Specialty Preconferences
Kick off your Annual Conference by joining us for a specialty preconference.
Specialty preconferences foster collaboration and dialogue among your specialty peers in a focused, intimate and personalized environment – all before the full conference begins! Sessions are led by experts in your specialty who deliver information tailored to address the issues most relevant to your practice. You and your specialty colleagues will also have valuable time to network between sessions.
Preconference Schedule
Saturday Oct. 20, 8:00 am-5:00 pm and Sunday Oct 21, 8:00 am-12:15 pm
Clock hours/ACMPE: 9.75
CME credit: 10
CPE credit: 11.5
Get informed on the current trends in the pathology industry, hear insights into various compensation methodologies, learn how to create a top-notch marketing plan and glean invaluable insights from your colleagues on your most pressing issues.
View Saturday schedule
Saturday, Oct. 20
7:00 am-5:00 pm
Registration Open
7:30-8:30 am
Continental breakfast
8:15-8:30 am
Welcome and introductions
8:30-9:45 am
Industry Update
Specialty-specific
Intermediate
Dennis Weissman, president, Dennis Weissman & Associates LLC, Washington, D.C.
Far-reaching policy changes and market upheavals continue to significantly impact all major players in the healthcare industry. To adapt successfully, group practice professionals must be fully aware of emerging trends affecting pathology practices. In this session, you will gain new insights surrounding critical industry developments and identify key trends affecting your pathology practice.
This session will provide you the knowledge to:
- Describe the top industry issues that will most likely affect your practice
- Recognize how key developments surrounding healthcare reform will impact group practices
- Identify policy options being considered to deal with pathology in-sourcing
9:45-10:00 am
Networking break
10:00-11:15 am
Pathology Services Legal Compliance Update
Compliance and Risk Management
Intermediate
Jane Pine Wood, Esq., McDonald Hopkins LLC, Dennis, Mass.
Any experienced practice manager knows that regulatory laws are constantly changing, exposing practices to the risks of fraud and abuse. This session will address current legal compliance issues facing pathology practices and laboratories, with particular focus on billing and audit issues. The session will also explore the in-sourcing of pathology services by specialty practices and the corresponding marketing activities.
This session will provide you the knowledge to:
- Recognize current risk areas of pathology billing and audit activities
- Describe legal issues associated with establishing in-house laboratories and technical component (TC) and professional component (PC) arrangements
- Identify legal marketing activities such as EHR donations and interface implementation
11:15-11:30 am
Networking break
11:30 am-12:30 pm
Exchange Café: Revenue Preservation, and if You’re Lucky, Enhancement
Financial Management
Intermediate
Kelley Suskie, MHSA, FACMPE, administrator, Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, University of Arkansas, Little Rock
Is your practice’s declining revenue keeping you up at night? Would you like to learn how your colleagues are maintaining – and perhaps even increasing – their current revenue stream? During this exchange café, you and your colleagues will take a seat at tables that have been assigned various topics on successful strategies to preserve and grow pathology practice revenue. A facilitator will guide each group discussion as attendees share their insights and discover solutions. During the session, attendees can stay at the same table to learn more or move to different tables to explore new topics and meet new people.
This session will provide you the knowledge to:
- Compare issues and solutions related to revenue enhancement efforts
- Describe methods to preserve and grow your pathology practice’s revenue
12:30-1:30 pm
Networking Luncheon
1:30-2:30 pm
Pathology Compensation Methodologies
Financial Management
Intermediate
Doug Knapman, MBA, director, practice management, College of American Pathologists, Northfield, Ill.; Al Parker, MS, MT, ASCP, DLM, administrator, Pathology Associates, Tallahassee, Fla.; and Nancy Risenhoover, MA, clinical department administrator, Department of Pathology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
Do you ever wonder what other pathology practices are doing to create physician compensation plans? During this session representatives from academics, the private sector and an employed physician model will explain how they’ve developed compensation models for their physicians. Attendees will hear the pros and cons of each model and learn how to apply the methods within their own practices.
