The
Georgia
Scroll
Spring
2001
President's Message
The Show Goes On...
Well, this is my last President ' s message. I have enjoyed writing them
but will be glad to turn them over to Mr. Eddie Phillips. It was great seeing
everyone at the Atlanta meeting: it was quite a success. We had great educational
opportunities. The CPAR program continues to flourish and I really enjoyed
the CPAR banquet with the exception of the fire alarm. It has been a pleasure
serving you as President this year. Always remember, this chapter is all about
you. Your officers and leadership are just here to help HFMA meet your needs.
I want to recap all that we've done this year and you can be very proud of
what you've done in this chapter. After two quarters of reporting, this chapter
is leading the country in educational hours offered. That should continue
because we have a number of educational opportunities available during the
winter and spring months. It looks like we are going to be submit-ting almost
nine projects to National (Yergers) and hopefully most of them will win. Also,
the TEAMS have done a great job with meeting the chapter goals
this year. On a bit of a down note, our membership has decreased six percent
from last year. We had budgeted for break-even. I believe we will be back to
break-even through the hard work of Cathy Doughtery's group before year-end.
Remember, membership is down across the country so we are right in there with
everyone else. It is hard for
you guys to find time to contribute to HFMA.
Eddie is sure to have a great upcoming year with your help. He is set to
move in the right direction. There will be many challenges next year and new
projects to work on. One of the new projects that Eddie's group will do include
continuing to increase our use of electronic media. Hopefully we will be moving
towards monthly or biweekly updates that will be electronically emailed to you.
HFMA will be expanding the web page and continuing to work through the on-line
registration process. We will offer as much information as possible thro u g h
the web page. Another big goal for Eddie will be to improve and expand on the
CPAR program next year.
So as the year winds down for me, I am sad but also happy. I am happy to be
done with the administrative paperwork that comes with the job. I am very sad
that I won't be the President of a fine organization like Georgia HFMA whose
accomplishments every year
a re just incredible. Never forget, the major accomplishment every year is the
offering of networking and educational opportunities to its members. The
Callaway Gardens' meeting is coming up just around the corner. T h e re will be
great networking opportunities in the areas of golf, fishing, bike riding,
cookouts, and the recreational activities Callaway Gardens' offers. The weather
should be warmer and hopefully
free of thunderstorms. The educational programs should be fantastic. And of
course, the Thursday night gala is always fun. I do believe Eddie is not as
cheap as I am and he is bringing back a live band this year.
Again, thanks for letting me be your President.
COVER STORY
PROVIDERS AND PAYERS COOPERATE TO STREAMLINE CLAIMS PROCESSING
In what may be the ultimate example of cats and dogs laying some of their
differences aside, providers and payers in Georgia have been meeting in earnest
since last August to see if there are ways to streamline claims processing.
This unusual effort, a joint effort of GHA: An Association of Hospitals and
Health Systems and the Georgia Association of Health Plans, is designed to
address some of the major concerns of both sides. Providers want to be paid
faster, and payers want to avoid future fines imposed by Insurance
Commissioner John Oxendine. It was Oxendine's ultimatum delivered to providers
and payers in July 2000 that motivated this unusual cooperative effort. The
commissioner delivered the strong message that, even though he is reluctant to
issue additional regulations, unless the two sides can come to some agreement
regarding solving this payment problem, he may have little choice.
Complex Issue The slow payment problem
has been festering for years. Due to very complex billing and payment procedures,
claims often get lost, pushed to the side, or forgotten. In fact, about a
year ago, a GHA-sponsored committee chaired by Rick Joiner, Patient Finance
Director at South Georgia Medical Center in Valdosta, attempted to map out
the steps involved during the time that providers and insurers sign contracts,
enroll beneficiaries in those plans, treat those beneficiaries, and complete
the payment cycle. To the committee's surprise, they discovered that there
are at least 49 places in the process between signing a contract and receiving
final payment where a glitch can result in a bill being lost or delayed.
This litany of problems and delays has created a climate of extreme distrust,
not just locally but nationally. Many other states a re attempting to address
the problem of slow payments to providers. Most are taking a much more adversarial
approach than providers and payers in Georgia. Although they clearly see the
world from different perspectives, the principals in the Peach State feel
that more is to be gained by looking for mutually agreeable solutions to common
problems than by waging a public relations
war throughout the state.
One of the biggest problems from the providers' perspective is the fact that
there is no agreement about when a claim is received by the payer. By some
estimates, as many as 20% -30% of claims providers send to insurance companies
never reach their intended
destination or are misplaced upon arrival. This means that Georgia ' s prompt
payment law, considered one of the strictest in the country, has not solved
the delayed payment problem. Although claims are required to be turned around
with-in 15 days, there is no agreement as to when the clock starts. Also,
once a claim is pended for any one of several reasons, there is no specific
timeline for ultimate resolution. In many instances, outstanding payments
can linger for many months. Some providers feel that the recent series of
fines imposed by Commissioner Oxendine have been the driving force to get
insurance companies to take action.
From the payer perspective, the existing law is unreasonably restrictive and
results in inequitable and unreasonable fines. Furthermore, they say, providers
do not always process claims correctly and then blame the insurance company
for delays. Another factor is the
presence of third-party intermediaries who act as agents of hospitals or payers.
Payers point to problems in the intermediaries' systems as a significant contributing
factor to lost or delayed claims.
Old Frustrations and a New Effort
Despite a seemingly endless series of talks throughout much of 1999 and the
first half of 2000, little progress was made in addressing some of the
fundamental issues: How do you define a "clean" claim? How can you
determine when a claim has been received? What are reasonable time frames for
conducting medical review of cases or determining if there is another payer who
might have liability for the same case?
After Oxendine's July ultimatum, members of GHA and the Georgia Association of
Health Plans participated in an intense series of meetings to determine if
there was any way they could resolve their differences. Glenn Black, Vice President and CFO at
Promina Health System, led the providers' efforts, and Terri Kline, President
and CEO of United Healthcare chaired
the payers' efforts. The group reported back to the commissioner in early
December that they had formed a new effort dubbed the "Technology
Cooperative" that they felt could make enough progress that additional
regulations would not be required.
Early in the Technology Cooperative's deliberations, the group realized that
the HIPAA transaction standards regulations would address many of the technical
problems associated with claims processing. Consequently, the cooperative
attempts to resolve
problems caused by today's systems at the same time that it identifies
technical opportunities bro u g h t about by HIPAA and emerging technologies.
The stated objectives of the Technology Cooperative are as follows:
* To develop a collaborative approach toward addressing payment
problems
* To investigate problems with the current system and recommend corrective
steps
* To set the stage across the Georgia health care industry for implementation
of HIPAA
The cooperative's operational objectives regarding claims processing are:
* Simplification
* Standardization
* Automation
Subcommittees to Address Specific Issues
Besides meeting as a large group, the Technology Cooperative also
created four subcommittees to address specific issues:
* Aged Receivables Subcommittee to study the current procedures
regarding how claims are processed with the objective of identifying typical
problem are as , and also to develop possible solutions for cleaning up old
issues and avoiding future ones.
* Electronic Connectivity Subcommittee to investigate electronic solutions
that will increase the efficiency of payment-related transactions, and also to
begin to move the Georgia health care community toward compliance with H I PAA
transaction standards.
* Operational Turnaround Subcommittee to develop revised standards and policies
for processing claims in order to minimize problem areas between providers and
payers, and also to develop the specific language needed to amend the Georgia
insurance statute.
* Education and Communications Subcommittee to identify effective mechanisms for disseminating recommendations, and also to develop specific content for various educational sessions.
