Winter 2010 Newsletter


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Winter 2010

Avoiding a Medical Data breach By Bruce Nelson, Vice President at SearchAmerica®

More than 30 health care networks of all sizes recently have been victimized by identity thieves and data breaches, and more are expected in 2010. These events are extremely costly to the organization. In the short term, the reparations and notices to patients and the fines imposed by government entities are quite costly. However, the greater risk is the long-term negative impact on the hospital’s credibility and reputation in the community. Unfortunately, experts predict this trend to continue well into 2010 and beyond, and hospitals want to mitigate their risk as well as protect their patients’ medical information and their network from this potential financial and public relations disaster. Health care is well-suited for breaches Most data breaches can be attributed to employee theft or mismanaged data practices, often initiated by disgruntled or departing staff. This is bad news for hospitals. Health care organizations experience a high churn rate of employees annually — 6.5 percent — almost double the general turnover average of 3.6 percent, according to the Ponemon Institute. With more employees entering and exiting the hospitals’ payroll, the risk of breaches increases. Additionally, health care is expensive, and identity thieves see it as a business opportunity. With more individuals out of work or underinsured, the market for health information is more lucrative, which draws even more attention from identity thieves. Continued on page 5

Contents President’s Message…………...…...2 Letter from the Editor………………3 New Members………………...……6 Upcoming Events…………………..7 Page 1

President’s Message By Greg Shaw, FHFMA, CPA, MBA Show-Me of Missouri members, We are now in a new decade of the 21st century and the future of healthcare is as uncertain now as it was at the start of this century. There are so many issues buffeting our industry from the economy, to reform being proposed by Congress, to market forces that it makes for a very difficult operating environment. If you weren’t able to attend HFMA’s virtual conference last week, I would highly recommend going back and listening to some of the presentations. There are a number of sessions that provide a lot of valuable information. Dick Clarke especially did an excellent job talking about healthcare reform coming out of Congress and market trends heading our way in the next several years. My impression after listening was that we have seen nothing yet in the way of healthcare change. Between the possible legislative changes that are working their way through Congress and the market force changes that will for sure come to pass, our industry is in for some major restructuring and reorganizing in this next decade. Market reforms such as pay for performance, bundled payment approaches, care delivery re-alignment and consumerism are coming our way. Is everybody ready for those changes? One way to prepare for the future is to take advantage of everything offered and available through your HFMA membership. More than ever it’s going to be important to access valuable information through education and networking available as an HFMA member. Now is the time to implement best practices, stay in contact with colleagues at other places of business, and participate in the many and varied educational opportunities offered by HFMA. As always you can contact a chapter Director or Officer if you have any questions about HFMA or our chapter. Our contact information is available on the chapter website. http://www.hfmashowme.org/ Sincerely, Greg Shaw

2010 Show-Me of Missouri Chapter Sponsors Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

Bronze Sponsors

BKD, LLP

Berlin-Wheeler, Inc

Accounts Management Services

CACi

Human Arc

Account Resolution Corporation

LarsonAllen, LLP

MSCB, Inc

Commerce Bank

MMC Management Consultants

MedTranDirect

Consumer Collection Management

Perot Systems

Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale P.C. H & R Accounts, Inc Lilley and Associates, Inc Page 2

Professional Credit Management

Letter from the Editor Starting with the calendar year 2010, the Show-Me of Missouri chapter has asked our chapter sponsors to renew their support of our chapter. Our sponsors have generously answered the call to support our chapter’s activities. The Sponsorship Committee was able to add new sponsors for calendar year 2010. We greatly appreciate our sponsor’s financials support and the hard work of the Sponsorship Committee. As you will see on page 7, there are a number of education opportunities the Show-Me of Missouri has lined up for you, our members. There have been many webinars added in order to cut down on travel costs. There is also a Membership Promotion that is going on in order to retain members. Please take a moment to read the detail of that program. As always, please feel free to email me at [email protected] any ideas for items you would like to see in the newsletter. Regards, Deana Thomas

Vendor Spotlight

Missouri Medical Collections provides state of the art outsourcing programs to help you with Accounts Receivable Management. We have a fully electronic medical collection service with predictive dialer. Our recovery rate is in excess of the national average and we offer credit and collections seminars, credit bureau reporting and physician billing services. We are also members of the Missouri Collectors Association, American Collectors Association, AAHAM and HFMA. Contact (800) 749-9797 or [email protected] for more information.

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The government responds with the HITECH Act Proactive protection of health information is now mandated under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act — which requires health care institutions to develop notification and prebreach programs — as well as state laws in California and Missouri. This 2009 legislation expands current federal privacy and security protections of health information. According to the Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Science and Technology committees, the HITECH Act strengthens the enforcement of federal privacy and security laws by increasing penalties and providing greater resources for enforcement and oversight. Among other mandates, the HITECH Act outlines how hospitals notify their patients and community of a breach through the fol-

lowing notice types: Actual notice: Affected individuals, guardians or next of kin must receive written notice at their last known mail or email address. Substitute notice: If contact information is not available, the health care network must provide substitute notice, usually in the form of a conspicuous posting on the network’s Website or other location and/or a media notice, as soon as reasonably possible. Media notice: For breaches affecting 500 or more residents of a single state or jurisdiction, the hospital is required to provide notice to prominent media outlets in that area. Secretary notice: Hospitals must notify the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services in all Continued on page 8

Trying To Decide Where To Post Your Next Opening?

