MINUTES
Part A/B Provider Outreach and Education (POE) Advisory Group Teleconference
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
9:00 A.M. – 11:00 A.M.
External Attendees (22)
Leslie Witkin, Physicians First (1)
Maryann Palmeter, UF/Shands Jax Healthcare (1)
Lorena McQueen, Osler Medical (1)
Kim Corkins, Watson Clinic(1)
Lisa Hite, Premier Anesthesia (1)
Cathy Wilbur, Halifax Medical Center (3)
Barbara Lever, Sunshine Physical Therapy Clinic (1)
Thomas Hughes, Orthopedic Associates of St. Augustine (1)
Nancy Beckly, Bloomingdale Consulting (1)
Jill Paiva, Medi Comp (1)
Sharon Marcolina, Pro Vision Laser Eye, Ctr. (1)
Lynn Atkins, Gessler Clinic (2)
Valeria Prussia, Prussia Medical Practice Consulting (1)
Melonie Willingham, Baptist Primary Care (1)
Brenda Tuohey, Osler Medical, (1)
Janet Boyd, Danbury Office of Physician Services (2)
Felice Landry, Rheingruber & Co. (1)
Angela Opalak, Midtown Imaging (1)
Jean Acevedo, Acevedo Consulting, Inc. (2)
Michael Saavedra, Dept of X-Ray and Ultrasound (1)
Holly Benthusen, Therapy Mgmt. Corp. (1)
Internal First Coast Service Options, Inc. Attendees (11)
Deborah Moore, Provider Relations Representative (PRR), Co-Facilitator
Anna Wehner, PRR, Co-Facilitator
Kimberly McCarron, Manager, Provider Outreach and Education (POE)
Charles Johnson, PRR
Robert Lewis, PRR
Vanessa Crews, PRR
Terri Stanton, PRR
Mary Pita Carrazanna, PRR
Janine Levy, Medicare Education Performance Solutions (MEPS)
Kim Karnes, MEPS
Sharyn Moreland, MEPS
Agenda
1. Welcome
2. Introductions
3. Functions of POE-AG
4. Testimonials of previous members
5. Strategy for FY2008 POE-AG
6. Membership Form
7. Future meetings
• Face-to-Face January 2008
• Teleconference
8. Process Out
Welcome and Introductions
Anna Wehner, PRR, Provider Outreach and Education (POE), welcomed everyone to the Provider Outreach and Education Advisory Group (POE AG) teleconference meeting. Internal participants were introduce and the organization/department that he/she is affiliated by Anna. There were a total of 22 external participants who called in. Anna reviewed the meeting agenda.
Function of POE-AG
Anna reviewed the functions of a POE-AG member, which are outlined below.
• The primary function of the Advisory Group is to assist FCSO (your contractor) in the creation, implementation, and review of provider education strategies and efforts. The Advisory Group provides input and feedback on training topics, provider education materials, and dates and locations of provider education workshops and events.
The group also identifies salient provider education issues, and recommends effective means of information dissemination to all appropriate providers and their staff. The Advisory Group shall be used as a provider education consultant resource, and not as an approval or sanctioning authority.
• FCSO shall maintain the advisory group. After soliciting suggestions from the provider community, FCSO shall select the appropriate individuals and organizations to be included in the group.
At a minimum, FCSO is responsible for recruiting potential members, arranging all meetings, handling meeting logistics, producing and distributing an agenda, completing and distributing minutes, and keeping adequate records of the advisory group’s proceedings.
• The POE AG operates independently from other existing contractor advisory committees, such as the FCSO Medicare Executive Circle (MEC). However, group members shall not be current members of any other contractor advisory groups.
• FCSO will strive to maintain professional and geographic diversity within the advisory groups and have representatives of the major provider specialties or provider institutions you serve.
• FCSO will have two separate advisory groups, one representing Part B and one representing Part A. Our goal is to hold one face-to-face meeting, which is scheduled for January 2008 in the Orlando area as a joint meeting for both Part A & B providers.
• Within the next three quarters we will hold conference calls separately, Part A vs. Part B.
• FCSO will not reimburse or charge a fee to group members for membership or for cost associated with serving on an advisory group.
• A specific site is located on the FCSO Florida Medicare Web site to allow you, the providers, to access information about the advisory group.