Legislative Efforts Go Front and
Center
Since its focus is to change the way claims are currently being processed,
the Operational Turnaround Subcommittee has received the most attention. That
group met nearly a dozen times throughout the fall to hammer out an agreement
on reasonable standards for processing a claim. The following is a summary of
the group's recommendations:
* Maintain the 15 business day turnaround standard for electronic claims
* Allow for 30 calendar days to process non-electronic claims
* Require 95% of claims to be resolved within 60 calendar days
* Agree that the "day clock" starts once the claim is sent to the
payer or its intermediary
and acknowledgment is sent.
* Impose fines if 95% of claims a re not paid, denied or pended within
established time
frames
* Define and limit the reasons why claims may be pended
* Assess interest on all claims not resolved within 60 calendar days
* Ask Commissioner Oxendine to play a key oversight role
Providers are expected to respond to requests for additional information
within 15 days, to effectively "work" error and other reports from
payers, and to post payments in a timely manner.
Will these efforts work? Will Georgia's
providers receive more rapid payment of claims? Only time will tell. The
problems we face today took many years to develop, and it is likely that all
parties will have to work diligently to address them in a
meaningful way.
At press time, GHA and the Georgia
Association of Health Plans were finalizing legislative language to enact the
recommendations of the Operational Turnaround Subcommittee. Because of the
par-ties at the table, the proposed legislation will only apply to hospitals
and ambulance services providers. Both GHA and Georgia Association of Health
Plans expressed optimism that the foundation laid in the work to date will help
both sides move forward toward addressing some of the other objectives
identified by the Technology Cooperative. Certainly, both sides will continue
to disagree on some fundamental issues, but there appears to be a stronger
working relationship than ever before and at least the possibility that
improvements can be made to a badly broken system.
Technology Cooperative Co-Chairs
° Glenn Black, Vice President and CFO, Promina Health System
° Terri Kline, President and CEO,
United Healthcare
Aged Receivables Subcommittee Co-Chairs
° Mary Ashendfelter, Director, Health Plan Operations, Kaiser Permanente
° Cathy Dougherty, Director of
Revenue Management, Gwinnett Health System
Electronic Connectivity Subcommittee Co-Chairs
° Ron Anspaugh, Regional Vice President
of Business Services, American Medical
Response
° Sally Sidwell, Regional Vice
President of Operations, Uniprise Health Group
Operational Turnaround Subcommittee Co-Chairs
° Brooke Flaherty, Director go
Government Relations, Aetna US Healthcare
° Jimmy Hatcher, CFO Emory
University Hospital
° Jeffrey Skelton, Cornerstone
Communications
Education and Communications
Subcommittee
° Monye Connolly, VP Provider Contracting, Blue Cross and Blue
Shield of Georgia
Understanding How The Best Performers
Manage A/R
By Charles Lund
The Third-Quarter HARA Report (Hospital Accounts Receivable Analysis)
reported national average gross days revenue outstanding at 63 and further
indicated that their
best practice peer group "hospitals under 60 GDRO" actually averaged
45 GDRO. In an attempt to understand the potential payer issues that
differentiate average hospitals from the best facilities, we applied Zimmerman
& Associates Best Practice Payer Class Specific GDRO Improvement Grid,
(published in the January 2001 edition of Hospital Receivables Management), to
the supporting statistical information supplied in the HARA Report and identified
some interesting trends:
Self-Pay
Average Performers: 138GDRO
Best Performers: 119 GDRO
Self-pay still doesn't represent a large percentage of the admitting financial class and therefore is under-estimated as a revenue component. However, most receivables managers will now readily acknowledge that growing deductible and co-pay levels have created a significant collection challenge. Best practice facilities do a slightly better job collecting self-pay, but are still largely very timid about approaching the patient regarding their financial responsibility. Change is in the wind-time of service collection programs represent one of the most requested areas of assistance for our consulting practice -and the requests are coming from best practice and for profit facilities.
Medicare
Average Performers: 36 GDRO
Best Performers: 26 GDRO
A difference of 10 days doesn’t' t seem particularly significant -until you
factor in that Medicare represents 35 to 45 percent of most hospitals revenue.
Revenue cycle management "101" says -submit a clean Medicare claim
and its money in the bank 14 days later. Best performers focus on this payer
particularly as it relates to minimizing
medical record delays.
Blue Cross
Average Performers: 59 GDRO
Best Performers: 44 GDRO
Blue Cross plans particularly for outpatient services -have become very
challenging in many regions. Procedure
based documentation requirements in some of their plans have all but eliminated
the advantages of this highly electronic payer. But better performers focus on
submitting a clean claim and have been able to reduce payment delays
by 25 percent.
Commercial
Average Performers: 85 GDRO
Best Performers: 73 GDRO
We were candidly surprised that better performers had 73 days revenue tied
up in commercial insurance claims. Having said that, our suspicion is that most
of the dollars represent self-pay after insurance that has simply not been
re-classified to the appropriate financial class. Many hospitals are guilty of
this practice, which can result in an over-valuation of the collect ability of
the accounts. There is no reason commercial dollars
should age over 60 days. If they do, there are very likely systemic problems
that need to be addressed.
Medicaid
Average Performers: 63 GDRO
Best Performers: 52 GDRO
Medicaid delays are often related to external factors-approval processes,
either at the state agency or at the outsourced service bureau. To further
complicate comparisons,
there are also different ways to classify this number (generally accepted
practice calls for classifying "Medicaid Pending Approval" as
self-pay rather than Medicaid). Best performers generally employ an incentive
based application service bureau who get paid only if the application is
approved and only if the hospital ultimately receives payment.
This keeps the process tight and involves them in the complete reimbursement
cycle.
HMO
Average Performers: 66 GDRO
Best Performers: 45 GDRO
This financial class continues to g row in importance to overall cash flow and it re p resents significant follow-up challenges. Best performers analyze ALL aspects of the reimbursement cycle for managed care payers and hold them to the terms of their contract, which has resulted in a 30 percent reduction in cash flow delays.
Other
Average Performers: 98 GDRO
Best Performers: 66 GDRO
Generally made up of
Worker ' s Compensation, Litigation and other miscellaneous reimbursement
sources, better performers have established tight internal processes
to handle these outlier payers in a timely and efficient manner. Average
performers have a tendency to delay the manual calculation of payment schedules
or documentation requirements until other priorities are reduced often adding
weeks to the payment process.
This article, written by Chuck Lund,
chief executive officer of Zimmerman & Associates, is reprinted from the
Hospital Receivables Management newsletter published by Zimmerman &
Associates.
CPAR CELEBRAT ION 2001
By Mary K. Tam, CPAM · CPAR Committee
Chairperson
Since its 1982 inception, CPAR has had 2,202 graduates in the CPAR program.
Nineteen years later CPAR continues to be successful as a patient accounting
certification program. Thanks to the Georgia State University Testing Center
all exams are graded and analyzed by an objective third party.
Please see the Georgia HFMA website link to CPAR ( www.georgiahfma.org) for
a current listing of the new graduates as well as updates for the coming year.
The new
2001 manuals are not available at this time.
This last year 495 enthusiastic and professional candidates took the
certification exam. 117 of these candidates passed the exam and were honored by
their peers on February 8,
2001 at the Gwinnett Marriott. Congratulations to all who sat for the exam and
their dedication and desire for personal and professional growth.
Thank you to the following individuals who proctored or instructed the study
sessions:
Jamie Barwick, Sharon Johnson, Nancy Morris, Lori Hervol, Brenda McLoon, Marty
Wynn, and Sandra Johnson.
