Healthcare Financial Management Association - Florida Chapter - Sunspots

The statements and opinions appearing in Sunspots articles are those of the authors and are not endorsed by Florida HFMA. The Sunspots staff provides content that is interesting and thought provoking but the content does not represent the opinions of the editors, officers, or board of directors of Florida HFMA. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit articles for length and appropriate content.

Sunspots Advertising Policy:

Advertisements in the electronic publications are offered to our Gold and Platinum Corporate Sponsors as part of their sponsorship.

HFMA Compliance Reminder

As the nation’s leading membership organization for healthcare financial management executives, HFMA prides itself on its adherence to federal, state and local laws and/or regulations, including business ethics policies. HFMA has adopted a Code of Ethics, which requires each member to promote the highest standards of professional conduct by practicing honesty and maintaining personal integrity. In furtherance of these principles, HFMA has adopted a whistleblower protection and conflict of interest policy. To learn more about these policies, visit the Florida Chapter website: www.floridahfma.org/policies.htm.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Welcome to the redesigned version of our Chapter’s newsletter. I commend our Editor-in-Chief, Christine Reyes and her team for their outstanding efforts on this “facelift”of our newsletter. It gives me great pleasure to not only be the first to deliver a President’s Message in this revamped format, but to do so, while reporting great news on the current state of our Chapter.

Florida Chapter members continue to turn out in high numbers to our statewide conferences, as evidenced by the over capacity attendance at our recent 2011 Mid-Winter Conference (MWC) in Orlando. As per feedback received, the presenters were top-notch and the opportunities to network were aplenty. It looks like our Chapter’s annual MWC event is here to stay!

Our count of chapter members continues its upward projection established over the past several years, as we are on target to, once again, exceed our previous year’s count of members. In fact, with four months to go this chapter year, we have already surpassed our percentage of chapter members retained from the previous year. In addition, the hours of education per member delivered exceed this same point last year, and we have already had eleven members pass the certification exam versus two for all of last year. Many thanks to all involved for these truly outstanding results by our chapter!

Our totally overhauled website has received very positive feedback for its content and ease of use. The upgrades to our website were designed in direct response to your comments provided on previous surveys. Be on the lookout for a survey specifically seeking feedback on our new website. Please peruse our website at www.floridahfma.org and be prepared to provide us with your comments via that survey on how we can further improve the site for your benefit.

We are grateful for the significant increase in financial support from our corporate sponsors over prior year. We greatly appreciate our sponsors at ALL levels of support. However, please allow me to point out how very pleased we are to start the year with nine sponsors at our highest level (Platinum) – versus a total of three at this level, last year. The listing of our corporate sponsors is else-where in this issue and on our website. Please consider these supporters of our chapter’s activities, when looking for innovative solutions that would benefit your organizations.

At a recent meeting of our Chapter’s leadership team, we agreed that we interpret these collective results as positive reinforcement from our membership and financial supporters that we are headed in the right direction, as a chapter. We pledge to remain committed to delivering high quality events to our members, outstanding value to our sponsors and serving as the premier resource of choice for the Florida healthcare finance community. Please feel free to contact me directly on how we can further enhance your HFMA membership. I hope to see many of you at an upcoming Florida Chapter event.

President 2010 -2011
HFMA Florida Chapter
Office: 954-265-5106

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

“It is those who concentrate on but one thing at a time who advance in this world. The great man or woman is the one who never steps outside his or her specialty or foolishly dissipates his or her individuality.“

– Og Mandino (1923 -1996)

Paper, bows, and ribbon flew around the room in the mad scramble to find out what was under the Christmas tree. In the midst of the chaos, Cameron exclaimed, “This is just what I always wanted,” as he threw the item to the floor in pursuit of the next package. With great excitement and so many gifts to draw his attention, my 4 year old nephew didn’t respond much differently than the rest of us do when we are overwhelmed.

As we begin the New Year, many of us are inundated by New Year resolutions and all the things we would like to accomplish in 2011. We may find spreading our thoughts on too many items dilutes our attention and reduces our chances of achieving our goals for the year. Consider selecting one target of focus for the year and strive to achieve great success in that one area.

For those of you not currently volunteering in the HFMA Florida Chapter, I challenge you to make getting involved your focus for this year. Being involved in the Chapter is a great way to make contacts, grow professionally, and get the most out of your HFMA experience. Consider contacting our President, David Sierra at dsierra@mhs.net or our President-elect, Joanne Aquilina at joanne.aquilina@bethesdahealthcare.com to find out where you can best use your talents and skills.

Thank you to David Schroer with Loudmouth Graphics for the Sunspots facelift! Thank you to David Sierra, Debbie Vaidya, Joanne Aquilina, Mimi Taylor, Billie Jean Mounts, Curt Pace, Renee Jordan, Chris Durkin, Kelli Murray, Glen Gill, Jean Hippert, Emma Ravis, Lee Matricaria, Brain Ackerman, Kelly Van Ochten, Ryan Brebner, and Christopher Thunder for their contributions.

I wish each of you a joyous and successful New Year.

Christine Reyes

Newsletter Chair 2010-2011
HFMA Florida Chapter
christine.reyes@orlandohealth.com
Phone: 321-843-2404

2011 CORPORATE SPONSORS

NEWS FROM THE HFMA FLORIDA CHAPTER BOARD

The HFMA Florida Chapter Board provides an update about some of the chapter activities.

We encourage you to get involved in the chapter.

For additional information regarding this report or volunteer opportunities, please contact one of the leadership team members.

	PRESIDENT–ELECT Joanne Aquilina Bethesda Healthcare System, Inc. joanne.aquilina@bethesdahealthcare.com Planning for next year continues during my year as President-Elect. A new CFO Forum/Meeting type event is being planned for summer 2011 – August 3rd through August 5th – at the Ritz-Carlton in Naples, Florida. This special event will be invitation only for CFOs and Controllers – planning educational sessions for this targeted health care finance group. If you are a CFO or Controller, please mark your calendars; you will not want to miss this great event and a superb location!
	SECRETARY Debbie Vaidya, CPA, MBA Miami Children’s Hospital deborah.vaidya@mch.com We had a strong educational quarter ending October 31, 2010. The Florida Chapter held 9 events with a total of 936 attendees. These programs averaged 6 hours of quality education in locations throughout the state including Clearwater, Hollywood Beach, Orlando, Jacksonville, Pensacola, Davie, Mariana and Cyberspace (webinar). We wish all a wonderful 2011.
	TREASURER Cathy Yoder, CPA St. Joseph’s Hospital – Baptist Healthcare cathy.yoder@baycare.org Our bottom line for this Chapter year is on track through December 31, 2010 with $2,131.01 in net income (versus $2,419.00 budgeted). Ongoing reinvestments for the benefit of our members include the overhaul of our website and its ongoing maintenance, this redesigned newsletter, nationally known speakers presenting at our statewide programs, and enhanced handouts and takeaways at our events. Stay tuned for announcements about additional Chapter benefits!
	DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION/PROGRAM CHAIR Mimi Taylor Baptist Health – South Florida mimit@baptisthealth.net The Mid Winter Conference held January 20th and 21st in Orlando was packed with exciting and timely subject matters such as Accountable Care Organizations, ICD-10 planning, and a multidisciplinary panel on healthcare reform. Please save the date for the Spring Conference scheduled for May 25th through May 27th in Tampa. Thanks to our members and sponsors for making these educational and networking events so successful.
	DIRECTOR, ADMINISTRATION Billie Jean Mounts Health Management Associates billiejean.mounts@hma.com We are now in our third month of using our new website layout. Please take a moment to add www.floridahfma.org to your favorites on your web browser. In addition to the email communications that we send to you with updates, you can visit our website to view the latest information about our chapter and upcoming events. Visit the website often to do any of the following: browse current education offerings and register for events, read the most recent and archived chapter newsletters, review past presentations and meeting materials, or obtain contact information for any of our chapter leaders. The website also prominently features our Corporate Sponsors. This comprehensive update to our website was made possible through the support of our members and sponsors. Our Chapter leaders were pleased to make this investment for the ongoing benefit of our members and to further enhance the value of your membership.
	DIRECTOR, MEMBER SERVICES Curt Pace cjpace@ymail.com After a fast start in growth of our membership count for the 2010-11chapter year, we slowed down during the holidays. We do expect another boost in the count of new members and renewals for the time period just before the 2011 Spring Conference. The good news is that even though membership growth has slowed down a bit, we are still ahead of last year’s pace, which netted us the Gold Achievement Award for membership. That is our goal once again this year and with your help, we will reach that goal!
	DIRECTOR,POLICY& FINANCE/SPONSORSHIP Renee Jordan Bacen & Jordan rjordan@bacenjordan.com Our highly attended conferences have provided great exhibiting, marketing and networking opportunities. We are excited about the increased interest in vendor participation in each of these areas. 2011 is going to be an exciting year with many new companies and faces coming to our chapter. We have several new Corporate Sponsors and the majority of last year’s sponsors renewed their commitment to sponsor the chapter. We have grown from three Platinum sponsors to NINE! In response, the chapter will strive to get our sponsors’ names out to our membership at every possible opportunity. Our updated website will assist in that endeavor and will provide a link to each sponsor’s website. We will also be incorporating additional networking opportunities at our conferences. If you are interested in learning more about our Corporate Sponsor Program, please visit our website for information on the benefits available for each level of sponsorship, or you can contact me for additional information. I look forward to seeing everyone in May at the Spring Conference.
	REGIONAL DIRECTOR, EDUCATION / NORTH Chris Durkin Pavilion Health Services chris.durkin@bmcjax.com Approximately 30 members attended the Lunch & Networking Session held on October 26th at Baptist Health. Topics included Pershing Yoakley & Assoc. on Physician Practice Acquisitions, as well as IRS Form 990. Plus, Ernst &Young presented an A & A update and the new rules on Accounting for Leases. The Annual Holiday Panel Discussion and Dinner was held on December 9th, at the University Club in Jacksonville. This meeting was co-sponsored with the American College of Healthcare Executives and approximately 75 people attended. On January 26th, the Healthcare Presentation and UNF vs. JU Basketball Game event took place. We held a one-hour presentation on Healthcare & Wellness then attended the UNF vs. Jacksonville University basketball game. This was a fun networking event for members and their families. Please contact me if you’d like to assist with Chapter events in North Florida.
	REGIONAL DIRECTOR, EDUCATION / CENTRAL Kelli Murray TheraDoc, a Hospira Company kelli.murray@hospira.com The Central Region held their first Orlando event on December 16th with a labor management focus. Our next event will be Thursday, March 10th. We are always seeking healthcare providers and vendors to speak on various topics; of particular interest are those who can speak to Meaningful Use or Value Based Purchasing (the concept that buyers should hold providers of health care accountable for both cost and quality of care) and its potential long term effect on the bottom line.
	REGIONAL DIRECTOR, EDUCATION / WEST Glen Gill, FHFMA Baptist Health System glen.gill@bhcpns.org The West Region had a wonderful all day conference in beautiful rural Greenwood, Florida on October 6th. The theme,“Hometown Healthcare,” focused on the unique challenges and opportunities of providing healthcare in a rural setting which is so prevalent in this area of Florida. Of the 14 counties in our region, we had provider representatives from 9 counties. The largest hospital in attendance was 466 beds and the smallest was 25 beds. CEOs and CFOs to Billing Clerks all told me they learned something important they could put to use the very next day. Many thanks to the West Region Education Committee members Lynne Pitts, Greg Pack, Tim Powell and especially Dwight Tillman and his wife Chris for hosting this event. Our next conference is in Panama City at Bay Medical Center on February 3rd. Please plan to attend. Panama City has world-class beaches and the location is stellar.

