Highlights

• Value Proposition of Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine: This is the overarching theme of the meeting and the title for the opening session where we will have three talks discussing the value added by regional anesthesiologists and acute pain physicians from different perspectives. We will also be discussing the outcomes that really matter to patients and other perioperative stakeholders and why this value is still being questioned.
• Transition from Acute to Chronic Persistent Pain: By understanding the transition from acute pain to chronic pain, we can predict which patients are most at risk and intervene earlier as acute pain physicians. Our expert faculty will address this topic throughout the program.
• Practice Management Portfolio (PMP) and Certificate of Attendance: As healthcare evolves, we must understand how revenue is created in regional anesthesia and acute pain. This program will empower participants with the tools for consistency and reliability in regional anesthesia and acute pain service delivery. Sessions with expert faculty will be useful for academic and private practice physicians.
• Hands-on Workshops: Clinically focused workshops with low attendee-to-faculty ratios will cover a variety of peripheral blocks for the upper and lower extremities as well as truncal techniques.
• Interactive Demonstration Workshops: Faculty will share their clinical pearls and tips for scanning and attendees will have ample opportunities to interact and ask faculty about applications of different blocks for different clinical contexts. We will focus on some of the relatively new described truncal and peripheral nerve blocks.
• New Workshops: This year we are introducing new workshops that will focus on ultrasound of the lumbar and thoracic spine, high fidelity simulation for head and neck blocks, the Big Five – a workshop that focuses on five fundamental blocks for regional anesthesia.  Plus, Mini-focused Workshops are very small workshops for concentrated instruction with faculty.
• Innovative Topics: Hot-off-the press blocks, debating whether ultrasound is the new stethoscope, and a comprehensive and interactive professional development session for how to thrive in regional anesthesia and acute pain medicine – these are just a few of the hot topics being offered.
• Multidisciplinary Experiences: Lectures and panels will include discussion from our colleagues across other societies, including a first-ever shared session with the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology that will be streamed to their annual meeting.  
• Case Based Discussion: Covering the most recent ASRA guidelines
• New Format for the Ask the Experts Interactive Sessions: Live scanning on the stage, an open Q & A session, and short "Snap Talks" format for discussing thoracic wall blocks.
• FOCUS on POCUS: Session will highlight the value of POCUS in the day-to-day clinical practice.

Acute Pain Medicine Session Highlights

• Opioid Epidemic, 360º discussion: This session will feature discussion of the opioid epidemic from the perspective of different stakeholders (governmental and non-governmental).
• 50 Shades of Pain: From Acute to Transitional to Chronic Pain: How different models of acute and transitional pain services are run and integrated into different service lines with the health system.
• Case-Based Discussion: For management of inpatient acute pain

Regional Anesthesia Technical Highlights

• World expert faculty invited for lectures and workshops – Edward Mariano, Nabil Elkassabany, Karen Boretsky, Brian Sites, Sandra Kopp, and more
• Perioperative Point-of-Care Ultrasound with our experts Stephen Haskins, Anahi Perlas, and Jan Boublik
• Open-Scanning sessions with our amazing faculty for participants looking to hone their skills

Commitment to Health and Safety