See healthcare finance at a new level - HFMA ANI 2003 Baltimore - a discussion of the highlights of the HFMA's Annual National Institute's premier educational event for healthcare financial professionals

Healthcare Financial Management, April, 2003

HFMA will be hosting Annual National Institute (ANI) 2003, the premier educational event for healthcare financial professionals, June 22-26 at the Baltimore Convention Center. ANI 2003 will offer healthcare financial leaders an incomparable means to enrich their knowledge and understanding of the fundamental issues facing healthcare organizations today and in the years to come. Five preconference programs and more than 65 concurrent conference programs in eight tracks make up ANI 2003's essential curriculum, providing attendees with a wealth of practical guidance and insight into how they can successful financial leaders and strategic innovators in their organizations.

Preconference Highlights

The five full-day, preconference programs will be offered on Sunday, June 22, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Patient Financial Services Conference will educate PFS professionals about advanced solutions that can dramatically affect their operations today. Attendees will learn, through case studies, how to implement ideas with high economic value and return on investment.

The Compliance Officers Conference will provide practical guidance on navigating the various stages of a compliance investigation: detection, investigation, analysis of findings, settlement, and prevention. Attendees will learn appropriate courses of action to take during compliance investigations.

Using Data to Make Management Decisions is designed to dispel the myth that information is unavailable in the healthcare industry for making good, rational clinical and financial decisions. This program analyzes the problem and seeks meaningful solutions through the use of tried-and-true management principles and new, fundamentally sound analytical techniques.

Chargemaster Strategies to Enhance Your Billing Process is a workshop that deals with compliance, coding, and billing issues related to an organization's chargemaster. Each participant should bring his or her own organization's chargemaster to benefit the most from the advice and the review process presented.

Understanding the Medicare Cost Report delves into the process of completing this important document. The session will provide an overview of the sources of data used to complete the cost report and new information about limitations and settlements.

Keynote Speakers

From the major leagues to Medicare, the keynote speakers at ANI 2003 will offer insight and inspiration.

On Monday, future Hall of Famer and retired Baltimore Orioles third baseman Cal Ripken, Jr., will describe the lessons he learned from his father about the importance of patience, perseverance, commitment, practice, respect for others, and teamwork. These essential principles helped Ripken create an unbreakable foundation for his career and will inspire attendees to create their own unstoppable future.

Tuesday's keynote address will be presented by Glenn Hackbarth. chairman of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. As a key player on this 17-member panel that advises Congress on Medicare policy issues, Hackbarth will give audience members an inside perspective into Medicare by discussing the present-day healthcare economic environment, healthcare policy issues of the current administration and Congress, and ways these policy changes could affect the ever-changing world of Medicare.

On Wednesday, Quint Studer, HFMA Board member and founder of the Studer Group, will deliver the final keynote address. Drawing upon 19 years in health care, including periods serving as president of Baptist Hospital, Inc. and COO of Holy Cross Hospital, Studer has created techniques to help organizations achieve superior operating results. Studer has been instrumental in demonstrating that patient, employee, and physician satisfaction improves bottom-line results by reducing employee turnover, rejected claims, and agency costs. Participants also will learn ways to enhance the bottom line by improving clinical outcomes and increasing patient volume.

Special Events

Sunday, June 22. Attendees who wish to prepare for one of HFMA's certification examinations can take one or more of the National Coaching Courses in certification. The core examination review session will be held from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., and the four specialty review sessions (accounting and finance, patient financial services, managed care, and physician practices management) will be held from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The Professional Assessment Program, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., allows participants to compare their skills with the eight key competencies for CFOs identified by HFMA as being essential to success in the healthcare finance profession. Participation requires enrollment and the completion of a written self-assessment before ANI.

The Get-Acquainted Session, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., offers first-time ANI attendees a convention overview and orientation.

Monday, June 23. The HFMA Forums Breakfast will be held from 7:15 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. All members of HFMA Forums are invited to attend.

The Internet-based HFMA certification examinations will be available to HFMA members, with prior registration and scheduling, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Walk-ins will be accommodated on a space-available basis.) A Certification Information Reception will beheld from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.