August 2016 Vol. 6 No. 4

In This Issue: A Note from the President HCWP Fall Conference Sponsorship Opportunities ACA Compliance Member Briefing Medicare Update Program Health Literacy Program A Note from Novitas Survey Update Upcoming Committee Meetings Past Committee Meetings New Allied Members Other Items of Interest

Sponsors:

Healthcare Council of Western Pennsylvania is a strategic partner with health care providers and affiliated organizations, enabling them to realize their mission while maintaining their status as economically viable entities.

Visit:  http://www.hcwp.org Call:  1-800-704-8434

A Note From The President Dear Members and Friends, For those of you who have come to our Conference Center over the past few months, you have seen some changes regarding the building. The building has been occupied by Healthcare Council as the owner, and Intalere (formerly Amerinet) as a tenant. Intalere recently moved to a new location in Cranberry and Healthcare Council is now looking to sell the building or find a long-term tenant. In either case, the intent of the Board of Directors is for Healthcare Council to stay in its current location.

As part of these changes, Healthcare Council has a new information technology vendor and with that, a new platform for internet, telephone and email services. While most of the transition to the new platform is complete, there are a few technical issues that we continue to work on. We have come to realize that some incoming emails have been rejected and outbound emails have not been delivered. I expect these issues to be resolved in the near future.I want to thank you for your support and patience during this time. I look forward to seeing you at our Fall Conference on October 28th!

Sincerely,

A.J. HarperPresident

Save the Date: Healthcare Council's Fall ConferenceStrategic Leadership: Politics, Policy and Perspective is the theme of Healthcare Council's Annual Fall Conference on Friday, October 28, 2016 at the Pittsburgh Marriott North.

This year's Conference kicks off with keynote speaker Stephen Beeson, M.D, the founder of the Physician Effectiveness Project at Practicing Excellence. Dr. Beeson is a nationally-recognized author, professional trainer and coach and is known for his work in physician leadership, physician-administration relationships and quality. He was part of a team that won the Malcolm-Baldridge Award.

G. Terry Madonna, Ph.D., director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs and director of the Franklin & Marshall Poll for Franklin & Marshall College will provide participants with up-to-the minute insights into the 2016 elections as well as "hot off the press" presidential election polling data.

Dennis Yablonsky, the chief executive officer of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development will provide participants with insight into regional initiatives related to economic development and the region's workforce.

A "save the date" email was recently sent to members and the invitation to the event will be emailed to all members in the near future. The Conference will begin at 8:30 a.m. with registration, a continental breakfast

and the opportunity to speak with sponsors. The general session will begin at 9:15 a.m. and conclude by 12:30 p.m. with a networking lunch. A CEO breakfast (by invitation only) will begin at 7:30 a.m.

In addition, the western Pennsylvania chapters of the American College of Health Care Executives (ACHE) and the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) will hold education sessions immediately following the Conference's networking lunch. Information regarding registration for these programs will be sent to ACHE and HFMA members.

The Conference is free of charge, due to the generous support of Healthcare Council's corporate and Conference sponsors. Healthcare Council thanks its conference sponsors (as of August 4th):

Gold Sponsors: Fox Rothschild LLC, and ViaQuestSilver Sponsors: Arnett Carbis Toothman LLC, Capital Healthcare Solutions, and Main Street Medical Bronze Sponsor: Optum

We also thank Intalere for its Corporate Sponsorship for 2016/2017.

For more information contact Pat Raffaele.

Corporate and Conference SponsorshipsCorporate and Conference Sponsorships are available from Healthcare Council. Corporate sponsorships are annual sponsorships and begin on September 1, 2016 and conclude on August 31, 2017.

A special thank you to Healthcare Council's 2015-2016 Corporate Sponsors: Cowden Associates (Platinum), Cura and Strategy Solutions (Gold) and Bottom Line Systems (Silver).

