In This Issue
Governance Institute Conference
ICD-10 Program
HCWP Flash Survey
Survey Update
Upcoming Member Meetings
Future Meetings
Past Meetings
New Allied Members
Items of Interest
Sponsors:
Governance Institute Conference Features Outstanding Speakers
The Governance Institute and Hospital Council have partnered on designing an outstanding conference, Governance Best Practices on Advancing Quality in the New Era of Regulation. The conference will focus on governance, quality measures and finance for healthcare executives, physicians and trustees. The conference, originally scheduled for April 2013, will be held at Hospital Council's Conference Center on August 21st and 22nd.
This special program is being offered at a reduced rate and is designed for facilities to bring members of their leadership teams and trustees to the event.This program is specifically designed for chief executive officers, medical directors, chief financial officers, trustees and other members of the c-suite team.
The conference will begin with a presentation on moving from a health system with cost-based pricing to a system with price-based costing. The presenter is Nathan S. Kaufman, managing director of Kaufman Strategic Advisors, LLC. Gregg Loughman, vice president of The Governance Institute, will speak on The Role of the Board in Driving Patient-Center Care & HCAHAS. Executives from Schneck Medical Center will speak on The Baldridge Journey: Quality & Process Improvement. The conference concludes with a presentation on Value-Based Purchasing. In addition to the educational program, participants will have the opportunity to network at a special reception on August 21st and at a networking luncheon on August 22nd.
Members of The Governance Institute can attend this conference free of charge. Hospital Council members can pay for three participants and receive the fourth registration free of charge. Because of the generosity of sponsors, Hospital Council and The Governance Institute can offer this special program at a reduced rate of $450 per attendee. Hospital Council and The Governance Institute thank Amerinet and Cura Hospitality for sponsoring this special program. Because teams are encouraged to attend, healthcare facilities are asked to limit registration to five individuals from one organization.
Participants are also eligible to receive the following credits: Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education; American College of Healthcare Executives (can be used for qualified education); and CPE through the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy. To register and for more information click here. For more information, contact Jane Montgomery or Pat Raffaele.
Preparing for the Implementation of ICD-10
To help Hospital Council members prepare for the implementation of ICD-10, Hospital Council is offering the program Operational Implications of ICD-10-What Does It Take?. The program will be held on Wednesday, May 29, 2013 at Hospital Council's Conference Center and on Friday, July 12, 2013 at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel. Two sessions will be held each day.
The program features Rose T. Dunn, a past president of the American Health Information Management Association and founder and chief operating officer of First Class Solutions, Inc., in Saint Louis, Missouri. She is a recipient of AHIMA's highest honor, the Distinguished Member Award, and she is an AHIMA-approved ICD-10 CM/PCS Trainer.
The program is designed to raise awareness of the financial and operational implications of ICD-10 and to assist members with understanding the planning process needed to prepare for ICD-10. It is also designed for teams of senior management including chief information officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers, chief nursing offices, directors of Healthcare Information Management and others.
The program is offered for $35 a person and will be held from 8:30 to noon and also from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 29th. The program will be held during the same times on Friday, July 12th at The Penn Stater Conference Hotel.
Click here to register. For more information, contact Jane Montgomery.
Hospital Council's Flash Survey Shows Large Drop in Operating Margins
The most recent Flash Survey shows that western Pennsylvania hospitals are experiencing a significant drop in operating margins and other decreases in financial indicators. The recent report reflects data from 56 hospitals in the region and covers the first six months of Fiscal Year 2013, from October 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012.
Operating margins in the region's hospitals decreased by more than half compared to the same period last year. In dollars this represents a drop of more than $100 million and an average margin of less than 1.85 percent compared to almost 4 percent at this time last year.
The survey also indicated drops in inpatient surgical operations, admissions and patient days. For more information, contact Denis Lukes.
Survey Update
First Physician Practice Survey
Hospital Council will release its first physician practice survey in the near future to participating members. The survey covers 30 different positions related to hospital-owned physician practices. The survey also covers benefits offered physician practice employees. The survey is a result or work by Hospital Council's HR and Physician Practice Management Committees. For more information, contact Jane Montgomery or Pat Raffaele.
Benchmark Salary Survey
Hospital Council is now collecting data for its July Benchmark Salary Survey. Participating hospitals are asked to submit their data no later than June 7th. For questions about the data collection, contact Carmela Breslin. For questions about the survey, contact Pat Raffaele.
Upcoming Member Meetings
Risk/Quality Committee
The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) will be one of the key topics at the Risk/Quality meeting on May 23rd beginning at 9:30 a.m. at Hospital Council's Conference Center.
Beth Ann Jackson will provide a presentation on EMTALA. She is an attorney with more than 15 years of experience. Other topics for the meeting include value based purchasing and a discussion of the proposed Inpatient Prospective Payment Rule. The meeting will also include a roundtable discussion. For more information, contact Jane Montgomery, Pat Raffaele, or Kathy Wonderly.
Compliance Committee
The Compliance Committee will meet beginning at 9:30 a.m. on June 13, 2013 at Hospital Council's Conference Center. The key topics will be the 340(b) program and compliance and an in-depth overview of key topics presented at the national conference of the Healthcare Compliance Association.
