2008 MTMGMA Annual Conference - Missoula, MT
Work Smarter, Not Harder
April 16-18, 2008
Registration Now Open
Rigistration is now open! Look for our conference brochure in the mail.
Absolutely the best value for your continuing education dollar! Come join your colleagues at the MTMGMA annual conference and get national level quality speakers right here in Montana. Click below to download the official conference registration form.
Location
The conference will take place at the beautiful Doubletree Hotel Missoula/Edgewater in downtown Missoula. Located on the banks of the Clark Fork River, the hotel and conference center offer in-house fine dining (with an outdoor seating area overlooking the river), wireless internet access, an outdoor pool, fitness center, and well apportioned guest rooms. Oh, also there is world-class fly fishing out the back door along with easy access to hiking/walking/jogging trails.
In addition, the hotel provides:
- Complimentary shuttle service to and from the Missoula International Airport
- 24-hour business center
- Remote guest room printing
- Business support services
Click here for a map to the Doubletree.
The Doubletree Hotel Missoula/Edgewater is close to many local attractions such as:
- A Carousel for Missoula - One of the first fully hand carved carousels in the United States
- The Art Museum of Missoula
- Southgate Mall
- Historical Museum at Fort Missoula - Its collection includes 24,000 objects including 13 historic structures
- The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Wildlife Visitor Center
- University of Montana - Only two blocks away with the University of Montana Golf Course also nearby
- Smokejumper Center – The largest active smoke jumper base in the nation
- Historic downtown Missoula with over 100 restaurants and 40 bars
Program
| Wednesday, April 16 | |
| 8:00 - 5:00 | Registration Table Open |
| 8:00 - 12:00 | Pre-Conference Leadership Development: Pathway to Serving – Ann McFarland Key elements, concepts, and tools that will assist you in developing your leadership roles! |
| 12:00 - 1:00 | Lunch in Exhibit Hall |
| 1:15 - 2:30 | Legislative Update - Leah Cohen Update on Federal legislation recently passed and currently pending |
| 2:30 - 3:00 | Break in Exhibit Hall |
| 3:00 - 4:45 | Legal Update - Larry Riley & Craig Eddy The Art of an Apology; Stark II, Phase III and much more. |
| 5:00 - 7:00 | Opening Reception at LA Design Join your colleagues and representatives from Garlington, Lohn and Robinson for food and drink. |
| 9:00 - 11:00 | MTMGMA Hospitality Suite - Doubletree Suite |
| Thursday, April 17 | |
| 7:00 - 5:00 | Registration Table Opens |
| 7:00 - 8:00 | Breakfast in Exhibit Hall |
| 8:00 - 8:10 | Welcome / Opening Introduction |
| 8:10 - 10:00 | How to Communicate with Difficult People
- Julie Byrne An important topic and skill presented with a comic flair. |
| 10:00 - 11:30 | Break Out Sessions Coding Compliance – Margie Vaught What does the 2008 OIG workplan mean for you, protect your office from an audit. Recommendations will be offered on how to protect your office from these areas of focus. Billing & Collections – Sara Larch As you move through your revenue cycle process, it is smart to do it right the first time. If you don’t do it right, you’ll work harder and increase your costs. |
| 11:45 - 12:00 | Western Section Update - Ron Rehm |
| 12:00 - 1:00 | Business Meeting & Lunch |
| 1:00 - 2:30 | Break Out Sessions How to Use Modifiers 24 – 58 and 78 – Margie Vaught These modifiers are often misunderstood and commonly misapplied. A must attend for offices that perform major surgical procedures. HR 101 – Lynda Brown “HR 101” will prepare you to perform the essential HR functions such as hiring, managing performance, policies/handbooks, retention, discipline, and firing. The session will identify the “must knows” and provide you with the basic tools to help you run a legal and effective practice in terms of managing your staff. |
| 2:30 - 3:00 | Break in Exhibit Hall |
| 3:00 - 4:30 | Break Out Sessions: Efficient Billing Practices – Sara Larch The cost of your billing office is always under pressure, thus staff productivity is critical. We’ll discuss key workflows and opportunities to make sure your staff are working smart. HR 202 – Lynda Brown If you already have experience with the essentials or basics of the duties considered “human resources,” this more advanced session will build on those basics by exploring a few of these functions in more depth; focusing on: hiring, disciplining, compensating, scheduling, ensuring compliance with policies, and terminating. |
