PALTC23 Conference Recordings FR14 Evidence Based Methods to Make Conflict Resolution Effective and Productive

Evidence Based Methods to Make Conflict Resolution Effective and Productive

This workshop discusses the origins of conflict that occur in the workplace and best practices for conflict management. Participants will explore various types of conflicts that pose a challenge (such as emergency management, family dissatisfaction, clinician disagreements and conflicts between physician and administrators) and learn to identify each participant’s needs and perspectives. Participants will role play to receive rapid feedback as they learn to apply new skills, such as effective listening and verbal de-escalation techniques. The emphasis will be on providing the tools to reimagine conflict as a means for quality improvement and positive organizational change by providing a safe forum for all diverse voices to be heard and to take positive advantage of conflict.

Learning Objectives:

At the completion of this session, learners will be able to:

  • Review the twelve steps in conflict resolution.
  • Apply conflict resolution steps to case-based scenarios: a. An emergency – disaster situation (Infectious Disease scenario) b. A family situation with conflict (family upset about care of their loved one) c. Clinician conflict (Medical director and prescribing physician) d. Administrator conflict (Medical Director and Administrator).
  • Discuss the different perspectives from the Medical Director, Administrator, Nursing Supervisor, attending physician and staff.

Rebecca Ferrini, MD, MPH, CMD

Rebecca Ferrini, MD, MPH, CMD, is a full-time medical director for the County of San Diego 192-bed distinct part skilled nursing facility serving a younger, safety net population for 18 years. Her facility is five stars (CMS 20/20), has been named a top nursing home in U.S. News and World Report for six years, and received the American Health Care Association / National Center for Assisted Living 2017 Gold -- Excellence in Quality Award. Dr. Ferrini received the 2009 AMDA Medical Director of the Year Award and was honored for her leadership in the AMDA monograph on younger adults. Dr. Ferrini received the California Association of Long-Term Care Medicine Leadership Award in 2019. She has a specialty in hospice and palliative medicine and general preventive medicine.

Janice Simen, PharmD, EdD

Janice Simen, PharmD, EdD, is an Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice and Administration at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California where she teaches geriatrics, neurology and psychiatric-related topics at the College of Pharmacy. She is a Board-Certified Geriatric Pharmacist with an Advanced Practice Pharmacist license in addition to honored as a Fellow of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists. She received her Pharm.D. from the University of Southern California and completed a Residency in Clinical/Administrative Psychiatric Pharmacy Practice with an emphasis in geriatrics from the University of Maryland at Baltimore. Dr. Hoffman-Simen completed her Ed.D. (Doctorate in Education) in Organizational Leadership from the University of La Verne. Professionally, she has received accolades as the Commission for Certification in Geriatric Pharmacy (CCGP), Excellence in Geriatric Practice Award and has served as National President, Phi Lambda Sigma, Pharmacy Leadership Honor Society; Chair, California Pharmacist Association-Academy of Long-Term Care, and Past President for the California Chapter of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists. Currently Dr. Hoffman-Simen is the first pharmacist President for California Long-Term Care Medicine chapter (October 2022) for AMDA: The Society for PALTC Medicine.

Michael Wasserman, MD, CMD

Michael Wasserman, MD, CMD, is a graduate of the University of Texas, Medical Branch. He completed an Internal Medicine residency at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and a Geriatric Medicine Fellowship at UCLA. Dr. Wasserman has been a tireless advocate for vulnerable older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic, with multiple peer reviewed publications and television appearances. He is involved with the National Advisory Committee on Seniora and Disasters and previously served as a member of the National Academy of Science’s “A Framework for Equitable Allocation of Vaccine for the Novel Coronavirus” Committee. He is Editor-in-Chief of Springer’s upcoming textbook, Geriatric Medicine: A Person Centered Evidence Based Approach. He previously served as CEO overseeing the largest nursing home chain in California. Prior to that, he was the Executive Director, Care Continuum, for the CMS contracted Quality Improvement Organization for California. In 2001, he co-founded Senior Care of Colorado, which became the largest privately owned primary care geriatrics practice in the country, before selling it in 2010. In the 1990’s he was President and Chief Medical Officer for GeriMed of America, a Geriatric Medical Management Company, and developed GeriMed’s Clinical Glidepaths in conjunction with Drs. Flaherty and Morley of St. Louis University’s School of Medicine Geriatric Division. In 1989, in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, Doctor Wasserman published "Fever, White Blood Cells and Differential Count in Diagnosing Bacterial Infection in the Elderly,” the findings of which are now part of the McGeer Criteria, used widely in nursing homes to evaluate residents for infections.

  • 1.5 CME
  • 1.5 CMD Management
  • 1.5 MOC

Release Date: 03/29/2023   |   Expiration: 03/01/2026

Credit Statements:

Accreditation: Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. 

CME Designation: Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

CMD Credit Hours: This CME activity has been pre-approved by the American Board of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine (ABPLM) for up to 1.5 management hour(s) toward certification or recertification as a Certified Medical Director (CMD) in post-acute and long-term care medicine. Each physician should claim only those hours of credit actually spent on the activity.

The CMD Program is administered by the ABPLM. For further information, contact ABPLM at 410-992-3117 or at cmd@paltmed.org.

ABIM Maintenance of Certification (MOC): Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 1.5 Medical Knowledge MOC points and patient safety credit in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program.

Participants will earn MOC points equivalent to the amount of CME credits claimed for the activity. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.

Financial Disclosure Statement:

The Association requires the disclosure of all speaker/faculty/planner’s relevant financial relationships; presence of off-label use of a device or medication; and discussion of any experimental, new or evolving topic prior to each accredited education activity.

If the learner perceives any bias toward a commercial product or service, advocation of unscientific approaches to diagnosis or therapy, or recommendation, treatment, or manners of practicing healthcare that are determined to have risks or dangers that outweigh the benefits or are known to be ineffective in the treatment of patients please report this to the Association's staff.


The following speaker(s) disclosed relevant financial relationship(s): 

  • Julie Gammack, MD, CMD (Planner & Speaker): Stockholder: Amarin
  • Kenya Rivas Velasquez, MD, CMD, FAAFP (Planner & Speaker): OptumRx: Stockholder
  • All other planners, speakers, and AMDA staff have no relationships with ineligible companies.

All relevant financial relationships have been identified and mitigated.

Components visible upon registration.