Congratulations to the following 2001 Certified Patient Account Representatives:
CPAR GRADUATES
| Organization | Last Name | First Name |
| Southwest Hospital | Yarde | Queen |
| Athens Regional Medical Center | Hilario | Miriam |
| Loftis | Carolyn | |
| Graves | Mildred | |
| Atlanta RSC -HCA | Cooley | Calvin |
| Baptist Meriwether Hospital | Dorriety | Shannon |
| Gerth | Caroline | |
| Children's Healthcare of Atlanta | Cape | Rose |
| Fields | Patricia | |
| Hill | Pete | |
| Coffee Regional Medical Center | Adair | Leah |
| Givens | Rosalind | |
| Pope | Freda | |
| Reliford | Natasha | |
| Coliseum Health System | Frost | Teresa |
| Coliseum Medical Center | Groh | Barbara |
| Columbia Palmyra Medical Center | Roe | Charlotte |
| Columbus Regional | Hubbard | Bonita |
| Columbus Regional Healthcare | Copeland | Barbara |
| Hilliard | Brenda | |
| Morris | Kay | |
| Woolfolk | Earlene | |
| Columbus Regional Hospital | McCain | Linda |
| Crawford Long Hospital | Grone | Keith |
| Dekalb Medical Center | Francis | Trina |
| Thomas | Jeanette | |
| Doctors Hospital | Rosemarie | Whisnant |
| Georgia Hand and Micro surgery | Dotty | Heffernan |
| Grady Health System | Barbara | Dixon |
| Donald | Courtney | |
| Edwards | Cassandra | |
| Hightower | Dale | |
| Morris | Lynda | |
| Sagoes | Carleris | |
| Turner | Deborah | |
| Word | Brenda | |
| Grady Hospital | Weems | Tina |
| Gwinnett Health Systems | Baker | Rosa |
| Gwinnett Hospital System | Wofford | Diane |
| Gwinnett Medical Center/ GHS | Watt | Sheri |
| Harkins & Henry | Colbert | Tamika |
| Curtis | Constance | |
| Hames | Donna | |
| Hardy | Kim | |
| Hillhouse | Mary | |
| Newkirk | Leslie | |
| Patterson | Angela | |
| Stephens | Mildred | |
| Taing | Ly | |
| HCA -Palmyra Medical Centers | Summers | Cynthia |
| Henry Medical Center | Crowell | Freddie |
| Poss | Lisa | |
| Hughston Sports Medical Hospital | Manley | Yulonda |
| Hughston Sports Medicine | Green | Teresa |
| Irwin County Hospital | Rowe | Diane |
| M. Angela Vela M. D. | Vermont | Kaye |
| Macon Northside Hospital | Lochart | Gwenely |
| Medibase A/ R Reclamation | Pace | Deborah |
| Monroe County Hospital | Griffith | Karen |
| National Data Corp. | Henderson | Greg |
| National Data Corporation | Nelson | Christine |
| Nationwide Credit | Hart | Tracy |
| Owens | Darrell | |
| Shade | Alpine | |
| NCO Group | Brown | Kendra |
| Brown-Shuler | Lessely | |
| Herrera | Sara | |
| NDC Health Information Services | Waters | Tracy |
| North Fulton Regional Hospital | Barnett | DeAnne |
| Northeast Georgia Health Systems | Simmemon | Teresa |
| Northeast Georgia Medical Center | Boggs | Kathy |
| Gibson | Denise | |
| Roan | Evelyn | |
| Northside Hospital | Meyer | Kirsten |
| Oconee Regional Medical Center | LaManna | Tina |
| Palmyra Medical Center | Stickel | Renee |
| Palmyra Park | Barnes | Mattie |
| Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital | Ferguson | Sharon |
| Nelson | Mattie | |
| Promina Gwinnett Hospital | Baggett | Tamatha |
| Promina Health System | Schwirian | Anne |
| Promina Support Center | McClelland | Deana |
| Putnam General Hospital | Jones | Linda |
| Tanner | Stephanie | |
| Saint Joseph's Hospital of Atlanta | Laws | Valerie |
| SGMC | Cross | Nita |
| Shepherd Center | Kincaid | Mary |
| South Fulton Medical Center | Brown | David |
| South GA Medical Center | Lane | Gail |
| Rush | Sherrie | |
| South Georgia Medical Center | Delbeek | Caroline |
| Southeast Georgia Regional | Corbin | Janet |
| Thompson | Tanya | |
| Southeastern Lung Care | Keat | Karen |
| Roysden | Kathy | |
| Spalding Regional Hospital | Dye | Paige |
| Golden | Linda | |
| St. Joseph's Hospital | Griffin | Clarisse |
| St. Joseph's Hospital of Atlanta | Starks | Annette |
| St. Mary's Healthcare System, Inc | Mulkey | Jane |
| Graham | Lisa | |
| Sylvan Grove/Tenet Hospital | Hilley | Linda |
| The Medical Center | Jones | Marilyn |
| Reynolds | Mary | |
| The Medical Center, Inc. | Tucker | Pennie |
| Ty Cobb Healthcare System, Inc. | Walters | Alisa |
| Upson Regional Medical Center | Fleming | Tammy |
| Goins | Cassie | |
| Wellstar | Cooke | Diana |
| Gayton | Melissa | |
| Henley | Kathryn | |
| Hunter | Tammie | |
| Long | Shae | |
| Williamson | Delene | |
| Wellstar Health System | Eady | Le Angela |
| Wesley Woods Geriatric Hospital | Brown | Martha |
| West Georgia Health Systems | Laws | Buffy |
By Dina S. Zilka, Assistant Corporate
Compliance Officer
Georgia Court of Appeals significantly expanded the informed consent law
this past November. The expanded scope includes "any medical professional"
to disclose certain "material risks" prior to the performance of any
"treatment or procedure."
Hospitals, in particular, need to pay special attention to what that means.
We're over 60 days into these changes taking place so the question is are you
obtaining a TRUE INFORMED CONSENT?
GHA, MAG, Alston & Bird and others have been following this decision in
hopes of an appeal overturning it. But it doesn't look hopeful. Alston &
Bird, LLP indicated in a letter to the Georgia Hospital Association recently that
they believed this expansion to be "contrary to prior Supreme Court
decisions as well as Georgia's statutes regarding informed consent." They
also indicated that "all Georgia medical professionals are impacted by
this decision, at least until such time as the Georgia Supreme Court has an
opportunity to review the issue in a subsequent case." To help you
understand the effect of this new decision, Alston & Bird provided a
laundry list that runs down what this new
legislation means to us as well as a brief explanation of the current
law on the books.
There are a few factors under Georgia's current informed consent statutes
(O.C.G.A.ß31-9-1 et seq.) Under currently law a physician is only required to
disclose potential risks when a patient is undergoing a surgery during which
general, spinal, or major regional anesthesia will be administered, or when an
amniocentesis will be performed, or when a diagnostic procedure that involves
contrast material to be injected. Even when such procedures are involved, the
physician is only required to disclose 10 statutorily specified risks (e. g.,
infection, paralysis, brain dam-age, death, etc.), and disclosure of those
specified risks creates a legal presumption of a valid consent.
The case that recently expanded this law & reversed 25 years of
precedent is Ketchup v. Howard! There were efforts put forth on the part of GHA
& MAG Mutual who teamed up with three physicians and a hospital to
intervene and pursue an appeal. However, those efforts were unsuccessful. The courts
concluded that the parties intervening had "no
standing to pursue the appeal because they were not previously parties to the
case."
