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2013 Educational Program

Health reform: How did we get here and how do we move forward

HME providers may be in the middle of the largest reduction in Medicare reimbursement, but health economist Timothy McBride would like them to take a step back and broaden their view. What are the problems with the healthcare system in the United States? How did we get to this place of the Affordable Care Act and its expansion of competitive bidding, its accountable care organizations and its insurance exchanges? Is health reform headed in the right direction? McBride, who was the first Associate Dean for Public Health at Washington University, says health reform may seem like an impossible goal, but that doesn't have to be the case.

Presenter:
Timothy McBride, professor, Brown School, Washington University

Big data: Do you have it and are you using it?

In this two-part session, Geoffrey Kearney, CEO of Praedx, a business intelligence software company, will give the big picture on big data and show how analytics is a powerful tool for any exec, especially for those in health care. A panel of HME software experts from Brightree, MedAct and QS/1 will join him to ground the discussion in HME. Data and business analytics, they say, is the difference between making a decision based on intuition versus sound judgment.

Speaker and moderator:
Geoffrey Kearney, founder and CEO, Praedx

Panelists:
Representatives from MedAct Software, QS/1 Data Systems, Brightree

Street Talk Workshop Part 1: Generating revenue and cutting costs

Our annual Street Talk sessions provide some of the best networking opportunities in the industry. Attendees divide into three groups and discuss their thoughts and experiences on generating revenues and cutting costs. Are you kicking around an idea and wondering if it's going to fly? This is the place to get feedback. Street Talk is simple: It's provider helping provider and, in the opinion of past Summit attendees, it doesn't get any better than that.

Moderators:
Rick Rector, publisher, HME News
Liz Beaulieu, editor, HME News
Anna McDevitt, president, Laboratory Marketing

M&A: What happens after the deal?

At last year's Summit, a panel of M&A analysts shared the nuts-and-bolts of how to buy another HME company. This year, M&A analyst Don Davis is back to moderate a panel of providers that, combined, have acquired dozens of companies. What happens after the keys change hands? How does a buyer integrate companies to maximize sales and efficiencies, and streamline operations? And most importantly: Are they now stronger companies for it?

Moderator:
Don Davis, president of Duckridge Advisors

Panelists:
Terry Luft, president and founder of Central Medical Equipment, and CEO of Dynamic Healthcare Services
Nathan Feltman, co-owner and president, Home Health Depot
Paul Bergantino, CEO, Numotion
Louis Rocco, president and CEO, Landauer Metropolitan

Street Talk Workshop Part 2: Managing, motivating and compensating employees to achieve business goals

In this second workshop, attendees will discuss managing and compensating employees by strategically utilizing key performance indicators (KPIs). For example, what KPIs do you track and for which type of employees?

Moderators:
Rick Rector, publisher, HME News
Liz Beaulieu, editor, HME News
Anna McDevitt, president, Laboratory Marketing

Contract craze: Don't just win it, bring it in

You may have a contract with Medicare as part of competitive bidding. You may not. If you don't, you probably have a contract with another insurer, whether it's a Medicare Advantage plan or a managed care organization. Once you've won a contract, are you making the most of it? In this session, Mike Sperduti will present the results of exclusive research on best practices for marketing your company to payers, referral sources and patients after you've won a contract.

Discover:

Presenter:
Mike Sperduti, CEO, Emerge Sales

Partnerships: Where growth and coordinated care meet

How's this for growth: In the past five years, Greensburg, Pa.-based MedCare Equipment Company has more than doubled its employee roster to 250, tripled its patient base to 35,000 and ramped up annual net revenues to $70 million. MedCare's strategy, according to CEO John Sphon, is to partner with area health systems (it's now up to eight) and give them the opportunity to have skin in the game (through part ownership of the company). In this session, Sphon and Lynn Stephens Watson will explain how these partnerships allow MedCare and health systems to not only grow, but also meet the increasing demand for coordinated care and population management.

Presenters:
John Sphon, CEO, MedCare Equipment Company
Lynn Stephens Watson, director of care management and social services, St. Clair Hospital

Best and brightest: Award winners share stories from the top

Consultant Miriam Lieber will lead a panel of HME Excellence Awards winners through a discussion on why they're growing and profitable, what they're doing to offset losses in revenue due to reduced reimbursement, and how they're thinking outside the box to overcome challenges. Lieber is one of three judges for the HME Excellence Awards.

Moderator:
Miriam Lieber, president, Lieber Consulting

Panelists:
HME Excellence Award winners

Online cash sales: Beat them at their own game

With Amazon the latest retail giant to target the 50-plus market, it's no longer a question of if HME providers should sell cash products online, but how can they get a leg up on the competition. Lisa Wells and Justin Racine will compare and contrast the online marketing strategies of two very different providers: At Home Medical, an established e-commerce provider that's in the process of overhauling its efforts; and Care Resource, a traditional brick-and-mortar provider that recently threw its hat in the ring. Both Wells and Racine say online cash sales is an area where HME providers can really flex their muscles. "They're the product experts," Racine says. "Quite a few caregivers and patients don't have any idea about the products they're purchasing." Wells and Racine will share the results of both company's online initiatives and how to apply those strategies to your business.

Presenters:
Lisa Wells, president and founder, Get Social, Inc.
Justin Racine, marketing manager, Care Resource

The 7th annual HME News/SRA Financial Benchmark Survey

Each year, hundreds of HME providers participate in this study to see how they stack up against their peers in everything from net revenues to DSO to employee expenses. Highlights from last year's session include: Two-thirds of providers reported revenue growth stayed the same or increased, and the majority of providers reported revenue per employee of $150,000. What happened in these areas and more in 2012? Come hear the answers.

Presenter:
Rick Glass, president, Steven Richards & Associates