New HFMA Florida Chapter Members

NAME COMPANY TITLE

Steven Alexander	PFM Asset Management LLC	Managing Director
Monique Bachman	US Oncology Mgmt Co of CFL	Assistant Controller
Yudhister Bahl	Pyramid Healthcare Solutions, Inc.	Chief Finance Officer
Todd Michael Bankhead	Abu Dhabi Health Services	Director, Operations
Miguel Barajas	Anthony D. Hall, CPA, P.A.	Reimbursement Manager
Uma Basso	Jewett, Schwartz, Wolfe & Associates	Partner
Jeremy Behling	Center for Hematology-Oncology	Assistant Director of PFS
Greg Bender	Oracle	Application Sales Manager
Donald Bethke	VHA Southeast, Inc.	Director - Accounting / Controller
Larry Bosserman	Hodges University	Assistant Professor
Deborah Bradley	Brian Crosland, CPA, PL	Associate Accountant
Jamie Caldwell	South Florida Hosp & Healthcare Assn.	Vice President
Cindy Calvert	Sarasota Memorial Hospital	Business Manager
Dara Cangelosi	University of Florida Physicians	Director Billing and Accounts Receivable
Sue Carter
Michael Cassatly	Medachieve Inc.	President
Lee Clark	Nurse on Call	Assistant Controller
Jay Clarkson	CS&L CPA's	Principal
Martin Clough	Fifth Third Bank	VP, Healthcare Treasury Mgt
Dan Cobbs	Bridgeway Center, Inc.	Chief Executive Officer
Sabrina Cottrell	Florida Hospital
James Cronin	Healthcare Coding & Consulting Services	Manager, Sales & Marketing
Jillian Cuckler	BayCare Health System	Manager Chargemaster
Alicia D'empaire	Baptist Health South FL	Assistant VP-Business Intel & Decision Support
Upkar (Dave) Daliya	Sunshine Pharmacy Group, LLC	Chief Finance Officer
Craig Deao	Studer Group	Research & Development Leader
Matthew Dumar	Grant Thornton LLP	Partner
Patricia Edgar	The Heart & Vascular Institute Of Fl	Director of Finance
Keith Faust		Area Chair - Accounting
Ana Fernandez	Advisory Financial Group	Partner
Barbara Flynn	Florida Hospital Assn Management Corp	Vice President/Health Information & Denial
Paul Gargagliano	HCA	Controller
Krista Gerdon	Mount Sinai Medical Center	Director, Managed Care
Sean Gingras	Manatee Glens	Finance Director
Meredith Goode	Med3000	Sr. Director, Finance
Michael Greene	VA
Yolanda Grijalva	Florida Cancer Specialists	Director of Operations
Bonnie Hache	Florida Hospital	Administrative Director, Patient Access
Mike Halton	Miami Children's Hospital	Sr Financial Analyst
John Hamm	PracticeForces	VP of Sales & Marketing
Christina Hansen	21st Century Oncology	Contract Analyst
Desi Harmon	CRS Medical Benefits	Director of Business Operations
Jessica Haug	Shands HealthCare	Senior Internal Auditor

New HFMA Florida Chapter Members continued

NAME COMPANY TITLE

Rosie Hernandez	Baptist Health South Florida	Assistant Vice President, Health Information
Sheila Holland	Shands	IT Audit Manager
Jamie Hynes	Nurse on Call, Inc	Chief Financial Officer
Charlene Johnson	Jupiter Medical Center	Accounts Payable Coordinator
Tammie King-Rikansrud	Florida Hospital	Administrative Director PFS
Lillian Klock	Medical Data Systems, Inc.	Staffing Advisor
Julie Klutarich	Morton Plant Mease Health Care	Financial Analyst
Jackie Lane	TeamHealth Southeast	Chief Finance Officer
Jason Langley	CFHA	Senior Systems Analyst
Pete Lauth		Business Development Manager
Sue Lintz	Kramer Healthcare Technologies	V.P. Client Services
Brian McElyea	Director of Possibilities
Dawn Olivardia	Grant Thornton	Partner
Austin Pacherf	GE Healthcare	Senior Account Manager
Amy Powell	KPMG He althcare	Associate Advisory
Peggy Pricher	KForce Healthcare	Group President
Joni Rahn	Halifax Health	Director PFS
Kevin Reynolds
Jason Richards	Lakeland Regional Medical Center	Manager, Decision Support
Michael Richards	GO-SB	VP Business Development
Kris Robinson	Walgreens Specialty Care Centers	Director of Operations
Heidi Ruiz	Cardon Healthcare	Client Services Development
Janette Sanchez	Baptist Health South Florida	Corporate Director of Tax, Senior Tax Counsel
Julius Santiago	Shriners Hospitals for Children	Performance Reporting Analyst
John Sefton	AMS Heal th Care Mortgage Corporation	Senior Vice President
Jerry Senne	Holmes Regional Medical Center	President
Lisa Sgarlata	Lee Memorial Health System	Chief Administrative Officer
Miream Sierra	Memorial Regional Hospital	Director, Customer Relations
Renee Slater	AmeriCare Home Therapy	Accounting Manager
Michael Slupecki	Interim Healthcare	Chief Financial Officer
Delores Stewart	First Coast Advantage	Sr. Financial Analyst
Graig Theobald	Consultant
Jennifer Thomson	Orlando Health	Corp Director Legal Services
Dan Toscano	CSI Leasing
Karen Wartenberg	H. Lee Mo ffitt Cancer Center	Director, Financial Analysis and Budgeting
Barry Weiss	Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital	Chief of Radiology Services
Laisha Williams	Protiviti	Senior Manager

COVER PHOTO

New Members’ Reception at the 2011 Mid-Winter Conference:(L TO R) John Hamm, Miream Sierra, Larissa Gonell, Alisanne Frew, Matt Dumar, Rob Barrett, Govind Goyal, Joe Nathan, and Michael Cassalty.

CHAPTER NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Congratulations to HFMA Florida Chapter’s own Ralph Lawson! The HFMA Board of Directors has nominated

Ralph E. Lawson, FHFMA, CPA

to stand for election to the Board for the position of Chair-elect for 2011-12. Ralph E. Lawson, FHFMA, CPA, is the Executive Vice President and CFO of Baptist Health South Florida. Mr. Lawson is also the voluntary Secretary/Treasurer of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) during the 2010-11 term, beginning June 1, 2010.

Founders Awards

Congratulations to the Newest Founders Awards winners! The following awards were just presented during the 2011 Mid-Winter Conference.

The Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) recognizes that its strength lies in volunteers, who contribute their time, ideas, and energy to serve the healthcare industry, their profession, and one another. Active participation in HFMA at the national, regional and/or chapter levels provides members with numerous opportunities for professional development, information, networking, and advocacy. Established in 1960, the Founders Merit Award Series acknowledges the contributions made by HFMA members. These awards are part of a merit-rating plan in which specific activities are assigned a range of point values.

The Robert H. Reeves Silver Award is awarded to an individual who has earned 50 (formerly 200) total member points. Reeves, an organizing member of the AAHA, was elected president of AAHA in 1956 and was instrumental in creating the structure of AAHA.

Reeves Silver Award

Renee Jordan
David Sierra

The William G.Follmer Bronze Award is awarded after an individual has earned 25 (formerly 100) member points. This award is named after William G. Follmer, who is credited with the creation of the American Association of Hospital Accountants (AAHA) (now HFMA).

Follmer Bronze Award

Curt Pace
Debbie Vaidya

HFMA Chapter Survey Results!

We are pleased to announce the results of the HFMA’s recent survey of our Chapter’s members. 58% of respondents rated their satisfaction with our Chapter overall as “very satisfied” or “extremely satisfied”! This continues our upward trend over the past several years that has seen the percent in these combined categories increase from 37% to 45%, then 52% last year. An additional 26% responded as “satisfied” overall for a combined 84% rating of “satisfied” or higher! We are very grateful for these results and thank those that responded for their feedback. As our ideal goal remains to earn the highest level of satisfaction from all our members, rest assured that your Chapter leaders will continue to strive to address your feedback and comments on the survey to help us continually improve our Chapter. Thank you.