| 6:00 - 8:00 | Dinner at the Doubletree Hotel with Entertainment by Bits and Pieces |
| Friday, April 18 | |
| 7:30 - 8:30 | Breakfast with vendors |
| 8:30 - 10:00 | Break Out Sessions ACMPE Board Certification & Professional Papers – Ann McFarland Why advance? What is the process really like? No need to fear Fellowship, writing your papers is easier than is may seem. Managers Round Table – Amy Shoales Feel like you’re spinning your wheels? Come exchange ideas and solutions with your peers. |
| 10:00 - 10:30 | Break in Exhibit Hall |
| 10:30 - 12:00 | Break Out Sessions When to Bring in Experts – Panel Discussion Lawyers, consultants…. How do you know the right time to ask for help from an expert? Listen to a discussion among a practice manager, lawyer and consultant on this topic. Physician Recruiting – Jennifer Beighle Finding new providers for your practice is never easy. Come and learn about recruitment strategies, the pros and cons of search firms, approaching with your local hospital for recruitment support and much more. |
Speakers
| Ann C. McFarland, FACMPE | |
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Ann is a Director of Southwind Health Partners, based in Nashville, TN, and serves as interim executive to academic and integrated healthcare delivery systems across the country. She is a Board Certified Medical Practice Executive and Fellow in the American College of Medical Practice Executives. She has served on the ACMPE Board of Directors, as Chair of the MGMA Joint Education and Information Center Committee, and as President of the MGMA Integrated Healthcare Practices Society and California MGMA. Ann’s practice management background includes single and multi-specialty practices, health system MSO’s, and academic and physician practice management organizations. She is a frequent speaker on topics related to integrated healthcare system management, and professional and leadership development for new and aspiring group practice and MGMA/ACMPE association leaders. |
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| Juli Burney | |
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Multiple award winning teacher, humorist and author, Juli
makes an amazing connection with her audiences. She is able to
entertain with the ability of a headlining comedian while either
motivating or training with ease as a nationally recognized
speaker. Juli has been honored by her state as Artist of the
Year because of her ability to help improve people’s lives
through humor and effective use of communication tools. She has worked in all 48 continental United States and Canada, and has been commissioned by a variety of associations from the National Endowment of the Arts to Fortune 500 companies to develop training programs that stick. She has filmed for Showtime and HBO, along with making several guest appearances on radio and television programs. Her humor is delightful, universal, and enlightening with whatever topic she presents. |
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| Sara Larch, MSHA, FACMPE | |
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Sara M. Larch, MSHA, FACMPE is Chief Operating Officer at University Physicians, Inc, the faculty practice plan at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Ms. Larch has over 20 years of medical group practice experience in single and multispecialty groups of small and large size. She has a master’s degree in health sciences administration from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU).. She is a Fellow of the American College of Medical Practice Executives, Past Board Chair of the Medical Group Management Association, and Past President of the Academic Practice Assembly and the Association of Managers of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Ms. Larch is a co-author of the book titled “The Physician Billing Process: Potholes in the Road to Getting Paid” and a speaker on topics that include billing and reimbursement, practice operations, and women leadership. |
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| Lynda L. Brown, Ph.D., SPHR | |
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Lynda L. Brown PhD is certified by the Society for Human
Resource Management as a Senior Human Resource Professional (SPHR).
