2007 Past Audio Conferences
Past Audio/Web Conferences are available on CD only. Please click on the link for the desired conference to a printable PDF form. HCCA is required to charge sales tax on post conference CD purchases from Minnesota and Pennsylvania. Please calculate this in the cost of your CD. The required sales tax in Pennsylvania is 6% and Minnesota is 6.5%. Ask about possible CLE credit on these subjects. Call 888-580-8373 or 952-988-0141 and ask for Melanie Gross melanie.gross@hcca-info.org

For older audio/Web conference CD purchases please use this generic order form  

 The Latest in Clinical Research Billing | November 27, 2007 | (90 min.) 1.2 CEUs   

Speaker, Ryan Meade will give a detailed overview of the history of the Medicare Clinical Trial Policy (CTP), a summary of the CTP and what we can learn from the draft CRPs that were not adopted, review of recent enforcement actions and settlements on research billing, and answer what research organizations should do to avoid a research billing fraud case.

Speaker: Ryan Meade, Partner of Meade & Roach

Medicaid Enforcement Trends

Part I: DRA Update: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly|  November 6, 2007 | (90 minutes) 1.2 CEUs

Part II: What You Can Do and How You Can Prepare for the Implementation of the DRA, PERM, MIP, And RACs to Protect Your Organization | November 8, 2007 | (90 minutes) 1.2 CEUs

Part 1 will give a contextual assessment of recent activities and very near implementation activities by CMS for the DRA, PERM, and MIP.  Part 2 will provide direction, examples, and useful tools on what providers can do to protect their organizations while also complying with the new requirements.  Overall, these sessions will cover how and why organizations should implement upgrades to their compliance programs to protect against new risk. This informative conference will teach compliance professionals about new federal initiatives to oversee providers and their compliance programs.

Speakers: James Sheehan Medicaid Inspector General, New York State Office of the Medicaid inspector General; Brian Flood, Esq., CHC, CIG National Managing Director, KPMG;  Frank E. Sheeder, Esq. Partner, Jones Day

2008 OIG Work Plan

Part I: 2008 OIG Work Plan for Hospitals Oct 25, 2007 | (90 min.) 1.2 CEUs   

Be prepared for the year ahead by taking advantage of the Health Care Compliance Association’s stellar presentation of the 2008 OIG Work Plan for hospitals. Outstanding speakers combine with engaging interaction for a serious, in-depth look at the OIG’s key compliance concerns for fiscal year 2008. If you’re looking for OIG Work Plan coverage that is substantial and to-the-point, don’t miss this audio conference.

Part II: 2008 OIG Work Plan for Physicians Oct 26, 2007 | (90 min.) 1.2 CEUs

For useful, direct, specific commentary on the 2008 OIG Work Plan as it relates to physicians, join compliance officers across the country that rely on HCCA’s long-standing and widely respected overview. Physician practice experts will discuss the latest and most pressing compliance concerns for physicians in the OIG Work Plan. You’ll walk away with a strong understanding of the OIG’s key concerns, as well as best practices for staying in compliance.

Speakers: George M. Reeb Assistant Inspector General for Center for Medicare and Medicaid Audits within the OIG; Brian Ritchie Assistant Inspector General for Evaluation and Inspections, Office of Evaluation and Inspections, OIG, US Dept of HHS General; Georgeann Edford President, Coding Compliance Solutions, LLC; Carol Lessans Director of the Planning, Reporting, and Analysis Division of the Office of Management and Policy,  (OIG); Steven Ortquist Partner of Meade & Roach, LLP, and Meade & Roach Consulting, LLP; Sheryl Vacca Senior Vice President/Chief Compliance and Audit Officer, UC System

CMS’s Disclosure of Financial Relationships Report (DFRR): What Every Hospital Compliance Professional Needs to Know | October 30, 2007 | (90 min.) 1.2 CEUs   

