MCRA Annual Conference proves to be another hit!
Thanks to all who attended. We were glad you could join us!

A special thank you to all who contributed to our “gift bags” and sponsored our meals and fun-filled events.

Berkley A&H
Evergreen Re
HCC Life
ING Reinsurance
INTERLINK Health Services
LifeTrac Network
OneBeacon Professional Partners

Held this year at Chicago’s Hotel 71, we started the conference with our much enjoyed evening reception.

“The favorite part for me was the opening cocktail party as it was fun to see people I really enjoy but had not seen for months or a year.”

Tuesday morning kicked off with a dynamite presentation from Dr. Stacy Borans of Advanced Medical Strategies. http://www.mdstrat.com/
Dr. Boran spoke on “The Wild World of Hospital Chargemasters,” and when we thought we’d seen it all, she proved we had not. Great tips were shared on how to carefully watch for hospital billing errors.

The rest of the day offered presentations from some of the nation’s top transplant networks.

Deborah Rodriguez with LifeSource http://www.life-source.org/
Bonnie Anderson & Barry Thompson with LifeTrac https://www.lifetracnetwork.com/
John Van Dyke with INTERLINK Health Services http://www.interlinkhealth.com/
Samuel Meckey with United Resource Networks https://www.urnweb.com/

Tuesday evening was spent together on Chicago’s First Lady boat cruise. We “toured” the city via the river, and spent time visiting while surrounded by a beautiful skyline and perfect weather. Oh, and the chocolate fountain was definitely enjoyed by many as well!

Though Wednesday was only a half-day event, it was filled to the brim with great speakers and information starting with Monica Johnson-Tomanka of LifeCenter Northwest. http://www.lcnw.org/
She shared much needed information on UNOS and the organ sharing process, including associated costs.

“I really enjoyed the information regarding organ transplants, not only from the vendors but from UNOS as well.”

Next we heard from two transplant facilities:
Michael Seely of Oregon Health and Science University http://www.ohsu.edu/ and
Dr. Charles Rosen of Mayo Clinic http://www.mayoclinic.com/

The information shared gave us an insider’s perspective on the transplant process, including the patient’s journey, the factors impacting survival rates, and new medical advances and technology related to transplantation.

Our meeting was wrapped up by our keynote speaker, Walter Bond. Mr. Bond’s enthusiasm and passion left everyone feeling invigorated. http://www.walterbondseminars.com/

Congratulations to our 2008 MCRA Board President – Mr. Chuck Newton!