The Medical Group Management Association of Alabama held its annual Winter Conference at the Wynfrey in early March, with 240 practice administrators and 62 exhibitors in attendance. The theme of the conference was effective communication skills. The meeting opened with breakout sessions for the various specialties, where administrators were able to discuss problems and share ideas. "These sessions are a great place to exchange information," said Sherri Aaron of Alabama Allergy and Asthma Center. After lunch, Michael Caruso, president of The Edison House, spoke on proactive communication, focusing on the importance of communication skills. Later, Caruso led a breakout session on effective leadership, where he taught administrators to be aware of different personality types and to adjust their behavior accordingly. Stephanie Constantine, a human resources consultant, led two breakout sessions. Her first meeting was on performance appraisals, where she discussed how to make the appraisal a more effective tool for better employee performance. Her second session covered the employee handbook, detailing necessary policies. She gave attendees a sample handbook that they can implement in their practice. Andrea Eliscu, RN, president of Medical Marketing, Inc., a firm she founded in 1984, hosted a session on practice marketing, which focused on attracting quality patients, along with creating a practice brand. In an effort to help new administrators learn the ins and outs of running a practice, James Isom, recently retired as executive vice president/CEO of Orthopaedic Specialists of Alabama, and Donna Wood, the CEO of University Orthopaedic Clinic in Tuscaloosa, presented Practice Management 101. With the Internet an ever-present part of life, Margaret Cook, CMPE, and Thalia Baker, CMPE, of L. Paul Kassouf & Co. explored opportunities to utilize the Internet in healthcare management. They gave attendees a list of useful web sites and discussed security precautions related to the Internet and e-mail. They reviewed a number of guidelines regarding patient e-mail, including advice to notify patients of privacy issues with e-mail, to establish turnaround guidelines, to retain copies of e-mails, and to establish permitted categories of e-mail, along with a number of other suggestions. "We had a productive session with good participation," Cook said. "That type breakout session needs some exchange of ideas." Continuing the focus on technology, Mike Jones of Evolution Technology gave a talk on trends in the future of healthcare web site development. Martha Ann Hill, who has been conducting professional development seminars for more than 20 years, talked about communications, advising participants to use fewer words to convey a more powerful message, while pointing out that communicating well includes body language, tone, and silence. James Stroud, CPA, of Warren, Averett, Kimbrough & Marino gave a talk designed to help administrators communicate financial information to physicians. Stroud explained that today there is a wide breadth of financial diagnostic information and that the administrator has command of that information, which is a valuable currency. "There are a lot of ways to communicate that," Stroud said, advising administrators to tailor the time, length of the meeting, and the content in a way that's most palatable to the physician. Later that afternoon, Kenny W. Keith, BSN, JD, of Johnston, Barton, Proctor & Powell hosted an interactive session, reviewing state and federal policies on retention of medical and non-medical records, while Tom Stearns, FACMPE, of State Volunteer Mutual Insurance Company discussed communicating with physicians. Stearns explained how physicians' training effects the way physicians learn to communicate and demonstrated practical skills for communicating with doctors in writing and in meetings. The final session, hosted by Dan Thurmon, CSP, was without question, one-of-a-kind. Thurmon, the founder of Motivation Works, Inc. from Atlanta, began his entrepreneurial career when he was 11 years old, after learning to juggle at a Renaissance festival. He still performs, managing to juggle a book, a sword, and a toy dinosaur while riding a unicycle and explaining to the crowd that life is not a series of separate pursuits, but a pattern of interrelated spheres, including work, relationships, health, spiritual growth, and personal interests. Pointing out the seemingly infinite demands tugging at people's time, Thurmon taught attendees how to place their focus to determine ultimate results. "We received overwhelmingly positive feedback on this speaker," said Lisa Beard, executive director of the Alabama MGMA. "Cary Kuhlmann, the executive director of MASA, told me that Dan Thurmon was the most unique speaker he had seen in 35 years of medical conferences." All in all, the Winter Conference was a success. "The MGMA of Alabama does a wonderful job communicating with the practice managers and acquiring speakers who are interesting and who give us information we can use daily," Aaron said.