Minnesota Chapter Notes from the President - Naomi Horsager What is HFMA? That is a question Minnesota chapter leaders discussed as they gathered in May to plan activities for the coming year. Making a personal connection with other healthcare finance professionals is a valuable element of HFMA membership. This coincides with our HFMA National Chairman s theme HFMA: It s Personal. This personal connection can be made through formal training, informal networking, committee work on healthcare technical matters, publications and working together to serve fellow members. Are you connecting? Get Connected! The Autumn Institute offers an opportunity to connect with other healthcare professionals as we gather to hear and share information on industry developments. The 2002 Autumn Institute was a great program and 2003 promises more of the same. I hope to see you at the Institute on October 30 and 31 at the Radisson Hotel in Plymouth who knows what tricks and treats may be in store!! Other opportunities to connect are available through the Rural Health Committee/MHA programs where updates in billing and reimbursement issues specific to Critical Access Hospitals are shared. These programs are scheduled at locations throughout the state: October 6, 2003 in Willmar October 7, 2003 in Owatonna October 13, 2003 in Virginia October 14, 2003 in Bemidji Please make time in your busy schedules for these valuable opportunities to learn, network and connect. HFMA: It s Personal Make HFMA personal for someone else by extending an invitation to join you. Each person brings a unique perspective that adds value to the HFMA experience for others.
Page 2 If you are interested in becoming more involved in HFMA, please contact me. There are many opportunities for matching your skills and interests with the needs of your fellow HFMA members. No The Move! We Say Goodbye. Please join me in sending our best wishes to Christine Hogan-Newgren as she leaves our chapter to join Centura Health in Englewood, Colorado. Christine has served her fellow HFMA members in many ways serving on the Minnesota chapter board of directors, updating the chapter strategic plan, developing a concept for a new chapter committee focused on compliance and serving on the Healthcare Compliance Forum Advisory Council and that s just the last year!! We will miss Christine s energy, ideas and commitment greatly but we send congratulations and best wishes as she heads to Colorado. Naomi Horsager 952-918-3648 nhorsager@eidebailly.com Upcoming events you won t want to miss. October 30-31 January Autumn Institute Radisson Hotel Plymouth, MN Winter Institute 2004 April 1-2 Concordia Institute Ramada Plaza Suites Fargo, ND
Page 3 May 11 May 11 June 27-July 1 July Mini-Leadership Training Conf. Eide Bailly Office Bloomington, MN Spring Fling Annual National Institute Opryland Hotel 2800 Opryland Drive Nashville, TN 37214 Bi-State Institute New Member News Julie Richter comes the health healthcare scene with Eide Bailly in their Sioux Falls office. Julie has a Bachelors degree from Augustana and over twenty years experience in accounting with work in cost accounting, restaurants and small business consulting. She has joined HFMA to learn as much as possible about the healthcare industry and is looking forward to working with those in the know. Julie enjoys activities with her family and spending time quilting. Please call Julie at 605-977-2760 or email her at <jrichter@eidebailly.com> and welcome her to MN HFMA. Sean Benson is co-founder and Vice President, Technology at Provation Medical in Minneapolis. Provation was founded in 1994 and prior to that Sean was with Hewitt Associates and a self employed consultant. Sean holds a BA in Mathematics from St. Olaf College. Provation makes software for physician practices to help improve their ROI and Sean joined HFMA to learn more about the needs of the hospital financial community. Sean enjoys running, guitar playing and reading.
Page 4 Lets all make Sean feel welcome by calling or emailing him to say HI!. His phone is 612-313-1502 and email address is <Sean.Benson@provationmedical.com>. News From The Board Board Update Stephanie Gilman The Board of Directors met on August 18, 2003 at the Bent Creek Golf Club and covered a very full agenda. Highlights included: Review and approval of expenditures through July 31, 2003. Acceptance of proposal from Enestvedt and Christensen to perform agreed upon procedures to the FY 2003 Chapter Financial Statements. Acceptance of a proposal by Amy Tepp and Christine Hogan-Newgren to establish a compliance committee of the MN Chapter. Look for more details soon! Updates regarding sponsorship recruitment activities. Efforts are in full swing to obtain renewals of existing sponsors and to recruit new sponsors. Suggestions regarding potential sponsors should be forward to Kim Pederson, Sponsorship Chair or members of the Board. Educational Programs: o Autumn Institute scheduled for October 30 31, 2003 at the Radisson in Plymouth. Program to be sent to members by early October. o Winter Institute all specifics still open o CAH programs jointly sponsored by MHA will be held in October 4 meetings at 4 out state locations. The primary speaker will be Janet Mairs from Noridian and the main focus will be billing issues. Member Communications Update: o There will be two Vikingland Viewpoints for FY 2004. The target distribution is November and April. o Mini-newsletters will be distributed approximately every month. The name of this newsletter is to be. o Publication of the current year Membership directory is moving ahead.
Page 5 o Identification by certain e-mail systems of MN HFMA messages as SPAM and how to alert membership of the issue. Updates from: o Membership Committee New chair (Dan Zeien) outlined various member recruitment initiatives o Regulatory Committee Meets every other month, recently submitted comments to CMS re: the proposed 2004 Medicare Inpatient PPS Rules o Rural Health Committee CAH education sessions jointly sponsored with MHA to occur in October. o Naomi Horsager, President, regarding strategic plan progress, the agenda of the Fall Presidents meeting and suggestions for potential Yerger Award submissions. The next meeting will occur on October 31, 2003 immediately following the Fall Institute. The meeting was adjourned for a very fun (but sticky!) day of golf. Mark your calendars to attend the golf outing next August. The Chair, Ray Costello, has personally promised the day will be sunny and in the 70 s! Career Opportunities Reimbursement Analyst Medicare Hennepin County Medical Center, a Level 1 Trauma Center in downtown Minneapolis that has been named to U.S. News & World Reports list of the nation s Best Hospitals for 5 consecutive years, is a currently seeking a full time Medicare Reimbursement Analyst who is organized, has excellent communication skills, and strong computer experience. This position requires extensive knowledge of governmental payors, payment, settlement and appeal processes along with proven knowledge of Medicare and Medicaid regulations. Primary responsibilities include preparation and filing of annual hospital Medicare cost report, Medicaid rate setting and the monitoring of all Medicare, Medicaid, and Third Party Payor payment and settlement. Requires a BS/BA in Accounting or Business Admin with at least 3-4 years of experience in Health Care Financial Management and Medicare reimbursement, including cost report preparation.
Page 6 In return for your dedication, we offer a very competitive salary and excellent benefits package. For further information about this position and HCMC, please visit our website. Interested candidates may either apply online, email their resume with cover letter to julie.herda@co.hennepin.mn.us or fax to (612)904-4285. Hennepin County Medical Center LOGO (ufhcmc) Attn: Human Resources 701 Park Avenue Minneapolis, MN 55415 www.hcmc.org 612-347-4113 AA/EOE Editors Note Ken Cornish We are still looking for input from our members. Remember HFMA: It s Personal Let s all try to keep informed of what s happening to out there on the personal side. We learn a lot of good information at the institutes but the networking and getting to know others in the business is just as important.