RBMA Fall Educational Conference — Sessions
Monday, September 17, 2007
8:00 am – 9:15 am
The Drum Café
Music has the power to transform, inspire, move and motivate us both as individuals and groups. This team building event has a powerful unifying message which cuts through language, gender and age, breaking down barriers both vertically and laterally to enhance communication. It is the most fundamental way to reduce stress and learn to work together, celebrate success, and build community and team spirit. The synergy between the individual and the group is the reason why The Drum Cafe exists. Come be amazed at the beautiful rhythm we will make together!
10:30 am – 11:30 am
CSI Radiology: Tales of Alleged Omission and Commission
Richard Duszak, MD, FACR
Using several recent high profile physician practice investigations and settlements, review key Medicare requirements and regulations, and learn simple steps that can be introduced into medical practices to minimize coding and billing errors, facilitate reimbursement, and optimize regulatory compliance.
11:30 am – 12:30 pm
ACR Update
Maurine Spillman-Dennis
Come listen to the latest updates from the American College of Radiology regarding PQRI, the Deficit Reduction Act, and other legislative and regulatory items of which you need to be aware.
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Concurrent Sessions
Coronary CTA…Everything You Wanted to Know
Cathleen Biga
Cardiac CT angiography has rapidly advanced in the clinical environment over the past 24 months. The implementation, operational impact, economic impact, and current research will be addressed in this packed presentation. Participants will learn how to successfully integrate cardiac CT angiography into their facilities and practices. Correct codes, current payor environment, operational integration and economic impact will be reviewed.
Baseline or Benchmark?
Patricia Kroken, FACMPE, CRA
Gain a better understanding of the various terms used in process improvement, including correction of the frequent misuse of the term “benchmark.” Learn the differences among major process improvement approaches and determine which could work best for your practice.
Reading Films for Physician Groups and IDTFs: What Should Professional Services Agreements Look Like?
W. Kenneth Davis, Jr., JD
Although many radiology groups typically derive most of their revenue from practicing at hospitals, they also often read films for other physician groups and IDTFs. If structured correctly, these types of arrangements should not pose regulatory risks. However, with proposed changes to the contractual arrangement reassignment exception, and the efforts Federal regulators are putting into eliminating potential self-referral incentives, these arrangements need to be re-examined. This session will review the typical professional services agreement and identify pitfalls that they can pose; describe how recent regulatory changes have impacted these relationships and are prompting restructurings of the relationships; and take a glimpse at how radiology groups and heart groups are structuring arrangements for cardiac imaging interpretations, and the legal risks implicated by these arrangements.
You CAN Get There From Here – Strategic Planning for Medical Groups
Will Latham, MBA, CPA
With today's fast changing environment, and the significance of needed decisions, planning for the future is especially critical for medical groups. No matter what future you foresee, long-range, strategic planning is essential to identify where you want to go, and how to optimally utilize your resources to get there. This session will address the need for, process of, and benefits from strategic planning.
Concurrent Sessions
Telling Isn’t Selling
Kim Longeteig
Beyond establishing your relationship with your referring offices, effective marketing comes not from the stories you tell but from the questions you ask. A truly successful marketer is often one who asks the most questions. Telling rather than listening and learning what your customer really want can actually have a counterproductive effect. This session will teach you the difference between telling and selling and how to ask questions in a systematic way that will allow you to discover your customer’s needs and objectives create a desire for a solution and ultimately increase your referrals.
How to Manage Your Practice and Stay Out of the Courtroom
Joan Roediger, JD, LLM
Medical practices are constantly struggling to keep up with various employment-related laws. Find out the laws applicable to most medical practices, including the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family Medical Leave Act, as well as various discrimination laws applicable to practices. Discuss how to hire, fire, and effectively manage staff within the confines of the various employment laws and review the policies that should be contained in your practice policy manual.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
10:15 am – 11:15 am
Concurrent Sessions
Employment Agreements for Medical Group Administrators
Frank Gamma, JD
This session is designed to assist medical group administrators in negotiating initial employment contracts as well as renewing existing agreements. A model contract with all the important issues related to the employment of administrators will be reviewed, and administrators should be able to take the materials and assess their own existing contract and propose changes to their medical groups.
Pitfalls When Interpreting Cardiac Images: Can They Be Avoided?
W. Kenneth Davis, Jr., JD
Non-invasive cardiac imaging is rapidly growing in use, and is poised to potentially replace cardiac catheterization as the diagnostic test of choice for many patients with possible coronary artery blockages. As a result, cardiologists are pushing to become qualified to read these studies. Radiologists and cardiologists have found ways to share in the responsibility for providing the interpretations which prompt legal questions, as well as coding, billing, compliance, and professional liability consequences. This session will review some of these approaches being used for interpretations and examine the main issues they pose.
Glass Ceilings, Sticky Floors, Maternal Walls, and the Courts: Sexual Harassment and Gender Discrimination in Radiology
Leonard Berlin, MD
This presentation will focus on sexual harassment and gender discrimination in the world of radiology, with emphasis on imaging centers, both hospital-based and free standing. Topics such as what types of conduct do and do not constitute sexual harassment, how retaliation is defined by the courts, and the need for written institutional policies will be discussed. The prevalence of gender discrimination in radiology will also be addressed, along with methods of reducing and hopefully eliminating sexual harassment and gender discrimination.