This session will provide you the knowledge to:
- Analyze your practice’s compensation methods
- Compare your practice’s compensation methods to those of your peers
- Identify other groups’ compensation methods to help you prepare for alignment/mergers
2:30-2:45 pm
Networking break
2:45-3:45 pm
Pathology Revenue Cycle Benchmarking and Outcomes
Financial Management
Intermediate
Mick Raich, president, chief executive officer, Vachette Pathology, Blissfield, Mich.
In today’s competitive industry, pathology practices cannot afford to operate in a vacuum. The session will focus on an array of billing and collection benchmarks for anatomic, clinical and global billing. Topics of discussion will include benchmarks for accounts receivable, collection rates from collection agencies, self-pay billing trends, managed care payment trends, billing costs, refunds rates, average charge and collection per pathologist, CPT codes per case, and an income study of pathology salaries across the nation.
This session will provide you the knowledge to:
- Compare your individual practice benchmarks to industry standards
- Determine your practice metrics and compare them to those of similar practices
- Identify methods to increase your practice revenue through new trends in the pathology revenue cycle environment
3:45-4:00 pm
Networking break
4:00-5:00 pm
Coordinated Care and Contracting: Pathology Participation in ACO’s and Other Forms of Clinical Integration
Specialty-specific
Intermediate
Edgar “Jed” C. Morrison Jr., JD, partner, Jackson Walker L.L.P., San Antonio
New laws promote the use of Accountable Care Organizations (ACO’s) and similar organizations as a way to coordinate and deliver care in the most efficient and effective setting. The marketplace is moving quickly in that direction, giving providers the flexibility to collaborate and innovate to improve the quality and efficiency of health care. How can pathology providers determine whether and how to participate in ACO-type entities, both for governmental as well as commercial patients?
This session will provide you the knowledge to:
- Review the legal and business structures and risks of ACO type organizations
- Provide examples of alternative delivery and payment mechanisms
- Ensure that pathology providers have a place at the coordinated care table
5:00-5:45 pm
Networking Reception
Sponsored by College of American Pathologists
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View Sunday scheduleSunday, Oct. 21
7:00 am-1:00 pm
Registration Open
7:30-8:30 am
Continental Breakfast
Sponsored by McKesson
8:00-8:30 am
MGMA Pathology Management Assembly Business Meeting
8:30-9:30 am
The Changing Value Proposition of the Pathologist
Patient Care Systems
Basic
Jennifer Hunt, MD, MEd, chair of pathology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock
Pathologists have long been an integral member of the healthcare team, providing service in both the outpatient and inpatient setting. However, with new reimbursement model proposals and different types of practice settings, the emphasis may shift away from traditional revenue models based on CPT codes. Pathologists should seek new and creative ways to provide value as members of the healthcare team. This presentation will review pathologists’ new potential value propositions, such as patient and physician consultation services, intramural consulting related to test utilization, and oversight of quality and safety initiatives.
This session will provide you the knowledge to:
- Examine different models of pathology consultation in your practice
- Identify opportunities for pathologists to review and impact test utilization
- Describe models of pathology leadership in high-risk areas of medical practice
9:30-9:45 am
Networking break
9:45-10:45 am
Building and Executing a Marketing Plan for your Pathology Practice
Business Operations
Intermediate
Keith Sharkey, vice president, sales and marketing, CSI Laboratories, Alpharetta, Ga.
As the local pathology market becomes increasingly competitive, designing and implementing a top-notch marketing plan is essential. This session will focus on developing a market analysis, then building and executing a marketing plan to retain and grow your practice’s client base.
This session will provide you the knowledge to:
- Develop and implement a market analysis for your practice
- Identify the four “Ps” of marketing: product, price, place and promotion
- Describe the role of a sales organization, the technologies available to local practices and how to pull it all together
10:45-11:00 am
Networking break
11:00 am -12:15 pm
Your Colleagues as Experts
Specialty-specific
Intermediate
Marcia McCall, MBA, CMPE, pathology department administrator, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston Salem, N.C.
Pathology practice administrators face the challenge of keeping up with various and often complex issues affecting their practice. This highly interactive, audience-driven session will help you stay abreast of these issues and find out how your colleagues are tackling the same challenges your practice may be facing.
