In This Issue
Issues Briefing on New Overtime Rules
Joint Commission Speaker
HCWP Fall Conference
CEO Assistants Forum
RHLC Holds Summer Events
Insurance Navigation Available
A Note About Healthcare Council
Healthcare Council Survey Update
Upcoming Committee Meetings
Past Committee Meetings
New Allied Members
Other Items of Interest
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Issues Briefing on New Overtime Rules
Healthcare Council is hosting an issues briefing for members on the new "overtime" rule on June 29, 2016. The program will be held at the Jack C. Robinette Conference Center from 9:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. The new "overtime" rule was announced last month by the U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, and changes the rules governing the eligibility of employees for overtime.
The first speaker, attorney Terrance H. Murphy, a shareholder with the firm Littler, will provide background on the new rule and explain the regulations defining the exemption for executive, administrative and professional employees. He will also discuss the key provisions of and potential impact of the rule.
Elliot Dinkin, president and chief executive officer of Cowden Associates, will discuss how healthcare organizations can prepare for the implementation of the rule and estimate the impact of the rule.
The program will conclude with questions and discussion. There is no cost for members to attend the program, however registration is required. For more information contact Pat Raffaele.
Special COO Meeting Features Joint Commission Speaker
A speaker from the Joint Commission will address Healthcare Council's Chief Operating Officers (COOs) Committee on June 23, 2016. The speaker will address topics related to life safety issues as well as safety and security issues, among other topics. Member COOs are invited to attend the meeting as well as senior staff members involved in facilities planning, management and engineering. The meeting will begin at 9:30 a.m. and conclude with a networking lunch at 12:30 p.m. For more information contact A.J Harper or Pat Raffaele.
Save the Date: HCWP's Fall Conference
Healthcare Council's Fall Conference offers members the opportunity to hear three well-known speakers, gain knowledge and insight, and network with healthcare leaders from throughout western Pennsylvania. This year's Fall Conference will be held on Friday, October 28, 2016 at the Pittsburgh Marriott North in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania. Once again, due to the generous support of sponsors, the Fall Conference will be offered free of charge to members.
Keynoting the Conference and speaking at the CEO Breakfast is Stephen Beeson, M.D, a board-certified family medicine physician and a recognized expert in physician coaching and engagement performance improvement. He is the co-founder and chief executive officer of the Physician Effectiveness Project at Practicing Excellence.com, a web-based CME-certified physician-learning platform. He is an author of two bestselling books, Practicing Excellence: A Physician's Manual to Exceptional Healthcare and Engaging Physicians: A Manual to Physician Partnership. He served as the physician director for Sharp Experience and his efforts contributed to Sharp HealthCare winning the Malcolm Baldridge Award for performance excellence in 2007.
Dennis Yablonsky, chief executive officer of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, will provide members with perspective on major initiatives in the region. The Conference recently released a major report on the region's workforce, Inflection Point: Supply, Demand and the Future of Work in the Pittsburgh Region. The health sector is a focus of the report and the region's future workforce. He is a former Secretary of Pennsylvania's Department of Community and Economic Development and serves on several regional Boards of Directors.
It is also an election year, and G. Terry Madonna, Ph.D., an engaging and well-known speaker, commentator, political pollster and professor, will provide members with an overview of the presidential election and the latest data from the polls. He is the director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs, professor of Public Affairs and director of the Franklin and Marshall College Poll at Franklin & Marshall College. He is an expert in the American presidency and also political parties and political behavior.
The Conference will also include the annual CEO Breakfast and a networking lunch. In addition, the western Pennsylvania chapters of the American College of Healthcare Executives and the Healthcare Financial Management Association will hold meetings immediately following lunch.
Members will receive more information about the Conference this summer. For more information contact Pat Raffaele.
CEO Assistants Forum
Jeff Tobe, an internationally recognized author and speaker, will speak at Healthcare Council's CEO Assistants Forum on June 16, 2016. The Forum will be held from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Healthcare Council's Jack C. Robinette Conference Center. "Coloring Outside the Lines. . .Creatively THRIVING From Change," will be his topic.
Insider Magazine has dubbed him "The Guru of Creative Thinking" and readers of Convention & Meetings Magazine chose him as "one of the top 15 speakers in North America." His clients include Microsoft, Pepsi Cola International and the Internal Revenue Service. He has written several books including, Coloring Outside the Lines.