The Show-Me of Missouri chapter offers a job bank in which employers can advertise their open positions on www.hfmashowme.org and via email sent directly to our membership. To place a Job Bank Listing or for more information contact: Deana Thomas Kyle Lee Lake Regional Health System Financial Resource Group, LLC 54 Hospital Drive 6048 Black Oak Osage Beach MO 65065 Springfield MO 65804 [email protected] [email protected] Page 5

Welcome New Show Me of Missouri Chapter Members! Bradley K Thorton Business Biller St. Mary’s Health Center

Lei W Francisco Graduate Student Columbia MO

Ted W Weatherford Controller Rusk Rehabilitation Center

Andrea Wiggins Student Columbia MO

John Calvin CPA Senior BKD LLP

Paul Weaver Director, Patient Accounts St. Mary’s Health Center

Kari Casady Debra A Seyfried CPC CPME Business Office Director Senior Administrator Putnam County Memorial Hospital KU Orthopedic Surgery

Are You Certifiable? Become a Certified Healthcare Financial Professional (CHFP) Enhance your career potential by becoming a Certified Healthcare Financial Professional (CHFP). HFMA's certification program provides you an opportunity to earn this designation when you meet the following requirements: • Be an HFMA member for a total of two years and be an current active member • Have two years of professional experience in the healthcare finance industry • Successfully complete the HFMA Core certification exam and one of the specialty exams - Accounting and Finance, Patient Financial Services, Financial Management of Physician Practices, or Managed Care • Obtain a reference from an elected HFMA chapter office and your CEO or supervisor All active members are eligible to take the certification exams. Once you meet the requirements for becoming a CHFP, submit a CHFP application to HFMA National within 24 months of successfully completing the first exam, with a one-time fee. You will then receive a certificate through your chapter that you can proudly display and will be entitled to used the CHFP designation after your name. For more information about the HFMA certification program or resources available locally, please contact Janice Janssen at [email protected] or 573-882-8010.

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UPCOMING EVENTS In order to add value to your membership, we are trying to offer as many educational opportunities as possible. Here is a schedule of upcoming education sessions. We are adding more all the time, please visit our website for additional information – www.hfmashowme.org February 9, 2010 RAC Updates with Panel Discussion Webinar - Region 8 Webinar Registration link - http://www.hfma.org/events/chapter/IowaChap020910.htm

Cost Reduction Strategies for Health Care Organizations Webinar February 2, 2010 Presented by RSM McGladrey Registration link: http://events.rsmmcgladrey.com/forms/HCCostReductionStrategiesUpdates2210? elq=e64124853c2541fb9a00f9a75c167f8d February 11, 2010

ICE Technologies – A Practical Approach to Meaningful Use Achievement

March 9, 2010

Region 8 Webinar – Physician Supervision Requirements

April 13, 2010

Region 8 Webinar – Healthcare E-Visits Webinar

April 2010

“Payor Panel” co-sponsored with AAHAM - hosted at Lake Regional Hospital, Lake Ozark, MO

May 19-21, 2010

Joint Spring Conference with Greater St. Louis Chapter,

Membership Promotion The HFMA Show Me of Missouri Chapter will pay 50% of dues for February 2010 through May 2011 for 15 new members. Dues cost for this time period is $271 so the Chapter expense per new member will be $135.50. • • •

New member will pay for their dues (or their company) and submit request for reimbursement to Deana Thomas, Treasurer. Only new members that work for provider organizations are eligible. Officers and directors are not eligible.

Officers, directors, and members of the Membership Committee will solicit for new members until February 26, 2010. Send all new member names that you get signed up to Stephanie Fennewald. The first 15 new members will qualify. I will send out emails periodically to inform everyone how many new members have qualified or you can contact me to find out. Submitted by: Stephanie Fennewald, Membership Chair Show Me of Missouri Chapter

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instances of breach. The format and timing of the notice vary based on the number of affected individuals. Given these guidelines and penalties, a hospital’s best choice is to proactively curb medical data breaches before they occur. Best practices for hospitals Deterring and detecting data breach threats don’t happen by chance. Leading health care companies are taking advantage of new processes and proven solutions used in other industries, namely financial and credit card markets, to prevent breaches from occurring. The following are a few best practices that hospitals should consider implementing in 2010: Appoint a responsible party. Hospitals should make data breach avoidance part of an individual’s or a team’s job description. Naming an accountable resource will initiate process improvements, direct noncompliance inquiries to a centralized area, determine who would perform any investigations, and lead all legal and notification efforts in the event of a breach. Expand compliance training. A variety of individuals need access to patient health information to perform their job. They may be staff, contractors, third parties or temporary workers. Hospitals need a process to ensure that all these individuals participate in annual compliance training. No exceptions. Build a compliance culture. The entire hospital community should value the privacy of patients’ data as part of the organization’s mission. This includes offering trusted avenues to report noncompliance activities. All individuals — staff, contractors and partners — should be diligent in their compliance and alert the responsible party to processes and/or individuals who may be operating outside of privacy policies. Monitor information. Automated monitoring of employee and patient information will alert hospitals of possible data breaches, often before they impact hundreds of individuals. Used by thousands of corporations across the United States, third-party products and services are available to monitor credit reporting agencies and proactively alert organizations of fraudulent events. Equipped with this unbiased information, hospitals can take appropriate action. Medical data breaches are problematic for hospitals. Progressive health care professionals are looking at new means to protect themselves, and they are finding their answers from colleagues in other industries. o provide maximized results, hospitals need to advance their culture, training and systems to encourage compliance in every activity and have planned responses to potential Page 8

HFMA Show Me of Missouri Chapter President Greg L. Shaw, FHFMA, CPA, MBA

President-Elect Jennifer L. Ogden, FHFMA

Vice President Kory Stout

Secretary Janet C. Taylor, CHFP, CPA

Treasurer Deana Thomas, MHA

Board of Directors Mary Bonge Rita Dew Susan Duncan Lorrie Haden Shelly Hunter, FHFMA, MBA Kyle Lee Matt Levsen, FHFMA, CPA