|
Next Chapter Event:
HFMA Texas Gulf Coast Winter Conference
"What's Next?"
Norris Conference Center
Town & Country Center
Houston, Texas
Friday, February 15, 2013
7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Reception
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
| | |
|
Upcoming Events:
| |
HFMA Virtual Conference
February 06, 2013
March 15, 2013
11:15 am - 1:30 pm
How to Identify and Close Gaps in the Patient Experience
Speaker:
Karen Haney
Partner, The Turning Point Group
April 8, 2013
Sweetwater Country Club
Sugar Land, Texas
|
GET CERTIFIED!!!
CHFP Certification 
FHFMA Certification  | | |
|
hfm Magazine |  |
|
Gulf Coast Lines 
January 2013 |
|
President's Message 
By Mark D. Evard
Let me start by wishing each of you and your families a very Happy New Year. As we begin the New Year, I hope that each of you continue to find value in your HFMA membership. As many of you know, both National and the chapter leadership are always looking for ways to bring value to your membership. Below are just a few:
February 6, 2013, HFMA's Virtual Conference:
Mark your calendar for this live event - FREE to HFMA members. HFMA's Virtual Conference provides you with unique and cutting edge programming - all from the convenience of your home or office. The date offers new education content including a keynote presentation, a session that presents the latest findings from HFMA's Value Project and a real-world case study that provides solutions to improve the quality of care and reduce costs. Go to www.hfma.org/virtualconference to take advantage of this opportunity.
Click here to read more. |
|
Founders Merit Award Recipients
The Founders Award program is a personal incentive program designed to encourage, monitor, and recognize individual involvement in HFMA. The program provides an equitable way to translate activities into points. Some activities which the program measures include committee involvement, serving as an officer, presenting a program to the Chapter, participating in a panel presentation, writing newsletter articles and mentoring a new member.
There are four different and sequential levels of awards. The minimum amount of time for earning any of the awards is three years and quite often it's more like 5 to 10 years. On September 21, 2012 the following chapter members were recognized for their involvement in HFMA.
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).
Dr. Jeffrey Helton
Rachel Beasley
Ed White
Pam Potter
Dena McNeill
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.
Alice Sands
The Frederick T. Muncie Gold Award is presented to a member who has earned a total of 75 (formerly 300) member points. This award honors Frederick T. Muncie, an organizing member of the AAHA, and the first president of the association (1947-1949). Muncie also assisted in the organization of the first AAHA chapter (First Illinois). This award represents a career of active involvement in HFMA including years of serving on committees and in other areas of leadership, years of supporting chapter programs and balancing personal and job responsibilities with HFMA involvement.
Natasha Mehta
Mark Kline
Mark Evard
The Founders Medal of Honor was added in 1986 and is conferred by nomination of the Chapter Board of Directors. This prestigious award recognizes an individual who has been actively involved in HFMA for at least three years after earning the Muncie Gold Award, has provided significant service at the chapter, regional and/or national level in at least two of those years, and remains a member in good standing.
Dr. Ray Newman
Julie Rabat-Torki
Cindy Price
The Texas Gulf Coast Chapter has a strong record of involvement and achievement in the Founders Award program. All of our members are encouraged to become more active in our Chapter. The more you are involved, the more successful we can be. For more information, please visit the Founders Merit Award Series page on the HFMA website.
|
At a time when our industry faces ever increasing challenges, there has never been a better time to demonstrate your professional prowess by earning your Certified Healthcare Financial Professional (CHFP) designation. One becomes certified by passing the CHFP examination. Under the new program, you will become certified immediately upon successful completion - there is no longer a length of membership requirement, or a separate application process. The new exam is administered by Castle
Worldwide Testing Centers, so you can schedule your test at your convenience and in complete confidentiality.
The rate of passing the new examination is about 70% for first time test takers, and about 95% those who take it a second time, which is the same as the passing rate of the old test. HFMA has a set of online study materials available for purchase. To learn more about
the study materials, to see answers to FAQs, and to take a sample exam, click here. The Gulf Coast Chapter has also collected some study outlines that some test-takers have found useful that are available upon request.