Strategically Marketing Your Radiology Practice: Developing a Service Relationship Mentality
Brigette LaBar and Steve Collins
This is an interactive, hands-on approach to strategically marketing your radiology practice to hospital administration and clinical staff. The session will specifically address the management and marketing of the radiology group’s relationship with the hospital administration and clinical staff. Hospital contract issues will be key, but not from the traditional legalistic view point, rather from a marketing angle and relationship management vantage point where service mentality is the over-arching theme. Key elements of the discuss will include building upon subspecialty expertise, utilizing technology to effectively reach the clinical “clients” and patients, and enhancing your group’s communication skills.
11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Concurrent Sessions
Working with the Competition: Medical Group Affiliation Models
Frank Gamma, JD
The purpose of this session is to address affiliation options for medical groups. The speaker will address a "Continuum of Integration" which ranges from an expense-sharing arrangement all the way through a full medical group merger. The session will be interactive with the use of hypotheticals and significant participation by attendees.
I’m at the 25th Percentile! Now What?
Patricia Kroken, FACMPE, CRA
Learn to identify operational areas impacting on key indicators and what you can do to change them. This session will teach you how to recognize how indicators link together operationally, and how to identify and prioritize opportunities for improvement.
Revving Up The Troops!
Jamie Tarr
The success of any operation is based on the leadership team. How do managers inspire people to work harder, reach higher, and achieve more? Discover new and proven techniques to energize and motivate your people to bring out the best in themselves and others.
Qualified Retirement Plans – Unique Opportunities & Fiduciary Responsibilities
Richard Phillips
The Pension Protection Act of 2006 significantly increased the deduction limit for qualified retirement plans. This session will focus on unique designs that achieve multiple objectives, and take advantage of the new deduction limits in 2008. Current litigation and how to develop a strategy for managing fiduciary liability will also be discussed.
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Concurrent Sessions
Process Improvement in Motion
Patricia Kroken, FACMPE, CRA
Learn how a process problem can be turned into an opportunity for change. Learn who should be on your change team, how to develop an action plan for addressing the process problem, how to anticipate change management problems, and how to present change opportunities without blame.
How to Lobby My State and Local Leaders to Affect Change
Daniel Issa, Senator
Never before have government and regulatory agencies had a more powerful effect on our businesses. The Deficit Reduction Act, regulatory agencies, and state laws affect the way we do business as well as the costs involved. Learn how and where your efforts can be the most effective. Short and long term strategies will be discussed.
Practice Mergers – Do’s and Don’ts
Michael Langenberg, CPA
As a consequence of dealing with industry challenges and pressures created by reimbursement cuts and the emergence of well funded National “Day Hawk” providers, many radiology practices are being forced to consider merging practices to obtain marketing strength. This session will equip participants with practical examples of what has worked and not worked in these situations and some practical guideposts to help navigate through the merger process.
Uptime, Downtime, Tube Costs, Response Times – What’s the Best Way to Maintain Imaging Equipment
Robert Maliff, MBA
Does the vendor always have to maintain your imaging equipment? Are there better solutions available? How do you monitor and judge the value of equipment service providers? In this session, attendees will learn that, yes, original equipment vendors do provide a good service, but there are options to these generally costly programs. Find out what characterizes a good technology management program, what providers should ask their equipment maintenance organization before any contract is signed, and how best to judge maintenance programs.
3:45 pm – 4:45 pm
Concurrent Sessions
Denials Management: What’s It All About?
Patricia Kroken, FACMPE, CRA
Denials management involves much more than organizing a series of appeal letters; it represents a second chance to capture potentially lost revenue. This session explains the concept of denials management, including the identification and correction of root causes.
Physicians vs. Managed Care - A Three Round Title Fight
Ron Howrigon
Ever wonder why there is such a fight between health care providers and major managed care companies? Where did it all start, and more importantly, where did it all go wrong? In this presentation, you will learn the history behind the fight between managed care and physicians, what the current relationship looks like and more importantly what the future holds for both parties. We will review the actions and tactics that have worked for both sides during this struggle as well as those that have failed. Finally we will discuss the strategies and tactics that physicians and hospitals can and should use to prepare them for the future.
Save the Day – One Minute at a Time
Donna Weinstock
The success of a radiology practice administrator is dependent on efficiency and time management. Find out how to improve your time management skills and improve the efficiency of your practice.
Buying and Selling Imaging Centers in Turbulent Times
Brian Baker
Healthcare news today is inundated with stories of mergers and acquisitions. Last year, more than 900 deals were completed worth over $235 billion. Traditionally, the diagnostic imaging component within these numbers has been relatively small. With the impact of DRA and as the outpatient imaging market continues to mature, the number of and opportunity for transactions will continue to increase. Learn what elements are important to both the buyer and seller and how to negotiate for a successful transaction.
