hfma: it’s Personal
Show-Me Update Greater Missouri Chapter Supplemental 2003
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America’s Hospitals & Health Systems The following letter was sent by HFMA and other hospital organizations in an attempt to influence congress to restore funding to Medicaid DSH cuts.
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Letter to Congress
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The two pieces of legislation are, S. 652 and H. R. 328. You can review the content of these bills by searching for them by number at the web site, http:// www.thomas.gov/. This legislation is vital to restore funding to these organizations that desperately need these federal funds to be restored.
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The undersigned organizations, representing a broad spectrum of the nation’s hospital community, are writing to express our strong support for legislation to restore funding to the Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) program, which funds hospitals that serve large numbers of patients that are uninsured, underinsured, or receive health services through Medicaid. We hope we can count on your support to help protect and strengthen our nation’s hospitals. We urge you to cosponsor and work to ensure passage of the Access to Hospitals Act of 2003 (S. 652/H.R. 328) sponsored by Senators Chafee (R-RI) and Graham (D-FL) and Representatives Whitfield (R-KY) and DeGette (D-CO).
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Congress also should increase the federal Medicaid allotment for states with smaller Medicaid DSH programs. The Medicaid Safety Net Hospital Improvement Act of 2003 (S. 204/H.R. 1342), introduced by Senators Bingaman (D-NM) and Enzi (R-WY) and Representatives Wilson (R-NM) and Kleczka (D-WI), represents real progress toward that goal.
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♦ Account Management Services-Columbia ♦ Clampitt & Associates ♦ Elite Financial Services ♦ Professional Data Services ♦ Remote Support Services, Inc. ♦ Schaller Anderson of Missouri Managers of Missouri Care ♦ SureDecisions
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Bronze
Dear Member of Congress:
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Berlin-Wheeler, Inc. DHJ&A HealthLink MediCredit/Outsource Group ♦ NCO Healthcare Services
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♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
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Silver
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♦ BKD, LLP ♦ Missouri Medical Collections ♦ Unicare Corporation
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Gold
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Special Thanks to our 2002-2003 Sponsors:
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Letter to Congress.............................1 Letter from the President .................3 Health Services PPI Continues Modest Growth..........................................3 Letter from the Editor ......................4 Upcoming Events ............................5
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IN THIS ISSUE
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Healthcare Financial Management Association
The time for action has never been more critical. As you may know, as of October 1, 2002, the Medicaid DSH program was cut due to the expiration of the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act (BIPA) of 2000, which froze, for FY 2001 and 2002, funding cuts to the Medicaid DSH state allotments that were part of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. BIPA also allowed state DSH programs to grow by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for two years. This reduction in federal allocations for states is devastating to hospitals.
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Again, we urge you to cosponsor the Access to Hospitals Act and the Medicaid Safety Net Hospital Improvement Act and look forward to working with you to see that this legislation is enacted.
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By returning to the funding levels in BIPA 2000, the Access to Hospitals Act would allow safety net hospitals the financing necessary to continue providing adequate access to health care for low-income and indigent patients. The Medicaid Safety Net Hospital Improvement Act would allow small Medicaid DSH programs to grow. As Congress debates the critical issue of coverage and access for the uninsured, action must be taken in the meantime. The fiscal crisis states are experiencing combined with the fiscal challenges hospitals are facing make Medicaid DSH funding more important than ever. The time to restore Medicaid DSH funding is now.
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Continued from page 1 America’s Hospitals & Health Systems, Cont.
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Colleges
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Association • National Association of Children’s Hospitals • National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems • National Association of Urban Hospitals • Premier, Inc. • VHA Inc.
