At the Philadelphia Airport Hilton on Saturday, April 27, 2002, HMP Communications, the publisher of EP Lab Digest, launched the first in a series of four 2002 educational regional electrophysiology meetings. This first EP meeting, by all accounts, was an overwhelming success among the attendees and sponsors.

EP nurses, technicians, and administrators from various facilities were treated to exciting presentations by EP 2002 Chairperson Stanley Wojtusik, RN, RCIS, NASPE Testamur (Lancaster General Hospital) and speaker Anita Marie Holz, MSN, CRNP, (Chester County Cardiovascular Associates). Other faculty members for this year’s meetings include Lisha-Esbenshade-Smith, AS, RCIS, NASPE Testamur, (Harrisburg Area Community College) and John H. Minnich, NASPE Testamur, RCIS (Lancaster General Hospital). Topics of the meeting included: Pharmacology and the EP Study, Basic Electrophysiology, Cardiac Resynchronization/Bi-Ventricular Pacing and CHF, Neurocardiogenic Syncope, Atrial Fibrillation, and Updates on CPT Coding for Electrophysiology. The topics, which were deemed as “relevant and timely, insightful, interesting, and scientifically rigorous,” led to many interesting, open-ended and thought-provoking discussions among the attendees.

The goal for these electrophysiology one-day regional meetings is to offer a high-quality educational program for allied healthcare professionals working in electrophysiology. In addition, we wanted to provide a comfortable and conducive environment for learning, offer a continental breakfast, an excellent lunch, supply a useful syllabus book and handout materials, and offer 7 CE credits — all for $25. Through the faculty’s tireless hard work, extensive knowledge and professionalism, as well as the support of the sponsors, Biosense Webster, Omega Medical Imaging, and Pfizer, the goal was exceedingly realized.

The sponsors funding the program enabled HMP Communications to offer such a valuable program at an inexpensive price. Furthermore, Biosense Webster, Omega Medical Imaging, and Pfizer, who secured booth space and 2 1/2 hours of exhibit time, offered attendees an opportunity to discuss and learn more about their products with their company’s sales representatives.

The success of the EP meeting can be summed up in the sentiments echoed by those who attended, such as “It has been great”, “very informative and so affordable”, “I got a lot more for my money than I could have imagined!” Other comments heard included “Great program, will recommend my staff attends every year”, and “One thing I really like is being able to talk to others from other hospitals, comparing procedures, techniques”. Many also mentioned that they enjoyed talking with the vendors and learning more about their products and how they benefit their particular lab’s practice and patients. Finally, as a result of the program, one attendee commented that he planned to implement the following changes to his practice: “I plan to start bi-ventricular pacing for heart failure and am just starting to use Tikosyn. I will most likely introduce some changes in tilt-table procedure as well.”

These statements are only a few examples of the many positive comments about this first EP 2002 meeting. Feedback from attendees and vendors alike was extremely positive and clearly stated that the goals were met.

EP Lab Digest would like to extend our sincere appreciation to the attendees, the faculty, and sponsors Biosense Webster, Omega Medical Imaging and Pfizer for making the inaugural 2002 EP regional meeting an absolute triumph. The next meeting is scheduled for May 11 in Atlanta, Georgia. EP Lab Digest is proud to be able to offer these CE credit opportunities to our readers. Please refer to this current issue and future issues of EP Lab Digest or visit www.eplabdigest.com to learn when the next Electrophysiology 2002 Meeting will be visiting a city near you.