Florida Chapter 2011 Mid-Winter Conference

THE C-SUITE CORNER

AN INTERVIEW WITH MARK SPAFFORD

VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS/FINANCE AND DIVISION 5 CFO HEALTH MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATES

Mark Spafford has been with HMA for 22 years, the last 14 as chief financial officer at both hospital and division levels. He is responsible for 13 HMA hospitals in Florida and brings broad professional experience to his role from prior positions in a variety of hospital functional areas including materials management, accounting, and finance. Prior to joining HMA, he was with Humana for 10 years. He received his degree in accounting from the University of West Florida, and has an MBA in Finance as well. Mark is married with four grown and successful children (and one grandchild!), and enjoys fast cars and family trips to locales as varied as Italy and Alaska.

"What’s the biggest challenge arising from healthcare reform?”

“With regard to reform, there are lots of opinions, rules that still need to be written, and a lot of consternation and anticipation about the things that will become law. Additionally, there is a change in dynamics in what is happening in Washington, D.C. If you spend too much time analyzing it, you can get bogged down. How you approach it – whether you think it is all doom and gloom or the greatest thing that has happened to healthcare – depends upon what happens in the next several years of implementation; who knows how this will end up?

In the long run I think it will be positive, but there will be a lot of pain getting to 2014-2015 when most of the new legislation kicks in. Depending on who is in Congress, there could be tremendous changes to anticipated revenue streams for most all healthcare entities including some being financially jeopardized or cut out completely. We have been preparing for this and poor economic conditions now for the last several years so we feel like we are ready for whatever comes down from Washington. Some of the negative issues already encountered by Health Management with the new healthcare policy concern the discontinuance of joint ventures with our physicians and hospitals. Health Management is a for-profit, proprietary company and historically, we’ve enjoyed having partnerships with our physicians. This means working together instead of being in competition with one another. We have established, over the last several years, 22 joint ventures with physicians. Under the new law there are no more additional joint ventures allowed which is a negative for us.

Until we have more patients covered with insurance and able to pay their bills, we must continue to control expenses very tightly and watch our revenue streams closely. We must develop contingency plans for whatever happens instead of being reactive. One example of revenue opportunity is the Medicare transfer rule: if the patient transfer doesn’t occur as planned, the rule doesn’t have the edits that return the money to us, so it’s up to us to research the situation and re-bill to get the money back. If we aren’t aggressive, we can miss out on millions of dollars. Another example: we have to be as efficient and smart with data as the managed care companies are in order to be paid properly. And RAC Audits – they serve a purpose, but we have to be forward thinking and be sure to investigate and fix broken processes that they uncover. There are always opportunities for us to make sure we haven’t missed any of our revenue streams. We have 60 hospitals; if there is a problem in one hospital, it is probably reproduced in the others. Technology gives us the ability to find the “black holes” more easily, but there’s still a place for consultants to keep us on track. The revenue cycle is very complex and there are still many people involved in it; people make mistakes, so you just have to be diligent and smart about it.“

“Are you focusing on any new initiatives for 2011?”

“In 2010 we started a new program, Getting to Great (G2G). Based on well-defined processes, goals, and objectives, we’re training 35,000 employees through this program to make sure people are able and empowered to do their job and make decisions that will promote the positive outcome for our patients and customers. We switched to Press Gainey this past year to help us analyze the feedback we are receiving from patients, physicians and associates and help us reach our goals. Our major goals concern quality and satisfaction for patients, physicians, and associates and to be #1 in the healthcare arena. It’s a huge initiative but this investment in the company will be paid back many times over in the future. We believe in satisfaction and quality, and we never waver from that. We still have a way to go but we are striving to get there everyday.”

“In light of all the changes occurring today in healthcare, what is the most importantleadership contribution you can make to your organization?”

“It’s hard to choose just one contribution. We have to have good leaders throughout the organization, whether it’s at the corporate office or at the hospitals, and all of us have to be on the same pathway. Our CEO and president, Gary Newsome, came on board two years ago and brought a focus that has been very beneficial to HMA. He instilled guiding principals and has a laser focus on what it takes to be a great organization. You have to be able to move with the times and react properly and you don’t cut out things that are necessary for the growth and nourishment of your people. We can’t do it without the right people in the right spots who are focused on quality and satisfaction. If you have all those things, the financial reward will come. HMA is an example of that; we are striving to improve our operations and grow our business. We want all five divisions of hospitals, our physicians and associates, all going in the same direction, focused on the doing the right things.

I started in healthcare during the implementation of DRGs, and everyone predicted the end of healthcare, but we made it through. I feel honored and privileged to be a part of this organization. I enjoy getting up every morning and dealing with challenges, and health-care certainly continues to present those challenges every day!”

Mr. Spafford was interviewed by Jean Hippert, Senior Vice President, PNC Healthcare, and by Emma Ravis, PNC Healthcare Account Manager.

Top 10 Ways To Maximize Collections Through Efficient Billing Processes

By Lee Matricaria

Efficient billing and collections processes are critical components to a successful and profitable medical practice. Any efforts you make to improve efficiencies can help better capture the money you earn. Most practices leave 5 to 30% of their reimbursement on the table because they either lack the proper processes, staffing, training or technologies. By following this Top 10 list, you can regain control of your billing operations and be on the road to increased revenues.

Verification of Benefits and Patient Registration.A step frequently overlooked in establishing best practices in billing is verification of benefits. It is increasingly important to take the time to verify the patient’s benefits prior to the date of service. Determining if the patient has coverage for the upcoming procedure can decrease the cost of collections, as well as minimize the risk of having to write-off a balance. This is also when a practice should address outstanding patient balances and copays. An efficient registration process can significantly improve your cash flow.
Medical Coding. Insist that AAPC Certified Professional Coders perform your coding. This step is critical in ensuring that all codes are billed correctly the first time. Missed or improper codes could equate to thousands of unbilled dollars, as well as expose you to potential liability and compliance issues. Consider hiring an auditing consultant or firm annually to ensure that claims are being coded correctly and completely. This can either confirm that your coding processes are correct or serve to help rectify any problems.
Charge Validation. Prior to submission, claims should be scrubbed via an industry specific tool which utilizes both standard and custom edits. This system should automatically detect coding combinations related to unbundling, modifier appropriateness, and mutually exclusive procedures. Medical necessity concerns can be discovered, and proper channels are exercised to improve or amend documentation.
Remittance Management & Payment Posting. The retrieval and processing of claims should be done with electronic remittances from government and large commercial payers whenever possible. Automating this process reduces human error and highlights claims that need additional follow-up. The ERA/EFT combination puts money into your account quicker, and allows for timely billing of secondary claims.
Denials Management. Understanding the issues surrounding a denial is critical to know what course of action to take to rectify the situation and obtain payment. Denials management is often a neglected area of the billing cycle due the labor involved and intrinsic knowledge needed to work outstanding claims. A dedicated team should be assigned to the posting and follow-up of denials. Trends in payer reimbursement can be identified and addressed. Appeals and reviews to combat payer tactics should be submitted and followed through to conclusion. Try and target problem areas that affect the bottom line in order to obtain the maximum reimbursement for all the services you provide. Managing the process can be time consuming and sometimes difficult, but it is essential in optimizing cash collections. Having a team of individuals who understand this process is the number one factor in maximizing cash collections.
Insurance Follow Up. An essential element to help you maximize collections is to have a timely, effective follow-up process in place. You should initiate follow-up efforts with insurance payers on unresolved claims at the right time based on their payment patterns. Your follow- up specialists can use a variety of tools including claim status websites and phone calls to achieve results in the shortest amount of time. Diligence in this area keeps patients out of the loop until the patient responsibility amount is fully determined.
Reporting Capabilities. Your end of month reports should be customized to provide you with the specific metrics that are most valuable to your practice. They should provide a comprehensive view of your practice’s financial performance and give you the insight to make smart business decisions. If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. Understanding these details and how they affect your business are the foundation of effective practice financial management.
Hold the Collection Agency Accountable. Your collection agency handles many accounts, so it can be easy for mistakes to occur. While the occasional error may not significantly harm the practice, if it happens repeatedly and is not detected in a timely manner, the impact could be significant.
Technology. To do medical billing right, your technology platform needs to be state-of-the-art. You should invest in the right billing platform, use claim scrubbing software, have the ability to submit claims electronically, have a robust document imaging system and use electronic remittance for posting. The use of outdated technology may prevent the practice from running its billing operations to maximum efficiency. The long-term benefits and savings of investing in the right technology can often easily surpass the costs.
Choosing a Billing Company. It is important to understand that not all billing companies are the same. Some items to consider are experience in your specialty, technology platform, service offerings, and the willingness to customize their services to your requirements. Be aware of the benchmarks and ranges for what billing companies charge for your specialty, and understand that not all operations are equal. Sometimes, a low price option can undercut the competition because the services offered may neglect some of the labor intensive practices that are required to capture every dollar. Make sure there are no hidden costs for items like billing secondary payers, patient statements, and postage fees that you will need to factor in. Saving a little money on the rate charged by the billing company is shortsighted if they skimp on the steps addressed above.

To collect all of the money you have worked for requires fully optimizing each of these billing functions to realize efficiencies. Each area might only be responsible for a small percentage of collections, but taken together you can quickly find your practice leaving a large amount of revenue on the table. The first 80% of your payments are relatively easy to collect, it’s the next 20% that is harder to obtain and more expensive for an office or a billing company to properly staff the functions that are required to collect your money. You need to efficiently manage each of these billing functions. This is money you have earned, so it’s important that you have a team or a partner that is willing to go out and fight for every dollar.