This session will provide you the knowledge to:
- Recognize the challenges pathology practices are facing
- Identify practical tools and techniques to address pathology practice management issues
Minimize
Oct. 20, 1:00-5:15 pm and Oct. 21, 8:00 am-12:15 pm
Clock hours/ACMPE: 6.75
CME credit: 7
CPE credit: 8
This preconference will center on the theme, “Integrated Care Across the Continuum — From Private Practice to a Hospital System.” You will learn about integration alignment models, fair market valuation, service line development and implementation, physician employment contracts and review a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) integrated care case study.
View Saturday schedule
Saturday, Oct. 20
Noon- 5:30 pm
Registration open
1:00-1:15 pm
Welcome and Introductions
1:15-2:15 pm
The Evolution of Integration in Cardiovascular/Thoracic Surgery and Cardiology Practices
Alignment and Integration
Intermediate
Kevin Lieb, senior director, TRG Health Care Solutions, Denver
How will cardiovascular/thoracic surgery and cardiology and physician practices and hospitals work together to achieve their economic goals in an era of healthcare reform? Lieb and Reilly will give an update on successful alignment structures and provide case studies detailing early results for hospitals and physician organizations that have been aligned for a year or more. Learn how to organize clinically to succeed, identify the risks and rewards associated with bundled payment and explore effective compensation models for aligning interests in positive quality and financial outcomes.
This session will provide you the knowledge to:
- List examples of various alignment models
- Describe early results of integrated models from actual case studies
- Identify the implications of bundled pricing initiatives
2:15-2:30 pm
Networking break
2:30-3:30 pm
Fair Market Valuations – Essentials for Surviving
Revenue Strategies and Cost Containment
Intermediate
Cathleen Biga, chief executive officer, Cardiovascular Management of Illinois, Woodbridge, Ill. ; Todd Carl, MBA, executive director, Cardiac Surgical Associates, Clearwater, Fla.
Cardiovascular/thoracic surgery and cardiology physicians are executing an increasing number of agreements with hospitals, all of which have fair market valuation requirements. Beyond the challenges of selling a practice, groups are entering professional service agreements, leadership agreements and accountable care organization arrangements. This session will examine the processes necessary to ensure that both parties obtain sustainable and equitable deals.
This session will provide you the knowledge to:
- Identify the critical economic components of valuations
- Demonstrate your worth to a valuator
- Discuss options when negotiations seem to be failing
3:30-3:45 pm
Networking break
3:45- 5:15 pm
Integrated care round-table sessions
Alignment and Integration
Intermediate
Cardiology moderator: Julie Younger, CPA, MBA, CMPE, chief administrative officer, Iowa Heart Center/Mercy Medical Center, West Des Moines
Cardiovascular/thoracic surgery moderator: Kevin Dwyer, MBA, MS, CMPE, administrator, Albany Cardiothoracic Surgeons PC, Albany, N.Y.
Addressing the integrated care issues in cardiology and cardiovascular/thoracic surgery practices, these interactive sessions will focus on the challenges and solutions practice managers face in today’s changing healthcare environment. A moderator will facilitate each round-table discussion. You are encouraged to bring specific questions and concerns to share during peer dialog.
This session will provide you the knowledge to:
- Discuss challenges and solutions that impact cardiology or cardiovascular/thoracic surgery practices
Minimize
View Sunday schedule Sunday, Oct. 21
7:00 am-1:00 pm
Registration open
7:30-8:30 am
Continental breakfast
8:00-9:15 am
Remaining Independent: How to Survive in Private Practice
Alignment and Integration
Intermediate
Kenneth T. Hertz, FACMPE, Principal Consultant, MGMA Health Care Consulting Group, Pineville, LA;
John E Brown CMPE, CEO President, Cardiology Consultants Ltd, Virginia Beach, VA
Despite multiple opportunities and industry pressure for employment and alignment, many cardiology practices desire to stay independent. This interactive session will examine alternatives for preserving your practice autonomy through revenue cycle management and enhancement. We will also assess how healthy profitability and compensation can be achieved and sustained through strategic investment in ancillaries and following best practices. Prepare to explore through case studies and discussion how independence can be maintained in our changing healthcare environment.