Finally, the Gulf Coast Chapter will be hosting a Certification Exam Coaching class from 6 to 10 PM on Wednesday, March 20, 2013 at a location to be determined based on the preferences of those who would like to come. Dinner will be provided. Please email Beverly Dowling at bdowling@utmb.edu or call her at 409-747-7855 if you would like to attend the class or if you would like more information. |
 Providers Brace for Significant Changes to Medicaid and Medicare in 2013
By Greg Etzel and Adam Robison
 
The Medicaid program is undergoing a drastic overhaul as a result of (i) the implementation of various provisions under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) including the expansion of Medicaid to low income adults, (ii) over $700 billion in cuts to hospital and other provider payments, including Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital payments, to help defray the costs of Medicaid expansion and universal health care; and (iii) the United States' Supreme Court's decision in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, 132 S. Ct. 2566 (2012)(NFIB) which allows states to choose whether to implement Medicaid expansion in their states without risk of losing 100% of their Medicaid funding
|
Dedicated Observation Units: The Clinical and Financial Implications
By Cyndy Kowalski, RN, MPA, C-CDIS
BESLER Consulting
Current healthcare reform efforts have identified inefficiencies in access, cost, and quality of care within acute care hospitals. The Affordable Care Act is strengthening the case for dedicated observation units. Medicare's payment penalties for excess 30 day readmissions will place more pressure on hospitals to decrease inpatient readmissions. In this environment of increased scrutiny, few opportunities exist with the potential to reduce cost, enhance patient satisfaction, and improve the quality of care. Although hospitals have explored the concept of observation, many have not developed such units for reasons that include limited space, resources, or an understanding of the clinical and financial implications.
Visits to Emergency Departments (ED) exceed 120 million each year¹, inpatient beds are scarce and expected to become more so, Medicare payments are becoming less, and audits and denials are
becoming greater. The decision to develop any type of observation service begins with a solid commitment from Senior Leadership and strong Physician and Nurse Leadership. Click here to continue reading.
|
HFMA Webinars
Are you trying to keep up with Healthcare Reform
Need Education?
Need CPE?
Would you like FREE Education/CPE?
Are you a member of HFMA?
Then read on and get FREE Education/CPE and maybe more.. |
 Member SpotlightAlan Spiegelhauer
Vice President, Sales
The Outsource Group
Please tell us a little about your professional background and what is now your area of expertise professionally in your organization?
I have 26 years' experience in the Accounts Receivable Management industry. The industries I have been heavily involved in include: Healthcare, Bankcard, Retail, Auto and Telecom. My focus today and for the past 6 years is strictly Healthcare. In my role with The Outsource Group, my role is consultative sales and client account/relationship management.
|
 When did our Scheduling Group Become a Call Center? (5 Important Points to Consider) Patrick Teta
Senior Consultant, Revenue Cycle Solutions, LLC
In an attempt to compensate for sagging Inpatient revenue, hospitals nationwide are increasing their marketing efforts for imaging and other outpatient services. Before sending your physician liaison out knocking on doors, be sure the proper infrastructure is in place for revenue cycle departments to deal with any sudden increase in volumes. If you have a centralized scheduling call center, that's the best place to start.
Points to consider:
1. What are your service levels?
2. Call data - when are calls arriving?
3. Staffing - is a forecasting model being used for staffing?
4. Is individual productivity being tracked and feedback provided?
5. Is there a process in place for faxed/online appointment requests?
Click here to continue reading. |
|
Why Join and stay active with HFMA?
"As the publications indicate, HFMA is the nation's leading membership organization for healthcare financial management executives and leaders More than 39,000 members-ranging from CFOs to controllers to accountants-consider HFMA a respected thought leader on top trends and issues facing the healthcare industry. That being said, why wouldn't you want to be part of such a large network of individuals whom can be relied upon to share their expertise and experiences? In addition, the Texas Gulf Coast Chapter provides education sessions worth their weight in gold and our membership is the friendliest of any professional organization that I am actively involved in."
Mark Evard
President |
Community Service Committee Update
The Community Service Committee held a drive for Bo's Place in Houston in the months of September and October. Bo's Place is a bereavement center that offers grief support services to children and their families who have experienced the death of a child or and adult in their immediate family, as well as programs for grieving adults.
 | | Pictured: Rachel Beasley, Lisa Dixon, Tonie Bayman, Alice Sands, Natasha Mehta, Mark Evard, Nathan Wise and Mark Filipek |
|
|
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!!!
The Houston Children's Charity Annual Easter Party is going to be our final Community Service event of the year. We are not requesting any funds for this event - only your time! The event will be held on March 23, 2013 from 1-4 in the afternoon. This year Wendy's has agreed to provide all of the food for the party and there will be a variety of fun including rodeo clowns, cotton candy, face painting and sack races, culminating in the Easter Egg Hunt in which every child receives a full easter basket and other fun prizes. Our chapter goal is to have 20 volunteers at the event. If you are interested please email Rachel Beasley at rmbeasl1@texaschildrens.org.
|
 |
Next Newsletter Deadline
- Articles due to the Editor no later than April 1, 2013
- 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.
|
|
|
|
|
