HFMA conference in New Orleans focuses on achieving a consumer-centric revenue cycle

A new framework showing how to achieve a consumer-focused revenue cycle is at the center of HFMA’s Revenue Cycle Conference this spring.

At the conference, HFMA will formally introduce its Consumerism Maturity Model and Consumerism Maturity Index Score (CMIS), including online tools. Incorporating HFMA’s consumerism-related best practices for patient financial communications, price transparency and medical account resolution, the model has three components:

1. Consumer interaction channels
2. Quality and accuracy
3. Consumer experience

A healthcare organization’s CMIS will give leaders a view of where they are in the journey toward consumerism and what areas they should focus on for improvement, according to HFMA Director Todd Nelson. Leaders can then choose conference sessions that best
suit the needs identified in the assessment.

“This is really an aspirational model. The task force that developed this model does not expect anyone to have it all figured out; the model makes folks think about how they move forward,” he said. “One of the great parts about this conference is once they identify their areas of need, they can look at conference sessions specific to those areas.”

The conference features two breakout tracks (strategic and operational) with sessions around culture change, technology, analytics and other topics.

Why sending a team makes sense

To get the most out of the conference, Nelson recommends that organizations send a team. Discounts are available to organizations that do so.

“Revenue cycle is a team sport,” he said. “Sending a team of people to HFMA’s Revenue Cycle Conference will allow for rich discussions that make your revenue cycle much more effective.”

Lindsay Skowronski, executive director of revenue cycle at Indianapolis-based Indiana University (IU) Health, plans to bring what she calls a “think tank” group of 22 team members from her organization. IU Health has several active revenue cycle projects, and Skowronski said she’s hoping the conference will help her team develop innovative strategies to improve performance and gain knowledge that will take them forward in their careers. She believes investing in those she sees as the best and brightest will help IU Health with employee retention.

“We have a lot of great up-and-comers,” she said.

How to get the most from the conference

Opportunities to talk with peers about goals and challenges are always popular at HFMA conferences, Nelson said. At the Revenue Cycle Conference, attendees can participate in purposeful, facilitated conversations in small groups to learn from each other’s experiences.