HFMA Conference News

Consumers Front and Center at HFMA Annual Conference
By Cassi L. Birnbaum, MS, RHIA, FAHIMA, CPHQ

I had the pleasure and privilege of attending last month’s Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) annual conference in Orlando, Florida, which appeared to have lighter attendance than last year’s leadership conference, probably because of the proximity of Father’s Day. Nonetheless, the conference’s themes were louder, substantive, and more consumer focused (transparent) than last year, beginning with HFMA President Joseph F. Fifer’s proclamation that the organization had created a hospital price transparency task force. This stems from the fact that patients are paying more health care expenses out of pocket, and organizations need to be accountable for what they charge.

Recent publicity (Steven Brill’s article in Time) and public disclosure of billing information by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), with local media carriers picking up on the pricing information, have contributed to heightened consumer awareness. Reportedly, the initial members of the task force include the Medical Group Management Association, the Leapfrog Group, America's Health Insurance Plans, and Catalyst for Payment Reform. Consumer advocates will be added to this task force, according to Fifer. "This is still in the incubator stage," he said, later adding that "this has been building up for a while, and it is time for us to step up."

The four-day conference’s educational sessions, plenary sessions, and introductory highlights also centered on the phased-in approach to health care reform and the need to transform provider and payer relationships plus other initiatives, the transition to ICD-10, and revenue cycle best practices and trends. The exhibit hall was chock-full of “solutions” to address the challenges. As an exhibitor, although traffic was slower overall, Peak Health Solutions did see heightened awareness of the transition to ICD-10 and the impact this will have on cash flow and the need to identify technology and workforce solutions.

Of course, clinical documentation improvement strategies and technology was No. 1 in everyone’s playbook. I only wish the crowds for our solutions were as heavy as those who showed up for an autograph from Drew Brees, quarterback of the New Orleans Saints, in the exhibit hall on Monday night.

A highlight for most attendees was the presentation by Donald Berwick, MD, former acting administrator of the CMS and a new candidate for Massachusetts governor. Berwick challenged chief financial officers to act now to contain costs and not wait for Washington. He discussed those organizations that have successfully implemented what he referred to as “team-based care,” which focuses on delivering health, not just disease care. The highlighted organizations have received gains in all quality and financial metrics, which underscores the need to adopt a patient-centric lean health care model.

Other major themes he touched on were the need to prepare for ICD-10 and the adverse impact if financial leadership does not step up to the plate.

Another topic of conversation at the conference was the acquisition of physician practices by health care systems and the alliances and further consolidation in the marketplace. There is an opportunity to improve efficiency and quality, but absorbing this change from a multifaceted approach has proven to be challenging. Last, the patient experience must be front and center. I experienced this focus from a revenue technology and workflow standpoint, from scheduling and eligibility to online bill paying.

There were definitely more than enough initiatives to have kept the audience out of the Orlando entertainment venues. I look forward to increased attendance next year in a foolproof venue (sans Father or Mother’s Day). Vive Las Vegas!

— Cassi L. Birnbaum, MS, RHIA, FAHIMA, CPHQ, is vice president of HIM at Peak Health Solutions.

 

ZirMed Reintroduced Health Information Connectivity, Management Solutions

ZirMed, a health information connectivity and management solutions company, launched its new brand and showcased its technology at the Healthcare Financial Management Association National Institute. ZirMed’s solutions equip more than 160,000 providers with the tools to facilitate, manage, and analyze clinical and financial communications among providers, payers, and patients.

During the conference, ZirMed also announced significant customer and product news and demonstrated its suite of cloud-based revenue cycle management, clinical communications, and analytics tools.

— Source: ZirMed