2000-01 Accomplishments - Healthcare Financial Management Association's year in review - Statistical Data Included

Healthcare Financial Management, Oct, 2001

HFMA membership remains strong. As a result of national and chapter recruiting efforts, nearly 4,200 new members joined HFMA during membership year 2000-01. Total membership for the year exceeded 31,500. A majority of HFMA members are senior finance executives and decision-makers who work primarily in healthcare provider organizations. As a demonstration of their commitment to HFMA and the benefits the Association provides, existing members sponsor a large number of new members. Opportunities to increase the value of HFMA membership are continually explored, based on industry dynamics and member feedback

A variety of education programs offer solutions to meet the needs of members and the industry. The 2000 ANI in Orlando provided excellent education, networking, and social activities with more than 2,000 people in attendance.

Chapters and regions provided high-quality programming in the form of conferences, seminars and audio teleconferences.

At the national level, HFMA hosted nearly one hundred seminars and educational events, including the Corporate Compliance Conference, Managed Care Institute and CFO Exchange, providing focused education for a broad professional audience.

In addition, demonstrating our commitment to lifelong learning, HFMA has continued to develop on-line educational programs, in partnership with Weblnservice and Healthstream. The education content provides users with cost-and time-efficient ways to boost performance, with topics ranging from compliance and billing to coding and documentation. Check out the demo on our web site at www.hfma.org/elearning.

HFMA continues to respond to the demands of busy executives by offering more audio teleconferences. Participants conveniently receive focused education from wherever they choose to dial in.

More than 50 leading healthcare financial managers from the United Kingdom and United States gathered to discuss different facets of healthcare finance at the 20th Annual USA/UK International Exchange & Seminar, held in 2000 in Washington, D.C.

For the Fall '00 educational programming, HFMA National partnered with 24 chapters to offer programming to more than 700 individuals. Additionally, HFMA National partnered with the New York and Puerto Rico chapters to present a Region 2 October conference. HFMA National along with the Northern and Southern California Chapters co-hosted the Managed Care Institute.

For the Spring '01, National continued to partner with regions, joining with Region I chapters in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island to present a mini-cluster in Boston.

Certification testing takes off over the Internet. HFMA members responded to high tech and reduced exam costs as the number of exams taken more than doubled. With the move to Internet-based testing, the cost for examinations was reduced almost 40%, while still maintaining exam security and providing candidates with immediate exam results. Using this new methodology, exams are literally available whenever and wherever there is Internet access, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The recent year saw HFMA certified members participating in certification maintenance at over 95%, which is well above industry averages. These increases and improvements in member services were largely due to the dedication and creativity of the HFMA chapters and the members who lead them.

Industry trends, issues, and important news are communicated to members in many ways. HFMA informed and educated members by publishing 12 monthly issues of its highly respected magazine, Healthcare Financial Management (HFM). Editorial coverage included in-depth articles on HIPAA, compliance issues, technology-related topics, and APCs. Printed and on-line classified advertising sales continued to grow dramatically, bringing more job opportunities to members and potential members. In December, the HFM 2001 Resource Guide was published; this seventh edition of the Guide is now available on HFMA'S web site. Twelve issues of the Patient Accounts (PA) newsletter were published and the Annual National Institute daily newspaper, ANI update, was produced during the ANI in Orlando.

HFMA's desktop delivery of timely information continues to grow. Circulation for HFMA Express News, the Association's weekly executive summary of healthcare finance news, has grown to 25,000 members, or more than 83 percent of HFMA's membership. The e-mail newsletter is a popular member benefit.

HFMA Wants You to Know, which features a bi-weekly, in-depth article on industry issues and trends as well as announcements of pertinent HFMA products and services, enjoys similar success. This e-mail newsletter is available to members and others who have expressed interest.

HFMA's on-line technical resources continue to grow. HFMA continues to build a diverse online collection of practical technical information. In addition to timely summaries, fact sheets, and analyses, HFMA has formed an advisory group of HIPAA experts to develop tools and information to help members comply with these complex requirements.