for audience questions and answers.
• Attendees will receive audio dial-in instructions shortly before the event, and have two options to view the companion presentations: they can logon to view the live webinar online, or simply link to download and view or print the presentation offline.

• Gain a sense of the current status and scope of swine flu and related potential pandemic influenza developments and activities
• Consider the implications of pandemic influenza from a global, national, organizational and individual perspective
• Be aware of national preparedness strategies, infrastructure and mobilization
• Learn how to position health plans and employers to best respond to the needs of their members and employees in the event of pandemic influenza
• Plan and strategize for the business continuity management of their organization in the event of pandemic influenza
• Understand the concepts and pandemic specific recovery strategies involved for mission critical operations including Buildings (facilities), Equipment, Technology, Human resources and 3rd parties (BETH3).
• Develop a communications plan that can be deployed in the event of pandemic influenza

Interested Attendees from such organizations would include: C-Suite Executives, Medical Directors, Human Resources Executives, Health Benefits Managers, Care Management Staff, Clinicians, Planning Executives, Communications Professionals, Consultants, Media and other interested professionals.
    

Robin A. Robinson, Ph.D., Director, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and Assistant Deputy Secretary, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC

Robin Robinson, PhD is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) and first Director for the Biomedical Advancement Research and Development Authority (BARDA) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Robinson joined HHS in May 2004 as the Director of Influenza and Emerging Diseases. For the Department Robinson serves as a subject matter expert for pandemic influenza including viral disease, vaccine development, manufacturing, industrialization, and stockpiling. For the HHS Secretary and Undersecretaries he prepares briefings on pandemic influenza, options and recommendations on national policy and budget issues relative to seasonal and pandemic influenza. Further, he provides the Department with scientific, technical, and budgetary guidance on pandemic and interpandemic influenza medical countermeasure and coordinates interagency programs for acquisition and deployment of influenza vaccines and antiviral drugs under special case IND.

Robinson received a Doctoral degree from the University of Mississippi Medical School in medical microbiology with a dissertation on herpes virus oncogenesis, and postdoctoral fellowships from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in molecular oncology and virology. Robinson has authored and/or coauthored more than 40 research papers and book chapters on viral pathogenesis, tumor viruses, and vaccines and is inventor of more than 30 patent inventions on vaccines. Additionally, he continues to serve as an editorial board member and reviewer for several professional scientific and technical journals on virology, vaccines, and biotechnology.
 

David Sarabacha, MBA
Principal, Security and Privacy Services, Deloitte & Touche, LLP, Seattle, WA

David Sarabacha leads Deloitte & Touche’s Business Continuity Management practice in the U.S. He has over 16 years of experience in the analysis, development, implementation and review of business continuity management programs including emergency response, crisis management, business continuity and disaster recovery components.

His focus is on the development of cost-effective recovery strategies and plans for mission critical operations including Buildings (facilities), Equipment, Technology, Human resources and 3rd parties (BETH3). He has provided Pandemic Preparedness services to clients over the past three years and has extensive experience throughout the BCM development process including: program governance, risk assessments, business impact analyses, and strategy and plan development, as well as exercising, training and maintenance of structured plans.

David has provided BCM services to the: life sciences, financial services, consumer business, manufacturing, energy, technology, non-profits and utilities industries. He is certified as an MBCP, MBCI, CISSP, CISA and CISM.
 

Uday U. Deshmukh, MD, MPH, CPE, Medical Director, CIGNA, Philadelphia, PA

Dr. Uday Deshmukh is a National Senior Medical Director at CIGNA leading the Complex, Catastrophic and Specialty Case Management Programs in Transplant, Oncology, High Risk Maternity and Neonatal Case Management. He is located in Pittsburgh, PA. He also leads the medical director teams at the Dallas and Pittsburgh HealthCare Facilitation Centers. He is a member of the CIGNA Medical Technology Assessment Committee that publishes evidence based Coverage Positions. During the recent H1N1 pandemic, he served as an enterprise wide clinical and public health expert and provided guidance to various business units in CIGNA. He drafted internal employee communications on H1N1 influenza and also led the team of nurses that managed the flu hotline for the employees.

Prior to his current role, he served as a Lead Medical Director for the Pittsburgh HealthCare Facilitation Center. He joined CIGNA in February 2003 as an Associate Medical Director. Prior to joining CIGNA, he served as a Physician Consultant to a Medicaid Health Plan in Philadelphia, PA. He was practicing as an Internist before transitioning to the role of full-time consultant. During his years in clinical practice and consulting, he taught the Medical Residents at the Mercy Catholic Medical Center, Darby, PA and served on the Ethics and Hospice Committees at the Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital.

In addition to being a board certified Internal Medicine physician, Uday Deshmukh has a Masters in Public Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and has received certification from American College of Physician Executives to become a Certified Physician Executive.
  

Click here to register or call 209.577.4888, or click here for a downloadable order form you can fax or mail. Corporate Site licensing also available.