 President's Message
Christopher A. Snyder, MBA
Regional Vice President
Avadyne Health
Dear HFMA South Texas Chapter,
A rich and rewarding experience definitely describes this past year serving as your 2014-2015 President. First and foremost, I would like to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for blessing me with the ability to lead this great chapter. To my wife, Lindsey, and daughter, Aniston, thank you for your love, support and understanding of this commitment. To my father, Ron Snyder, thank you for your guidance and mentorship inside and out of HFMA. To my employer, Avadyne Health, thank you for allowing me the opportunity to be an active volunteer in HFMA. To the officers, board, committee chairs and membership; thank you for your confidence and trust in me to represent our chapter in many roles over the years. The HFMA South Texas Chapter has become like another family to me. Numerous friendships have developed since becoming a member and getting involved. I assure you the investment of time you put into this chapter will yield results that are immeasurable. It is now time to enter into my Immediate Past President year, passing the torch to Clint Owen, who certainly will "Go Beyond" in leading South Texas to another successful year. My plan is to stay actively involved next year as the chapter's DCMS contact and Nominating Committee member. You cannot get rid of me that easily. My future aspirations include pursing the possibility of becoming Region 9's next Regional Executive Elect Elect (REEE) this fall as well as joining a national committee at some point.
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You and Your 340B Program: Are You Compliant or Confused?
 
by Venson Wallin and Bill Bithoney, MD, The BDO Center for Healthcare Excellence and Innovation
What is the 340B program?
The 340B program is a means through which providers, known as "covered entities," can offer pharmaceuticals to a greater amount of eligible patients than they could at traditional manufacturer pricing. This is because the program requires that manufacturers sell the drugs to the eligible providers at a discount, thereby enabling a larger number of those in need to get the assistance they need with purchasing their prescriptions. The 340B program is very popular for this very reason; covered entities are able to purchase drug supplies at the 340B discounted price, and then bill the patient's insurance company the traditional rate. This "margin" generates much needed profit for some of the more income-challenged providers, while having minimal impact on the Medicare and Medicaid program costs. The patient wins, the provider wins, and the government programs win. Providers understand the upside, and annual 340B drug spending by covered entities exceeds six billion dollars and approximately one-third of U.S. hospitals participate in the program. The spending and number of participating providers is forecast to increase significantly during the coming years.
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High Deductible Health Plans: Increasing in Popularity with Consumers and What That Means for Hospitals
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Simultaneously Improving Quality and Cost Requires More Than Incremental Change
As hospitals and health systems around the
country make the transition from volume-based
care to value-based care, many should fundamentally rethink their care systems, quality metrics, and cost structures. In most cases, instead of settling for incremental changes, healthcare leaders may need to restructure their organizations to succeed under the value-based business model. A new focus on the link between quality and cost is bringing together functions once treated as distinctly separate. Bridging operational and clinical functions-a task that requires collaboration among the CFO, finance staff, chief medical officer, chief nursing officer, and clinical staff-is increasingly critical to successfully meet the value imperative.
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