• The updated information is currently posted on the Web site. If you choose the Provider Education and Outreach tab, you will see a link to the left for the POE-AG.
• The information will include minutes from meetings, upcoming meeting dates and locations, a list of organizations or entities comprising the advisory group and an e-mail address for a FCSO point of contact for further information on the advisory group.
• FCSO will consider suggestions and recommendations of the advisory group, and implement these deemed feasible, practicable, and in the best interest of an effective PCSP. FCSO will explain to the group reasons for not implementing or adopting any group suggestions or recommendations.
• FCSO will create meeting agendas, to include discussion topics garnered from solicitation of group members. This agenda will be distributed to all members of the group.
• FCSO will maintain meeting notes and distribute them within a reasonable time to all group members and others who request them.
Source: Internet Manual Only (IOM) Publication 100-09, Chapter 6, Section 20.4 – POE Advisory Group
Testimonials of Previous Members
Anna solicited comments from members to talk about their involvement in the POE AG 2007. We had two participants of the conference call who were also members of the 2007 group. They were happy to share their comments.
• Jean Acevedo (Acevedo Consulting) – very rewarding, incorporated Corrective Coding Initiative (CCI) and Incident to classes in the Medifest 2005 & 2006 sessions.
• Mary Ann Palmeter (UF/Shands) – very helpful, makes suggestions on what is needed.
Strategy for FY2008 POE-AG
Kim McCarron, Manager, POE, led discussion of FCSO’s education strategy. She talked about the learning management system (LMS) and how several POE-AG members in 2007 attended conference calls we held soliciting feedback. She explained how the members in 2007 were involved in the redesign of the FCSO Web site. They piloted a few of the changes and gave us feedback, which we tried to incorporate in the final product. The POE-AG members are a great resource for FCSO as an organization.
Kim continued with an explanation of the Provider Enrollment Campaign that FCSO has put into place in the past few months. The campaign assisted in the delays in applications, in which we asked the POE-AG members for feedback on the issues. The members assisted us in helping to understand what we could put into place to assist the provider community with the new provider enrollment applications. One item was a step-by-step on the FCSO Web site on how to complete or what the problem areas are on the provider enrollment form.
She shared information on our upcoming dates for the Hot Topics and Ask the Contractor Teleconference (ACTs). They are:
• January 15, 2008, Part A Hot Topics
• January 17, 2008, Part B Hot Topics
• February 12, 2008, Part A ACT
• February 14, 2008, Part B ACT
She further explained our FY2008 Strategy
• Cornerstone to the overall FY2008 educational strategy will be data – collection and analysis to drive education.
• Integrated deliveries/blended learning.
• Conversion of stand-up education, most especially that which is introductory level, to WBTs.
• Increased number and frequency of teleconferences, webcasts, and WBTs.
• Modular approach: introductory, intermediate, and advanced levels.
• Stand-up education to focus on intermediate and advanced level topics, with identified prerequisites to ensure participants have base knowledge.
• Scheduled delivery of WBTs to further encourage providers to take advantage of this learning method.
• Medifest tentatively planned for March 2008 in Orlando. Will consist of two one-day events. Courses will be intermediate to advanced levels, with prerequisites identified. Each day will be comprised of data driven, interactive classes and specialty workshops.
• 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.
Membership Form
Deborah Moore, PRR, provided instructions to participants for locating the forms on the FCSO Medicare Web site. Participants who had not enrolled were encouraged to complete the form and return to our office as soon as possible.
Membership forms will be taken through December 21, 2007.
Future Meetings
The first meeting will be a face-to-face meeting will be held in Orlando, Florida on January 10, 2008. We will have the option for those who cannot attend in person, to attend via teleconference. The remaining meetings will be conducted via teleconference and the dates will be shared at the January meeting.
Process Out
During the process out section there were a few questions asked from the attendees. We are currently working on setting up an ACT to cover the RAC questions the providers have specific to the appeals of RAC decisions.
We also asked for some feedback from the attendees. There were a few who were unable to get the Agenda prior to the call; however, did find it located on the LMS. A few stated they enjoyed the conference call and are looking forward to being a member for fiscal year 2008 and for the first time.
Kim also asked if we had any participants who represented the skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). Yes, there were a few attendees who represent SNFs.
Anna reminded the attendees to submit agenda items for the January 10, 2008, meeting as soon as possible. The meeting was adjourned.
