PCC Pediatric Practice Management Conference
Friday, August 1, 2008
Burlington, VT
Get More Green! Improve reimbursement with expert guidance from PCC. Choose from among thirteen courses designed to streamline your workflow, improve quality of care, sharpen coding practices, and increase reimbursement.
PCC's annual Pediatric Practice Management Conference for managing providers and staff will be held at the Sheraton Burlington, Vermont. Register by June 30 and pay only $299. Space is limited.
Certified Professional Coders can earn up to 6 CEUs. See schedule for qualifying courses.
Course Descriptions
Keynote Address: The Future of Pediatrics
Explore the impact of the many changes facing pediatricians in 2008 and beyond with PCC's Chip Hart. We'll discuss the potential effects on your practice of Health Savings Accounts and the return to an indemnity insurance atmosphere, pediatric supergroups, and more. Learn about some of the changes you will need to make to assure your practice succeeds in the face of the changing pediatric business climate.
The Price is Right: Take Control of Your Fee Schedule
PCC has examined the price schedules of hundreds of pediatricians around the country. Many private pediatric practices significantly undercharge for their services. Chip Hart will take the guesswork out of reimbursement and coding trends in your practice. Learn why it's important to run your PCC RVU Benchmark Report or use PCC's FREE RVU calculator online and adjust your fees according to a standard. Then get ready to enjoy the benefits of your RBRVU rate-setting: a vastly improved bottom-line.
Bright Futures: Getting Families to Do the Work Before They Arrive
For any health supervision to be successful, both the family's agenda and the practitioner's agenda must be addressed. The Bright Futures Guidelines, Third Edition provides a structure and format to make this task successful. The smoothest visits are prepared visits. Dr. Joseph F. Hagan, Jr. will share techniques to gather important information from the family before the visit.
Developing Materials for Patient Education
Chip Hart will provide tips and techniques for assembling a library of educational patient handouts and packets for new patients. We'll examine real life models and resources and discuss ways to improve them further. These materials are important tools in helping to educate patients, improve visit quality, and create patient loyalty.
Surviving the Impact of HSAs, HRAs, and High-Deductible Health Plans
Health Savings Accounts (HSA) or Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRA) combined with high-deductible health plans are the fastest growing insurance models today. These plans put consumers in more control of their health care decisions, possibly resulting in declining visit-volume and in increase in personal A/R. Patient education on preventive care and an efficient personal collections policy are key to maintaining financial success. In this class, Tim Proctor will share strategies for ensuring financial success for the future.
Financing the Medical Home Part 1: E & M Services
This section will explore how to code (and get paid for) face-to-face and non-face-to-face codes. Learn coding tips for office visits, consultations, and preventive care, along with appropriate modifier usage. Joel Bradley, M.D. will show you how to code for non-face-to-face care including telephone care codes, on-line care codes, and team conferences. 1.5 CEUs
Financing the Medical Home Part 2: Vaccine Services
This section will address why vaccines are a key service for the medical home. Joel Bradley, M.D. will share three strategies for making vaccines a profitable service for your practice: appropriate coding, purchasing at the best price available, and negotiating the best rates with your payers. 1.5 CEUs
Financing the Medical Home Part 3: Procedures, Special Services, and Non-Physician Care
In this section you will learn how to expand the scope of care provided in the medical home by coding for medical procedures, non-physician services, and other special services performed in the office setting. Joel Bradley, M.D. will lead you in learning how to code for common pediatric procedures such as wart removal, laceration repair, and removal of foreign bodies. Expand your services by coding for behavior assessments, nutrition therapy, and patient education. Also learn how to appropriately code for after-hours codes. 1.5 CEUs
Investing Your Fortune: So Many Choices, So Little...
So, you wanted to be a doctor. And with proper practice management you've increased your revenue. Now, what do you do with your money? Kenneth Hertz will focus on the investment choices you have as a business owner. No, we won't talk stocks and bonds, but we'll discuss your goals - family, personal, and practice - and how you can have the greatest impact and ROI for the choices you make. What will make the greatest difference for you and your family? Your patients? Your community? How can you make a difference every day!
Leadership in High Performance Practices: It's What Matters
What is a high performance practice? Why does it matter? What role does leadership play? Discover the characteristics of a high performing medical practice with Kenneth Hertz. You'll learn what to focus on, and what to avoid. You will discuss leadership--what is it, how to employ it, and what impact will it have. You will explore the roles of the practice manager and the physician in a high performance organization. And finally, you'll learn the secret of success!
Who wants to be a Coding Millionaire?
Richard Tuck, M.D. provides an entertaining and challenging review of coding highlights to maximize your practice income. Whether you work for a practice that is afraid to use 99214s or have already mastered the subtleties of the -25 modifier, this game show format course is a must attend. 1.5 CEUs
Insurance Negotiation: Get a Competitive Edge
Susanne Madden, Founder and CEO of The Verden Group, will show you how to build a solid argument based on your practice's data and unique position to help you open negotiations with insurance companies. Learn how to compare your payers and assess the costs of doing business with them, how to identify areas that might give you a competitive edge in a negotiation, and what to do if you can't negotiate.
Pediatric Physician Compensation Models
Developing a fair compensation model is an ongoing struggle for many pediatric practices. Chip Hart will walk you through the challenges of many real offices to determine what might work for you. The varied skills, personalities, productivity levels, experience, lifestyle demands, and non-financial contributions of those involved are just some of the factors that contribute to the challenge of physician compensation. This class will provide an overview of existing models and data from pediatric office across the country and identify patterns of success.