Corporate sponsorships are $3,000, $5,000 and $7,000 and include benefits based on the sponsorship level. All corporate sponsorships include Allied Member dues as well as a sponsorship for the Fall Conference. Other benefits include being featured on the home page of Healthcare Council's website, in newsletters and on the marquee in the Education Center.

Conference sponsorships are $2000 (Platinum), $1500 (Gold), $1000 (Silver) and $500 (Bronze). The Silver, Gold and Platinum sponsorships include the opportunity to host a display at the Conference. The $1500 and $2000 sponsorships include an advertisement in the Program Booklet as well as an invitation for one person to attend the CEO Breakfast.

For more information on Corporate and Conference Sponsorships please visit http://hcwp.org/hcwp-sponsorship-opportunities/.

For more information contact Pat Raffaele.

ACA Compliance: Member BriefingHealthcare Council has partnered with eBenefits to provide a member briefing ACA Compliance: Looking Back and Looking Ahead. The briefing will be held on August 24, 2016 from 9:30 a.m. until approximately noon at Healthcare Council's Conference Center.

Chris Tamanini, JD, MBA, SPHR and an ACA subject matter expert for eBenefits will give an in-depth presentation on ACA Compliance that will cover several topics including: 2015 Year in Review: What Did we Learn and The Challenges We Faced; Policy Changes in 2017 and Beyond; and Top Actions to Take to Comply: Now and in the Future. He has 17 years of experience in human resources in health care, insurance and banking. His areas of expertise include government reporting, decision management and metrics.

In addition, Ryan Smith, sales executive with eBenefits, will provide an introduction to eBenefits solution and explain how this tool can help with ACA Compliance. He has nearly 10 years of experience in technology sales, marketing and account management. He partners with HR professionals, benefits brokers and consultants to identify their HR technology needs. He works to custom-fit solutions for ACA compliance, benefits administration and health care exchanges.

The program will conclude with a networking lunch for participants. There is no fee to attend the program, however registration is required.

For more information contact Pat Raffaele.

Annual Medicare Update Program - September 23Changes occurring in Medicare reimbursement, cost report preparation issues and Post-Acute Care collaborations are the focus of this year's Annual Medicare Update program. Healthcare Council and the western Pennsylvania chapter of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) have partnered once again on the program, which will be held on September 23, 2016 at Healthcare Council's Jack C. Robinette Conference Center.

The day-long agenda includes an opening session on Medicare Annual Changes followed by a presentation by Novitas Medicare Auditors. Other sessions will focus on Strategies for Post-Acute Collaboration, Medicare disproportionate share (DSH), definitions of charity care and bad debt and Medical Assistance DSH. Presenters include Brad Brotherton, a partner with BKD, Mark Hudak and Dave Ciplolone from Novitas, and speakers from DHG Healthcare.

For more information contact Denis Lukes.

Save the Date: Health Literacy ProgramHealth Literate Care: Engaging Patients as an Organization, a program on health literacy, will be held on October 7, 2016 at Healthcare Council's Jack C. Robinette Conference Center from 9:30 a.m. until approximately noon. The program will begin with a light breakfast and registration at 8:30 a.m. and conclude with a networking lunch at approximately noon. The program is designed to provide clinical and administrative leaders examples of practical projects and resources to assist patients in understanding their care.

Healthcare Council and the Pennsylvania Health Literacy Coalition are partnering to provide this program on the Ten Attributes of a Health Literate Organization as outlined by the National Academy of Medicines' Roundtable on Health Literacy.

Cynthia Mueller Hall, MHA, CPHQ, senior management associate, Carolinas HealthCare System, will share her experience overseeing the system-wide roll out of a literacy program inspired by the Ten Attributes of a Health Literate Organization. Mary Ann Abrams, M.D., MPH, will share practical examples and tools to implement and sustain health literacy-related interventions in real-world clinical settings. She is a clinical assistant professor for the Department of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Nationwide Children's Hospital.

