Volume 4 - HFMA WA-AK newsletter

volume IV September 2021

The Northwest Outlook

Welcome to Volume 4 of our Member Newsletter

One place you can see yourself in print. Submit a personal article about work or yourself. Win awards for best article. Take a chance and explore all you can be in print. Send your articles to waakhfmanewsletter@gmail.com to be included in the next edition!

In Remembrance

We were saddened with the sudden and unexpected passing of our friend and colleague, Paul Holden on July 1. Our thoughts are with Paul’s family and friends and, most especially, his wife and two children.

Paul joined Moss Adams in 2006 and rose to the level of Partner in 2018 within the Health Care Consulting Group. His passion for health care and his clients was immediate from the moment he joined the Firm. However, what made Paul one of our most sought-after reimbursement experts was his uncanny ability to digest federal reimbursement policy changes, as well as to understand how seemingly minor annual changes in both in-patient and outpatient reimbursement could dramatically impact his clients the following year.

He was dedicated to his community, serving on various boards, including the Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital Foundation Board. A long-time member and volunteer for Oregon and Washington Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA), he earned both the Certified Healthcare Financial Professional and Fellow designation. He was a loving husband and proud father to two sons, who shared his love of learning and the outdoors with them. Paul’s big personality was known by all and his humor and collaborative spirit are sorely missed. We mourn his passing and remember him as a revered colleague, teacher, and friend.

To leave a comment for Paul’s family, visit his online obituary.

Reflecting on Paul's Contributions to Our HFMA Community:

Paul was an integral part of our HFMA community. Over his 16+ years with our Chapter, he earned over 70 founders points: he wrote articles, gave presentations (over 15), and led multiple committees. Paul never hesitated to help out the chapter and his leadership was inspiring to so many of us. He was a friend to many and part of our HFMA family. Always a smiling face in our chapter, we will never forget you Paul.

Past President's Corner

Message from the Past President:

The end of the fiscal year, May 31.

We all know that change is constant, and the past year has presented hyper change of which most of us could not envision or want. Last spring, we felt we should be back to semi-normal by fall, despite what the experts told us. All in-person meetings from March 2020 through September 2021 were/are canceled. We lost travel, conventions, one-on-one connections, in-person education and a few new sites to explore. The events made everybody rethink how they interacted with the chapter/association, what the chapter’s focus would be and how we would accomplish it. The COVID pandemic has been a bigger disrupter than department budget cuts, job changes, overloaded workloads, financial crisis and re organizations, primarily because many people were faced with all of these, all due to the pandemic.

Wishing you the very best.

Mike

President's Corner

Welcome to the new HFMA 2021-2022 Year!

Our chapter theme this year is “New Beginning, New Level” and we are excited to have you join us in an exciting journey together!

We understand that being a part of an HFMA chapter is a new experience for many, so the chapter theme communicates that you are not alone, and we enjoy volunteering together. It’s a chance to step up to a new level of awareness. It’s an opportunity to be stretched and know there’s a positive team helping you along.

I’ve enjoyed being a member of the WA-AK HFMA chapter for 20 years this year! The last six years has been one of stepping up into many chapter leadership roles. It’s exciting now to be able to give back further and be your WA-AK HFMA Chapter President. Will you join us in a volunteering role? Please feel free to reach out to me on how you can help.

Wishing you the very best!

Jesse

Member Highlight

Jennifer Reed, MSA

Director of Finance

WhidbeyHealth Medical Center

Cale Middleton, CPA

Assistant Controller

Financial Services | MultiCare

Get to know two of our members

Member Articles

Who You Gonna Call

In movies when there is an uncontrolled force threatening, leaders gather and look for solution. Where to go for help? As in the iconic movie Ghost Busters “Who Ya Gonna Call?”) the call goes out. When faced with the COVID threat and resource demands, hospital leadership settled on one answer: “Revenue Cycle.

Historically in the clinically-centric world of healthcare management, when a non-clinical demand is placed on the organization, the common reaction is to call on the Revenue Cycle team to take charge and fill the gap. Read Article Here

Judy I. Veazie, CRCE, CCT

Consultant and Columnist

The Trim Tab Effect

Thirty years ago, my education in HMO and Managed Care came rapidly when Kaiser expanded their hold on our healthcare market. At that time Kaiser was cutting back on their “bricks and mortar’ investments in the Portland area and sending their members to “partner providers” outside the limits of their service region (about 30 miles according to patient contracts). As a Revenue Cycle Manager for one of their largest health system “partners” I was responsible for assuring we got payment from Kaiser for our services.

We quickly found that Kaiser’s agreement to meet the standards and pay timely according to the contract were more a verbal good faith message than an actual bankable deal. Read Article Here

Judy I. Veazie, CRCE, CCT

Consultant and Columnist

HFMA Industry Leaders

When working with new careerists, I describe my entry into healthcare finance this way: “Often a career chooses you, you do not choose it.”

I would also add that the adage,”being in the right place at the right time” can also apply to our career paths. Fifty years ago (Fall 1971) I was looking for a job with a flexible schedule when I applied for a “PM Business Office Supervisor” role with St. Helen Hospital. I had never considered healthcare because I had most of my experience in journalism or working in manufacturing offices.

Curiously, the interview focused on my background in journalism. I was shown a examples of HFMA newsletters from around the US. As it turned out the hospital CFO, Carl Craig was on the board of the Washington HFMA and was determined to launch a new communications strategy for the chapter. Two relationships were launched that day. Read Article Here