Transplant Insider

Quarterly Publication by Guidry & East, LLC

In This Issue
Upcoming Events
Latest News
Upcoming Conference Attendance
Career Moves
Quick Links

 

Consultant Spotlight

 

Jimmy Mendez 

Senior Reimbursement Analyst

Jimmy has spent nearly 30 years in healthcare reimbursement primarily in roles related to Medicare cost reporting and related rules and regulations.  He worked over 14 years with Medicare audit contractors Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas and Trailblazer Health Enterprises where initially he conducted field audits of hospitals and ultimately served as a Senior Review Specialist of completed field audits to include several hospitals with certified transplant centers.  In addition, he spent time assisting the federal government with healthcare fraud investigations.  

Read Full Bio Here

 

 

Upcoming Events:

 

- Texas Transplantation Society 28th Annual Scientific Meeting

Austin, TX

July 23 - 26

More Info


- NATCO 40th Annual Meeting

Louisville, KY

August 5 - 8

More Info

 

-ASHI 41st Annual Meeting

Savannah, GA

Sept 28 - Oct 2


-United for UNOS 7th Annual Soirée
October 2

 

-Transplant Quality Institute

SPONSORED BY AFDT

Dallas, TX

October 7-9

More Info

 

  Summer 2015

 

Guidry & East brings you our third Transplant Insider, a quarterly publication comprised of resources and news vital to developing your transplant business solutions for growing transplant programs, improving transplant operations, and the transplant financial product line.

 
We look forward to being your provider of the latest policies and procedures in quality patient care.

 

 

Latest News

 

 


 

Guidry & East is growing! We now offer comprehensive support services to organ transplant programs, BMT programs, HLA labs and OPOs. 


Here is a short list of the services we provide:

Organ Transplant programs:
Operational & Financial Assessments, CMS Mock Audits, QAPI Surveys, SIA Services, New Transplant Program Feasibility Studies, Contract Management, Quarterly Consulting Retainer, Cost Report Audits, Outcome Projections and Interim Administration
 
BMT:
Operations Assessments, Contract Management, New Program Support and Administrative Coach Services

HLA:
Operations Assessments, Clinical Support, Business Audits, New Program  Support, Contract Management, Cost Report Audits and Administrative Coach Services

OPOs:
Cost Report Audits

 

Results Available for 

2015 UNOS Member Survey
 

In April this year, 614 transplant professionals representing transplant centers and OPOs responded to the member survey. UNOS will use this information to help identify new projects and needs as well as fine tune and prioritize existing plans and projects. 

Read more here.

 


 

Deedle Heckenkemper 

Leader in Transplant Administration Award
 

Guidry & East wishes to congratulate Tracy Giacoma, MBA, MSN, RN for being named the 2015 recipient of the UNOS - Deedle Heckenkemper Leader in Transplant Administration Award. Tracy received the honor during UNOS's 23rd annual Transplant Management Forum in San Diego for her significant contributions and positive impact on transplant administration.

 


 

G&E Conference Attendance


 

G&E was front and center at UNOS' 23rd annual Transplant Management Forum April 22-24 at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina.  See below for upcoming conference and workshop attendance and how to meet with us.

 

Kidney Allocation System Continuing to Meet a Number of Key Expectations 

The recently implemented kidney allocation system (KAS) appears to be meeting expectations on a number of key outcomes, based on an updated report with six months of data. Please note that while early data may suggest certain trends, these trends may change over time or reflect normal variation from month to month.  Data will continue to be analyzed at regular intervals to assess how the system is functioning and whether improvements are needed to ensure it best meets the needs of transplant candidates. Key goals of the new system are listed below, along with early highlights that indicate performance in those areas. 
See
Read more  here.

 

Maximum Allowable BMI Will Increase for Kidney-Pancreas Candidates 


After a scheduled review of pancreas policy, the maximum allowable BMI for a candidate's listing is being increased. This review was stipulated by the new pancreas allocation policy that was implemented in October 2014. 
Read more  here.

 

New York has a Liver Problem, with no Easy Solution

 

Scott Yocom was dying when his doctors at Mount Sinai suggested there was nothing more they could do for him in New York City.

If he wanted to live, they said, his best chance was to fly to Cleveland.

The 45-year-old architect had two decades earlier been diagnosed with Sclerosing cholangitis, a progressive disease that destroys the bile ducts inside and outside the liver.

Mount Sinai has a world-class transplant team. What they don't have are organs.

Read more  here.

 

Nephrologists Can Take Active Role in Meds Management After Kidney Transplant

 

(HealthDay News) - For adult kidney transplant recipients, nephrologists take an active approach to medication management, according to a study published online June 17 in the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice.

Kimberley Crawford, PhD, from Monash University in Clayton, Australia, and colleagues developed an online survey to explore how nephrologists promote and assess medication adherence, prescription management, and the frequency of clinic appointments and clinical screening tests for adult kidney transplant recipients. Data were included from 22 nephrologists who completed the survey (response rate, 36.6%).

Read more  here.

 


Career Opportunities

 

Transplant Leadership Institute


Summer is the time of year when people are on the move.  If you are a finishing fellow, have recently graduated, or are relocating, please contact us - we may have positions available in your geographic location of choice.  We have multiple leadership positions for nurses with transplant experience - these positions provide a good opportunity to advance one's career.  Please visit our website at www.transplantleaders.com for more information.

 

              
Stop By!
UpcomingConferences


Visit Our Guidry & East Booth


2015 Transplant Financial Coordinators Association Annual Workshop

September 30 - October 2, 2015

St. Louis Union Station DoubleTree
More Info 


 

2015 Transplant Quality Institute Conference

October 7-9, 2015

Marriott Quorum Galleria Hotel- Dallas, TX
More Info


 

If you plan to attend or wish to have a face-to-face meeting with one of our representatives, please contact
Erica Heckenkemper-Lorenzo at
601-310-7444 or erica@guidryeast.com

to schedule an appointment.