The program will conclude with a panel discussion designed to provide regional perspectives and responses to the speakers. Panelists include Patrice Levasseur, executive director, The Cole Foundation and executive director for Patient and Community Relations at Cole Memorial Hospital and Lou Ann Jeremko, executive director for the Consumer Health Coalition, among others. Kevin Progar, community coordinator, Strategy & Outreach at Healthcare Council will moderate the panel discussion.

Participants will also receive several tools and resources including an Always Use Teach-back Toolkit and a guidebook on Building Health Literate Organizations, among others. Although the program is provided free of charge, registration is required. For information contact Kevin Progar.

A Note from NovitasNovitas Solutions Inc. (Novitas), reminds Medicare Part A and B providers that they are required to recertify the accuracy of enrollment information every five years through a process known as revalidation. The initial five year cycle was completed in 2015 and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) began Cycle 2 in March 2016. Novitas is the Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) for the fee-for-service program in Jurisdiction L, which includes Pennsylvania, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland and New Jersey.

CMS implemented improvements to streamline the revalidation process during Cycle 2. One of the changes is that CMS is establishing due dates with six months advance notice of when the revalidation application must be received by CMS to remain compliant with Medicare's revalidation requirements. CMS posts the due dates for all currently enrolled providers in its Medicare Revalidation Look Tool at Data. The tool is updated every 60 days and providers are encouraged to check the tool periodically and respond in a timely manner once the due date is established. Novitas is also issuing notices by mail to providers two to three months in advance of the due date. For more information please contact Novitas' Provider Enrollment Help Line at 1-877-235-8073.

Survey UpdateBenchmark Salary Survey The Benchmark Salary Survey will be sent to participating members this month. The survey has 75 participants and covers 84 positions. For more information contact Pat Raffaele or Betty Steup.

Flash Survey Although data for the fourth-quarter Flash Survey is being compiled, members can still submit data. For more information contact Denis Lukes or Betty Steup.

Upcoming Committee MeetingsPractice Administrators Committee The Merit Based Incentive Payment Program and Alternate Payment Models (MACRA) will be a focus of the August 17th Practice Administrator's Committee meeting. Other topics of discussion include credentialing issues, and upcoming changes to both physical health and managed long-term care. For more information contact Denis Lukes or Jane Montgomery.

Risk/Quality Committee The Risk/Quality Committee will meet on August 18th at Healthcare Council's Jack C. Robinette Conference Center and also at Penn Highlands Clearfield in the First Floor Conference Room. The two locations will be connected via audioconference.

Michael Paulus, customer advocate, partner and president of Sequentia will discuss data used in patient risk stratification and using that data to reduce readmissions. In addition, participants will learn about research conducted on improving patient outcomes by using specific software from Steve Claypool and Mike Regnier from Wolters Kluwer. Claypool is medical director for the firm and Regnier is vice president of Sales. Other topics for discussion include the proposed outpatient perspective payment (OPPS) rule and the conclusion of the Hospital Engagement Network (HEN), among others. For more information contact Jane Montgomery.

Long Term Care Chief Financial Officers Committee The first meeting of the Long Term Care Chief Financial Officers Committee will be held on August 25th. For more information contact Denis Lukes.

Future Committee MeetingsManaged Care Committee: September 7, 2016Contact Denis Lukes or Jane MontgomeryCompliance Committee: September 9, 2016Contact Pat RaffaeleChief Nursing Officers Committee: September 9, 2016Contact Jane MontgomeryFund Development Committee: September 28, 2016Contact Pat Raffaele

Past Committee MeetingsManaged Care Committee The Managed Care Committee discussed changes to Medical Assistance (Medicaid) related to physical health and also Medicaid Managed Long-Term Care Services and Support (MLTSS). The Committee also saw a demonstration of the New Hampshire transparency web site. Other discussion items included Merit Based Incentives Payment Program and Alternate Payment Models (MACRA), surprise billing and Medicare proposed rules. For more information contact Jane Montgomery.