The meeting is designed for administrative assistants to Chief Executive Officers of Healthcare Council member organizations. There is no charge to attend the meeting, however, registration is required. For more information contact Judy Harrison.
RHLC Holds Summer Events
The Regional Health Literacy Council continues to hold skill building and training workshops throughout the summer. The events are free of charge to community agencies, health care organizations and others interested in health literacy. The first event is Teach-back Technique Training and will be held on Friday, July 15, 2106 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The second event is SHARE Approach Workshop and will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, August 12, 2016. Both events will be held at Healthcare Council's Jack C. Robinette Conference Center. For more information visit or contact Kevin Progar.
Insurance Navigation Available
Even though open enrollment into the insurance exchange is months away, individuals can enroll in Medical Assistance. Healthcare Council's navigator, Barbara McDowell, is available to assist individuals with enrollment. Members can also refer individuals for enrollment and she can participate in hospital and community events such as health fairs. She can also provide members with information and resources on enrollment. Healthcare Council's navigator is funded through grants including those provided by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, through the Consumer Health Coalition. For more information contact Barb McDowell or Pat Raffaele.
A Note About Healthcare Council
Healthcare Council is implementing a new phone and information technology system. It is expected that both new systems will be in place by June 15th. Healthcare Council's email addresses and phone numbers will stay the same and no downtime is expected. For more information contact Judy Harrison.
Healthcare Council Survey Update
Benchmark Salary Survey
Data collection is underway for the next Benchmark Salary Survey. Members who have not yet sent their data may do so by Friday, July 17. The survey results will be sent to participating members in late July or early August. For more information contact Pat Raffaele or Betty Steup.
Flash Survey
Data for the third quarter Flash Survey has been collected and the results are being finalized. The Flash Survey will be available for members in early July. For more information contact Denis Lukes or Betty Steup.
Upcoming Committee Meetings
Human Resources Committee
Workforce related topics will be the focus of Healthcare Council's June 17th Human Resources (HR) Committee meeting. Jan Ferri-Reed, a nationally recognized speaker and author on workforce, will provide a presentation and facilitate a discussion on healthcare-related workforce topics including recruitment, retention and millennials in the workforce. In addition, Laura Fisher, senior vice president of the Allegheny Conference, will provide a presentation on the Conference's recently released regional workforce study, Inflection Point: Supply, Demand and the Future of Work in the Pittsburgh Region. The meeting will conclude with a roundtable discussion. In addition, the HR executives from senior living and long term care will meet immediately following the HR Committee meeting. For more information contact Pat Raffaele.
Health Information Management Committee
The Health Information Management Committee will meet on June 22nd and the agenda includes a discussion of International Classifications of Diseases (ICD) 10 vs. IDC 9 and the additional ICD 10 codes. Other meeting topics are a discussion on transparency, Medicare Access and the Chip Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) and the proposed IPPS rule. The meeting will conclude with a roundtable discussion. For more information contact Denis Lukes or Jane Montgomery.
Chief Operating Officers Committee
Healthcare Council will host the next Chief Operating Officers (COO) Committee meeting on June 23, 2016. The meeting will feature a speaker from the Joint Commission. Member COOs are invited to attend the meeting as well as senior staff members in charge of facility management. For more information contact Pat Raffaele.
Compliance Committee
Michael Comber, assistant United States attorney and Chief of the Civil Division, will be the primary speaker at the July 15th Compliance Committee meeting. As Chief of the Civil Division, he oversees efforts to sue over fraud. Following the presentation and discussion, the Committee will conclude the meeting with a roundtable discussion. For more information contact Pat Raffaele.
Accounts Receivables Committee
The Accounts Receivables Committee will meet on July 21, 2015. Details of the meeting will be available in the near future. For more information contact Denis Lukes.
Past Committee Meetings
Fund Development Committee
The Art of The Ask was the primary topic of the June 7th Fund Development Committee meeting. Steven Higgins, CFRE, and president of Carter, facilitated an interactive discussion with the Committee that focused on four primary topics. The topics were fundraising tactics, major and mega donors, the art of the ask and stories from the trenches. He shared his experiences in working with donors and making the ask and responded to questions and comments from the Committee. For more information contact Pat Raffaele.