In addition, the Committee will discuss RAC audits and efforts to collect regional RAC data for Hospital Council members. The meeting will conclude with a discussion of other audits as well as a roundtable discussion. For more information, contact Pat Raffaele.
Future Member Meetings
Details on the meetings listed below will be available in the near future:
Continuum of Care Committee
The Continuum of Care Committee will meet on June 19th beginning at 10 a.m. at Hospital Council's Conference Center. For more information, contact Jane Montgomery.
CEO Assistants Forum
The annual CEO Assistants Forum is scheduled for Thursday, June 20th, at 10:00 a.m. For more information, contact Judy Harrison.
Chief Nursing Officers Committee
The Chief Nursing Officers Committee will meet on June 21st. For more information, contact Jane Montgomery.
Managed Care Committee
The Managed Care Committee will meet on June 26th. For more information, contact Denis Lukes or Jane Montgomery.
Fund Development Committee
The Fund Development Committee will meet on June 27th. For more information, contact Pat Raffaele.
Past Meetings
Compliance Committee
The Compliance Committee met on April 4, 2013 at Hospital Council's Conference Center. Roger Gopalan, vice president, Chief Internal Audit and Compliance for West Penn Allegheny Health System, provided an overview of the Physician Sunshine Act. Other topics included an update on RAC and other audits and an overview of the regional HCCA Conference on October 11, 2013 at the Regional Learning Alliance in Cranberry. The meeting concluded with a roundtable discussion. For more information, contact Pat Raffaele.
Practice Administrator Committee
The Practice Administrator Committee met on April 11, 2013. Pay for performance was the key topic for the meeting. Lisa Eisel and Denis Schmook of Sláinte
Quality Solutions discussed pay for performance programs for physician offices. The Committee also reviewed the Annual Medicare Well Visit process. Roundtable topics included transition of care management process and codes. For more information, contact Denis Lukes or Jane Montgomery.
Health Information Management Committee
The Health Information Management Committee met on April 17, 2013. The meeting focused on ICD-10 preparation. Cathy Aniszewski, RHIA, Client Relationship Executive for 3M Health Information Systems Division, gave an overview of the tools that 3M has available to help facilities prepare for ICD-10. The Committee also discussed Hospital Council's upcoming education program on ICD-10 implementation as well as ICD-10 coder education. The Committee also heard an overview of the Flash Survey results. For more information, contact Jane Montgomery.
New Allied Members
Hospital Council welcomes its new Allied Members:
Littler Mendelson
Littler Mendelson is the world's largest labor and employment firm with 950 attorneys in 57 offices. The firm represents employers in multiple subject matter areas including wage and hour, employment discrimination, harassment, labor arbitration, and many other areas. Littler Mendelson has a strong focus on healthcare issues and represents hospitals of every size. The firm's Pittsburgh office is a new member of Hospital Council. For more information, contact Robert W. Cameron, shareholder.
Caring Mission Home Care and TCM Home Health
Caring Mission Home Care and TCM Home Health, located in Washington, Pennsylvania, provide an array of services to meet the needs of a growing population. Through individualized services the company promotes independence and well-being for its clients while educating, monitoring, evaluating and caring for clients. For more information contact Sharon Rice, sales manager.
For more information about Hospital Council's Allied Membership program, contact Pat Raffaele.
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Other Items of Interest
The Fine Awards
Hospital Council members are invited to apply for the 2013 Fine Awards. This year's awards, sponsored by The Fine Foundation and the Jewish Healthcare Foundation, will recognize and reward teams who are providing quality, patient-centered, end-of-life care by incorporating specific objectives.
The awards are divided into gold, silver and bronze. Gold Award winners receive $25,000 for their team members and $10,000 to the corresponding organization. Silver Award winners receive $15,000 for team members and $8,000 for the corresponding organization and Bronze Award winners receive $10,000 for team members and $6,000 for the corresponding organization.
The deadline to submit applications is June 10, 2013 and applications will be reviewed by a panel of regional and national thought leaders with expertise in Palliative and End-of-Life care. Finalists will be notified in advance of the awards presentation which will be held in Pittsburgh in November. Winners will be announced at the presentation.
For more information and to download an application visit the Jewish Healthcare Foundation website.
Summer American College of Healthcare Executives Education Event
The American College of Healthcare Executives Chapter of Western Pennsylvania will hold its Summer Education Event on Tuesday, June 4, 2013 at Grove City Medical Center from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. The speaker is well-known author and consultant Tom Atchison, EdD. He will speak on the topic From Roots to Wings: 12 Variables for Sustaining Organization Success. The cost for registration is $300 and participants can receive six hours of ACHE face-to-face education credits. For more information, click here.
Best Practices in Childhood Obesity Prevention
The Highmark Foundation is holding a free conference, No Time to Weight: Best Practices in Childhood Obesity Prevention, on September 25, 2013 at the Omni William Penn in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. There is also a pre-conference reception on September 24th from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Speakers include Catherine Ross, featured in HBO's Weight of the Nation and William Dietz, MD, Ph.D., recently from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Foundation has arranged for discount hotel packages and continuing education credits will be offered. For more information visit the Highmark Foundation website.
Hospital Council of Western Pennsylvania is a strategic partner with health care providers and affiliated organizations, enabling them to realize their mission while maintaining their status as economically viable entities.
Visit: http://www.hcwp.org
Call: 1-800-704-8434
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