AAPC Conference Preview

This year’s conference promises to be one of the most significant in the organization’s history. Several new coding challenges loom on the horizon as the healthcare industry continues to transform into a more electronic environment. AAPC President and CEO Deborah Grider, CPC, CPC-I, CPC-H, CPC-P, CPMA, COBGC, CEMC, CPCD, CCS-P, was kind enough to answer a few questions about the event.

FTR: What’s new this year?

Grider: The education sessions will include a broader range of topics, including billing, audit, and compliance as well as practice management. Breakout sessions include information about FERA, the PPACA and the FCA, physician compliance, HITECH, EMRs, CHISP, and 5010.

The new National Advisory Board (NAB) will be announced at this year’s conference, including the new officers elected by the NAB: president, president-elect, member relations, and secretary. The 16 members of the NAB serve two years on the board and work with the national office for the betterment of the entire membership.

FTR: Will any new policy be adopted at the conference?

Grider: I’ll present the annual State of the AAPC address at our opening general session. As a general rule, we do not dictate policies. We are an organization that primarily provides benefits and services for our members.

FTR: Will there be a forum where AAPC members can voice concerns?

Grider: Yes, the Legal Trends and Issues session allows members to ask questions and voice concerns. An expert panel will weigh in on the most pressing issues in the industry.

FTR: What will be the hotter topic, RACs or ICD-10?

Grider: While RACs are still a growing concern for healthcare providers, ICD-10 should also be a top priority. Both issues directly affect profitability and will be addressed in a general session, breakout sessions, and our exhibitor hall, where attendees can find vendors to assist them with compliance and the transition to ICD-10.

FTR: What technology on the exhibit floor will generate the most buzz?

Grider: Among the exhibitors at the national conference, some of these technologies could generate buzz for attendees:

• Cengage Learning has a new online interactive homework technology called “Learning Lab” that will be on display. The company also has a new site called “InfoHealth Connect” (www.community.cengage.com/site/infohealthconnect) to keep billing, coding, and health information management instructors and practitioners connected with news feeds, blogs, updates, etc.
• Wolters Kluwer Law & Business will feature three items: an ICD-10 tool, a simple key word and code search tool that lets you relate ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM codes and map from one data set to another; NCCI Code Pair Checking, where you can enter codes, choose a Medicare/Medicaid version, and choose a hospital/physician setting; and Code Explorer, which puts coding instructions, payment rules, NCCI edits, coverage guidelines, and related compliance documentation at your fingertips.
• McGraw-Hill will show ConnectPlus, which includes the same capabilities of Connect while making a dynamic e-book available that features media assets integrated throughout the e-book narrative to give students access to engaging conceptual material. These tools can help facilitate the learning process to improve retention and success for health professions and nursing students.

The company is also showing LearnSmart, an adaptive learning product designed to help students learn faster, study more efficiently, and retain more knowledge for greater success. LearnSmart components include Tegrity Campus, a highly scalable, cloud-based lecture capture service that lets institutions automatically capture every class on and off campus for review anytime, and ACTIVSim, which features online simulations.

• Find-A-Code will show the Cross-A-Code feature which gives coders one place to find their codes and the Build-A-Code feature that allows coders to build their own codes.