Lee Matricaria is president of Data Management, Inc. (www.dmimd.com), a leading provider of hospital based physician billing services since 1976. Should you have questions or comments about this article, please e-mail Lee@dmimd.com or call 309-693-2636.

FHA/HUD’S HOSPITAL MORTGAGE INSURANCE PROGRAM:
The Importance of Understanding Market Need and Demand When Determining Financial Feasibility

By Brian Ackerman & Kelly Van Ochten

In early 2010, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)/Federal Housing Administration (FHA) expanded the services of the Hospital Mortgage Insurance Program to insure loans for hospitals to refinance their outstanding debt. In the past, this program only insured loans that were expressly for hospitals’ new construction and remodeling projects. As the commercial banking industry continues to be strained, including downgrades to commercial bond insurance providers, this latest option for insured refinancing is a hopeful, new opportunity for hospitals that have had recent difficulty financing loans.

Background

Section 242 of the National Housing Act enabled HUD/FHA to insure loans for hospitals to finance projects for construction and renovation. Through the FHA’s Hospital Mortgage Insurance Program, hospitals can achieve the equivalent of a AA or better bond rating, which can provide access to lower interest rates, or in some cases, make bond financing possible for some hospitals that would have not had access to the bond market. The expansion of the FHA’s Hospital Mortgage Insurance program will help hospitals that are struggling with limited credit options and debt to refinance with a higher credit rating, and ultimately lower interest rates.

The application process for the Hospital Mortgage Insurance Program requires time, resources, and expertise. Health Planning Source has a summary of the entire application process at its website, www.healthplanningsource.com; the focus of this article, The Market Need and Financial Feasibility Study, is one part of the application that requires a high degree of analysis, particularly given the current economic climate.

Market Need and Financial Feasibility Study

Based on the projected need and financial viability of the hospital, the FHA can approve or deny a request for mortgage insurance. This makes the

Market Need and Financial Feasibility Study one of the most important elements of your application. An independent consultant must conduct this study and it will require an in-depth analysis of your hospital’s community, competitors, and financial position. Given the weight of this analysis on the final decision for your application, the FHA also does its own independent analysis of market need and financial feasibility to compare their results with the conclusions of your financial feasibility consultant.

The Market Need and Financial Feasibility Study is a focal point of your application, and the FHA will want an accurate assessment of the future health care needs of your community. Basic requirements for the study can be found in the FHA’s Applicant’s Guide, but a deeper analysis of need and financial viability will increase your chances for approval and provide you with better insight into your organization’s actual ability to service future debt. Due to current pressures and forthcoming changes in the health care industry (finances, care-delivery, reform, etc.), it is important to project future volume and utilization based on market dynamics, not simply historical trends. A study that develops market scenarios and models the impact of those scenarios on volume, utilization, and need will give a more detailed and accurate description of the future market need for the hospital and the proposed project.

Projections for hospital utilization should be developed using variables such as population growth, use rates, market share, payer mix, and average length of stay. In addition, all of these factors should be adjusted for how they will be affected by health reform and changes in the community’s disease prevalence and levels of chronicity. Not only do these projections need to be made for the hospital, but also for its competitors. Additional analysis is needed in areas with more unique concerns, such as areas with significant military presence or rapidly changing demographics. The expected market share of the hospital and its competitors is especially important. If the study predicts that the hospital’s market share must increase substantially to ensure feasibility, a detailed understanding of the resources required (physicians, program development, equipment, etc.) to accommodate that volume must be provided, along with a complex analysis of where that volume is currently going and the likelihood of shifting share.

The Market Need and Financial Feasibility Study should also include a thorough description of the hospital’s medical staff. Details such as specialty, age, and admissions are required, but it should also include a ranking of the physicians based on their admissions and contributions to the hospital. For a precise analysis, one should analyze not only the volume and productivity of each physician, but how each specialty group and individual physician impacts the bottom line of the hospital through the contribution margin of their activity. This study of the medical staff should also discuss any potential physician shortages and the effectiveness of the hospital’s plans for recruitment.

The study must also exhibit the community’s need for the hospital and the proposed project. This analysis could be compared to the research done when completing a Certificate of Need (CON) application for authorization to develop health care facilities in the majority of states with CON laws. It includes service area definitions, use rates, staffed and licensed beds, volume, emergency services, and an analysis of the migration of patients in and out of the service area. Note that if a hospital is required to have a CON for the proposed project, it must be included in the application, but the Demonstration of Market Need is a separate analysis. It is very important that any key assumptions and results made in a CON are reflected in your feasibility study, linking any projections that were sent to the State, with the analysis being sent to FHA. This section should conclude with a summary of all of the demographic and utilization data and ultimately indicate that there is a community need for the hospital and the proposed project.

It is crucial that a Market Need and Financial Feasibility Study accurately represents the organization’s ability to service the loan, and is not simply developed to obtain loan approval. When choosing your financial feasibility consultant, it is important to consider firms that work within the health care field and understand the dynamics of both market need and hospital finances. Health Planning Source (HPS) has extensive experience in both of these areas, making HPS a skilled and capable partner when completing an application for the Hospital Mortgage Insurance Program.

Brian Ackerman is a Managing Consultant with Health Planning Source. Brian has over a decade of experience in the health care industry assisting clients with their strategic, regulatory, and financial planning needs. Brian can be reached at BrianAckerman@HealthPlanningSource.com.

Kelly Van Ochten is a Research Consultant with Health Planning Source where she serves a range of clients’ needs via quantitative and qualitative analysis of the health care industry. Kelly can be reached at KellyVanOchten@HealthPlanningSource.com.

Health Planning Source appreciates the input of Armadale Capital, a nationally experienced FHA mortgage lender, based in New York City: www.armadalecapital.com.

Automation is the Key to Efficient Health Care Reform

By Ryan Brebner [ABOVE] and Christopher Thunder

On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law, expanding Medicaid and forming health insurance exchanges. The goal of the bill is for all Americans to have access to some form of medical coverage. Medicaid is expected to play a major role in covering more uninsured people and providing eligibility to nearly all people under age 65 with income up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL). Medicaid, along with its smaller companion program, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), is expected to cover an additional 16 million people by 2019. Health insurance exchanges are to be formed by 2014 to help insurers comply with consumer protections, compete in cost-efficient ways, and to facilitate the expansion of insurance coverage to more people. However, both government programs, Medicaid and the Government- Sponsored Enterprises (GSE), will have to coordinate in some way with each other.

A great deal of the burden in the coordination and enrollment of these programs will fall on the states. According to the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, it is commonly understood that “given the expected new demands on Medicaid eligibility and enrollment systems, and continuing fiscal strains on states, the impetus to streamline and automate Medicaid systems has never been greater.” Many believe this task will be difficult for states to execute. U.S. hospitals expect a $155 billion reduction in Medicare and Medicaid funding over the next decade as a result of the ACA’s cost for health care reform. Disproportionate Share Hospitals will be affected more so than most, since they receive a significant portion at a higher rate of reimbursement for services that treat more uninsured than insured. The Center of Budget and Policy Priorities found that 48 states had budget short falls in 2009 and 2010, and estimates that 46 states will continue to have budget shortfalls in the following year, which places the States’ ability to provide matching funds in question. With budgets decreasing, unemployment and Medicaid eligible patients increasing, and health insurance exchanges forming; how do hospitals continue to assist their patients and ensure the fiscal health of the hospital?

Douglas Elmendorf, head of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), recently remarked in a letter to Senator Max Baucus, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, that one of the greatest difficulties in enrolling people who are eligible for government programs is the application process itself. One solution he saw was to create a more “efficient enrollment process.” Elmendorf indicated that an additional 14 million people would become eligible for Medicaid and CHIP under the new ACA guidelines. Even if states accomplish the goal of streamlining and automating Medicaid systems, it does not mean that patients will actively seek out and enroll themselves. Since there will be more Medicaid eligible patients than ever before, hospitals will require a process that will quickly screen and fill out all the extensive paper work in order to expedite and secure approval for Medicaid and other programs.

Individuals won’t be registered for these programs and taking advantage of their benefits until they find themselves in need of it, sick in the hospital. The car insurance industry has shown us that just because the state mandates auto insurance does not mean every driver has it. Often times, an accident will have to occur before an uninsured motorist looks to find insurance. In order for the hospital to gain reimbursement, it will have to educate patients on their options, and assist them with their enrollment in Medicaid, insurance exchanges, or other available programs.

The verification of information will also have greater importance as the ACA established the new IRS Code Section 501(r), which requires hospitals to take action and confirm if a patient is eligible for financial assistance, and states look to implement investigations similar to Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) audits on Medicare. The Washington Post recently published an article on North Carolina’s hiring of IBM to review the past six years of Medicaid data for questionable payments. Now more than ever, the burden of proof is being placed at the feet of the hospital, not the patient.

In their executive summary titled “Optimizing Medicaid Enrollment: Perspectives on Strengthening Medicaid’s Reach under Health Care Reform,” Julia Paradise of the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured and Michael Perry of Lake Research Partners, found and suggested “it is appropriate for CMS to spearhead automation efforts by developing model enrollment systems for states and providing technical assistance and incentives to promote their adoption.” Whether or not the states will be able to accomplish this remains to be seen. Whereas hospitals are afforded a better chance of success on the front lines of patient interaction and care and have a greater incentive to assist patients in enrollment than the state. The only way hospitals can handle the volume of necessary enrollment while driving down costs is through automation.

