News Updates

Peer Review Program Sessions Show Real-World Solutions and Proven Tools

You may have noticed that a number of the educational sessions at ANI are labeled “HFMA Peer Review® Program Session.”

Our Peer Review Program Sessions share the core characteristics of other ANI educational sessions. They highlight solutions for today’s most pressing business challenges, from improving outcomes data to managing denials. They show how a hospital improved its processes to overcome that business challenge. And they provide lessons that other hospitals can apply.

What makes Peer Review Program Sessions special is that they also show how a product or service was involved in the hospital’s improvement—but only a product or service that has passed the HFMA Peer Review process. That process involves a rigorous evaluation by an expert panel to determine that the product or service meets standards for effectiveness, quality, and usability, among other criteria. In the session, you’ll hear about the product or service only in the context of the hospital’s improvement effort. Each Peer Review Program Session is led by a hospital executive teamed with a representative from a service provider.

We’ve received great response to our Peer Review Program Sessions in past years and are confident that you’ll appreciate the real-world strategies and tools to achieve your organization’s goals.

A New Way for Forum Members to Network

At this year’s ANI, members of HFMA’s Forums can exchange ideas in a new Forum Networking Lounge. Only available to members of HFMA’s Forums, the lounge offers complimentary continental breakfast, soft drinks, and coffee throughout ANI. Hours of the lounge are:

Sunday, June 24
2:00 – 6:00 PM

Monday, June 25
7:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Tuesday, June 26
7:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Wednesday, June 27
7:00 – 11:30 AM

HFMA has four Forums—CFO, Legal & Regulatory, Payment & Reimbursement, and Revenue Cycle. The Forums are an online community and information source featuring newsletters, new tools and articles every month, ask-the-expert opportunities, list serves and many other ways to tap the expertise of your peers. Learn more an join a Forum.

Former Comptroller General Walker to Address Reform Issues

David Walker, former U.S. Comptroller General and author of three books on fiscal policies, will discuss efforts to control healthcare costs and expand coverage at HFMA’s 2012 Annual National Institute, scheduled for June 24-27 in Las Vegas, Nev.

Walker is the founder, president, and CEO of the Comeback America Initiative where he promotes fiscal responsibility and sustainability by assisting policymakers on a non-partisan basis to help achieve solutions to federal, state, and local fiscal imbalances.

Walker, who served as Comptroller General and head of the Government Accountability Office from 1998 to 2008, has authored three books. His latest one, Comeback America: Turning the Country Around and Restoring Fiscal Responsibility, reached the national best-seller list. Walker also was featured in the acclaimed documentary film on the American financial crisis, I.O.U.S.A.

In the October 2009 edition of hfm, Walker discussed cost drivers, the approach to healthcare reform, and concerns about reform proposals with HFMA President and CEO Richard L. Clarke.

“Providers in hospitals and the professionals associated with the hospital industry need to recognize the reality that we need dramatic and fundamental changes in connection with our overall healthcare system in order for it to be successful and sustainable over time,” Walker said.

“We can’t just pay for expanded healthcare coverage,” Walker continued. “We also need to achieve a significant reduction in the tens of trillions of dollars of unfunded healthcare promises that the federal government has already made. We also need to bend the total healthcare cost curve down rather than up.”

Featured Speakers Announced for HFMA’s Annual National Institute

Six featured speakers at HFMA’s 2012 Annual National Institute, scheduled for June 24-27 in Las Vegas, Nev., will address topics ranging from cost-effective health care to disaster recovery.

George Halvorson, chairman and CEO at Kaiser Permanente, will discuss his vision and execution of successful strategies for increasing quality of care and reducing costs through care delivery supported by information technology.

Brent James, MD, MStat, is chief quality officer at Intermountain Healthcare and has pioneered the standardization of clinical care through data collection and analysis on a variety of treatment protocols and care processes. Dr. James will discuss how he has used quality improvement tools to better understand the cause-and-effect relationship between practice and environment factors.

Simon Stevens, executive vice president, UnitedHealth Group, will provide insight on delivery system reform and payment policy. He will discuss how UnitedHealth and other purchasers will be leading payment and delivery reform changes and the implications of those changes for providers.

James LeBuhn, senior director, health care and higher education at Fitch Ratings, will review recent healthcare trends, Fitch’s outlook for the industry, and the impact on hospitals’ financial performance.

Gregory Meier, CPA, and Dottie Bringle, RN, both work at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Joplin, Mo., which suffered a direct hit from a powerful tornado. Meier, executive director of finance, and Bringle, chief operating officer and chief nursing officer, share their story and discuss lessons learned about disaster recovery.

Keynote Speakers Announced for HFMA’s Annual National Institute

Pilot and best-selling author Chesley B. Sullenberger III, who safely guided a U.S. Airways jetliner to an emergency landing on the Hudson River in New York, will deliver the keynote address at the opening session of HFMA’s 2012 Annual National Institute, scheduled for June 24-27 in Las Vegas, Nev.

The four-day conference also will feature keynote presentations from U.S. Olympic track and field star Carl Lewis, former U.S. Comptroller General David Walker, and best-selling authors Kevin and Jackie Freiberg.

Sullenberger gained international acclaim as the pilot of the “Miracle on the Hudson” U.S. Airways jetliner, which he safely landed on the Hudson River after the plane hit a large flock of birds. Sullenberger will discuss the importance of passion for excellence and preparedness and the need to lead by example.

Lewis, who participated in five Olympics, will discuss what it takes to win, overcome the odds, and develop a champion mindset in the healthcare arena and beyond. Lewis will show how determination, dedication, and a focus on goals help turn dreams into realities.

Former U.S. Comptroller General David Walker will present facts and proposed solutions to rein in out-of-control government spending and reform the country’s healthcare system. Walker has authored three books, including Comeback America: Turning the Country Around and Restoring Fiscal Responsibility.

The concluding day of the conference features a keynote presentation by Kevin and Jackie Freiberg, authors of Nanovation: How a Little Car Can Teach the World to Think Big. Experts in leadership and innovation, the Freibergs will discuss how to create a culture where healthcare teams are inspired to find ways to overcome healthcare challenges.