Here's the laundry list that Alston & Bird provided of the new "common
law" requirements:
1) Applies to all "treatments or procedures" performed after
November 29, 2000;
2) applies to all "treatments or procedures" conducted in the course
of a patient's care even those which do not involved "touching" of
the patient (e.g. procedures enumerated in GA's informed consent statute, as
well as injections, obtaining blood samples or the intravenous (and arguably
oral) administration of medications;
3) applies to any treatment or procedure performed by a "medical
professional." The broadest scope of interpretation could feasibly include
LPNs, RNs, physician assistants, therapists, dentists, podiatrists,
psychologists and any other licensed health professional under GA law;
4) requires the patient to be informed of those material risks generally
recognized and accept-ed by reasonably prudent physicians which, if disclosed
to a reasonably prudent person in the patient's position, could reasonably be
expected to cause that
person to decline the proposed treatment or procedure; and
5) requires the patient to also be informed of available alternatives
to the proposed procedure or treatment*
GHA is advising that it is their hope to see Georgia's specialty medical societies pull together a current listing of generally recognized material risks for each of those procedures commonly performed in their specialty. Once these lists are prepared, it should become more manageable to obtain an informed consent under these new requirements.
GHA is encouraging hospitals to immediately begin revising and expanding their general consent forms used at the time of admission. Previously hospitals had only to disclose the treatment in general terms without a recitation of risks. Now the consent form should disclose material risks generally recognized by physicians that are applicable to all procedures commonly performed on hospitalized patients (e.g., injections, medications, intravenous fluids, obtaining vital signs, etc.) It is obvious that many of these procedures will require very few risks, but others may require extensive elaboration. GHA is advising hospitals to immediately coordinate with medical staff to prepare a more expansive consent form to use in the interim.
We'll keep you posted of further developments and will be watching
for the Material Risks lists.
Chapter Chatter...
° Sam Thrower, FACHE, formally of
Thrower and Associates, has accepted the position of Director of Patient Access Services with Wellstar Health
Systems Sam will begin his employment with Wellstar on April 2nd. Sam's 17
years of experience in Patient Access will prove to be a valuable asset to
Wellstar. Congratulations Sam!
° Kimberly Farmer, formally the
Registration Manager with Northeast Georgia Health Systems, has accepted the
position of Client Services Manager with Chamberlin Edmonds & Associates,
Inc. Kimberly is excited about the opportunity that she will have working for
Chamberlin Edmonds & Associates, Inc., and looks forward to experiencing a
different side to healthcare. Please join us in wishing Kimberly much success
in her new endeavor!
° Diana Cooke, Director of Patient Financial Services with Wellstar Health Systems and her husband, Kelly, are proud parents of an 8 pound 1 ounce baby girl they named Rachael Pace. Rachael was born on March 4th, and they are both doing great. Congratulations! !
° Tracey Frederick, Patient Accounting Manager with Southern Regional Medical Center, is a recent newlywed. She wed Scotty Parrish on February 15th. We extend our best wishes to Tracey and Scotty Parrish.
° Rick Childs, FHFMA, of Promina Health System was asked to accept an appointment to sit on the Patient Financial Services (PFS) Forum Advisory Council. It is a three-year term from June 1, 2001 to May 31,2004. The Purpose of the Council is "to lead the PFS Forum in its development of services, quality improvement, and membership development and retention. The Advisory Council works with HFMA staff to implement the provision of services as required by the forum's three-year plan. The Advisory Council may also establish other committees of volunteers to assist with the planning and delivery of forum services. "The PFS Forum Advisory Council is comprised of seven members. All are appointed by the incoming Chairman of HFMA.
MEMBER
Spotlight
Jan E. Mc Curdy
Attorney with the Law Offices of Harkins and Henry
By Ellen Silva
Jan E. McCurdy is a multi-dimensional woman. She is the mother of two grown sons, a grandmother, colleague, gifted attorney and friend. Not to mention incredibly intriguing. Jan has lived a rather fascinating life. She was born in Valdosta, Georgia and raised with an older sister. Her father was not only an attorney, but also a judge on the Georgia State Court of Appeals. Jan finished high school at the ripe age of sixteen and immediately began college at the University of Georgia; finishing with a Bachelor of Science degree at age nineteen.
Jan then went to work for Delta Airlines as a flight attendant. Her time spent there was interesting. During her travels she met the likes of such stars as Eddie Arnold and the king himself, Elvis Presley (whom she asked how to spell his last name). Only Jan!! While sitting on her front stoop one hot summer day, Jan decided that there must be more to life than this. So she picked up the yellow pages and looked up law schools. She decided to attend Woodrow Wilson, at her father's recommendation. Not only was she working full time and raising two sons on her own, but now she was going to tackle law school in the evenings.
Tackle it she certainly did. Jan received a Juris Doctorate from Woodrow
Wilson while graduating Magna Cum Laude in 1976. She also won the West
Publishing Company Award for Excellence during her studies at Woodrow Wilson.
Jan then took her bar
exam, which she successfully passed on her first attempt.
Even though she now had a law degree, Jan decided to continue her work for
Delta She eventually renounced her flight attendant duties to become a
reservations agent. During this time
she met a man who would become one of her best customers. That man
happened to be Clint Harkins. Clint encouraged Jan to put her law degree to
use. She did just that after she left
Delta in 1992. Jan went to work for the
prestigious law firm of Gambrell and Stolz as a real estate attorney. After
three years with Gambrell and Stolz, Jan decided to take on the challenge of
being an attorney in the world of healthcare.
Jan joined the law firm of Harkins and Henry in 1995. Jan handles cases involving Third Party Reimbursement, ERISA,
Managed Care, COBRA, and con-tract issues. She frequently speaks on all the
above issues as well as legislative enhancement, Worker's Compensation,
Bankruptcy, and prompt payment issues.
Jan joined HFMA in 1997 for the healthcare opportunities and
education. After completing her first
year of HFMA membership, Jan was awarded the Most Valuable New Member Award for
her outstanding contribution to HFMA. She has spoken at many HFMA Institutes
and most recently at the Winter Institute in Atlanta. Jan also facilitates many
Advanced CPAR sessions. If you get the chance to attend any of Jan's seminars,
please do so. You
will find yourself entertained, intrigued, and richer with the knowledge she
passes to all that a re fortunate enough to attend.
Compliance Resources
on the World Wide Web
Brought to you by the Georgia HFMA
Corporate Compliance Committee...
www.georgiahfma.org
"Compliance Corner" Compliance News section of our own Georgia
Chapter of HFMA website sponsored by Healthcare Management Advisors, Inc.
(HMA). This section contains links to world
wide web resources and articles summarizing top news in the areas of healthcare
compliance and finance. Information and Resources developed by the Georgia HFMA
Corporate Compliance Committee will be available here in the future;
www.hcfa.gov/medlearn HCFA website containing the latest program memorandums
and transmittals. Website also includes training materials for newly
implemented payment systems including Inpatient Rehab PPS, Home Health PPS,
Skilled Nursing Facility PPS and the Outpatient PPS (APCs). The FA Q s section
is updated regularly and contains detailed Q& A related to newly
implemented payment systems, especially OPPS.
www.medicaretraining.com
An HCFA sponsored website with 8 interactive computer based training modules
for Patient Registration, Patient Financial Services and Physician Practice
Management job functions. Topics of training sessions include Fraud and Abuse,
Medicare Secondary Payor, HCFA 1500s and ID-9 coding. Modules can be completed
online or downloaded to network server and user can complete as time allows,
the modules are available free of charge.
www.complianceinfo.com
Offers free weekly e-zines focusing on compliance, HIPAA and healthcare
resources. Website offers products for sale, but users can 'subscribe' to
e-zines delivered to e-mail inbox without visiting the site. Also offered are
Compliance Q& A archives, Ask the Expert responses and Compliance Tips.
www.healthleaders.com
Site lists national newspaper, journal and magazine headlines as they relate
to healthcare finance, patient c a re, technology, legal issues, etc. for
daily e-mail delivery of links to stories.