Human Resources Committee Workforce issues and initiatives were the key topics of discussion at the June 17th HR Committee meeting. Marc Cammarata, an HR expert and former vice president of HR for Healthcare Council (retired), provided the Committee with detailed information on past workforce initiatives developed by Healthcare Council. The Committee also discussed ideas for potential future workforce initiatives as well as the results of the Allegheny Conference's report on the future of work in the Pittsburgh region. The Committee also held a roundtable discussion. The Long Term Care HR Committee met immediately following the HR Committee meeting. For more information contact Pat Raffaele.

Health Information Management Committee The Health Information Management (HIM) Committee discussed differences between ICD-9 and ICD-10 related to productivity and accuracy. The Committee also discussed transparency, Merit Based Incentives Payment Program and Alternate Payment Models (MACRA) and the proposed inpatient perspective payment (IPPS) rule. The meeting concluded with a roundtable discussion. For more information contact Denis Lukes or Jane Montgomery.

Chief Operating Officers Committee The Chief Operating Officers Committee hosted a program featuring Joint Commission speaker Larry F. Rubin, Life Safety Code Surveyor, on June 23rd. The Committee met briefly prior to the program and discussed potential topic ideas and speakers for future meetings. The meeting adjourned and Committee members participated in the Joint Commission program. For more information contact Pat Raffaele.

Compliance Committee The Compliance Officers Committee met on July 15th. The focus of the meeting was a discussion with Assistant United States Attorney and Chief of the Civil Division, Michael Comber. The Committee also discussed the October 7th Health Care Compliance Association Regional Conference and Healthcare Council's October 28th Fall Member Conference. The roundtable discussion focused on several topics including the Pokemon "Go" Game and the impact on regional hospitals related to the game and patient privacy and security. For more information contact Pat Raffaele.

New Allied MembersHealthcare Council welcomes the following new Allied Members:

Sequentia Corporation Sequentia Corporation, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, works with hospitals to increase the retention of Medicare reimbursement by decreasing Medicare Spend per Beneficiary (MSPB). Suquentia focuses on improving the care transition process for the patient so patients are discharged to the most appropriate post-acute care provider (skilled nursing, home health and others.) The improved process results in better outcomes for the patient and less expense. For more information contact Chief Executive Officer Gennaro (Jerry) Luce at 440-258-2322.

ViaQuest, Inc. ViaQuest Inc., headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, provides a wide range of services referred to as ViaQuest's Circle of Care. ViaQuest's services include home health and hospice with medical services, pharmacogenetics, hospice for veterans and also for those with disabilities. In addition, ViaQuest offers specialty behavioral health. ViaQuest offers services in Pennsylvania from it's office in Monongahela, Pennsylvania. For more information contact Chief Executive Officer Rich Johnson at 888-334-5696.

Other Items of InterestACMS Awards Nominations The Allegheny County Medical Society (ACMS) Foundation is accepting nominations for the 2016 Community and Foundation Awards. Nominations must be submitted by Monday, August 15, 2016 and awards will be presented at the 2017 ACMS Foundation Gala.

Community awards include the Benjamin Rush Individual Award and the Benjamin Rush Community Organization Award. Physician awards include the Nathanial Bedford Primary Care Award, the Ralph C. Wilde Leadership Award, the Physician Volunteer Award and the Richard E. Deitrick Humanity in Medicine Award. The ACMS Foundation provides a $1000 grant to the western Pennsylvania charity of each award recipient's choice.

The award descriptions and the nomination form can be found at www.acms.org/awards. Nominations can also be submitted online. For more information visit the ACMS website or contact Executive Director Jack Krah, ACMS at (412) 321-5030.

Health Literacy Program Focused on Understanding Health Insurance Helping to empower consumers in understanding health insurance is the topic of a program that will be held in State College, Pennsylvania, on August 24th and August 25th. The Pennsylvania Health Literacy Coalition (PA-HLC) is hosting the program. PA-HLC has partnered with the University of Maryland Extension Educators to offer Smart Choice Basics.

