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2008 Web conference descriptions and objectives

Getting Paid What You Deserve: Strategies for Reimbursement and Payer Contracting

Date: Thursday, April 24, 2008

Time: 1:00 – 2:30 pm CT (90 minutes)

Program Format: Web conference

CME Credit: approved for 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^™ OR
CEU Credit: approved by the Professional Association of Health Care Office Management (PAHCOM) for 1.5 CEUs toward renewal of PAHCOM Medical Manager certification

Faculty: Coker Group Speaker, Susan Childs, FACMPE

Program Description:
The financial success of a medical practice relies on the administrator’s business skills and contracting savvy. However, due to time constraints, especially in smaller practices, many physicians/administrators do not have sufficient time to negotiate and manage their payer relationships. Practice administrators must understand key reimbursement issues, contractual terminology effects their practice implications. This session will help you understand how to distinguish your practice’s distinctive value to the payers in a way that results in higher reimbursements. You will know how to incorporate contract language that is most beneficial to your practice in today’s “incentive” environment.

The goal is to be paid what you deserve. This program will help practice managers navigate that process proficiently.

Objectives:
Following the program, participants will be able to:

Define your organization’s leverage and value in the contracting process
Describe key payer reimbursement analysis issues and the true impact to your practice
Identify and use contract language that can facilitate performance/incentive monitoring
Develop methods to ensure that payment complies with contract terms

Denials Management, Winning the Battle of Low Pays, No Pays, and Stall Tactics

Date: Thursday, July 31, 2008

Time: 1:00 – 2:30 pm CT (90 minutes)

Program Format: Web conference

Faculty: Coker Group Speaker, Crystal S. Reeves, CMPE, CPC

Program Description:
In today’s practice management setting, providers face diminishing margins and increased costs as a result of third-party payer requirements. The variability in denials across the US has made it difficult for many practices to identify key areas of impact, and implement process improvements to enhance revenue. Silent PPOs, downcoding, and other payer tactics are addressed in this program. This Webconference provides the strategies needed to develop a practice-specific starting point for process improvement. Participants will learn how to interpret denials patterns and translate the information into denial prevention strategies.

Objectives:
Following the program, participants will be able to:

Identify claims denials, denial categories, and common denials and causes
Develop steps to prevent denials
Propose denial follow-up improvements
Review trends in payer denials
Identify AMA resources to assist in denials management

Leveraging Your EMR and PMS Technology: Making it Worth the Investment

Date: Thursday, October 2, 2008

Time: 1:00 – 2:30 pm CT (90 minutes)

Program Format: Web conference

Faculty: Coker Group Speaker, Susan Hertlein

Program Description:
Technology requires a significant investment in your practice, but how do you ensure that you are getting the most for your money? Electronic medical records (EMR) and practice management system (PMS) integration can result in significant increased efficiencies and revenue through a more connected system, along with immediate access to the providers. Your systems most likely come chocked full of promises to create practice efficiencies, reduce labor costs, simplify lab interfaces, capture and report data, improve quality, simplifying billing, expedite reimbursement, and more. In this program, you will learn how to identify essential business and clinical functions to realize the efficiencies of an EMR system. Participants will learn to construct and use a return-on-investment tool in their practice, and understand the roles of physician leadership and administration in the process.

Objectives:
Following the program, participants will be able to:

Identify the essential business and clinical functions required to realize the efficiencies of an EMR system.
Construct and use a return-on-investment (ROI) tool in your practice.
Analyze the roles of physician leadership and administration in the process.

Medicare’s Pay for Reporting Bonus (PQRI) – What’s in it for you?

Date: Thursday, February 21, 2008

Time: 1:00 – 2:30 pm CST (90 minutes)

Faculty: Coker Group Speaker, Max Reiboldt, CPA

Program Description:
In 2007, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) launched the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI), a voluntary reporting program to improve quality through the use of clinical performance measures. Practices who report on the designated set of quality measures can earn a bonus payment of up to 1.5% of total allowed charges for covered Medicare physician fee schedule services, based on claims submitted for services provided. This web conference will detail how to report the required data, either with or without an EMR system. This program will also help identify practice’s patients that fall within the given criteria, and determine vital information to be tracked.

Objectives:
Following the program, participants will be able to:

Identify the specifications required for PQRI quality measures, including reporting frequency and timeframes for services performed.
Distinguish which measures apply to your specific practice.
Manage and integrate staff succesfully onboard with PQRI programs, choosing pertinent measures for each specialty
Determine how to construct a cost efficient method of capturing the data reliably and consistently.
Recognize the coder’s role in the implementation process, and problems coders may experience when trying to report the measures.

The American Medical Association is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The American Medical Association designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Last updated: Mar 04, 2008
Content provided by: Group Practice Services