In doing this, hospitals keep with best practices, and all patients are screened for multiple programs at once with the same questions, which eliminates the possibility of repetition and other forms of human error. Automation also enables providers to maximize staff time and efforts, and allow the service to be offered in outpatient areas. Programs with integrated calculators can compute spend-down requirements, as well as insurance exchanges enrollment fees by the 2014 ACA deadline. All of this information is kept on file for report generation and the IRS 990, which will also eliminate duplicate applications in multi-system hospitals. At the end of the interview, the tool will bring forth the completed application for the best program the patient is eligible for, any necessary attachments, an electronic signature, and the documents required by the state for eligibility determination, such as electronic pay stubs and tax return information. By being electronic, the application is capable of being submitted online, or by fax, with tracking information returned to the hospital.

If the goal of Healthcare Reform is for all Americans to have access to some form of medical coverage, then hospitals will need to play the largest role in assisting people towards the proper access channel and the appropriate form of eligibility. Hospitals are in the unique position of seeing patients when they will need coverage the most: at the time of care. The ACA does offer some direction in terms of an approach to handle the millions of newly eligible patients, but the guidance does not provide the means to properly assist the millions now eligible or eligible-but-not enrolled.

Unfortunately, the current state of the economy means hospitals will have to do more with less, and assist a greater number of uninsured patients. Automation will be the key component at the state level (as laid out in the ACA), and also for hospitals to handle the Medicaid increase and maximize their reimbursement across a variety of repayment options.

Ryan Brebner is Manager of Business Development for R&B Solutions, and is responsible for leading the company’s sales and marketing. He is an active member of HFMA, AAHAM, and NAHAM. Ryan graduated from Saint Norbert College in DePere, Wisconsin with a B.A. in Politics and Philosophy. Ryan can be reached at 847-887-8514.

Christopher Thunder is a freelance writer for R&B Solutions, a Medicaid Advocacy company headquartered in Waukegan, Illinois.

CAN’T MISS UPCOMING EVENTS

The Florida Chapter is Excited to Host

Now is the time to register.

Join us in Orlando, Florida, June 26-29, 2011 at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center for a powerful line-up of best-practice sessions led by industry leaders and covering important topics such as Reform, Value, Clinical Transformation, Accountable Care, and Revenue Cycle. In addition, multiple networking opportunities and 27.5 CPEs ensure a valuable experience.

Learn more and register. Early-bird pricing now available.

“Looking forward to seeing you in Orlando!”

Hello HFMA Region V Member

It’s hard to believe that the 2011 Dixie Institute is only weeks away. The Dixie committee has been working very hard to ensure this is a memorable event or you. Nashville, Tennessee is this year’s location.

The event will be held February 22-25, 2011 at the Downtown Hilton located in the heart of downtown Nashville, located conveniently to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and Bridgestone Arena, home of the NHL Nashville Predators. There are many other points of interest within walking distance of the hotel such as Hard Rock Nashville, Tootie’s Orchid Lounge, and Jack’s Bar-b- que.

The Downtown Hilton is sold out for February 23rd but a few rooms for the 22nd and 24th may be available. The committee has come up with a list of nearby hotels for you to select from. We do not have agreements with them but want to provide you with options. To view these alternate hotels, please go to www.tnhfma.org/files/5/File/Nearby_Hotels.pdf

To visit the Dixie homepage, register for the event, contact the committee leaders, or register for the hotel, please go to www.tnhfma.org/custpage.cfm/frm/575/sec

We look forward to seeing you in Nashville. As we say in Tennessee,“ya’ll come.”

HFMA FL - Sunspots Summer 2010

Billie Jean — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 01:22:12 GMT

	Sunspots
		President’s Message From the Editor’s Desk Recognizing Corporate Sponsors News from the HFMA Florida Chapter Board Chapter Committee Chairs and Advisors Welcome New Florida HFMA Members HFMA Florida Chapter - Administration Update 2010 Fall Conference Reminder Chapter News and Announcements HFMA Florida 2010 Spring Conference Highlights The C-Suite Corner : an Interview with Mimi Taylor Managing Vendor Risk Creating a Revenue Integrity Department Healthcare Reform Implementation Timeline Corporate Sponsor Opportunities
*Sunspots Editorial Policy:* The statements and opinions appearing in Sunspots articles are those of the authors and are not endorsed by Florida HFMA. The Sunspots staff provides content that is interesting and thought provoking but the content does not represent the opinions of the editors, officers, or board of directors of Florida HFMA. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit articles for length and appropriate content. Sunspots Advertising Policy: Advertisements in the electronic publications are offered to our Gold and Platinum Corporate Sponsors as part of their sponsorship.


	President’s Message Dear Chapter Members and Friends, Our 2010 Spring Conference drew just under 300 attendees that took in two and a half days of well received education sessions, along with many opportunities to network and exchange ideas and best practices. On the Thursday evening of the conference, the 2010-2011 Board of the HFMA Florida Chapter was honored to be sworn in by Immediate-Past HFMA Chair, Catherine Jacobson, who was also our keynote presenter.
During my remarks at the installation banquet, I reaffirmed our Chapter’s commitment to continuing to program high-quality education sessions on timely topics delivered by top-caliber presenters that include your industry peers. I am pleased to see that our current Director of Education / Program Chair, Mimi Taylor, is continuing this trend, as evidenced by the agenda that she and our Education Committee have set for our 2010 Fall Conference scheduled to take place on September 16 – 17, 2010 at Hollywood Beach. Please visit our website at www.floridahfma.org to view that agenda and plan to join us. I challenge you to find another education and networking program that covers the relevant topics, delivered by this caliber of presenters, at such an affordable price. We are grateful to our Corporate Sponsors, whose generous support allows us to deliver these conferences at such a low price. We wish them continued success. I am pleased to report that the first quarter of our Chapter year is off to a great start. Our Director of Administration, Billie Jean Mounts, has been quite busy overseeing and is prepping to launch our Chapter’s upgraded website, the trend on new memberships is currently higher than this same period last year, and we continue to expand our partnerships with likeminded associations. For example, earlier this year, we took part on a CFO Panel discussion held at FIU’s Graduate School of Business. Also, we participated in the South Florida Hospital Association’s annual Health Care Summit. Stay tuned for announcements of newly formed partnerships on upcoming events that we are sure will be of interest to our members. I hope to see many of you at our upcoming 2010 Fall Conference at Hollywood Beach. Should you have any feedback on how our Chapter can better serve your professional development needs, please don’t hesitate in contacting me at dsierra@mhs.net or reaching out to any of our other chapter leaders. We welcome your comments. Thank you. David Sierra President 2010 - 2011 HFMA Florida Chapter "Step Up" Office: 954-265-5106

	From the Editor’s Desk "Nobody trips over mountains. It is the small pebble that causes you to stumble. Pass all the pebbles in your path and you will find you have crossed the mountain." ~ Unknown "Just a little more," Dad said, as he piled the last of the laundry on the stack already in my arms. I was determined to get the entire bundle to the laundry room, even though I couldn’t see over the top. I peered down at my feet and watched the carpet as I walked through the hallway and down the stairs to first floor of the house. It was a slow process, taking one step at a time but I made it down the stairs! I proceeded through the living room and around the kitchen table to the laundry room.
Only a few feet to go, Dad was going to be impressed that I got the entire pile in the hamper without dropping a single item! I tried twisting the pile towards my right hip to see the hamper … then nothing, just falling in slow motion with clothes floating around me. What took only a micro second seemed to take several minutes of floating (I thought of Alice in Wonderland’s experience down the rabbit hole). Someone had left the trap door to the cellar open and my step had been into thin air. I ended up on the floor of the cellar, amidst a scattering of dirty clothes. Thankfully, I was unhurt except for some scratches, bruises, and a lost tooth, for which the tooth fairy promptly made amends. Sometimes, we know a path so well that we travel it without really being aware of the journey. With all the changes occurring in the healthcare industry, the same paths and processes that have become comfortable to us will begin to change. A typical journey may become unfamiliar or laden with challenges and opportunities. It is essential that healthcare financial professionals stay abreast of the changes and aware of the new environment. Take the time to participate in the education and networking opportunities provided by the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA). Visit the HFMA Florida Chapter website, www.floridahfma.org, to find the latest education programs and networking events near you. Thank you to David Sierra, Debbie Vaidya, Kathy Yoder, Joanne Aquilina, Billie Jean Mounts, Curt Pace, Renee Jordan, Chris Durkin, Kelli Murray, Glen Gill, Jean Hippert, Christopher Dochat, Ellen Adelson, Teresa Loomis, and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation for their contributions. Christine Johnson Newsletter Chair 2010-2011 HFMA Florida Chapter Email: Christine.Johnson@orlandohealth.com Phone: 321-843-2404

HFMA FL - Sunspots April 2010

George Goula — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 11:37:23 GMT

	Sunspots
		President’s Message From the Editor’s Desk Recognizing Corporate Sponsors Florida Chapter Leaders Chapter Committee Chairs and Advisors Region V Giving Back to the Community “Certify Yourself – Ask Me Why. Ask Me How” Education Update 2010 Spring Conference Education Calendar 2010 ANI The Challenge of Properly Identifying Our Patients HFMA Statements and Policies Seven Ways to Minimize Your RAC Financial Risk Quick Questions with Thomas Yoesle Corporate Sponsor Opportunities
*Sunspots Editorial Policy:* The statements and opinions appearing in Sunspots articles are those of the authors and are not endorsed by Florida HFMA. The Sunspots staff provides content that is interesting and thought provoking but the content does not represent the opinions of the editors, officers, or board of directors of Florida HFMA. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit articles for length and appropriate content. Sunspots Advertising Policy: Advertisements in the electronic publications are offered to our Gold and Platinum Corporate Sponsors as part of their sponsorship.

President’s Message

Dear Chapter Members and Friends,
This will be my last President’s message before I pass the baton at the end of May. This year has gone by so fast it’s hard to believe May is right around the corner. We have accomplished a great deal in one short year. I hope we delivered what you asked for and have served as your resource of choice for professional development and networking.