This session will provide you with the knowledge to:
- Evaluate revenue opportunities in cardiovascular ancillaries and service lines
- Examine financial best practices for application to your cardiology practice
- Share ideas and solutions with colleagues with a similar goal of independence
9:15-9:30 am
Networking break
9:30-10:45 am
Physician Employment Contracts: Alternatives and Issues That You Will Likely Encounter During Negotiations
Revenue Strategies and Cost Containment
Intermediate
Randy S. Gerber, Esq., share holder, Polsinelli Shughart PC, St. Louis
Many hospitals and physicians are positioning themselves for the continuing changes in the healthcare environment. This session will focus on the various physician employment contracts available to cardiovascular/thoracic surgery and cardiology physicians and the accompanying issues that occur during the negotiation process. The session will address key provisions in physician employment agreements, professional services agreements, asset purchase agreements and management agreements.
This session will provide you the knowledge to:
- Identify physician employment options for cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons
- Describe the benefits and drawbacks of the various physician employment arrangements
- Evaluate the employment options to select the best one for your practice
10:45-11:00 am
Networking break
11:00 am– 12:15 pm
From your Colleagues: Implementing a Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) Program
Specialty-specific
Intermediate
Lisa Motley, CMPE, executive director, University Cardiothoracic Surgical Associates, Louisville, Ky.; and Julie Younger, MBA, CPA, CMPE, chief administrative officer, Iowa Heart Center/Mercy Medical Center, West Des Moines
In 2011, cardiovascular/thoracic surgery and cardiology practices began implementing TAVR programs. Hear first hand from practice administrators about their TAVR experiences, including lessons learned and recommendations. This session will provide an overview of the economic, operational and clinical components necessary to develop a successful percutaneous valve therapy program. Participants will discover the critical tools for a collaborative, practical approach to attracting patients, mitigating potential conflict and understanding the resource requirements to ensure a TAVR program’s positive financial impact.
This session will provide you the knowledge to:
- Describe the latest catheter-based technologies to treat valvular heart disease
- Evaluate your system’s readiness to implement a TAVR program
- List the essential steps to implementing a TAVR program in your practice
Noon- 5:00 pm
Exhibit Hall open
Cardiovascular Specialties Preconference registrants will also receive access to the MGMA 2012 Annual Conference Exhibit Hall, located in Exhibit Hall (Halls CD) all day Sunday. Minimize
Oct. 21, 8:00 am-12:30 pm
Clock hours/ACMPE: 3.75
CME credit: 4
CPE credit: 4.5
What is the future of gastroenterology practices? What are the threats and opportunities? Experts will share their recommendations on the future as well as guide you through topics including GI and hospital partnerships and the how, when and who of having nonphysician providers in your GI practice.
View schedule
Sunday, Oct. 21
7:00 am - 1:00pm
Registration open
7:30-8:30 am
Continental breakfast
Sponsored by Miraca Life Sciences
8:00-8:15 am
Welcome and Introductions
8:15-9:30 am
The Future of Gastroenterology Practice
Specialty-specific
Overview
John I. Allen, MD, MBA, AGAF, medical director for quality, Minnesota Gastroenterology, and vice president-elect, American Gastroenterology Association, Bloomington, Minn.
The volatility of the healthcare profession makes it difficult, if not impossible, for gastroenterology practice managers to anticipate the future. This session will explore recent research findings into a variety of trends that will affect gastroenterology practices’ clinical and business operations. This session will describe potential future scenarios and provide strategies for succeeding in each.
This session will provide you the knowledge to:
- Describe various trends that will impact gastroenterology practices’ operations
- Recognize threats and opportunities that might arise in the near term
- Prepare recommendations and plans that fit the needs of your practice
9:30-9:45 am
Networking break
Sponsored by Innovative Anesthesia
9:45-11:00 am
GI and Hospital Partnership Models: Prepare your Practice for Success!