The evidence-based program provides PA-HLC members with tools and information they can use to help consumers select a health plan or provide consumers with a better understanding of the plan they have enrolled in. Consumers can be confused by choices among health plans and may not be aware of high deductibles and/or out-of-pocket expenses. Consumers can be surprised when they receive unexpected

medical bills or have to pay unexpected costs. These things can lead to confusion and may ultimately lead to consumers avoiding necessary or follow-up care. Smart Choice Basics is designed to help agencies assist consumers so these issues can be avoided.

Smart Choice Basics uses a "train the trainer" model and Smart Choice educators will provide this training at the August 24th and August 25th in-person session. In addition, the in-person session will be enhanced by a follow-up webinar on September 22, 2016. The webinar will also include in-person facilitation.

The program is free of charge, however registration is required. Agencies may send up to two individuals to the training and PA-HLC is able to offer limited financial assistance for rooms, which can be requested during the registration process. For more information contact Bradley Moore, project manager.

Washington & Jefferson Offering New Program Washington & Jefferson College is offering a new master's degree program in Applied Health Care Economics and Outcomes Management. There is still time to enroll in the program, which begins on September 12th. Current enrollees for the cohort include physicians, nurses, pharmacists and product development directors.

Healthcare Council members can receive discounted tuition. For more information contact Douglas McKell, academic program director, Applied Health Care Economics and Outcome Management, Washington and Jefferson College.

HIMSS Healthcare 2025 Program The role of information technology in the future of healthcare will be the topic of the western Pennsylvania chapter of the Healthcare Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Healthcare 2025 Program on September 8, 2016. The program will be held from noon until 6 p.m. at the Life Sciences Greenhouse in Pittsburgh.

The tentative agenda includes topics related to healthcare analytics, patient engagement and a global strategy for performance improvement in healthcare, using IT to reduce hospital admissions from nursing homes and a panel discussion focused on emerging challenges in healthcare IT.The program fee is $40 for members and $50 for non-members. For more information visit http://wpa.himsschapter.org.

ACHE Healthcare Leadership Education Series The western Pennsylvania chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) will hold its September Healthcare Leadership Education Series on September 15 beginning at 8 a.m. at 11 Stanwix Street in Pittsburgh.

The first session will focus on Health Insurance Exchanges and the Effect on Healthcare Delivery Organizations and the second session will focus on the Financial Implications: The Push from Inpatient to Outpatient Care.

For more information visit www.westpa.achechapter.org.

HCCA Annual Regional Conference

The Health Care Compliance Association Pittsburgh Annual Regional Conference will be held on Friday, October 7, 2016 at the Regional Learning Alliance Conference Center in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania. Several members of Healthcare Council's Compliance Committee are on the Planning Committee for the Conference.

The day-long program features an update from both the Civil and Criminal divisions of the Pittsburgh office of the Department of Justice. Michael A. Comber, Esq., assistant United States Attorney and Chief of the Civil Division, will provide an overview of the Department of Justice, as well as overview of health care fraud and civil and criminal statutes, proceedings and remedies.

Other topics include Compliance Challenges in the New World of Value Based Purchasing Arrangements, Coding and CDI Compliance Programs; Cyber Security Strategies for Compliance Officers; and Components of an Effective Compliance Program. The day will conclude with a panel discussion on Ethics and Healthcare.

The fee is $199 for an HCCA member and $245 for a nonmember. To register visit the HCCA website or for more information contact Beckie Smith, CMP,

Western Pennsylvania Healthcare Summit The Western Pennsylvania Healthcare Summit will be held on October 14, 2016 at the Sheraton Station Square from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. The program is one day summit offering two distinct educational tracks focused in the areas of healthcare administration, finance and information technology. The 2016 Summit will look at the future of healthcare through innovation and will feature multiple sessions presented by industry leaders.

The program is sponsored by leading healthcare business education organizations including the Western Pennsylvania Health Information Management Association, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), and the western Pennsylvania chapters of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) and the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE).

More information will be available in the near future.