We shortened our programs to make it easier for you to get away to participate in quality education sessions. In case you couldn’t get away, we offered free webinars as a way to make our education sessions more easily accessible. I am pleased to report this approach was a successful one. You responded by attending and participating in many of our dozens of chapter and co-sponsored events this year. There were so many other accomplishments – too many to list in this short message – that will certainly be announced at the annual meeting.

Our annual meeting is May 26th through 28th in Tampa. I am very excited to announce that Catherine Jacobson, Senior VP, Strategic Planning and Finance, CFO, and Treasurer, Rush University Medical Center and 2009-2010 Chair, HFMA National will be our Keynote speaker for this event. If you have not yet had the opportunity to hear her speak, she is exceptional. This will be one of your last opportunities, as she will be ending her year as Chair of the HFMA at the end of May.

David Sierra and the Education Committee are putting together a comprehensive program that will address current trends in today’s healthcare environment. We will hear about Healthcare Reform, Electronic Medical Records, Red Flag Rules, Effective Strategies to Eliminate or Significantly Reduce Insurance Payment Delays and Eligibility Processing to name a few. In addition, we will offer Accounting and Auditing CPEs and a Federal and State Legislative Update. You won’t want to miss this meeting.

As the 2009-2010 year comes to an end and a new year begins, Catherine Jacobson will be installing our new Board of Directors for 2010-2011. The installation dinner will be held Thursday, May 27th. I am looking forward to recognizing all of the people that volunteered endless hours to make this year so successful.

Lastly, I would like to thank our Corporate Sponsors. Without their support we would not have been able to achieve the level of success this year that makes the HFMA Florida Chapter stand out from all of the rest.

I am truly grateful for the opportunity to serve you, the membership, and I look forward to my future involvement with the Florida Chapter and HFMA.

President 2009-2010
HFMA Florida Chapter
“Making It Count”

From the Editor’s Desk

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. “ Marcel Proust (1871 – 1922)

It is amazing that another HFMA year is coming to an end. Thank you to all of those that contributed to Sunspots throughout the year. It is the continued commitment and support of members and Sponsors that enables us to provide you with a valuable communication tool.

The Florida Chapter continues to seek improvements in education, communication, and services. We want to provide our members with tools and resources that they find beneficial. For the 2010 – 2011 HFMA year, the Florida Chapter plans to provide a new look and focus to Sunspots. Will move to offering the newsletter Quarterly, providing a more polished presentation, and streamlining the content. Please continue to provide us with feedback about Sunspots so that we can provide members with a newsletter that best meets the needs of healthcare financial leaders.

Thank you to the assistant editor, Mari Ann Moore, for efforts on this issue. Thank you to Karen Fry, Anna Inglett, David Sierra, Jim Schwamb, Deborah Vaidya, Brian Shannon, and Arjun Bhatia for their contributions.

Christine Johnson
Newsletter Chair 2009-2010
HFMA Florida Chapter
Email: Christine.Johnson@orlandohealth.com
Phone: 321-843-2404

Chapter Committee Chairs and Advisors
Name	Title	Email
Anna Inglett	Certification Chair	ainglett@putnamhealthcare.com
Christine Johnson	Newsletter Editor	christine.johnson@orhs.org
Mari Ann Moore	Newsletter Assistant Editor	mari.moore@orhs.org
Paul Masonsong	South Region Co-Chair
Shirley Barton	North Region Co-Chair	shirleyb@americanmedicalreview.com
Lynne Kettells	West Region Co-Chair	lynne.kettells@bcbsfl.com
Renee Jordan	Legal/By-Laws & Liaison Committee	tonya@themarc.com
Kimberly A. Germain, CTP	Webinar Chair	kimberly.germain@pnc.com
Joanne Aquilina	DCMS Contact	joanne.aquilina@bethesdahealthcare.com
Haley Green	Membership Directory Contact
Chris Durkin	Founders Tracking & Plan for membership & Paper Tracer Committee	chris.durkin@bmcjax.com
Anthony Escobio	Revenue Cycle	aescobio@tgh.org
David Musgrave	Availity Education Project	dave.musgrave@jax.ufl.edu
David Sierra	Governmental Reimbursement and Regulations Committee	dsierra@mhs.net
Linda Sayre	Registrar	lindacsayre@comcast.net
Darlene Clemence	Assistant Registrar	darlene.clemence@mafcollection.com
Mary Madura	Site Selection	mmadura@mhs.net
Jamie Wiley	Site Selection & Advisor/ CAT	jwiley@medassistgroup.com
Dwight Tillman	Nominating	bacenjordan_tillman@msn.com
Kathy Reep	Liaison Committee	kathyr@fha.org
Vicki Di Tomaso	Liaison Committee	vicki.ditomaso@leememorial.org
Dennis Fuller	Advisor	fulledl@shands.ufl.edu
George Guilder	Advisor	Georarmrms@aol.com

Volunteering for a HFMA Florida Chapter committee or event is a great way to get the most out of your HFMA membership!
Contact a committee chair listed above to become more active today.

HFMA Region V Annual
Giving Back to the Community Initiative

HFMA chapters across the country are assigned into regions. The HFMA Florida Chapter is a member of Region Five, along with our sister chapters of Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. Normally referred to as the “Dixie Region,” these chapters come together annually and choose a common theme for its’ members to give back to the community. This year that theme is to give back to our troops and our veterans.

HFMA Florida has partnered with a company in Deerfield Beach called Boca Java (http://www.bocajava.com) and has joined in Boca Java’s “Operation Million Cup” to get good, quality coffee to our service men and women.

Operation Million Cup (http://www.bocajava.com/learn/troops/index.jsp) was launched in 2003. Thanks to the generosity of Boca Java’s customers, over six million cups of coffee have reached our deployed troops since, and showsno signs of slowing down.

Boca Java has offered that for every bag of coffee purchased by a HFMA member, they will match that donation two-for-one. They also handle all the logistics, including packaging and shipping. Shipping must be to an APO address. Any HFMA member with a loved one deployed overseas will also be able to send that coffee directly to them.

Please use the link www.bocajava.com/learn/troops/index.jsp?promo=lp_hfma_fl to Boca Java’s website and join HFMA Florida in giving back to the community.

We welcome your support of this initiative.

“Certify Yourself – Ask Me Why. Ask Me How”

By Anna Inglett
Certification Chair

Our campaign has been gaining momentum and as a result we have seen an upswing in the number of members who are asking for study materials and proctors. That is great!

Just a reminder, that in order for all members to have an opportunity to use the study guides, we do ask that you not check them out for more than three months. We have several sets available so give me a call and we will arrange getting them to you.

We hope to see you in Tampa in May so be sure to look for us proudly wearing our buttons and ribbons.

Congratulations are in order for William J. Bierschenk, FHFMA, CPA, Director of Finance/Controller for Lakeland Regional Medical Center! Bill states that he believes certification is very valuable and sets you apart from other credentials. He also encourages his staff to become certified and has quite a few of his staff already certified. Way to go Bill!

If you have any questions, please visit the HFMA Florida Chapter website, www.floridahfma.org or contact me at 813-367-0022 or via email ainglett@putnamhealthcare.com.

HFMA Florida Chapter ● Education Update

by David Sierra, CPA
Chapter Director of Education (Program Chair)

We hope that you have made your plans to join us in Tampa, May 26 – 28 for our 2010 Spring Conference and Annual Meeting. This is our biggest education and networking
event each year with up to 19.8 total CEUs available. I challenge you to find an education and networking conference with this content and caliber of presenters that also includes all
meals, networking receptions and a banquet dinner at this very reasonable price.

This is made possible thanks to the generous support of our corporate sponsors. They are listed in this issue. Please take the time to thank them when you see them at the conference.

The HFMA Florida Chapter is proud to have Ms. Catherine Jacobson, Senior VP, Strategic Planning and Finance, CFO and Treasurer, Rush University Medical Center and 2009-2010 Chair, HFMA kick off our conference, as a keynote presenter on Making it Count in Times of Change. Mr. Ralph Lawson, Executive VP & CFO, Baptist Health South Florida returns with his update on U.S. Healthcare Economics– An Unsustainable Model. We’ll also have sessions on managing the impact on PFS operations in light of the recent passage of healthcare legislation, an Accounting &Auditing track, the annual dinner to install the incoming Board of the HFMA Florida Chapter and so much more!

Please refer to the following pages for a summary of the agenda and for hotel and conference registration information. We promise to continue to deliver the high quality education sessions customarily delivered at our programs with plenty of opportunities to network. If you haven’t already, please make plans join to us!

On behalf of the Board of the 2009 – 2010 HFMA Florida Chapter, which includes our Regional Directors of Education, and our Education Committee, we extend our heartfelt thanks to our Chapter’s members and the healthcare finance community. Education and professional development remain core tenets of the mission of the HFMA and its Florida Chapter. Our goal this chapter year was to program and deliver education sessions that you would find worthwhile to attend. We appreciate your “vote of approval”, as evidenced by the cummulative thousands of participants at our sessions, whether in-person or “virtually” via our Webcasts.

I hope to see many of you at our next statewide event this Mayin Tampaor at a regional education and networking session. Should you have any suggestions on topics you’d like to see covered in our programs, please contact me at 954-265-5106 or via e-mail at dsierra@mhs.net and let me know specifically what you’d like to see addressed at a future education session.

Thank you.

