Advanced Directives: What They Are and How They Impact Patient Care

Recorded on May 5, 2021, for the KAMMCO 2021 Spring Education Series.

Presented by Catherine Walberg, JD
KAMMCO, Senior Vice President and General Counsel

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Advanced directives allow patients to “speak” when incapacity renders them unable to speak for themselves. This session will explore the different categories of advance directives and provide insight on how they work together to inform the health care team of patients’ wishes. Ms. Walberg will present scenarios for how advanced directives direct who can and cannot play a role in a patient’s health care experience and the consequent impact on well-meaning family and friends. Come with your experience and questions, and we will do our best to unpack the tricky situations you experience every day!

AUDIENCE
This webinar will appeal to clinic and facility administrators, physicians, risk managers, nursing staff, office and support staff, and other interested healthcare professionals.

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY

Catherine Walberg, J.D., is General Counsel/Senior Vice President for KAMMCO. She is a licensed attorney in Kansas and Missouri. In addition to her service to KAMMCO, Ms. Walberg has been an active speaker and writer on current insurance and health law topics, including HITECH/HIPAA. She is currently a member of the Corporate Counsel Section of the Medical Professional Liability Association (MPLA), having served as the Section President in past years. She also serves on the MPLA Regulatory Affairs Committee. Ms. Walberg is a member of the Kansas Bar Association and served previously as the President of the Insurance Committee of the Kansas Bar Association. Ms. Walberg also is a member of the American Health Care Association.

Prior to KAMMCO, Ms. Walberg was a partner in a Topeka-based law firm, where she specialized in litigation and healthcare law. Ms. Walberg also served as the Deputy Secretary for the Kansas Department on Aging.