Users can choose not to receive daily listings and just search the
site as informational needs arise, articles new for the day are included with
source, link and one paragraph summary of content.
www.justbilling.com and www.justcoding.com
Sites designed with the front line employee in mind. Resources are available
for coders and billers as well as fun message boards, daily facts, Q& A,
surveys and news articles. Information will be familiar to management level
staff, but the opportunity to interact with others in the same field,
especially for PFS professionals, is a nice additional to the day.
www.hcfa.gov/pubforms/progman.htm
HFCA site posting MEDICARE and MEDICAID provider and intermediary manuals,
program memorandums and program transmittals.
The 2001 memos and transmittals are available on cover screen; previous
year's materials are subsetted on 2001 memos or 2001 transmittals pages. HCFA site has a search engine to keyword or
numerically
search these and other documents.
www.hfma.org/visitors/apc.htm
APC Resource page on the HFMA National website. APC section includes teleconferences,
materials for sale, links to articles and institute presentations as well as
links to APC resources on the world wide web.
www.ahima.org/hot.topics/index.html
Provides an indexed listing of hot topics facing the healthcare professional
today sponsored by the American Health Information Management Association.
Topics listed include: Accreditation
Standards, Coding, Compliance, Confidentiality, HIPAA,
Information Security, Regulatory Standards and Reimbursement. The topics lead the user to links for
articles, seminars, models and other world wide websites.
www.lmrp.net
National warehouse of carrier, intermediary, DMERC and RHHI Local Medical
Review policies sponsored by HCFA. User can search by category for a specific
claims handler. Allows users to access LMRPs for other states for education and
comparison. Has keyword search functionality for search by keyword, procedure
name, diagnosis code or policy
ID#. Allows users to request a free copy of HCPCS-ICD9 comparison matrix software for medical necessity checking.
www.myhq.com/public/a/m/amethystcc/
A website with nothing more than links to commonly used Healthcare and
Compliance Resources. The web page is
low on visual interest and scores low points for crowding. We have included the
page here, however, because for many it can be used as
a bookmark page for compliance resources. Links include HCFA , H I PAA, Coding,
LMRPs, APCs, Commercial Insurance Carriers and a Career Center Section.
www.hcfa.gov/regs/hopps/1005IFC.htm
November 13, 2000 published Federal Register detailing payment rates, weights
and co-payments for services rendered under OPPS in CY2001. Addendums available for download on this
website include: payment levels and APC groups by CPT/HCP CS code, payment
levels by APC groups, status indicators listing, wage indexes and inpatient
only procedure listing.
www.dhhs.gov/progorg/oig/
Sponsored by the US Department of Health and Human Services, this website
provides updates and informational materials related to activities of the Office
of Inspector
General. Included on this site are OIG News, Fraud Alerts & Bulletins,
Annual Work Plan, the OIG Red Book and a link to the OIG Provider Exclusions
Database.
www.hcca-info.org/
This is the website for the Health C a re Compliance Association, a non-profit
organization for Corporate Compliance activities in the healthcare industry.
The site
includes forum discussions, a free weekly e-zine subscription, articles
on compliance and membership resources.
HFMA CERTIFIED HEALTHCARE FINANCIAL
PROFESSIONALS
JUNE 2000 -DECEMBER 2000 AREA OF SPECIALTY -ACCOUNTING AND
FINANCE
ARIZONA John B. Harrison, CHFP
Vice President Fiscal Services Fort Atkinson Memorial Health
Services 611 Sherman Avenue E
Fort Atkinson, WI 53538-1960 Phone: (920) 568-5490
John.harrison@tmeaz.com
Kenneth M. Walsh, CHFP Chief Financial Officer
Northern Cochise Community Hospital
901 W. Rex Allen Drive Wilcox, AZ 85643-1009
Phone: (602) 494-5000 ken. walsh@brimhealthcare.com
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA David R.
Singh, CHFP
Vice President, Finance Saint Agnes Hospital & Medical
Center 1303 E. Herndon Avenue
Fresno, CA 93720-3309 Phone: (559) 449-2118
Dsingh@samc.com
SAN DIEGO-IMPERIAL William M.
Comer, Jr., FHFMA,
CPA, CMPE Vice President Financial Analysts
Premier Practice Management, Inc. 12225 El Camino Real
San Diego, CA 92130-2006 Phone: (58) 509-6826
Bill_ comer@premierinc.com
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Cristine Lynn
Julian, CHFP
Senior Financial Analyst St. Joseph Health System
500 S. Main Street #700 Orange, CA 92868-4514
Phone: (714) 347-7639 Cjulian@corp.stjoe.org
GEORGIA Donald C. Lewis, Jr.,
CHFP
Vice President/ CFO Coffee Regional Medical Center
P. O. Box 1287 Douglas, GA 31534-1287
Phone: (912) 383-6944 Dlewis@alltel.net
GREAT LAKES Ted P. Anderson,
CHFP, CPA
Chief Financial Officer MidMichigan Regional Medical
Center 104 W. 6th Street
Clare, MI 48617-1409 Phone: (517) 386-5103
Ted. anderson@midmichigan.org
Francine M. Padgett, CHFP, CPA Corporate Controller
MidMichigan Medical Center Midland
4005 Orchard Drive Midland, MI 48670-0001
Phone: (517) 839-3181 Francine. padgett@midmichigan.org
GREATER ST. LOUIS Sheila A.
Howard, CHFP
Controller Alton MultiSpecialists
1 Professional Drive Alton, IL 62002-5068
Phone: (618) 463-8509 Sahcpal@ezl.com
IOWA Ronald V. Timpe, CHFP, CPA
Chief Finance Officer Covenant Medical Center
3421 W. Ninth Street Waterloo, IA 50702
Phone: (319) 334-6071 Ronald_ timpe@hotmail.com
MINNESOTA Thomas Paul Conner,
CHFP
Controller Bethesda Home Nursing Care
901 Willmar Avenue Willmar, MN 56201
Phone: (320) 235-9532 trconner@runestone.net
SOUTH CAROLINA Camie S. Dunn,
CHFP
Audit Manager Crisp Hughes Evans LLP
P. O. Box 25849 Greenville, SC 29616-0849
Phone: (864) 288-5544 Cdunn@che-llp.com
SOUTH TEXAS James M. McNey, CHFP,
CPA
Vice President Managed Care &CCO Valley Baptist Medical Center
2101 Pease St. PO Drawer 2588 Harlingen, TX 78550
Phone: (956) 389-1635 Jimmeney@vbmc.org
TENNESSEE William C. Matheney,
CHFP, CPA
Partner Blevins, Matheney & Stees, PC
6084 Shallowford Rd. #101 Chattanooga, TN 37421-1611
Phone: (423) 894-7400 x105 bmtheney@bmscpa.com
WISCONSIN Donna A. Hutchinson,
CHFP
Controller St. Mary's Hospital Medical Center
1726 Shawano Avenue Green Bay, WI 54303-3216
Phone: (920) 498-4622 Dhutchin@stmgb.org
HFMA CERTIFIED HEALTHCARE FINANCIAL
PROFESSIONALS
JUNE 2000 -DECEMBER 2000 AREA OF SPECIALTY PATIENT FINANCIAL SERVICES
SAN DIEGO-IMPERIAL William M.