Please refer to the following pages for information on our upcoming 2010 Spring Conference and select sessions from our Education Calendar. Also, visit our chapter’s website for updates and the complete version of the Education Calendar at www.floridahfma.org


	April –June2010 Education Calendar
Date	Event	Location / Time
FREE through April 30, 2010 24 hours a day / 7 Days a Week	HFMA's FREE Virtual Healthcare Finance Conference FREE On-Demand Sessions through April 30, 2010 ( 24 / 7 )	A whopping 39.5 DCMS education hours are available to ALL for FREE http://www.hfma.org/events/virtualConf.htm
May 26 – 28, 2010	HFMA Florida Annual Spring Meeting Healthcare Reform, Electronic Health Records, Accounting & Auditing and much more! (in association with AAHAM)	Renaissance International Plaza Tampa http://www.floridahfma.org/documents/5_26_10_Conference.pdf
June 3 – 4, 2010	Healthcare Reform – Solutions for South Florida’s Healthcare Systems Patient Safety & PSO Florida, Viability of Public Hospitals, Healthcare IT and more! (in association with SFHHA)	Signature Grand Davie https://sfhha.com/joomla/
This calendar is subject to change. Please visit the education page on our Website for updates, more information and the complete calendar. http://www.floridahfma.org/education.htm

Message to providers: Did you know that, if your facility serves as host for a regional event, it grants you and your fellow employees free admission to the education session and input on the topics to be covered? Interested? Please contact any one of us (below) for more information. HFMA Florida Chapter, Education Events, Contact Information
	For Information on all education events through May 2010: David Sierra Director of Education (Program Chair) 2009 – 2010 954-265-5106 dsierra@mhs.net	For Information on all events and the2010 Fall, 2011 Mid-Winter & 2011 Spring Conferences: Mimi Taylor Incoming Director of Education (Program Chair) 2010 – 2011 786-662-7513 mimit@baptisthealth.com

The Challenge of Properly Identifying Our Patients – a Biometric Approach

By Jim Schwamb, FACHE

Properly identifying our patients has never been more important and more challenging. With the healthcare industry rapidly moving to electronic medical records and electronically storing critical data on patients, it is more important than ever that patients are quickly and accurately identified when they enter a healthcare facility. In addition, losses from medical identity theft, insurance fraud, and improper insurance card sharing continue to increase.

Listening to the “voice of the customer”, patients are more reluctant to supply personal sensitive information, such as a social security number, each time they access healthcare for fear of identity theft. New laws, such as the FTC “Red Flag” requirements, push the burden of avoiding identity theft to the healthcare provider.

To address all of these issues, Tampa Bay, Florida based BayCare Health System integrated palm vein scanning biometrics into the Siemens Invision and Signature OAS Gold systems. This created a unique solution to the challenges of positive patient identification (PPID) management that we call Patient Secure Identity (PSI). This unique approach has been in use for almost two years at BayCare and the response from our patients has been extremely positive. We currently have 365,000 individuals enrolled in this program.

When we started to discuss implementation of an electronic medical record (EMR) at BayCare Health System, we knew that to get the biggest bang for our buck (and it was a big buck) we would have to quickly and accurately identify patients when they entered our health system. Quick access to a patient’s medical history for previous lab tests, expensive imaging results, allergies, etc. would only happen if the registrar was able to determine the correct “Mary Jones”. If the registrar was unsure, the patient gave conflicting information, or the patient was unable to give all the necessary demographic information, then a new record would be created and the benefit of the EMR would be lost.

As with medical identity theft and insurance card sharing, identity management becomes even more important with an EMR, and patient safety becomes more of a concern. Caregivers may no longer be looking at a single person’s medical history, but one that has been combined with several different patients. A biometric approach that prevents a patient from stealing someone else’s identity and quickly identifies the correct Mary Jones solves many issues.

Our unique solution to the challenges of positive patient identification (PPID) management is our Patient Secure Identity (PSI) System. PSI uses Fujitsu biometric technology that identifies patients through the pattern of the veins in the palm of the hand. With this proven technology, a near infrared light is shined at the person’s palm. This near infrared light penetrates the outside skin and reflects off of the veins and produces a pattern that is unique to the person. It is extremely accurate and much more accurate than fingerprint based biometrics. It is like doing a retinal scan in the palm of your hand.

Patients first enroll in PSI by proving their identity. For subsequent visits, they no longer have to give their Social Security Number or photo identification. Instead, they put the palm of their hand on the scanner and are immediately identified. Anyone who attempts to use the identity of someone enrolled in PSI is rejected when his/her palm is scanned. Patients entering our emergency room may be a bit off-balance, incoherent, scared, or dazed. It’s sometimes difficult for them to remember their Social Security Number and other pertinent information. All we have to do is put their hand on the palm scanning device and we can immediately identify them, if they are part of the PSI system.

In two years of using the PSI system, acceptance by patients has been extremely positive. Patient compliance is over 99%. The patient experiences a quicker registration as the identity process is fast and simple. As stated earlier, the patients love it and it is a definite differentiator for BayCare. Patients are more technically savvy than ever and want to be assured that their healthcare records are accurate and protected. We were the first in Florida and second in the nation to implement this futuristic, yet practical, system. Implementation across our eleven hospitals and multiple outpatient sites was accomplished in a very short, five month period and the system integration was flawless.

Mr. Schwamb is Vice President for Patient Financial Services at BayCare Health System in Tampa, Florida. BayCare Health System is an eleven hospital healthcare system, encompassing three connecting counties in the Tampa Bay area. The PSI implementation has won several national awards.

HFMA Statements and Policies

Compiled by Deborah Vaidya
Treasurer 2009-2010
HFMA Florida Chapter

Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) is the nation's leading membership organization for healthcare financial management executives and leaders. More than 35,000 members--ranging from CFOs to controllers to accountants--consider HFMA a respected thought leader on top trends and issues facing the healthcare industry. HFMA members can be found in all areas of the healthcare system, including hospitals, managed care organizations; physician practices, accounting firms, and insurance companies.

At the chapter, regional, and national level, HFMA helps healthcare finance professionals meet the challenges of the modern healthcare environment by:
Providing education, analysis, and guidance.
Building and supporting coalitions with other healthcare associations to ensure accurate representation of the healthcare finance profession.
Educating a broad spectrum of key industry decision makers on the intricacies and realities of maintaining fiscally healthy healthcare organizations.
Working with a broad cross-section of stakeholders to improve the healthcare industry by identifying and bridging gaps in knowledge, best practices, and standards.

HFMA National Statements

Vision
HFMA's vision is: "To be the indispensable resource for healthcare finance.”
Purpose Statement

To define, realize, and advance the financial management of health care by helping members and others improve the business performance of organizations operating in or serving the healthcare field.

Quality Statement
Quality is the foundation of the Association and the keystone of its efforts to ensure member and customer satisfaction. HFMA's objective is to:
Consistently provide services and products that meet the quality expectations of its members, customers, and employees.
  Actively pursue a program of continuous quality improvement that enables employees and volunteers to do their jobs right the first time.
Quality is a major, strategic association goal. It lies at the heart of everything done for members and customers. HFMA strives continually to improve the quality of services and products offered, the processes and procedures used to produce them, and the manner in which they are delivered.

Values Statement
We believe that service to members is our highest priority.
We believe in excellence in all that we do.
  We believe that teamwork is essential in meeting the objectives of HFMA.
  We believe in the importance of individuals.
  We believe in encouraging innovation and creativity.
  We believe in conducting HFMA with financial responsibility and a prudent approach to business.

Code of Ethics
As a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association, I will endeavor to promote the highest standards of professional conduct by:
  Practicing honesty and maintaining personal integrity, including avoidance of conflicts of interest with those of my employer or the Healthcare Financial Management Association.
  Striving for the objective and fair presentation of financial information.
  Fostering excellence in healthcare financial management by keeping abreast of pertinent issues.
  Maintaining the confidentiality of privileged information.
  Promoting a greater understanding of financial management issues by others in the healthcare field, and seeking increased public understanding through communication about such issues.
  Seeking to maintain a reasonable balance between the quality and cost of healthcare.

Link to the HFMA Code of Ethics: View the complete HFMA Code of Ethics

Diversity
The following is HFMA's statement on diversity: The Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) values and respects diversity. Individual differences are viewed as assets that promote the growth and success of HFMA and its members. In principle and in practice, HFMA encourages and supports diverse individual.

HFMA Florida Chapter Policy

Whistleblower Protection Policy
As the nation’s leading membership organization for healthcare financial management executives, HFMA prides itself on its adherence to federal, state, and local laws and/or regulations, including business ethics policies. HFMA has adopted a Code of Ethics, which requires each member of HFMA to promote the highest standards of professional conduct by practicing honesty and maintaining personal integrity. In furtherance of these principles, HFMA has adopted a whistleblower protection policy. Pursuant to this policy, as applicable to HFMA itself, any employee or member who becomes aware of any violation of federal, state, or local law or regulation, including any financial wrongdoing, should immediately report the violation to the President to allow the organization to investigate and, if applicable, correct the situation or condition.

If the President is involved or is believed to be involved in the matter being reported, employees or members may, in the alternative, make a report to the Chair of the Board of Directors. HFMA will conduct an investigation and take appropriate action within a reasonable period of time. Such complaints will be held in the confidence to the extent of the needs of investigation permit.

If the violation of federal, state, or local law or regulation, or financial wrongdoing, concerns an HFMA chapter, the member (or the chapter employee, if applicable) should report the violation to the Chapter President. If the Chapter President is involved or is believed to be involved in the matter being reported, the violation should be reported to the HFMA’s President.

“Financial wrongdoing” may include, but is not limited to:
  Questionable accounting practices;
  Fraud or deliberate error in financial statements or recordkeeping;
  Deficiencies of internal accounting controls;
  Misrepresentations to company officers or accounting personnel.

If any member or employee reports in good faith what the member or employee believes to be a violation of the law and/or financial wrongdoing to an HFMA chapter or HFMA, its legal counsel, or to a federal, state, or local agency or assists in an investigation concerning financial wrongdoing, it is HFMA’s policy that there will be no retaliation taken against the member or employee.

Members and employees are reminded of the importance of keeping financial matters confidential. Members and employees with questions concerning the confidentiality or appropriateness of disclosures of particular information should contact the Chapter President or HFMA National office executive.

