9:15–10:00 a.m.

Have We Achieved Pareto Optimality or Pareto Efficiency in Transplantation? Michael Abecassis, MD, MBA, Northwestern University

Pareto optimality is a formally defined concept used to judge the efficiency of a distribution when shared goods or resources are allocated to many. Pareto efficiency occurs when all resources are exhausted, and any change in allocation will make at least one party worse off. During this session, Dr. Abecassis will discuss similarities and differences between Pareto optimality, equity, and social optimality in order to provide a conceptual framework to better understand the dynamics and behaviors we are currently witnessing in national debates around liver allocation.

Learning Objectives:

1. Explain the concepts of Pareto optimality and efficiency and their roles in transplantation.
2. Explain the difference between Pareto optimality and social optimality in the context of resource scarcity (80/20 rule).

10:00–11:00 a.m.

The Fight Against the Prescription Opioid Abuse Epidemic, William B. Leasure, MD, Mayo Clinic

Opioid abuse is a serious public health issue. Drug overdose is a leading cause of injury death in the United States, and there is a clear correlation between opioid-prescribing rates and overdose death rates. This fact accentuates the importance of prescribing guidelines that encourage the use of opioids only when benefits outweigh risks and that promote safe use when opioids are needed. This session will discuss opioid-prescribing guidelines for chronic pain; the clinical decision-making process to reduce inappropriate opioid prescribing; and how organ donations have increased in the wake of the opioid epidemic.

Learning objectives:

1. Describe the epidemiology of the opioid epidemic.
2. Discuss the role of the interprofessional health care team in the fight against the opioid epidemic.
3. Explain the importance of opioid-prescribing guidelines for chronic pain.
4. Explain how organ donations have increased in the wake of the opioid epidemic.

12:30–1:15 p.m.

Cardiovascular Disease: Guidelines and Challenges in Patient Management, Haitham Ahmed, MD, MPH, Cleveland Clinic

In 2013, the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA), developed new guidelines for the treatment of blood cholesterol and risk assessment of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). The new guidelines recommend the use of statin therapy as the medication of choice in ASCVD risk reduction. This was a major shift from the old approach, creating controversies and a state of confusion. As a result of these new guidelines, health care providers require additional information about how to prevent, treat and manage risk factors for cardiovascular disease. This session will provide insight into the application of these new guidelines to current cardiovascular practices, identify challenges and barriers faced by health care providers, and demonstrate the importance of an interdisciplinary team in the care of patients with cardiovascular disease.

Learning objectives:

1. Identify challenges and barriers faced by health care providers in the care of patients with cardiovascular disease.
2. Describe the latest guidelines for preventing and treating comorbid conditions associated with cardiovascular disease, including hyperlipidemia and hypertension.
3. Explain how health care providers can work as an interdisciplinary team with patients and families to optimize shared decision making and management of cardiovascular disease.
4. Identify continuing controversies associated with the release of the 2013 ACC/AHA guidelines.

1:15–2:15 p.m.

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Continuum: The Relationship Between Obesity, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease and Transplant, Jane C. Tan, MD, Stanford University Medical Center

CKD is associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, progression to end-stage-renal disease (ESRD) and potentially the need for a kidney transplant. This session will explore the relationship between obesity, diabetes, kidney disease, cardiovascular disease and transplant; the challenges of meeting evidence-based guidelines for managing CKD; and the benefits of addressing multiple risk factors simultaneously and the impact on outcomes.

Learning objectives:

1. Explore the relationship between obesity, diabetes, kidney disease and transplant.
2. Describe challenges in meeting evidence-based guidelines for managing CKD and provide suggestions to overcome those challenges.
3. Identify strategies for early and effective detection of CKD.
4. Discuss the risk factors associated with diabetes that cause morbidity and mortality.

3:00–3:45 p.m.

Diabetes: Improvements in Prevention and Care, Ruchi Mathur, MD, FRCP(C), Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

In the United States, an estimated 86 million people are living with prediabetes and 29 million are living with diabetes. Lifestyle management is a fundamental aspect of diabetes care. There is strong and consistent evidence that obesity management can delay the progression of diabetes, and screening and interventions can limit organ damage. Therefore, diabetes patients require initial and ongoing evaluation for diabetes and its related complications. This session will review medical management approaches consistent with guidelines from the American Diabetes Association (ADA) for health maintenance in patients with diabetes and identify barriers for screening patients at increased risk for diabetes. The importance of an interdisciplinary team approach will also be discussed.

Learning objectives:

1. Identify educational and social barriers to appropriately screen patients at increased risk for diabetes.
2. Identify treatment strategies, including lifestyle management. 
3. Describe the latest tools and improvements for screening, preventing, and managing prediabetes and diabetes.
4. Discuss how learners can improve patient-centered communication to prevent and manage diabetes as part of an interdisciplinary team.

3:45–5:00 p.m.

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD): Panel Discussion, Lakshmanan Krishnamurti, MD,Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta/Emory University, and Ines Lukombo, Transplant Recipient

SCD is the most common inherited hemoglobin disorder, affecting 70,000–100,000 people in the U.S. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) is currently the only curative treatment for severe SCD that offers excellent long-term survival, but access is limited for several reasons, including donor availability, as well as sociocultural and economic barriers. For our last session of the day, an HSCT recipient will share her experience undergoing transplant for SCD and a renowned hematologist will provide an overview of SCD and review evidence-based guidelines for referral and shared decision making. Treatment options including standard of care and curative therapies, and their outcomes will be addressed.

Learning objectives:

1. Describe SCD along with treatment and management options.
2. Recognize the impact of shared decision as an effective approach to applying evidence-based guidelines for treatment of SCD.
3. Identify strategies to overcome social and economic barriers in individuals with SCD.
4. Discuss indications and outcomes of curative therapies for SCD.