Overview
The Indian Health Services Office of Information Technology and Office of Resource Access and Partnerships contracted with KAI to provide planning and logistical support for the 2018 and 2019 partnership conferences. These three-day events provided valuable information for tribal, federal, and urban health care administrators, managers, and front-line staff. Conference attendees work in information technology, business office and purchased/referred care programs, and health information management departments.
Challenges
The KAI team faced numerous challenges in organizing the conference, including short turnaround times on appropriate venues, new registration systems, and the IHS being furloughed for a month during the December 2018 government shutdown.
Solution
KAI provided pre-meeting, on-site, and post-meeting support, including presenting three options for meeting space on short notice, and providing the IHS with a selection matrix listing all logistical, pricing, and related event information for each venue. The furlough from December 2018 to January 2019 created substantial challenges in finding appropriate venues and hotel rooms for the 2019 conference.
Additionally, the website and registration system used for the 2018 conference had been discontinued, so KAI identified and deployed an appropriate alternative to provide registration, speaker, and exhibitor management modules.
Results
KAI provided planning support for the 2018 OIT/ORAP Partnership Conference (July 31–August 2, 2018, Phoenix) and the 2019 Partnership Conference (June 11–14, 2019, Spokane, Washington).
