HFMA Preview

Changes in Store for HFMA Conference

By Heather Hogstrom

On June 24­–27 in Las Vegas, the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) will hold its Annual Conference, a shift from its previous name, ANI (Annual National Institute). Besides this cosmetic change, HFMA is introducing new learning pathways. Attendees will have the opportunity to enjoy sessions from eight content areas, in either cohort or freestyle tracks.

Cohort tracks pair attendees with a working group, enabling them to spend the entire day in focused discussion on one of the following topics:
• business intelligence and analytics;
• creating a consumer-centric health care delivery system; and
• reducing total cost of care.

Freestyle tracks allow attendees to move freely between topics and attend any sessions they wish in the following areas:
• the future of revenue cycle;
• industry updates;
• leadership and organization capability;
• payment trends and models; and
• trends and innovations.

The conference’s keynotes have a distinct focus on the future. In light of the fact that more than one-half of the workforce will be composed of millennials and Generation Z by 2020, Dan Schawbel, a millennial career and workplace expert, will discuss “The LeaderShift: How to Discover, Engage, and Develop the Next Generation of Leaders.”

Nicholas Webb, an innovator and health technology inventor, will talk about disruptive innovation and the benefits of new technologies in “The Disruptive Future of Health Care: The Good News!” Professor Rubin Pillay, MD, PhD, a physician and medical futurist, will speak on the alignment of various factors in “Health Care’s Renaissance: Converging to Heal.”

Finally, Mae Jemison, MD, an astronaut and physician who is currently leading a project to achieve human interstellar travel within 100 years, will inspire attendees to reach for the stars with her presentation “What If: Health Care 2020.”

The exhibit hall offers several new features, including the Career Connection Experience, which will help job seekers with their résumés, headshots, and interviewing skills; Executive Connection Meetings, which will match attendees with exhibitors offering solutions that meet their specific needs for 15-minute preset meetings; and the Innovation Hub, which will showcase a dozen health care start-ups, of which attendees can vote for the best idea.

Attendees can relax and celebrate with food, drinks, dancing, and entertainment at the Tuesday night party Cheers! To Collaboration.

For on-the-go information, attendees can download the HFMA Annual Conference app from the App Store or Google Play. Social media users can use the hashtag #HFMAAnnual.

For more information, visit https://annual.hfma.org/2018/Public/Enter.aspx.

— Heather Hogstrom is an editorial assistant at For The Record.