Networking and practical solutions are 2 of the top HFMA Community benefits
Some of the most active groups in HFMA’s online Community were formed as a result of member suggestions. That’s why Community managers listened when they recently received requests for new groups to discuss current events and needs.
The 450-member strong Change Healthcare outage group is one prominent example.
As the impact of the Change Healthcare outage became apparent in late February of this year, HFMA members reached out to the Community team to develop a convenient way for members to share experiences, solutions and business continuity plans. The result was a new Community group and a series of weekly web-based calls hosted by HFMA’s Shawn Stack, director of healthcare financial policy, perspectives and analysis. Change Healthcare team members also joined the calls to answer questions and gain feedback.
The online Change Healthcare outage group continues to be active with updates. Solutions and information shared include various payer status on reopening claim processing and best practices for communication strategies with patients about the security breach.
“HFMA’s ability to respond quickly to member-driven requests and needs related to real-time incidents, such as this Change Healthcare outage, speaks to the ability of our Association to pivot quickly to offer an open line of communication, providing resources and solutions,” Stack said.
In another example, members shared at the recent HFMA Annual Conference a clear need for two types of groups: EHR-focused groups and state-specific groups. says pivoting quickly to offer an open line of communication through Community groups to real-time incidents like, the Change Healthcare outage, is invaluable to members.
The EHR groups were recently launched to provide members with peer-to-peer networks to share operational tips, workflows and creative solutions with other HFMA members using a specific EHR.
The state groups are dedicated to delving into insights on state-specific regulations, policies and proposed legislation. The main topics are price transparency, capping healthcare costs and site-neutral issues. Currently, there are 10 state groups, and the Community team continues to review additional state groups based on member needs.
“Whether it’s through a new pop-up group to solve an emergent need or ongoing topic-specific groups, HFMA’s Community is there for its members,” said Melanie Binder, HFMA’s senior Community and Councils engagement manager. “It’s a safe space to engage with peers on the latest industry topics and to get detailed answers to often complex questions.”
HFMA Community launches new groups
An EHR user group and 10 state-specific user groups have been added to the HFMA Community recently.
“One of the great pleasures of working with HFMA members is their willingness to share the industry happenings that shape their daily work lives,” said Melanie Binder, HFMA’s senior Community and Council engagement manager. “When we received feedback on the need for these new groups, we were excited to develop a plan and provide these forums.”
Members can access these new networking opportunities atcommunity.hfma.org/g.*
EHR-user groups:
- athenahealth EHR Forum
- eClinicalWorks EHR Forum
- EPIC EHR Forum
- Cerner EHR Forum
- Meditech EHR Forum
- Trubridge EHR Forum
State-specific Community groups:
- California
- Colorado
- Florida
- Indiana
- Kentucky
- Maryland
- New York
- Ohio
- Texas
- Wisconsin
*If you have suggestions for forums that would benefit your fellow members, please submit that information to [email protected]. To follow our progress and to join our current groups, log into your member account and go to community.hfma.org.
Melanie Binder, HFMA’s senior Community and Council engagement manager.
“One of the great pleasures of working with HFMA members is their willingness to share the industry happenings that shape their daily work lives,” Melanie Binder, HFMA’s senior Community and Council engagement manager.
Community features members’ professional experiences
Hundreds of HFMA members contribute comments, answers and resources each month in the Association’s online Community. To capture the expertise and wisdom of some of those contributors, HFMA recently launched a regular member spotlight posted in the Community.
Now HFMA members can read why their fellow professionals use the Community, learn about their career development tracks and reap the benefits of their best professional advice.
Kristen Shoup, CHFP, director of revenue cycle, Wooster Community Hospital, is the first member to be featured in the Community spotlight. Here’s what she had to say: “We all face the same challenges in our businesses, so it’s important to me to have a solid network of my peers to go to when looking to solve problems in my organization. There is a wealth of knowledge and experience in the Community groups.”