This informative lecture will present you with up-to-date information on The Disclosure of Financial Relationships Report (DFRR).  The main objective will be to emphasize the need for hospitals to be prepared to gather the require information concerning their financial relationships with physicians. Compliance professionals will be responsible for understanding what is being required from hospitals and for assisting hospitals in compiling the responsive information and transmitting it to CMS. The substantial potential penalties for late or incomplete responses (up to $10,000 per day), and the possibility of a claims investigation by CMS or a referral to law enforcement agencies such as HHS’s Office of Inspector General or the Department of Justice, make it imperative that compliance professionals are thoroughly familiar with the DFRR.  Moreover, the DFRR may be a precursor to a regular disclosure process.  Who will find this conference useful? Physicians who currently have, or contemplate having, an ownership/investment interest in a hospital, or a compensation arrangement (such as a personal service arrangement or lease) with a hospital.

Speakers: Donald H. Romano Director, Division of Technical Payment Policy, CMS; Ann E. DesRuisseaux Senior Compliance Counsel, Novation, LLC

CMS Issues IPPS Final Rule FFY 2008

Part I: Medicare IPPS Update for FFY 2008 | October 18, 2007 | (90 min.) 1.2 CEUs   

Part II:  Advanced Discussions of the Medicare IPPS Update for FFY 2008 |October 19, 2007 | (90 min.) 1.2 CEUs   

The Medicare program has made several significant changes relative to inpatient payments that providers need to be prepared to act upon.  Topics covered will include the new MS-DRG system, Present on Admission report, and Hospital Acquired Conditions, as well as new standards for coverage emergency and EMTALA. As the rules and regulations change with the implementation of FFY 2008 IPPS rule, compliance professional need to be aware of the changing expectation and help their organization comply with the new standards. Who may find this conference useful? CEOs, CFOs, and other executives; Patient Accounting; reimbursement and Health Information. 

Speakers: Brad Bowman, Director, Health Industries Advisory, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP; June Bronnert, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P Manager, Professional Practice Resources, AHIMA

Changes to Stark Regulations in CY 2008 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule and Phase III Final Rule

Part I: Stark Provisions in the Proposed Physician Fee Schedule Rule | October 2, 2007 | (90 min.) 1.2 CEUs   

Part II: Stark Provisions in Phase III Final Rule | October 4, 2007 | (90 min.) 1.2 CEUs   

The main objective of this two-part conference will be to address the important changes CMS has proposed to the Stark Regulations. The speakers will help listeners understand the potential impact of the proposed changes to existing physician/healthcare entity financial relationships. Another important topic will be to learn the tenor of comments received for the various proposals.  These proposals potentially affect a wide range of physician financial arrangements with medical groups, hospitals and other health providers. This topic will directly affect compliance professionals, as they need to be aware of possible and imminent changes to the physician self-referral statute so that they can help ensure that their hospitals, physician groups and other healthcare entities are in compliance with that statute.

Speakers: Donald H. Romano Director, Division of Technical Payment Policy, CMS; Lisa M. Ohrin Deputy Director, Division of Technical Payment Policy, CMS; Kevin G. McAnaney Law Offices of Kevin G. McAnaney

Highlights of the Redesigned Form 990

Part I: Introduction to the New Reporting Format | September 27, 2007 | (90 min.) 1.2 CEUs   

The redesigned Form 990 now requires tax-exempt organizations to report information about their operations. This is the first major overhaul of the Form 990 in over 25 years.  The proposed new form is based on three guiding principles: 1) enhancing transparency of operations to the public and the IRS, 2) promoting compliance by accurately reflecting the organization’s operations and thereby improving the efficiency and effectiveness of IRS enforcement initiatives, and 3) minimizing the burden organizations assume when filing their 990 forms. Record-keeping and filing burdens increase significantly with the new form. It is also transforming into more of a disclosure document, with more similarities to SEC filings and offering circulars than to other tax returns. The IRS intends to implement the new Form 990 for the 2008 tax year (returns filed in 2009). The panel of expert speakers will call attention to the various nuances and traps for the unwary in the new Form 990 and will provide suggestions on how to minimize possible negative effects and avoid problems later by preparing in advance of the final implementation.

