Here are this week’s latest and greatest programs!

LEGAL

Daubert Motions: Challenging Expert Opinions

June 20, 2013
1:00 pm ET (12:00 pm CT, 11:00 am MT, 10:00 am PT)
1 hour 30 minutes

Daubert is the standard for the admissibility of expert testimony, so it plays an especially critical role in many cases. Although it is has been around since 1993, its application is sometimes inconsistent and uncertain, and its status has been challenged lately. The aim of the presentation is to: (1) revisit what it means for courts to be gatekeepers in excluding junk science; (2) analyze how Daubert has been applied in the federal courts and the state courts that have adopted it; (3) evaluate how Daubert might be used more effectively, and (4) consider recent challenges to Daubert. This live audio conference will be of interest for any litigator who routinely handles cases involving expert testimony.

HR

Self-Auditing Your Employee Benefits: A Guide to What May Need Fixing

June 12, 2013
1:00 pm ET (12:00 pm CT, 11:00 am MT, 10:00 am PT)
1 hour 30 minutes

Staying in compliance with the numerous complex requirements and the specific terms of your employee benefits plans is a monumental task. It is easy to have your time consumed by the day-to-day issues and questions that arise under your benefit plans and the typical annual processes and compliance requirements already in place. It is difficult to take the time to step back and ask what issues may be lurking that could create significant liabilities and penalties for the employer that are not being identified under your current processes and procedures. This live audio conference will give you a checklist of the most important issues to look at from a legal and a practical perspective for each type of benefit plan and help you identify and prioritize them so that you can focus your time and resources on the most likely areas of concern.

ACCOUNTING

Health Care Reform: Taxation and Accounting Issues

June 12, 2013
1:00 pm ET (12:00 pm CT, 11:00 am MT, 10:00 am PT)
1 hour 30 minutes

Although the primary purpose of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (HR 3590) and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (HR 4872), together known as the ‘Health Care Reform’ package is to mandate that all U.S. residents obtain health insurance coverage, there are many provisions included within the ‘Act’ that were created to raise the funds required to fund this reform.

The provisions set forth within the ‘Act’ will have its greatest effect on health care providers and the insurance industry. However, employers and businesses must also become aware of the new reporting requirements since noncompliance may result in producing various costly penalties.

CONSTRUCTION

Shop Drawings and other Construction Submittals: Legal and Engineering Perspectives

June 13, 2013
1:00 pm ET (12:00 pm CT, 11:00 am MT, 10:00 am PT)
1 hour 30 minutes

If you are a public or private owner, construction manager, contractor, subcontractor, consultant, architect or engineer, this live audio conference will help you understand the purpose and intent of submittals and shop drawings, and how and where they fit into the design and construction process. With an emphasis on the recommended practices of the Construction Specification Institute (CSI) and contract language of the Engineers Joint Contract Document Committee (EJCDC) this program presents the engineer’s and contractor’s responsibilities relative to submittals and shop drawings, with particular emphasis on the benefits and risks of the shop drawing and submittal process.

MEDICAL

Developing a Smartphone Policy for Health Care Providers

June 26, 2013
1:00 pm ET (12:00 pm CT, 11:00 am MT, 10:00 am PT)
1 hour 30 minutes

Smartphones and other mobile devices are in wide use in health care organizations and by health care providers in increasing numbers. Policies and procedures may not have caught up with technology and yet the Office for Civil Rights expects health care providers to have appropriate policies and procedures in place to safeguard patient information that may be transmitted by smartphones. This live audio conference will discuss the importance of having a smartphone policy in place, the guidance under HIPAA/HITECH, the type of information that may be vulnerable and potential consequences when there is no policy in place. We will also explore technology that can assist in protecting the confidentiality and security of protected health information on a smartphone. You will learn recommendations to be included in a smartphone policy for health care providers and how to comply with HIPAA/HITECH regulations for these prolific devices.

 SALES & MARKETING

Search Engine Marketing: Keyword Research and Development

June 19, 2013
1:00 pm ET (12:00 pm CT, 11:00 am MT, 10:00 am PT)
1 hour 30 minutes

If you are using social media, organic or paid search, this live audio conference will take you beyond just picking keywords for short term marketing efforts to strategically selecting your keyword universe to increase your business’ profitability and even change your business’ direction. During this session, we will show examples of how companies are integrating and balancing their keyword strategy across social media, paid and organic search. You will also learn the tools available and how to measure your success.

 CUSTOMER SERVICE

Handling Negative Comments and Attacks From Customers

June 25, 2013
1:00 pm ET (12:00 pm CT, 11:00 am MT, 10:00 am PT)
1 hour 30 minutes

Over time, fielding telephone calls from irate, disgruntled, disrespectful and abusive customers can be hazardous to the health and well-being of call center representatives and managers, account managers, credit and billing representatives, receptionists, and technical and support representatives. Not only can specific calls from rude callers push our buttons and get under our skin, but the cumulative effects of such calls can erode our self-esteem, scar our confidence and compassion for other callers, and make a hard job tougher, if we let it.

Handling negative comments and attacks from customers provides you and your team with strategies to maintaining your equilibrium, supporting each other and minimizing the damage of any particular caller. You will learn physical, mental and emotional strategies and be given tools for protecting and fortifying yourself, putting negative comments into perspective and maintaining a positive self-image despite the stress and pressure that accumulates from toxic customer interactions.