MINUTES
Part A Provider Outreach and Education (POE) Advisory Group
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
9:00 A.M. – 11:00 A.M.
External Attendees:
Kathleen Mitchell, Halifax (2)
Cynthia Sutton, Sarasota Memorial Hospital (1)
Maria Varney, Sarasota Memorial Hospital (1)
Internal First Coast Service Options, Inc. Attendees
Anna Wehner, Provider Relations Representative (PRR), Facilitator
Vanessa Crews, PRR
Deborah Moore, PRR
Kimberly McCarron, Manager, Provider Outreach and Education (POE)
Janine Levy, Project Consultant, Medicare Education and Performance Solution (MEPS)
Kim Karnes, Project Consultant, MEPS
Agenda
1. Welcome
2. Introductions
3. Review Meeting Notes for May 22, 2007
• Discuss follow-ups
4. Educational Strategy
• Vision for Medifest
• Focused education and Wide spread education
• Move to basic courses to web based trainings (WBTs)
5. Learning Management System (LMS) and Web site redesign
6. Medicare Contractor Provider Satisfaction Survey (MCPSS)
7. General discussion
8. 2008 Member Drive
9. Next meeting
10. Process Out
Welcome and Introductions
Anna Wehner, PRR, POE, welcomed everyone to the Provider Outreach and Education Advisory Group (POE AG) teleconference meeting. Internal and external participants were all asked to introduce themselves and identify the organization or office that he/she is affiliated. There were a total of four external participants who called in.
Anna reviewed the meeting agenda and list of handouts that were provided to participants that included a meeting reaction form.
Review Meeting Notes from May 22, 2007
No comments. Meeting notes were approved.
Educational Strategy – FY2007 Focus and Accomplishments
Kim McCarron, Manager, POE, led discussion of FCSO’s education strategy. Discussion started with an overview of FCSO’s approach and accomplishments for FY2007, and led into overview of direction for FY2008.
FY2007 Focus and Accomplishments
• Continued enhancements to data collection and analysis.
• Provider Enrollment Education.
• LMS Implementation – LMS deployed in July 2007.
• Web site Redesign – launched on 7.30.07. This initiative was a 9-month project during which we collaborated with external customers (POE AG and MEC) as well as internal operational staff. Focus on redesign was to implement overall look and feel, enhancements to the user navigation, and improvements to search capabilities.
• Education for providers on prepayment medical review/Progressive Correction Action (PCA).
• Focused Education – this activity is currently aimed at Part B providers, but may expand to Part A providers in FY2008.
FY2008 Strategy
• Overall goal is more frequent encounters and rapid response to data and trends. To accomplish this, we will continue to leverage technology to best reach our entire provider community. We will offer multi-level courses with a variety of delivery methods ultimately resulting in faster availability to quickly address current issues and initiatives.
• In designing FY2008 strategy, POE reviewed all feedback from POE AG, participants in Medifest events, and participants in all other events, whether they were stand-up sessions or distance learning.
2007 Medicare Contractor Provider Satisfaction Survey (MCPSS)
• Kim McCarron provided an overview of the 2007 survey results, which are available at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/mcpss 
.
. General discussion
Kim McCarron shared an upcoming enhancement to customer service specific to provider enrollment and financial inquiries currently handled by Customer Service Representatives (CSRs) in our Provider Contact Center (PCC). Beginning October 1, 2007, those inquiries in these categories that are complex in nature will be handled by subject matter experts in the appropriate operational areas within FCSO. This initiative aimed at providing comprehensive customer support is the direct result of feedback from our provider community, and most especially feedback from POE AG members during their participation in our Provider Enrollment Education campaign described above. The phone representatives providing this service will receive comprehensive training in the above areas, ultimately receiving certification to ensure their ability to provide this level of specialized support.
The following are questions Kim posed to the members of the group.
• Any suggestions on how FCSO can most effectively communicate the October 1, 2007, enhancement to customer service specific to provider enrollment and financial inquiries? See action items below.
• What experience have members of the group had with the implementation of the LMS and what can FCSO do to enhance or broaden their use of this technology? See action items below.
• What has been their reaction to the redesign of the Medicare Web site? Members of the group provided positive feedback on the new look and feel and navigation of this site.
• Provider Enrollment Education Campaign – any suggestions for topics for possible monthly webcasts? Kim indicated topics for first call, which will occur in late September, are application pre-screening process and NPI. No additional topics were identified at this time. Members of the team voiced their support of the focus the POE team is placing on this process and their belief that the variety of education is helping the provider community at large.
2008 Membership Drive
Anna explained that POE will soon begin solicitation of new members for FY2008. We will be soliciting new members for fiscal year 2008, September 4 through November 9. Members interested in continuing to be on the advisory group must complete the FY2008 application.
Anna encouraged the attendees to share this information with other providers in the Part A community or at the association meetings they attend. We would like to see more participation from skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), CORFs, ORFs, and inpatient hospitals.
To locate those forms for FY2008, visit our FCSO Web site and click on the Provider Outreach & Education tab in the top navigation gray bar. On the left navigation bar you will see POE-AG and click on this for the page. The forms will be added to this page.
Next meeting
The first meeting with the FY2008 POE AG members will be scheduled in early December. This meeting will be held in Orlando.
Action Items
• FCSO to develop and host educational session aimed at assisting providers in their efforts to leverage the capabilities of the LMS. For example, participants in this meeting are very interested in using the LMS to manage performance of members of their billing staff. Can we provide examples of real-life scenarios? Members strongly encouraged this type of educational campaign since even though many of them participated in various stages of the LMS implementation, they still have questions, which would imply that other users have possibly more questions. POE will partner with the FCSO Web site team to develop an educational approach. Targeted delivery: October/November 2007.
• FCSO will deploy a variety of communications to provider community regarding the positive enhancement to customer service in the areas of provider enrollment and financial inquiries (debt recovery). This widespread education will begin as soon as possible, through the end of FY2007.
• FCSO to research status of assigning CMEs/CEUs to WBTs to further encourage providers to access these learning opportunities. Status to be provided by September 30, 2007.
• Is there a way in which FCSO can allow providers to contact FCSO to determine whether or not they currently are within the PECOS system? And, can providers also obtain from FCSO information on who is designated as their authorized representative?
• FCSO to partner with members of the POE AG during various phases in the development of the March 2008 Medifest. This will include identification of classes as well as the design and development of classes. This will be an ongoing task.
