2002-2003 Annual Report: HFMA brings perspective and clarity to the industry's complex issues for the purpose of preparing our members to succeed. Through our programs, publications and partnerships, we enhance the capabilities that strengthen not only individual careers, but also the organizations from which our members come

Healthcare Financial Management, Oct, 2003

During the forthcoming year, HFMA will continue to provide members the information, tools, and strategies they need to succeed, while spearheading initiatives to improve the profession of healthcare financial management.

Sincerely,

Phyllis A. Cowling, FHFMA, CPA

2002-03 FHMA National Chairman

Richard L. Clarke, FHFMA

HFMA President & CEO

HFMA membership surpassed 32,400 members during the 2002-03 membership year. Member retention remained high, while more than 4,650 new members joined the association. HFMA's "Strength in Numbers, Health in Numbers" member-get-a-member campaign contributed more than 1,100 new members to the final new member total.

Overall, HFMA's member base continues to be finance executives and decision makers who work primarily in healthcare provider organizations. The ranks of membership are expanding, though, to include more students, faculty, and individuals who are in the early stages of their healthcare finance career.

Almost 9,200 HFMA members affiliate with HFMA's special interest forums (the CFO, PFS, Managed Care, and Healthcare Compliance Forums) to share information, network with their peers, and gain expertise in their chosen fields.

A variety of education programs offer solutions to meet the needs of members and the industry. At the national level, HFMA continued to expand e-learning offerings and hosted nearly one hundred seminars and educational events. Those events included two new Revenue Cycle Strategies conferences and the CFO Exchange, providing focused education for a broad professional audience. Last year, HFMA hosted the largest ANI to date in Seattle, featuring 74 educational sessions and an array of events to help more than 2,500 attendees share ideas. More than 50 leading healthcare financial managers from the United Kingdom and the United States gathered to discuss different facets of healthcare finance at the 22nd Annual US/UK International Exchange & Seminar, held in 2002 in Lake Tahoe, CA.

HFMA continued its commitment to life-long learning by developing new online educational programs, in partnership with WebInservice. The educational content provides users with cost-and time-efficient ways to boost performance, with courses addressing accounting and finance, compliance, billing, coding, and documentation. Check out the demo on HFMA's website at www.hfma.org/elearning.> HFMA continues to respond to the demands of busy executives by offering more audio-teleconferences. Participants receive convenient, focused education from wherever they choose to call. In 2002-03, HFMA hosted more than 40 audio-teleconferences. A special three-part. series on "Protecting Your Cash Flow Under HIPAA" was presented in collaboration with the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).

In addition, HFMA joined with the American Association of Health Plans (AAHP) to offer two seminars devoted to improving communication between providers and health plans as a way of reducing claims denials.

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