Risk/Quality Committee
The Risk Quality Committee met on May 25th at Healthcare Council and also at Punxsutawney Area Hospital. Diane Frndak, Ph.D., MBA, discussed alternate ways to view staff and patient safety. She is an Associate Professor in the Physician Assistant Program at Slippery Rock University. Kathy Wonderly, a consultant with Healthcare Council, reviewed changes in the fiscal year 2017 IPPS proposed rule related to value based purchasing, readmissions and IQR. The Committee also discussed the delay by the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) in implementing the Overall Quality Star program as well as the recent changes in the process. The meeting concluded with a roundtable discussion. For more information contact Jane Montgomery.
Compliance Committee
The focus of the Compliance Committee's May 19th Committee meeting was to review the major trends and themes of the 2016 national Health Care Compliance (HCCA) Institute Conference. Those who attended the Conference provided the Committee with overviews of presentations. These presentations focused on topics such as Compliance Mistakes in the ER; Top Five Hospice Risk Areas; Anti-Kickback and Stark Law Update and discussion of key compliance issues raised in the Long-Term Care Track at the conference. Jane Montgomery, vice president of Clinical Services & Quality at Healthcare Council, gave a presentation on Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement: Fundamentals of Gainsharing. The Committee also discussed the fall regional HCCA Conference and held a roundtable discussion. For more information contact Pat Raffaele.
New Allied Members
Healthcare Council welcomes the following new Allied Members:
Audley Law Offices
Audley Law Offices represents Pennsylvania hospitals in the recovery of denied or underpaid claims. The firm is located in Pittsburgh. Attorney Sean Audley is an owner-partner in the firm and he can be reached at or at 412-532-0089.
Blue Prairie Group
Blue Prairie Group is a fee-only institutional and investment firm headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm provides financial consulting within the following areas: ERISA retirement, foundations & endowments and wealth management. For more information contact Mark Muto at or at 412-208-0481.
Catalyst RTW
Catalyst RTW is a firm that provides home-based return-to-work solutions to insurance companies and self-insured companies across the country. They have an emphasis on workers compensation injuries. For more information contact Renee Wallace, vice president of Vocational Services at . She can also be reached at 866-559-3200.
Mt. Lebanon Office Furniture & Interiors
Mt. Lebanon Office Furniture & Interiors is a leading provider of office and institutional furnishings. The company works with more than 100 manufacturing partners and has several health care organizations as clients. The company provides complete space planning, interior design, delivery and installation services. The company is located in Pittsburgh. For more information contact Chief Executive Officer James M. Droney at or at 412-344-4300.
youCompli
youCompli will provide healthcare organizations with an effective regulatory compliance platform. The new company is based in Pittsburgh and Jerry Shafran is the chief executive officer. For more information contact him at or at 412-248-1200.
Other Items of Interest
Health Care Heroes Nominations
The Pittsburgh Business Times is accepting nominations for the 2016 Healthcare Heroes Awards which recognize individuals, companies and organizations in western Pennsylvania for their contributions in improving health care in the region. Awards will be given in the following categories: Community Organization, Health Care Provider-Physician, Health Care Provider-Non-Physician, Volunteer, Health Care Executive, Lifetime Achievement and Health Care Innovation. The deadline for nominations if June 24, 2016. For more information visit
Regional Health Care Compliance Association Conference
The Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA) East Central Regional Conference will be held on October 7, 2016 at the Regional Learning Alliance in Cranberry Woods, Pennsylvania, from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. The program will cover several compliance and financial topics including an Update from the Department of Justice, The Changing Payment Model & Compliance Risk, Clinical Documentation Programs. The program will conclude with a panel discussion on Ethics and Healthcare. Healthcare Council's Compliance Committee assists in planning the annual conference. More information will be available in the near future.
Healthcare Financial Management Association Offers Summer Events
The western Pennsylvania chapter of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) is offering two events this summer. On July 21, 2016. HFMA is hosting a program for individuals to learn more about the western Pennsylvania chapter and volunteer opportunities. A networking event with the western Pennsylvania chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) will be held following the program. The event will be held in Pittsburgh at Olive or Twist from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
HFMA will hold a program on Capital Markets followed by networking and a Pirates Game on August 10, 2016. The meeting and networking will be held from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at PNC Park. Members of the western Pennsylvania chapter of ACHE will also attend the networking event and the Pirates Game. Registration will open for this event in late June.For more information visit