Procedure Power Coding
Most pediatric offices leave thousands--even tens of thousands!--of dollars on the table each year for work they have done, but failed to code properly. National CPT expert, Richard Tuck, M.D., will walk you through coding procedures to increase your bottom-line. 1.5 CEUs
Earn Up to 6 CEUs
The following courses have prior approval of the American Academy of Professional Coders for 1.5 Continuing Education Units each. Granting of this approval in no way constitutes endorsement by the Academy of the program, content or the program sponsor.
Financing the Medical Home Part 1: E & M Services
Financing the Medical Home Part 2: Vaccine Services
Financing the Medical Home Part 3: Procedures, Special Services, and Non-Physician Care
Who Wants to be a Coding Millionaire?
Procedure Power Coding
About the Instructors
Chip Hart
Chip Hart, is the Director of PCC's Pediatric Solutions consulting group and author of chipsblog.pcc.com. Chip's pediatric practice management expertise has helped hundreds of pediatricians increase their financial health. He has conducted many successful negotiations with insurance companies, and worked as a consultant for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the AAP Section on Administration and Practice Management (SOAPM). As a dynamic and motivating speaker, Chip leads educational seminars and consults for pediatric professionals nationwide. Chip has also contributed articles on practice management and health care information technology for Pediatric Coding Alert, the AAP's SOAPM Newsletter, and Medical Group Management Association.
Joseph F. Hagan, M.D., F.A.A.P.
Joseph F. Hagan, Jr., MD, of Hagan and Rinehart Pediatricians, PLLC, is co-chair of the AAP Bright Futures initiative. He is Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at University of Vermont College of Medicine. He has received numerous awards and honors for his work with the AAP and for his distinctive service in Vermont communities. Dr. Hagan will discuss the latest Bright Futures findings and recommendations and how you can maximize your time and the quality of care you provide at each well visit.
Tim Proctor
Tim Proctor, consultant with PCC's Pediatric Solutions Team, has over eight years of experience providing practice management consulting, technical support, and training to pediatric practices. Tim specializes in helping pediatricians assess and improve their practice's financial and clinical health.
Joel Bradley, M.D.
Joel Bradley, MD, FAAP, is a general pediatrician in Clarksville, TN, and father of three children. He is the medical director of one of Tennessee's managed Medicaid health plans, a member of the AAP COCN and the AMA CPT Editorial Panel, and has served as the AAP's Advisor to CPT and AAP RUC representative. He has served as editor for Coding for Pediatrics, Pediatric Coding Companion, and the AAP's three Quick Reference Guides to Coding. He enjoys teaching coding and practice management, and working nationally and in his state chapter's Managed Care Council to improve the reimbursement infrastructure for the medical home.
Kenneth Hertz
Kenneth Hertz, with 30 years of management experience, has held numerous leadership positions in both small and large healthcare organizations including primary care, multi-specialty, and large integrated systems. His consulting work has encompassed a broad range of services, including operational improvement, practice analysis, strategic planning, organizational development and strategic marketing. Mr. Hertz has won numerous awards in advertising and marketing during his career, including being the recipient of the 2005 Edward B. Stevens Article of the Year Award for his article: Front Office: Asset or Liability? He has extensive experience in assisting medical practices to operate effectively.
Richard Tuck, M.D.
Richard Tuck, M.D., FAAP, is a general pediatrician in a private group practice in Zanesville, OH. He is also medical director of Quality Care Partners, a southeaster Ohio PHO. Dr. Tuck is a nationally known expert with extensive knowledge of CPT and ICD coding, as well as payer and reimbursement issues, gained through his personal practice and state/national committee involvement. He serves as the American Academy of Pediatrics' representative to the AMA RBRVS Review Update Committee (RUC). Dr. Tuck received the Buzzy Vanchiere award for his efforts to educate pediatricians on appropriate coding. This education assists physicians in obtaining adequate reimbursement for the work they do and maintaining access to care for their patients.
Susanne Madden
Susanne Madden is founder and CEO of The Verden Group, a consulting firm created as a response to the overwhelming complexity and volume of change in managed care confronting practices today. Her career has spanned across several sections of the healthcare industry. Prior to founding Verden, she was employed by United Healthcare in the area of physician network management and spent several years as an independent healthcare consultant specializing in practice management and process improvement. Formerly a pediatric practice administrator and billing manager, she understands the many challenges facing primary care practices today. In addition to providing contract negotiation and consulting services, the Verden Group offers the unique Verden Alert ™ system, which alerts subscribers to managed care policy and procedure changes specific to their specialties. For more information, visit www.theverdengroup.com.
Big Bash Dinner Event at Catamount Country Club
You're Invited! Please join us for our Big Bash Dinner Event from 5-9pm at the Catamount Country Club. Round Trip transportation from the conference hotel is provided.
Location and Accommodations
The conference is held at the Sheraton Burlington Hotel and Conference Center in Burlington, VT. Call the hotel toll-free at 1-800-325-3535 (reference Physician's Computer Company when booking rooms). The PCC room block rate for a single/double room is $135/night plus taxes and is available on a first-come, first-served basis until June 27, 2008. The Sheraton is a smoke-free hotel; therefore, only non-smoking rooms are available.
The Sheraton provides a complimentary shuttle to and from the Burlington International Airport (BTV). You'll also find most of the major car rental agencies at or near the airport, as well as local taxi services.