Alignment and Integration Strategies
Intermediate
Moderated by: Mary A Igo, RN MBA, chief executive officer, Digestive Health Specialists, Tacoma, Wash.; Joel Brill, MD, AGAF, CHCQM, chief medical officer, Predictive Health LLC, Phoenix; Tim Sayler, chief executive officer and president, St. Joseph Regional Medical Center, Lewiston, Idaho; and Perry Hanson, MHA, partner, Wipfli LLP, Minneapolis
The uncertainty of today’s healthcare marketplace is prompting gastroenterology practices to consider various hospital partnership models. This timely session will outline the various partnership models from preferred partnering to employment. The panel will describe the criteria hospitals and payers use to select partners, the critical factors to consider before entering a partnership and the essential steps to evaluate the outcomes of your new arrangement.
This session will provide you the knowledge to:
- Describe the critical factors hospitals and payers use for considering partners
- Compare your gastroenterology and endoscopy quality programs against potential partners’ expectations
- List methods for collecting gastroenterology data to leverage successful partnerships
11:00-11:15 am
Networking break
Sponsored by Innovative Anesthesia
11:15 am-12:30 pm
Nonphysician Providers in the GI Practice: If, How, When and Whom?
Specialty-specific
Intermediate
Vicki King, CMPE, Practice Administrator, Borland-Groover Clinic PA, Jacksonville, FL
When is it the right time – if ever – to add a nonphysician provider to a gastroenterology practice? This session will identify the issues to explore when determining when (and if) to add nonphysician providers, steps to integrate them into the care team, and suggestions on recruitment, compensation and benefits for the nonphysician providers. Participants will take home resources that will aid them in these activities.
This session will provide you the knowledge to:
- Analyze the need and timing of adding a nonphysician provider to your practice
- Recognize the dos and don’ts of integration into the gastroenterology practice
- Describe recruitment, compensation and benefit options for nonphysician gastroenterology providers
Noon-5:00 pm
Exhibit Hall open
12:30-1:30 pm
Open forum luncheon
Sponsored by Colon Prep Center Minimize
Oct. 21, 8:00 am-12:30 pm
Clock hours/ACMPE: 3.75
CME credit: 4
CPE credit: 4.5
Learn about the multiple merger, integration and hospital buyout arrangements available to orthopedic groups. Determine how to effectively combine the cultures of merging organizations, discover the win-win opportunities for practice and hospital clinical co-management agreements and learn about fulfilling E&M coding requirements while reaching the highest level of E&M coding for in-office procedures.
View schedule
Sunday, Oct. 21
7:00 am-1:00 pm
Registration open
7:30-8:30 am
Continental breakfast
8:00-8:15 am
Welcome and Introductions
8:00-9:15 am
It’s Time to Take E&M Documentation and Coding Seriously – You do Make Money in the Office
Financial Management
Intermediate
Margie Scalley Vaught, CPC, CPC-H, CCS-P, MCS-P, ACS-EM, ACS-OR, healthcare consultant, Margie Vaught, Chehalis, Wash
Each year, E&M code RVUs seem to increase as procedure codes continue to decline. Now is the time to get serious about what is required to achieve high-quality service in your practice while helping your providers understand the risks of incorrect coding. This session will address these issues and explore scenarios and tips to bring your providers up to speed. The session will also explore the compliance issues that arise from inaccurate documentation of E&M services. We will also discuss ideas and tools to get your providers to buy into the notion that the practice does make money.
This session will provide you with the knowledge to:
- Identify the essential steps of fulfilling the E&M coding requirements, including new levels three through five as they apply in orthopedic situations
- Describe how to use proper documentation to ensure correct payment for total joints without fear of recouping from your Medicare or private payers who have begun placing medical necessity policies
9:15-9:30 am
Networking break
Sponsored by Phoenix Ortho
9:30-10:45 am
Engaging Today’s Healthcare Consumer: Using Social Media to Strengthen Your Orthopedic Practice
Business Operations
Intermediate
Andrea Eliscu, president, Medical Marketing, Inc., and Mary Mahoney, principal, J Robinson Group LLC, both of Orlando, Fla.
Wherever you turn today, you hear something about social media – a neighborhood party where the neighbors are global. For healthcare organizations, social media presents opportunities for word-of-mouth referrals, and provides patients with a voice through which they share knowledge and experiences, access support, and feel part of a community. Learn how to harness the power of social media to strategically and successfully promote and grow your orthopedic practice.