Part II: Operational Impact on Implementation |  September 28, 2007 | (90 min.) 1.2 CEUs   

The speakers will address these major points: Assessing current reporting systems to address the new Form 990, addressing key risk areas, measuring community benefit, Implementation of educational initiatives within the institution

The speakers will address the significance of the radical changes to Form 990 and the challenges ahead for tax-exempt health care providers in developing reporting systems that can adequately capture the information now being sought by the IRS. In order for tax-exempt organizations to be able to respond to the new Form 990, corporate compliance plans must be reviewed or reevaluated to incorporate many of the concerns addressed by the IRS.

Speakers: Robert Waitkus Senior Director Taxation & Compliance, Cleveland Clinic Foundation; Michael Hemsley Vice President for Legal Services and General Counsel, Catholic Health East; John Washlick Member, Cozen O’Connor; James R. King Partner, Jones Day; Daniel J. Bacastow Partner, Jones Day; Gerald M. Griffith Partner, Jones Day

OIG/AHLA Guidance for Boards on Quality of Care Oversight: What Your Board Needs to Know Today!  | September 13, 2007 | (90 min.) 1.2 CEUs   

Speakers, Cheryl Wagonhurst and Janice Anderson will address the recent OIG and AHLA guidance for the boards for health care organizations.  This presentation is regarding their fiduciary responsibilities for the oversight of quality of care and patient safety. The conference will highlight the key points of the guidance so the compliance officer can help educate the board of directors to understand these expectations. The speakers will discuss how the compliance officer can help the board understand that quality of care is an emerging enforcement area, and that certain proactive steps can be taken to help mitigate the risk of enforcement. Finally, the presenters will address the ways that an organization can help the board monitor quality.  Quality of care is among the most important compliance areas today. It is emerging as an enforcement priority for health care regulators. Health care organizations need to understand how to work with governance to explain the relationship between quality, risk, and other areas that touch on quality to appropriately carry out its fiduciary duties to oversee the quality of care in the organization.

Speakers: Cheryl Wagonhurst Foley & Lardner LLP; Janice Anderson Foley & Lardner LLP

Reimbursement Primer for Compliance, Ethics, and Legal Officers: Everything You Have Always Wanted to Know About Reimbursement but Were Afraid to Ask

March 6, 2007 — May 29, 2007 A Ten-Part Web Conference Series

Much of the work of compliance, legal, and ethics officers in health care organizations relates to ensuring proper reimbursement for the services, devices, and drugs provided. It is a fundamental base of knowledge for effective work in the industry. These officers will often have a good understanding of the specific reimbursement requirements of their own company, yet they frequently do not have a broad base of reimbursement knowledge across industries. This is critical as their employers negotiate arrangements with other types of providers or branch into new lines of service.

Non-Physician Practitioners: Avoiding Compliance Traps | February 22, 2007 | (90 min.) 1.2 CEUs   
Vicki Dwyer and Martie Ross discuss physician supervision requirements for nurse practitioners and physician assistants, including how to apply the "incident to" and shared visit rules to real-life practice and examine the role of nursing staff in providing evaluation and management services. Other points covered are Medicare reimbursement rules for nurse anesthetists and appropriate documentation and coding for services provided by non-physician practitioners.

OIG Work Plan 2007: High-Level Considerations for Hospital Billing and Coding Implications  January 13, 2007 | (90 min.) 1.2 CEUs   

Christine Bachrach,  Lou Anne Barnhouse, Sharon Baur and Sheryl Vacca discuss observation/1-day stays, inpatient rehabilitation coding, academic hospital coding, auditing and monitoring overview and identifying pitfalls.

The DRA: Now It's Here, What Have You Done? Part I. Recent Developments from the Perspective of a State Inspector General and Outside Counsel and Part II. Practical Advice for Providers
Frank Sheeder, Brian Flood and Shawn DeGroot revisit the most relevant portions of the DRA while adding new and pertinent information about the history of the statute, trends in Medicaid payments, recovery of overpayments and fraud detection, and the emergence of state-level False Claims Acts across the country and  relate the highlight practical considerations for ensuring DRA compliance.