Comer, Jr., FHFMA,
CPA, CMPE Vice President Financial Analysis
Premier Practice Management, Inc. 12225 El Camino Real
San Diego, CA 92130-2006 Phone: (858) 509-6826
Bill_ comer@ premierinc.com
GEORGIA Marina McDonough, CHFP
Director National Data Corporation
1854 Shackelford Ct. Ste 300 Norcross, GA 30093-2968
Phone: (770) 243-6000
IOWA Susan E. Searcy, CHFP, CPA
Reimbursement Manager Iowa Health System
1200 Pleasant Street Des Moines, IA 50309-1406
Phone: (515) 362-5009 searcyse@his.org
SOUTH CAROLINA Eddie L.
Singleton, CHFP, CPA
Director -Patients Account Service TRMC
5000 Saint Matthews Rd NE Orangeburg, SC 29118-1442
Phone: (803) 533-2266 Elsingleton@regmed.com
WISCONSIN Mary A. Debilzen, CHFP
Director, Patient Financial Services Holy Family Memorial, Inc.
P. O. Box 1450 Manitowoc, WI 54221-1450
Phone: (920) 686-8525 Mdebilzen@hfmhealth.org
James J. Nelson, CHFP, CPA Vice President Fiscal Services
Fort Atkinson Memorial Health Services
611 Sherman Avenue E Fort Atkinson, WI 53538-1960
Phone: (920) 568-5490 James. nelson@famhs.org
HFMA CERTIFIED HEALTHCARE FINANCIAL
PROFESSIONALS
JUNE 2000 -DECEMBER 2000
AREA OF SPECIALTY -MANAGED CARE
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Andrew G.
Russell, CHFP,
Attorney Miller & Holguin
1801 Century Park E F1 7 Los Angeles, CA 90067-2302
Phone: (310) 556-1490 Russell. ag@usa.net
FLORIDA Thomas S. Cox, CHFP, CPA
Chief Financial Officer ACT Corporation
1220 Willis Avenue Daytona Beach, FL 32114-2810
Phone: (904) 947-4239 Tcox@actcorp.org
NEVADA Kathleen B. Silver, CHFP,
CHE
Chief Executive Officer Oasis Health Systems
2300 W. Sahara Avenue #900 Las Vegas, NV 89102-4352
Phone: (702) 222-3525 KSILVER928@aol.com
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA K. Craig
Trout, CHFP
Chief Operating Officer Inovative Health Strategies
4210 Columbia Road #7A Martinez, GA 30907-0439-2810
Phone: (706) 855-0830 Kctrout@mindspring.com
WASHINGTON/ ALASKA James S.
Rowson, FHFMA, CPA
Vice President Fiscal Services Harrison Memorial Hospital
2520 Cherry Avenue Bremerton, WA 98310-4229
Phone: (360) 792-6507 Jimrowson@hmh.westsound.net
HFMA CERTIFIED HEALTHCARE FINANCIAL
PROFESSIONALS
JUNE 2000 -DECEMBER AREA OF SPECIALTY -FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT OF PHYSICIAN
PRACTICES
SAN DIEGO-IMPERIAL William M.
Comer, Jr., FHFMA, CPA,
CMPE Vice President Financial Analysis
Premier Practice Management, Inc. 12225 El Camino Real
San Diego, CA 92130-2006 Bill_ comer@ premierinc.com
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Terry L.
Schmidt, CHFP
Student 7770 Regents Road #113-611
San Diego, CA 92122-1937 Phone: (858) 597-8888
terry@ terryschmidt.com
FLORIDA Anne H. Finlon, FHFMA
Chief Financial Officer Georgia Baptist Health Care System
100 Tenth Street NW Ste.# 700 Atlanta, GA 30309
Phone: (404) 253-3056 Anne.finlon@gbhcs.org
EASTERN MICHIGAN Stephen A.
Fehlinger, FHFMA
Healthcare Fin'l Management Consultant
Lubaway, Masten & Company Ltd. 27780 Novi Road Ste.# 255
Novi, MI 48377-3427 Phone: (248) 347-1416
Abacus@ tir.com
HFMA FELLOWSHIPS -JUNE 2000
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA Vicki L.
Anderson, FHFMA
Director Managed Care Community Health System
1180 E. Shaw Avenue Ste 101 Fresno, CA 93710-7812
Phone: (209) 226-6800 Vanderso@chsnet.com
SAN DIEGO-IMPERIAL William M.
Comer, Jr., FHFMA,
CPA, CMPE Vice President Financial Analysis
Premier Practice Management, Inc. 12225 El Camino Real
San Diego, CA 92130-2006 Phone: (858) 509-6826
Bill_ comer@ premierinc.com
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Terry L.
Schmidt, FHFMA
7770 Regents Road #113-611 San Diego, CA 92122
Phone: (858) 597-8888 terry@ terryschmidt.com
COLORADO William R. Barnes, FHFMA
Director Managed Care University of Colorado Hospital
Authority P. O. Box 6506
Aurora, CO 80045-0506 Phone: (303) 724-5098
Willlbarnes@ prdigy.net
FLORIDA Johnny L. Holland, FHFMA
Senior Vice President Synergy Business Services, Inc.
3157 N. University Drive #108 Hollywood, FL 33024-2258
Phone: (954) 450-2202 jhnnyholland@synergy.com
Steven J. Resnick, FHFMA Student
113 SW 246 Terrace Newberry, FL 32669-3227
Wenste@msn.com
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA Vicki L.
Anderson, FHFMA
Director Managed Care Community Health System
1180 E. Shaw Avenue Ste 101 Fresno, CA 93710-7812
Phone: (209) 226-6800 Vanderso@chsnet.com
SAN DIEGO-IMPERIAL William M.
Comer, Jr., FHFMA,
CPA, CMPE Vice President Financial Analysis
Premier Practice Management, Inc. 12225 El Camino Real
San Diego, CA 92130-2006 Phone: (858) 509-6826
Bill_ comer@ premierinc.com
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Terry L.
Schmidt, FHFMA
7770 Regents Road #113-611 San Diego, CA 92122
Phone: (858) 597-8888 terry@terryschmidt.com
COLORADO William R. Barnes, FHFMA
Director Managed Care University of Colorado Hospital
Authority P. O. Box 6506
Aurora, CO 80045-0506 Phone: (303) 724-5098
Willlbarnes@prdigy.net
FLORIDA Johnny L. Holland, FHFMA
Senior Vice President Synergy Business Services, Inc.
3157 N. University Drive #108 Hollywood, FL 33024-2258
Phone: (954) 450-2202 jhnnyholland@synergy.com
Steven J. Resnick, FHFMA Student
113 SW 246 Terrace Newberry, FL 32669-3227
Wenste@msn.com
GEORGIA Carmen V. Sessoms, FHFMA
Senior Applications Analyst McKesson HBOC
5995 Windward Parkway Alpharetta, GA 30005
Phone: (404) 338-3889 Carmen. sessoms@hboc.com
HAWAII Thad K. Wakasugi, FHFMA
Controller CareResources Hawaii
702 S. Beretania Street #3A Honolulu, HI 96813-2581
Phone: (808) 534-9536 Twakasugi@queens.org
MCMAHON ILLINI Michael M. Allen, FHFMA,
CPA
Chief Financial Officer Gibson Area Hospital and Health
Gibson City, IL 60936 Phone: (217) 784-2601
Michael_ Allen@ Quorumhealth.com
IOWA Ronald V. Timpe, FHFMA, CPA
Chief Finance Officer Covenant Medical Center
3421 W. Ninth Street Waterloo, IA 50702
Phone (319) 334-6071 Ronald_ timpe@hotmail.com
METROPOLITAN NEW YORK Anne
Goodwill, FHFMA
Senior Director Presbyterian Hospital City New York
New York, NY 10032-3720 Phone: (212) 632-7556
Goodwil@nyp.org
Bruce B. Levin, FHFMA Director Information Technology
Cabrini Medical Center 327 E 19th Street
New York, NY 10003-2602 Phone (212) 731-7905
Bruce_ levin@mssm.edu
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA K. Craig
Trout, FHFMA
Chief Operating Officer Inovative Health Strategies
4210 Columbia Rd #7A Martinez, GA 30907-0439
Phone: (706) 855-0830 Kctrout@mindspring.com
SHOW-ME OF MISSOURI Randolph H.