Policies Available on the Florida Chapter Website
The following policies are available on the HFMA Florida Chapter website http://www.floridahfma.org/policies.htm:
  Whistleblower Protection Policy
  Record Retention Policy
  Conflict of Interest Policy

For questions related to any of these policies, please contact the HFMA Florida Chapter President via the Florida Chapter website http://www.floridahfma.org/contact.htm or contact HFMA National at (800) 252-HFMA (4362), ext. 2 or via e-mail memberservices@hfma.org.

By Brian Shannon

Seven Ways to Minimize Your RAC Financial Risk

The Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) demonstration project found over $1 million of improper payments from a handful of states. The permanent program will likely generate several times that amount. Even though your organization may not be receiving many complex review letters yet, you should be preparing to minimize your financial exposure as much as possible. Here are seven ways to accomplish that:

Mail Yourself a Mock RAC Letter
Many providers are concerned about how the RAC letters will be handled in their facilities. Some popular concerns are the following:
   Who will the RAC letter be routed to within our hospital?
  How long will it take for that letter to get to the right person after we receive it from the RAC?
   Will there be any consistency to how our internal team treats this process?

One quick and inexpensive way to address these questions is to mail yourself a letter as if it was from your RAC. Make the letter look official, address it to the person who is responsible for RAC letters, and document the date the letter is mailed. Then, wait to see what happens.

Even if you are already receiving letters from the RAC and they appear to be handled correctly, mail a sample letter every month to ensure that the process is still running smoothly. If it is not, wouldn’t it be better to learn that from a practice letter before a deadline is missed with your RAC?

Review All Four RAC Websites
All issues need to be formally approved and posted on the RAC websites before they can be pursued with providers. Review your regional RAC website on a weekly basis to see if there are any updates. However, do not stop there. Take a few minutes every couple of weeks and review the other three RAC sites. If a different region has had success with a series of DRG’s, it only is a matter of time before your RAC will add them to their approved list. Be proactive and see what is going on from a national basis to better prepare your team. You can learn more about the four national RAC’s at www.aha.org/rac.

Increase Your Billing and Coding Resources
While the medical necessity category produced the most improper payments during the demonstration project, the permanent program has only approved DRG related issues as of the first quarter of 2010. Many hospitals have built up their RAC team largely focused on clinical resources, but they do not seem to have added certified billers and coders to meet the increased demand that will soon be coming. If your facility gets inundated with RAC letters, your existing team members may not be able to handle all of the additional workload. Add another FTE, if possible, or partner with a company who could provide the resources as a service to you. Not have enough resources available may result in adding to your financial exposure from the RAC.

Plan for an Audit Revolution
Given the overwhelming financial success of the RAC demonstration project, all other payers must be salivating over the opportunity to perform similar audits in the future. While this is painful to think about, your audit concerns need to focus on more than just the RAC’s. Plan for other payers, such as Medicaid, Blue Cross, United, Aetna, etc…, to quickly piggy-back off of the wild success of the RAC’s.

Accordingly, your internal committee should probably not be called a “RAC Team” but rather a “Audit Response Team.” Think more globally about how auditing will change in the near future. It would be helpful to have a plan in place to handle audits that come from any payer, not just RAC.

Focus on Getting it Right from the Start
While responding to the RAC is a necessary endeavor, your real goal should be much broader than that. In an ideal world, you would like the auditors to never find a reason to come calling. In order for that to happen, you must be focused on revenue integrity and data correctness right from the start. How do you do that?

Get more committed to your denials management process. Regardless of how good you think it is now, there is always room for improvement. You probably need to have parallel task forces to accomplish this. One would be for your newly named “Audit Response Team” and the other would be your “Revenue Integrity Team”. The combination of both of those efforts will produce short and long term results which will pay dividends to your organization.

Be Prepared for the Long Haul
Even though a defined appeals process has been established for the RAC’s, that timeframe has turned out to be much longer than expected. For example, there are many providers from the demonstration project that are still waiting to have resolution on their appeals. Given that the permanent program has grown to 50 states, what will the appeal timeline look like for your organization? Common sense would suggest that many appeals in the future will take years to finalize. Do you have the time, resources and patience to work through this process over the course of several years? If you are not sure, consider partnering with a company who can help you do just that. Make sure they charge you a flat fee for the appeals; otherwise you may end up winning the RAC appeal but giving all of your proceeds to your vendor.

Build Your External Team and Plan for Implementation
Many providers think they have everything in place to manage all of the audits coming their way. However, so did most of the hospitals during the demonstration project. The unfortunate reality is that many of organizations need help. If you do not have the funds to add FTE’s, then partner with external resources who can help. Have a RAC attorney available when you need their services. Additionally, identify a company that can provide both DRG and medical necessity claims review and support in the event your existing team cannot manage the increased volume. Hopefully, you will not need to utilize all of these services, but since you cannot really determine what your workload is going to be it is wise to set some partnerships up now.

If you agree that you may need some external help, please remember that most partners need some time to implement. Agreements need to be signed and then, given the nature of the RAC reviews, electronic access to your systems needs to be provided. This set-up process may take two or three months. Don’t wait for the RAC’s to create a problem for you, proactively plan for success in this area.

Hopefully these ideas will help minimize your current and future financial risk related to the pending audits. While it can sometimes be difficult to plan for the unknown, there is simply too much at risk not to be prepared.

If you are interested in learning more about Brian Shannon, please visit www.brianshannon.net. You can contact him at brian@brianshannon.net or (704) 887-6707.

Quick Questions with Thomas Yoesle

Sunspots: What is your job title and what does your job entail?
Tom: Chief Operating Officer of Patient Financial Services, Orlando Health.
In this role, my responsibilities span the traditional Patient Business and Patient Accounting areas. At Orlando Health, Patient Business includes 300+ team members covering centralized Scheduling, Pre-Registration, Insurance Verification as well as inpatient and outpatient registration points at each of our seven facilities. Our Patient Accounting departments are consolidated into a 180+ team member Centralized Business Office. Within this CBO we run a 25 team member Call Center, Medical Audit/Appeals departments as well facilitate hospital based billing and collection functions in excess of $1.6 billion annual net revenue.

Sunspots: What is the most rewarding aspect of your work?
Tom: Having the opportunity to help people. Whether helping a patient navigate their way through our campus, dealing with patient concerns, team member opportunities or working with peers, I know I have the opportunity to make the encounter positive and help.

Sunspots: How long have you been an HFMA member and how has HFMA impacted your career?
Tom: I have been involved in HFMA for 11 years. During that time the peer contacts I have made are invaluable. HFMA has given me the opportunity to make those connections and continually strengthen those relationships into educational and best practice collaboration.

Sunspots: Where do see yourself in 10 years?
Tom: Hopefully getting more sleep!.... and in a role where I can continue to positively impact people in the healthcare market.

Sunspots: What changes would you like to see in healthcare delivery (hospital, physician, and/or vendor)?
Tom: I would love to see more I.T. continuity in our delivery system. To often tests are
duplicated by physicians or hospitals while medications are prescribed without the knowledge of prior prescriptions and doses. In a country with top I.T. intelligence and monumental fiscal healthcare investment, we have yet to comprehensively pull healthcare data together and create a seamless “data delivery” model. In creating this model we would undoubtedly reduce the cost and increase the speed at which we can deliver care to those in need.

Sunspots: What was your most enjoyable vacation and Why?
Tom: Being surprised by my wife with a few days at the beach, including golf! She packed my bags and picked me up at the office. Unbeknownst to me she had prearranged the entire trip and coordinated my office schedule to secretly block a few days. The following days were filled with sun, relaxation and great memories. What an excellent surprise!

Sunspots: What do you enjoy most about your current role and why?
Tom: I enjoy being able to help coordinate communication, facilitate decision making and employ the “Ready, Shoot, Aim” management theory to help meet our mission of helping each other take better care of our patients.

Sunspots: Who has been the biggest influence in your life?
Tom: My wife Tanya. She’s the reason I jumped into healthcare and thanks to her Support, I have been able to prosper within the industry.

Sunspots: How would you liked to be remembered?
Tom: I hope there will be a few people who would say I brought a little humor and knowledge into the workplace and “life place”.

Sunspots: Given the current economic climate, in your opinion:
A. What is the most significant process improvement that you would recommend for the overall healthcare delivery system?
Tom: Leverage technology. If you can find the capital dollars, invest in technology that pulls together all the desperate I.T. systems and data warehouses your organization maintains. Look at outliers across clinical and financial data and take action on that data.
B. How would you anticipate this process improvement would modify the relationships between vendors and providers?
Tom: Vendors and providers need to push the boundaries of I.T. and increase
collaboration. In order to pull data from disparate systems, vendors will need to be open in sharing the data they internally house for their clients. Vendors will need to evaluate their I.T. investments (common platforms, HL-7 interfaces, etc.) and be open to exploring options to feed data to a client’s central source for data-mining and benchmarking opportunities.

Healthcare Financial Management Association - Florida Chapter - Sunspots

Spring 2012 - Sunspots

Winter 2012 - Sunspots

Fall 2011 - Sunspots

HFMA FL - 2011 SUMMER

HFMA FL Sunspots - Summer 2011

HFMA FL Sunspots - Spring 2011

HFMA FL Sunspots - Winter 2011

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

2011 CORPORATE SPONSORS

NEWS FROM THE HFMA FLORIDA CHAPTER BOARD

PRESIDENT–ELECT

SECRETARY

TREASURER

DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION/PROGRAM CHAIR

DIRECTOR, ADMINISTRATION

DIRECTOR, MEMBER SERVICES

DIRECTOR,POLICY& FINANCE/SPONSORSHIP

REGIONAL DIRECTOR, EDUCATION / NORTH

REGIONAL DIRECTOR, EDUCATION / CENTRAL

REGIONAL DIRECTOR, EDUCATION / WEST