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United States
• Federation of American Hospitals • Healthcare Financial Management
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• Catholic Health Association of the
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• American Hospital Association • Association of American Medical
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Sincerely,
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Health Services PPI Continues Modest Growth In March
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Vice President
Theresa G. Winning, FHFMA
Secretary Amy J. Michael
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Greg A. Johnson
Treasurer
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Angela L. Richmond
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Stephanie D. Fennewald
Director
James Crawford
Director Dale C. Koger
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Director
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Director
Teresa S. Wilbers
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Director Beverly J. Breeden
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Director Jan M. Pedersen
For additional contact information on officers please got to the chapter website, www.HFMAshowme.org
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Within the health services index, physician office prices increased a scant 0.1 percent, following seven months with no change. Skilled and intermediate nursing care facility prices grew by 0.2 percent for the second month in a row. Hospital prices grew by 0.3 percent in March, down slightly from the past two months. Medical laboratory prices jumped 0.4 percent, after four static months. Home healthcare selling prices increased 0.3 percent, after no growth in February and a 0.3 percent drop in January
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The coming year continues to provide new challenges to our members!! HIPAA has been the focus of many of our organizations this past year and will continue to be in the future! However, other key focus areas are the revenue cycle (including such items as denial management, ABN’s, etc..),“Patient Friendly Billing”, financial management for both immediate and long term for our organizations, the numerous changes that both Medicare and Medicaid will throw at us and of course “Compliance”. While we meet these challenges head on, in both our Professional career and as members of HFMA—we need to attempt to do our profession honor by performing at the top of our game and doing it ethically!! With the times the way they are and our customers having a great deal of skepticism—we need to ensure the PUBLIC that we perform our jobs with the utmost attention to INTEGRITY. I challenge each of you to set these STANDARDS in your organization in the coming year!!
President- Elect
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The March Producer Price Index (PPI) for health services rose by a modest 0.3 percent for the second month in a row, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported April 11. The figure again lagged behind the nation’s PPI for all finished goods, which climbed 1.5 percent in March, seasonally adjusted, following a 1.0 percent advance in February. The PPI measures the change over time in selling prices received by producers of goods and services on a monthly basis.
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The new HFMA year begins on June 1st!! With the coming of the New Year; our officers and Board Members want to thank you all for your support of HFMA and wish to serve you the best we are able. We are requesting input from our membership on what services, programs, locations we can better provide. We look forward to seeing you all at one of our upcoming meetings this year. If you don’t see what you want at one of our meetings—let us know!! We are here to serve you!!
President Matthew A. Levsen, CPA
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By: Matt Levsen
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Letter From The President
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Congratulations to our new officers and board members
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Please excuse the rough format for this edition, I will spend much more time on the next one this summer. The officer list has been updated. You should be able to get complete contact information from our web site. You can get more copies of this newsletter as well. www.hfmashowme.org
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I attended the newsletter training courses at LTC in Chicago this month. I discovered that several chapters submitted all four editions in April. National is looking at new rules to prevent this from happening
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Whoops! We counted up the number of newsletters for the year and I seem to be one short. I did actually do four, but one was counted for last year. It is frowned on by national HFMA to submit multiple copies just before the 4/30 deadline, but we must do what we are told.
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By: Kalon Mitchell
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Letter From The Editor
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Mary L. Reichley Director of Clinical Communicaations Integrated Revenue Management Reno, NV
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Show-Me A New Member !
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Members who use the application to join in March, April or May can pay through May of 2004 and take advantage of the new member discounted rate of $149, if they also pay the prorated portion of the remainder of this year’s dues. That equates to a $66 savings when compared to those who only join through May of 2003 and are billed in June at the full membership rate of $215. applications are available online at or by contacting HFMA’s member services center at
[email protected] or at (800) 252-HFMA, extension 2.
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HFMA is now offering a 15-month application.
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for more information.
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or contact an officer
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www.hfmashowme.org
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Please see the website
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Lake of the Ozarks
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October 17, 2003
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♦ HFMA Fall Meeting
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Lake of the Ozarks
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July 16-18, 2003
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♦ HFMA Summer Meeting
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Baltimore, MD
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June 22-26, 2003
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♦ HFMA Annual National Institute
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April 30-May 2, 2003
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with the Greater St. Louis Chapter & Officer Installations
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♦ HFMA Meeting in conjunction
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Upcoming Events
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Show-Me Chapter Newsletter 4940 N. 21st St. Ozark, MO 65721-7481 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