Kummler, FHFMA
Vice President Finance & CFO Ozarks Medical Center
P. O. Box 1100 West Plains, MO 65775-1100
Phone: (417) 256-9111 Randy. kummler@ozarksmedicalcenter.com
SOUTH CAROLINA David D. Tucker,
FHFMA
Palmetto Richland Memorial Hospital
330 Yarmouth Drive Columbia, SC 29210
Phone (803) 731-6086 Dave.tucker@compuzone.net
TENNESSEE Michael E. Brown, FHFMA
Director Patient Financial Services Gateway Health System
1771 Madison Street Clarksville, TN 37043-4990
Phone: (931) 920-1726 Mbrown@crhs.com
William C. Matheney, FHFMA, CPA Partner
Blevins, Matheney Stees, PC 6084 Shallowford Road #101
Chattanooga, TN 37421-1611 Phone: (423) 894-7400
Bmatheney@ bmscpa.com
WISCONSIN James J. Nelson, FHFMA
Vice President Fiscal Services Fort Atkinson Memorial Health Services
611 Sherman Ave EStreet #3A Fort Atkinson, WI 53538-1960
Phone: (920) 568-5490 James. nelson@famhs.org
WYOMING Judith M. Myers, FHFMA
Patient Financial Services Memorial Hospital of Converse
County 111 N. 5th Street
Douglas, WY 82633-2463 Phone: (307) 358-2122
Jmyers@wmenet.org
Planning Your Career is NOT AN OPTION
If you don't plan your career, someone else will. To assist you in the planning and transition process, HFMA has a number of services you may want to make use of.
Look to the Web! Pepper Zenger
heads HFMA's national career development services and assists members who are
unemployed or want to advance their careers. For
members who are interested in on-going career management, Pepper offers several
HFMA services. The fastest way to
access HFMA services may well be to go to the HFMA website at www.hfma.org and
push the burgundy button labeled "Career
Information." This area is updated periodically with suggestions for job
searches, and pertinent links, including links to salary information that can
help you negotiate the best salary package in that new job. Other services
available include:
Exec-u-Trak Exec-u-Trak is a free
member service by which members can post their qualifications electronically to
the HFMA Web site. The resume referral service is confidential. This career management tool enables members
to search the job market, while maintaining total confidentiality. Located in
the Exec-u-Trak area of HFMA's Web site, Exec-u-Tra k serves both job seekers
and employers. From this Web site, members can enroll or update their files, or
review the positions currently listed with the service. Only HFMA members can list
their credentials with Exec-u-Trak. To
enroll in Exec-u-Trak, members complete a confidential questionnaire and
thereby list their credentials for interested employers. Members can complete the enrollment process
on-line. Hiring organizations have the
opportunity to search the database and select potential candidates based upon
very specific criteria, such as healthcare industry experience, certification,
technical specialties, and compensation. When employers notify HFMA of which
members' credentials meet their needs, the members are then contacted by
Exec-u-Trak staff for permission to release names and resumes. Members' names
and personal information are never released to any employer without prior
per-mission from the member. Chapter Job Contacts
Many chapters have job contacts. These individuals are listed in the Chapter
Area of HFMA's Web site. If an employer has a position that is not suitable for
a national search, or if the employer wants to start with a more limit-ed
approach, HFMA National directs the employer to the local chapter contact.
Search firms also are frequently directed to the chapter contact.
HFMA Classified Ads HFMA National
offers classified job ads in two locations. First, ads appear in each monthly
issue of the HFMA's Healthcare Financial Management (HFM). A full range of
opportunities is posted on these pages, from reimbursement
specialist to CFO. In addition, many of
these ads plus weekly updates can be found in the Jobs/Classifieds area of
HFMA's Web site (www.hfma.org). By consulting the Web site, members can get up
to five weeks lead time over candidates who wait for HFM
to arrive in the mail.
Career Counseling and Testing
To focus efforts in the most appropriate direction, a job seeker may want to
take advantage of professional career testing and counseling. These services
are available through an HFMA contracted consultant for a small fee, usually
under $100, and career
counseling is available via phone to keep costs reasonable.
For those seeking other career services, Zenger advises looking in the HFM Resource Guide, which lists more than over 35 recruiters (or call her for the list). Another source of career information is the recruiting firm of Korn/ Ferry International, which operates an electronic executive search service for management professionals at www.futurestep.com. Working through the registration at this Internet site will take about two hours, but the job seeker will receive customized career feedback, including his or her salary market value.
If you are Unemployed, HFMA offers
Dues Support
HFMA membership is a valuable tool for career development and networking.
For the
unemployed, however, payment of membership dues can be a financial burden.
HoAdvanced HFMA members (those with a minimum of 20 Founders points) are
eligible for a waiver of their membership dues for up to two years. Members who
need to use this option should contact the HFMA Member Service Center at (800)
252, HFMA, ext. 2, for assistance with the process.
HFMA Student Column
I was happy when Carmen Sessoms asked me to help her with a new student column. At Georgia State University, we have a strong ACHE presence. I had not heard of HFMA until I met Sam Thrower at the last GAHE meeting. I really enjoyed your last Winter Session and hope we can expose more GSU students to HFMA and all it has to offer.
I have learned that our healthcare
market is the most complex market in the US.
It is difficult to proffer another market that has so many
stakeholders. The complexity can be
very frustrating and I wonder if things would be better if the government
leveled the market. My friends at school accuse me of being a socialist. If
simplifying US healthcare requires governmental action, I guess I am. My fellow students and I have questions
exploring our healthcare system as compared to other systems in the world:
--Nate Grage, GSU ACHE President
Nate Grage MBA / MHA Student
° Is there more equity in a privatized
healthcare market, with numerous players, than in a nationalized healthcare
system similar to other industrialized nations?
RICK CHILDS, FHMFA: I think you pay for what you get. Our system puts a lot
more money into healthcare and research than other countries. That is why you
see the advancements in healthcare coming form US backed research. Our system
may not be the best in all aspects. We do have uninsured people. However, they
don't go without care. U S Hospitals give away free services to those in need
all the time. I don't know of any facility that turns down a patient for services
that are medically necessary. I believe that
more of our problem is who is paying and what is fair. Hospitals typically have
very small profit margins compared to other sectors. Even when you look at the
insurance companies that pay the healthcare claims, they have quite large
margins. I believe that the carriers should s h a re some of the burden like
the providers do. The Government as well as the private sector has been
squeezing the providers for several years now. Healthcare is expensive, but it
should be adequately reimbursed just like all other markets.
° Is it true when the WHO tells us the
US is number 37(?) out of 129 other countries in providing healthcare to all of
our citizens; is France really doing the best job?
RICK CHILDS, FHFMA: I don't know the answer, but I do know we see a lot more people coming the US to get healthcare from other countries because they can't get it at home. If I were to be very sick or needed major surgery, I won't be going to France or any other country. I will stick to what I think is the best healthcare available right here in the U. S.
° Is it true that the world needs the privatized US healthcare economy, because it is the only one that provides the freedom for medical innovations that benefit the world?
RICK CHILDS, FHFMA: I think our market is a very big reason for the advancements in healthcare we have seen over the last 30 years.