She is the Director of Human Resources for Tamarack Management,
Inc. Lynda is an adjunct faculty member for the School of
Business at the University of Montana where she teaches
strategic human resource management, business ethics, and
organizational behavior for the MBA program and the Department
of Marketing and Management. Lynda has thirty years of experience managing human resources for both private and public employers in Montana and Washington. She has served as the HR advisor for a number of non-profit boards in Missoula and is currently a member of the Board of Directors for United Way of Missoula County. The owner of her own management consulting practice, she specializes in organizational development and strategy, compliance and third-party investigations, and employee development/performance management. Lynda frequently serves as an expert witness in discrimination and employment cases. She has a Ph.D. from Florida State University, an M.Ed. in counseling and student personnel from the University of Oklahoma, and a B.S. in biology from the College of William and Mary She is past president of the Society for Human Management (SHRM) Foundation, the Society’s research and development arm. She chaired the national Research Committee for SHRM and was appointed to the task force that developed the Society’s Code of Ethics. Lynda worked with the Foundation and HRCI on initiatives focused on certification and human resource practices in small businesses. She authored a chapter on performance appraisal in Effective Human Resource Measurement Techniques published by the Society for Human Resource Management and is a contributing author to a 2005 Montana Law Review article on Montana’s Wrongful Discharge Act. |
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| Margie Vaught, CCS-P, CPC | |
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With over 25 years experience in the Healthcare arena, in positions from nurse’s aide to ward clerk and medical transcriptionist to office manager, Margie understands how offices are structured. She obtained Certified Professional Coder (CPC) designation in 1995 from the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC), where she served as a National Board Member for over 3 years. Currently she is performing work for the AAPC as a technical support person, in the Education Department. She further obtained the designation of CCS-P (Certified Coding Specialist – Physician) in September 2000 from American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). Having also obtained the credential of Medical Compliance Specialist-Physician (MCS-P) in Jan. 2001, thus giving a more detailed background of compliance issues as outlined by the OIG. In 2003 obtained the credential of ACS-OR Advanced Coding Specialist – Orthopedic. She is a recognized AAPC Approved PMCC Instructor. She became Coding Content Specialist for Decisionhealth in April 2007. Since 1998 she has been providing consulting services to CodeCorrect.com, in regards to their question and answer sections. Adding to this she also performs internal audits, education and training of physicians and office staff, and helps clinics establish billing and coding compliance manuals, as an Independent Consultant. |
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| Leah S. Cohen, MA | |
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Leah serves as the Midwest and Western Section Government
Affairs Representative for the Medical Group Management
Association. In this position, Leah answers national member
questions about technical details of federal legislative and
regulatory issues and coordinates grassroots efforts by MGMA
members. She also speaks before MGMA state and national
meetings. She began her work with MGMA in October 2005. Before joining MGMA, Leah was lobbying on behalf of academic family physicians’ concerned with Title VII and Graduate Medical Education. Additionally, Leah has experience working in public policy concerning drunk driving offenses, bankruptcy and education. Academically, Leah holds a B.A. in Government and Politics and a B.A. in Hearing and Speech Science from the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland as well as a Masters of Arts degree in International Peace and Conflict Resolution from Arcadia University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She received a Certificate in Health Policy from the George Washington University in Washington, DC. |
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| Randy Marcus | |
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Randy Marcus is the Chief Executive Officer of Ortho Montana, a newly formed group resulting from a merger of two established orthopedic groups in Billings. Prior to this position Randy held various senior executive positions with various multispecialty and single specialty medical groups. His career began in the 1970s in the health planning arena. He worked for several planning organizations and was a planning director of a regional medical program. He moved to the provider side, in 1980, after serving as Deputy Health Commissioner for the City of Philadelphia. His expertise is in developing organizations, management systems and taking groups through major changes. He recently moved to Montana from St Petersburg, Florida, where he ran an orthopedics group and a surgery center. A native New Yorker, Mr. Marcus spends most of his spare time playing his bass and guitar, writing songs and searching for a band to replace the ones he left in Florida. Randy has three grown children residing in Oregon, Massachusetts, and Germany. |
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| Larry Riley | |
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Larry received a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Montana in 1963 and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Montana School of Law in 1966. He joined Garlington, Lohn & Robinson in the fall of 1967 and became a partner in 1973. He practices as a trial lawyer with a special emphasis on medical legal matters. Larry has tried numerous jury trials throughout the state of Montana in both state and federal courts and enjoys an "AV" rating in the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory. He has also been selected to appear in the publication BEST LAWYERS IN AMERICA, is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, membership in which is restricted to 2 percent of the trial lawyers in the United States, and a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, membership in which is restricted to 1% of the trial lawyers in the United States and Canada. |
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| Craig Eddy, MD | |
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A native of Dayton, Craig Eddy, MD received a bachelor's degree in
Biology, Chemistry and Physical Education from Oberlin College in 1974
and an MD from the University of Cincinnati in 1978. After serving two
years of active duty in the Navy , Craig completed training in General
and Cardiothoracic Surgery, Critical Care Medicine, and Trauma Surgery
at the University of Washington. In 1992, Craig moved to Missoula,
Montana where he participated in the founding of the International Heart
Institute at St. Patrick Hospital. After suffering a hand injury that abruptly ended his surgical career, Craig attended law school at the University Montana, graduating in 1999. Following law school Craig obtained a post doctoral law degree (LLM with highest honors) in Health Law and Policy from Loyola University Law School in Chicago. Following graduation from Loyola in 2000, Craig returned to Missoula, Montana as the Vice President of St. Patrick Hospital and Health Sciences Center. In October 2007 Craig decided to leave the St Patrick Hospital and subsequently began devoting his full time to legal work with the firm, concentrating in the area of Health Law, especially legislative, transactional, risk management, regulatory and liability issues. |