This session will provide you with the knowledge to:
- Define specific social media goals and identify the resources required to meet them
- Explore physicians’ use of social media to enhance patient satisfaction and retention while attracting new patients
- Identify how to measure, monitor and evaluate the success of your social media efforts
10:45-11:00 am
Networking break
Sponsored by Phoenix Ortho
11:00-12:30 pm
Why Clinical Co-Management? A Business Perspective on the Benefits of Co-Management as a Physician-Hospital Alignment Model
Financial Management
Intermediate
Greg Anderson, CPA/ABV, CVA, partner, Horne LLP, Hattiesburg, Miss. Clinical co-management arrangements have gained favor among both hospitals desiring to achieve greater alignment with specialty practices and specialists wishing to work with hospitals to achieve high clinical quality and outcomes. Within orthopedics, co-management programs have helped to achieve a higher level of clinical integration between autonomous practices and partner hospitals. This session will address the legal and regulatory environment affecting co-management programs, the two main types of co-management structures and the general means of compensating for management services. The speaker will also provide examples of quality metrics and discuss how to address formative and practical issues.
This session will provide you with the knowledge to:
- Identify the pros and cons of an orthopedic clinical co-management arrangement
- Participate in the design of a co-management model that aligns program objectives with practice and hospital quality initiatives
- Participate in the valuation of the co-management arrangement
Noon- 5:00 pm
Exhibit Hall open
12:30-1:30 pm
Hot Topics luncheon
Sponsored by Phoenix Ortho Minimize
Oct. 21, 8:00 am-12:30 pm
Clock hours/ACMPE: 3.75
CME credit: 4
CPE credit: 4.5
This preconference focuses on the strategic alignment options facing surgical groups. You will learn how to evaluate, plan and implement effective strategies in the changing payment and delivery environment, identify critical operational, financial and legal opportunities and potential issues, and assess relationship formation and negotiation strategies.
View schedule
Sunday, Oct. 21
7:00 am-1:00 pm
Registration open
7:30-8:30 am
Continental breakfast
8:00-8:15 am
Welcome and Introductions
Part one: 8:15-9:15 am
Part two: 9:30-10:45 am
Strategic Alignment: Evaluate, Plan and Implement a Surgical Group Strategy
Alignment and Integration
Intermediate
Bruce Johnson, JD, MPA, shareholder, Polsinelli Shughart PC, Denver
Surgical group practices face numerous challenges and opportunities due to changing payment and delivery systems. This extended session will explore trends in the healthcare environment, offer assessment methods for surgical group practices, define strategies that meet group and physician needs, and explore alternative participation models. Johnson will review the group strategic planning and assessment process and discuss provider and payer participation options ranging from independent strategies involving network formation and group-to-group mergers, to physician-hospital alignment and accountable care organization structures. The session will focus on key operational, financial and legal issues, and the pros and cons associated with each in light of strategic goals.
This session will provide you the knowledge to:
- Evaluate how various relationship and alignment strategies affect strategic objectives
- List operational, financial and legal circumstances presented by alternative strategies
- Assess relationship formation and negotiation strategies to achieve group practice goals
9:15-9:30 am
Networking break
10:45-11:00 am
Networking break
11:00 am-12:30 pm
Alignment Options Exchange Café
Alignment and Integration
Intermediate
John Berlin, MBA, CMPE, chief executive officer, North Florida Surgeons, Jacksonville
Are today’s changing payment and delivery systems keeping you up at night? Do you wonder how other practices are preparing for the rollercoaster ahead? During this exchange café, you and your colleagues will take a seat at tables that have been assigned topics related to alignment and integrations strategies. A facilitator will guide each group discussion as attendees share their insights and discover solutions. During the session, attendees may stay at the same table to learn more or move to different tables to explore new topics and meet new people.
This session will provide you the knowledge to:
- Compare issues and solutions relating to changing payment and delivery systems
- Describe two or more methods to prepare your practice for alignment opportunities
Noon-5:00 pm
Exhibit Hall open
Surgical Practice Preconference registrants will also receive access to the MGMA 2012 Annual Conference Exhibit Hall, located in Exhibit Hall (Halls CD) Minimize
*Preregistration required.