Marcey Dolgoff First Year Student
° Is governmental health-policy
work-experience useful to a private sector healthcare consulting firm?
RICK CHILDS, FHFMA: I would think yes. The Government is responsible for a
very large percentage of the healthcare dollar. My facility has 45% of its
revenues from Medicare and another 8 -10% from Medicaid. Experience with those
types of policy development, implementation and enforcement can be an asset to
a
private sector healthcare consulting firm.
Bill Ivey Second year student
° What area of healthcare would you
recommend to a graduating student, where large opportunities for growth exist?
RICK CHILDS, FHFMA: There is no Golden parachute in healthcare finance
today. You need to look at what you are really interested in and follow that
interest. You can start in a small facility and work your way up to being the
"big fish" in a small pond or go to a large teaching facility and
work your way through a large environment which may mean
you will not be a "big fish" quite as fast, but it may mean more
diverse exposure.
° What skills are today's HA
graduates lacking?
RICK CHILDS, FHFMA: I think one area that might need more development is in
the knowledge of the complete revenue cycle (registration, charge posting,
coding, Medical Records, billing collections). I think in today's world that
the leaders of our healthcare system need to really understand what takes place
here. We tend to concentrate on the facility and the clinical needs. But to
keep the facility running you need to have a very productive and well run
revenue cycle.
WILEY SLOAN: Is the student interested in the Pt. Care side of the business or are they looking for Healthcare Administration type jobs? There is a real shortage in several Professional areas such as quality Patient Accounts Managers. In the patient care side, there are always jobs in the Clinical Areas of Nursing for RNs, etc. With the expansion of Managed Care, I would think folks with Clinical expertise are also in more demand. A few years ago the market was overpopulated with Administrator type individuals. I am not sure if that is the case or not today.
Tune up Your Career at the ANI!
While you are learning what is new in the healthcare industry, take some
time during your stay at the ANI to think about your career, where it is taking
you, and where you want to go. There are two special opportunities at the
ANI to do just that, to step back and plan your career. If you don't plan
it, no one else will.
Self-Assessment Program
The self-assessment program was the outcome of a joint effort by the Hay
Group and the Taskforce on the Profession to determine what qualities are
necessary to be a or for a full 360 degree assessment. It asks, and answers,
the questions, how well do you fit in your current environment, and how well
are you prepared to make your next career step? This course is offered on
the morning of Sunday June 17th, 8 a. m. to 12 noon, the registration fee
is $325. You must register for this program in advance; assessments must be
completed and returned prior to the program.
One-on-One Career Counseling
Don't know where you want to go from here? Do you need some help taking a
step back and looking at where you have been, and where you are prepared to go?
Need to decide where you want to go so you can prepare? One-on-one career
counseling is available by appointment for $90 per hour from Sunday June 17th
through Wednesday June 20th.
While you are away from the pressures of the office, take advantage of this
opportunity for a professional tune-up on your career. You have assessed your
HIPAA readiness, you
have helped develop a strategic plan for your organization, now is the time to
assess your readiness to survive in healthcare finance.
HFMA Certification
at the ANI !
While there will be a great deal of certification activity at the ANI this
year, as every year, there is something new! Computer-based testing will be
available on Monday June 18, all day by appointment. If you want to take your
exams at the ANI, please make your appointment early so that you can have a
computer reserved for you when you want
to test. The Core exam and all specialty exams will be available all day on
Monday, and you will know your scores immediately. The charge for the Core exam
is $100; the specialty exams are $70. You can sign up for an exam on the ANI
registration blank and be contacted by the certification staff, or you can indicate
your preferred examination time and the certification staff will confirm your
registration. For more specifics, please contact bclark@hfma.org, or pzenger@hfma.org.
National Coaching Course The National Coaching Course will be available on site at the ANI on Sunday June 17. The C o re Course will be available from 8 noon, the specialty courses (Accounting and Finance, Financial Management of Physician Practices, Managed C a re, and Patient Financial Services) will be available from 1 -5 p.m. You can plan now as to whether you want to be provided with a copy of the appropriate self-study course on site, or purchase it in advance and use the course as a pretest review. The courses will be based on the 2001 -2002 editions of the self-study courses, and those are the exams that will be administered on Monday June 28.
National Coaching Course
Bring your own 2001-2002 self study course and deduct Review $399 $200
Specialty Section $375 $200 Both $750 $400
Need More Information? Stop by the Certification Information Reception on Monday June 18th, even if you a re already certified, this is a good time to get information on chapter based testing, and what it means to be a proctor. Information on all aspects of the HFMA certification program will be available.
Already Certified? Join other certified members for lunch, and a chance to see old friends and meet new ones. Take this opportunity to get away from the hustle of ANI and enjoy the entertaining offerings of a comedian chosen to provide the right touch at this sit-down lunch. This activity is restricted to HFMA certified members only
OFFICERS &BOARD MEMBERS GEORGIA
CHAPTER HFMA 2000 –2001
Tim Beatty, FHFMA President
770-792-5039 Fax 770-792-1480
tim.beatty@wellstar.org
Eddie Phillips, CPA President
Elect
404-817-5597 Fax 404-817-4344
eddie.phillips@ey.com williamep@worldnet.att.net
Chip Mann Secretary
404-658-1776 Fax 404-223-7155
charles.s.mann@us.arthuranderson.com
Becky Black, FHFMA Treasurer
770-389-2509 Fax 770-389-2435
bblack@hmc-ga.org
Terri Tillery Board Member
Communications
404-634-5196, ext. 1247 Fax 770-445-9725
territillery@aol.com
Beth Foote, FHFMA Board Member
Quality
770-952-4800 Fax 770-933-9800
bfoote@harkinsandhenry.com
Tom Morris, FHFMA Board Member
Forums
404-929-8623 Fax 404-929-8538
tom. morris@choa.org
Cathy Dougherty, FHFMA Board
Member
Membership Services 678-442-5523
Fax 770-339-2135 cdougher@promina.org
Bill Eikost Board Member
Diversification/ Collaboration 770-919-1117
Fax 770-919-1118 bill.eikost@ncogroup.com
Cal Calhoun, FHFMA Board Member
ProACTION
770-955-0324 Fax 770-955-5801
ccalhoun@gha.org
Lex Klamke Immediate Past
President
770-254-3611 Fax 770-254-0566
aklamke@mindspring.com
Database Committee UPDATE
This has been an excellent year for the database committee. We are in the final stages of development and testing of a new Founders Points tracking program. Committee member Pete Hogan has taken on the challenge of designing and programming an Access Database.
Chairperson, Rick Childs, provided the current Excel structure and described how the program should work to be more efficient and user friendly.
The Database Chair must report to National once a year the accumulated Founders Points for the Chapter. This data is input into a National HFMA provided database. We are under strict time frames to get this information to National HFMA. The current process is very slow and cumbersome. The new Access Database will allow us to enter the points in a much easier fashion. We will also have much improved search capabilities.
Our goal is to get this on the Georgia HFMA Web Page so each member can verify his or her Founders Points for the current year whenever they want. The data will be password protected and will only allow for "view only" access. To check your National points through the most current reporting year you can go to the National HFMA Web Page (www.HFMA.org). Click on the Members Tab. You will need your Membership number and password to get into this section. Next click on the Membership Directory (you may also click here instead of the Members Tab). You must log into the Membership Directory by putting your 7-digit member number in the indicated space and clicking on the Submit button. You now need to go to your name. Click on the first letter of your last name and then scroll down until you find your name. Click on your name. Click on the Line that states, " Click here to edit and view your profile." Scroll down and you will see your Founders Points.
It is really easy. The above description sounds more complicated than it actually is. Give it a try!
Richard L. Childs, FHFMA