Leadership

Empowering Tomorrow’s MSP®: Day 2 at #NAMSS25

By NAMSS Publications Committee

MSPs’ love for Portland is in full bloom! After a “wonderfully weird” evening filled with raffles, prizes, donuts, and, yes, llamas, the NAMSS community gathered once again at the Oregon Convention Center for another full day of education, genuine connection, and karaoke. On Tuesday, Sept. 30, the NAMSS Publications Committee recaps the sessions, networking, and conversations from the second full day at #NAMSS25.

‘The Road Ahead’

Tuesday morning kicked off with a special panel discussion on regulatory and government trends shaping the MSP role. Before the panelists took the stage, NAMSS Executive Director Kirsten Shaffer, CAE, took the stage to welcome and thank the NAMSS community for their participation and attendance. NAMSS Conference Committee Chair Ann Klinger, CPCS, CPMSM, then welcomed the panelists onstage.

MSPs are increasingly vital navigators in a rapidly involving healthcare landscape. Brian Betner, Esq.; Lisa Goodwin, MBA, CPCS, CPMSM; Aimee Woolley-Randall, CPCS, CPMSM, MHA, FMSP; and Renee Edwards, MD, MBA, FACOG, FACS, spoke about how 2025 has “felt like a decade.” Healthcare is already evolving on a weekly basis, and with the constant changes of 2025, it feels like it’s changing almost daily. Unlike other business sectors, healthcare is touched by a series of forces — economy, demographics, social issues, technology, federal, and global and environmental impacts. The panelists empowered attendees to apply strategies like building a “regulatory radar,” working across functions, having documentation discipline, prioritizing professional development, and having a voice at the table.

Concurrent Session Key Takeaways

Review some quick-hits from today’s sets of concurrent and general sessions:

• Both the Tuesday morning panel and the conference’s AI sessions shared a common, crucial reminder. AI products like ChatGPT and Copilot, even in a private setting, are not secure for peer review information. What you put in is still visible to other internal departments and becomes part of the dataset. If you use these products to draft a letter, for example, leave outcomes, names, MRNs, and other identifying items out of the draft.
• Medical staff services should have open communication with not only risk management, but also the malpractice carrier.
• NAMSS Publications Committee member Teresa Saulnier, CPCS, CPMSM, chatted with the NAMSS Virginia State Association President Froya Jesse. Jesse was impacted by the rise of AI and its impact on the industry, not only from the workflow processes but its impact on the collaboration efforts between systems and regulatory agencies. Jesse will apply this to her work post-conference by: “Evaluating current uses and efforts to use AI within our hospital system and review current contracts and accreditation to determine if there are any distinct uses of AI by those agencies that may impact our workflow.”

Live From Portland

#NAMSS25 attendees have a lot to share about their conference experience so far. Let’s hear what they had to say:

• “I’m not directly medical staff … I do a lot of peer review, a lot of support of things, but not credentialing per se. But it’s been insightful. The talks have been really good. It’s good just to hear from other people and what they do.” —Maria Butler
• “My hype song is ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun’ … It’s a good hype song.” —Maria Butler
• “I really like the hype song. I really like the keynote speaker. My song for confidence is ‘Lose Yourself’ by Eminem. I have a running playlist, so it’s on that playlist. I need to play my running playlist when I need a confidence boost. I like the idea of having your work confidence boost playlist. And I’m going to share that with my team.” —NAMSS Attendee Traci
• “This has been the most amazing conference for me. It owes me absolutely nothing from planning the experience to seeing it manifest. All the speakers have been great. The enthusiasm has been great. The themes have been great. I am loving every moment, and I’m looking forward to next year. —Tierra Dykes-Johnson, CPLS

NAMSS attendees and daily recap interviewees are making the NAMSS-themed friendship bracelets all conference long!

What’s Next?

With two sets of concurrent sessions, Skill Booster Sessions, and the closing keynote still ahead, #NAMSS25 is still bringing more education and opportunities for connection, even on the final day of conference. We can’t wait to continue cultivating and empowering you as Tomorrow’s MSP®, together.

Acknowledgements

Thank you to the NAMSS Publications Committee for contributing to these daily recaps as conference reporters.

NAMSS Publications Committee members Jennifer Dorais (left) and Karen Vineyard (right) with podcast guests April McKee (center left) and Michelle Hoffman (center right). Look forward to their special Proud to Be an MSP podcast mini-series episode, airing during MSP Week!

Check out the Day 1 conference recap on Gateway.