President's Message 
By Mark D. Evard
As your President, I want to welcome you to our 2012 - 2013 Chapter year. I am honored and privileged to serve as your President this year and I look forward to building on the momentum and accomplishments that our Chapter has enjoyed thanks to the efforts of Past Presidents and our dedicated volunteers.
Welcome to our new members. The Texas Gulf Coast Chapter is one of sixty eight chapters that make up the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) which is the premier professional membership organization for individuals engaged in the financial management of healthcare organizations. Our Chapter is one of the principal professional organizations in the great State of Texas for individuals seeking education, professional development, leadership training, certification, networking and access to current information affecting the financial management of healthcare organizations. We deliver a variety of local and national speakers/topics to our monthly meetings which ensure our members quality educational opportunities; we also offer webinars.
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HFMA Texas Gulf Coast Chapter Awards at ANI
The Texas Gulf Coast Chapter received several national awards at ANI, including:
- C. Henry Hottum Award for Educational Performance Improvement
- John M. Stagl Silver Award of Excellence for Education
- 4 Yerger Awards: Charity Golf Tourney, Physician Hospital Alignment, Mentorship, Region 9 Joint Meeting
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Supreme Court Rules on Healthcare Reform Law
On June 28, 2012 in one of the most anticipated decisions in many years, the United States Supreme Court voted by a 5-4 majority to uphold major provisions of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA). Led by Chief Justice John Roberts, the Supreme Court concluded that the "individual mandate," one of the most controversial aspects of the law, was constitutional as a valid exercise of the Federal government's taxing power. In addition to upholding the requirement that all individuals maintain some sort of insurance coverage, the Court also sanctioned the expansion of Medicaid provided under the PPACA. Importantly, however, the Court held that the Federal government could not withhold Medicaid funds from States that choose not to expand Medicaid coverage pursuant to the PPACA. How that aspect of the Court's ruling impacts Medicaid expansion will likely be a State-by-State issue. The stage is now set for the PPACA to continue to be one of the key issues in the upcoming Presidential and Congressional elections.
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The Push to Value-Oriented Payment
Although many health systems have been in pay-for- performance contracts for several years, the number-and variety-of those contracts is burgeoning as health system performance becomes more transparent.Centura Health, Colorado's largest health system, for example, has insurance contracts that tie payment to its performance on everything from readmissions and quality improvement goals to patient satisfaction scores and timely notification of a member's hospitalization.
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The Real Issue Facing the Nation
The lowering of the nation's long-term debt rating and outlook by Standard & Poor's and the highly politicized debate over the debt ceiling are clearly having an impact on worldwide securities and financial markets. The consequences, both anticipated and unanticipated, of such quarrelsome "politics" are likely to be significant in many areas of our economy, with a special concern for the healthcare sector.
The combination of the S&P downgrade and the recent political unpleasantness has led to a general conclusion that the $2.4 trillion of spending reductions may not be enough to prevent further rating downgrades or accomplish any real reduction of the existing budget deficit.
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Member Profile - Rahul Agrawal
Please tell us a little about your professional background and what is now your area of expertise professionally in your organization?
I work as a Sr. Project Manager for one of the best hospital systems in the US - the Memorial Hermann Healthcare System. I specialize in achieving operational & financial improvements by successfully integrating Information Technology, Finance and Business processes. I primarily work closely with the hospital chiefs & clinical stakeholders to ensure successful implementation of hospital-related business processes.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Mumbai (Bombay), India. I came to the US in 1999, completed my Bachelors in Information Technology in 2003 and MBA in Heath Care Management in 2007 from Texas Tech University.
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Why Join HFMA?
"HFMA provides up-to-date, leading-edge knowledge that enables me to understand and serve my healthcare clients. Being a Fellow and volunteering with HFMA demonstrates my continuing commitment and opens doors with leaders in every segment of the industry."
Mark Worthen 
(Vice President and Chair Certification)
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Next Newsletter Deadline
- Articles due to the Editor no later than October 1, 2012
- Submit articles (MS Word) or advertising (.jpg or .tif files) to the newsletter editor, Scott Sette: ssette@wittkieffer.com.
- For advertising rates for NON-SPONSOR ads, please contact the newsletter editor at the same e-mail address.
- Gulf Coast Lines is published quarterly by the Texas Gulf Coast chapter of the Healthcare Financial Management Association as a communication medium to Chapter members. Opinions expressed in articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Texas Gulf Coast chapter or its members.
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