 

We invite you to stop by our booth to learn more about our services and discuss your
specific transplant needs. 
We look forward to seeing you! 


Career Moves

 

  

Dr. Henry Randall  

is now the Division Chief of Adult & Pediatric Transplant at Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center & Saint Louis University and also the Surgical Director of Liver Transplant at SLU.

Dr. Randall is board certified by the American Board of Surgery, a Diplomate of the National Board of Medical Examiners, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and a member of many professional societies, including the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, the American Transplantation Society, the International Liver Transplantation Society, and the American & International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association.

Dr. Randall was a staff adult transplant surgeon at Baylor Regional Transplant Institute performing adult liver, kidney, and pancreas transplants. His experience includes directing the pediatric liver transplant program at Children's Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, serving as Chief of Liver Transplantation and Hepatobiliary Surgery at the University of Louisville, and serving as a clinical instructor for the Liver and Renal Transplant Program at the University of California at San Francisco.

Dr. Randall has more than 20 years of experience in transplantation and surgery of the liver, kidney, and pancreas. He has earned many rewards over his career and has published over 55 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters.

 




The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)  has hired two software engineers for its software engineering department.   Terry S. Bowman  comes to UNOS from Knight Software Inc. in Glen Allen, Va., where he was a senior developer. He earned an associate's degree in computer science from Tidewater Community College in Virginia Beach. 

 

Jason Jacobs  had been a software engineer at Royall & Company in Richmond. He earned a bachelor's degree in information technology from Rochester Institute of Technology in New York and an associate of applied science degree in computer science from Onondaga Community College in Seneca, N.Y.

Bradley Persing has joined the member quality department at the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) as a site surveyor.  He had been a cardiac transplant coordinator at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C. A registered nurse and certified clinical transplant coordinator, he holds a master's degree in nursing from Duke University. 

 

Darren Di Battista has joined the instructional innovations department at UNOS as a curriculum development instructor. He had been an English teacher with Spotsylvania County Schools.  He has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Richmond and is certified in secondary education.

 

Bradley Frohman is the director of portfolio management for United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) IT.  He most recently had been a consultant to Capital One on Agile Transformations, PMO/BMO set-up and portfolio management.  He earned a master's degree in computer science from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and a bachelor's degree in math and computer science from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.

 

Alexis Collins has joined the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) as a delivery solutions developer in the software engineering department.  She came to UNOS from Mapcom Systems in Midlothian, Va., where she was a junior developer. Collins earned a bachelor's degree in computer science from Longwood University in Farmville, Va.  Carolyn 

 

Ann Troiano has joined the UNOS IT services portfolio management group as a resource manager III.  She most recently had been an IT project manager with Modis in Richmond, Va., under contract with Genworth.  She earned a master of business administration degree from Rutgers University in Newark, N.J., and a bachelor's degree in toxicology from St. John's University in Jamaica, N.Y.

 

Mike Styers has joined the IT service delivery team at the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) as SQL maintenance DBA. He had been with Philip Morris International in Richmond, Va.  He has a bachelor's degree in data processing from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va.

 

The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) IT portfolio management department has hired two new scrum masters. Gregory James Lyons comes to UNOS from the Virginia Housing Development Authority, where he was a project manager. He holds a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Richmond, Va.  John Patrono had been at Capital One in Richmond, where he was a manager of Agile delivery. Patrono earned a master's degree in IT management from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and a bachelor's degree in accounting and engineering technology from Berry College in Rome, Ga.  A Six Sigma Green Belt, he is certified as a scrum master, a Microsoft systems engineer and a project management professional.

 

UNOS' department of software engineering has hired two engineers.  Douglas Noël is a quality tester automation engineer.  He had been a senior quality assurance manager at WealthForge in Richmond, Va., a social networking site devoted to assisting early-stage companies raise capital.  Brannan Edward Nunnally is a software engineer who previously was a developer with Estes Express Lines in Richmond, Va.  He earned a bachelor's degree in information systems from VCU.

 

Margaret A. Browne has joined UNOS' policy department, where she is an administrative assistant. She comes to UNOS from LifeNet Health in Richmond, Va., where she was a regional office administrative assistant.  Browne holds a 120-hour certificate in nonprofit management.

 

Danny Habersetzer has joined the department of information technology's software engineering group at the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) as an associate software engineer.  He earned a master's degree in computer science as well as a graduate certificate in cybersecurity from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond.  He also holds a bachelor's degree in religious studies from The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va.

 

Robert Michael Steele has joined UNOS IT's service logistics group as an asset and license analyst.  He had been an IT asset management operations manager at the Virginia Department of Transportation through Randstad Technologies.  He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Maryland in College Park. and is certified as a help desk analyst and a software asset manager.

 

UNOS also has hired two software developers.

James Robert Cecil came to UNOS from Computer Surgeons in Mechanicsville, Va., where he was a computer repair manager.  In addition to taking computer science classes at VCU, he holds A+ and Net+ certifications in computer repair. Jacob Brogan came to UNOS

from Christopher Newport University (CNU) in Newport News, Va., where most recently he had been a graduate lab assistant and a GK-12 fellow through the National Science Foundation.  He earned a master's degree in environment science and a bachelor's degree in environmental biology, both from CNU.

 

 
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please send updated career moves to

 

 

Guidry & East welcomes input from our readers on future topics. 

Send us your  ideas for discussions, upcoming events, 
and question and answer topics to 

 


We look forward to hearing from you. 

 

 
 
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