Your chance to speak at the 2020 Revenue Integrity Symposium

by Jaclyn Fitzgerald, CHRI

NAHRI’s Revenue Integrity Symposium (RIS) is a fantastic way to network with and learn from revenue integrity professionals from across the country. But have you considered that RIS can also help hone your professional speaking skills?

NAHRI is currently seeking healthcare professionals who are willing to throw their hat into the RIS ring and submit proposals for the 2020 symposium. This year, we will soar to new elevations as we meet October 6–7, 2020, in Westminster (Denver), Colorado. Our new call for speakers application is easier than ever to navigate and submit.

Suggested topics

Whether you’re a new or seasoned speaker, this is your chance to share your knowledge and experience with a group of peers.

We seek proposals on everything from regulatory updates to operational strategies to case studies. Whether your passion is sharing a story about the great things happening at your facility, relating lessons learned as you hit roadblocks, or breaking down Medicare complexities into actionable strategies, 2020 RIS is the place for you.

And while we all need to know the latest on price transparency, chargemaster updates, and so on, you might be surprised at how many requests we have for people who can discuss day-to-day experiences in revenue integrity. In fact, one of our most popular NAHRI Quarterly Member Call topics of 2019 was inter- and intradepartmental collaboration. How is your department structured? How do you justify increased staffing and support? How do you learn to work well with others? The most interesting session proposal might just involve sharing what is happening around you every day.

In addition to traditional, one-hour presentations (45 minutes of presentation and 15 minutes of Q&A), we welcome you to think outside the box. We also accept proposals for roundtable sessions, panel discussions, poster presentations, speed networking, and lightning rounds (e.g., multiple quick-hit presentations within a one-hour session).

We seek speakers to present on all aspects of revenue integrity, Medicare compliance, and the revenue cycle in acute care and long-term care settings. That includes but is not limited to the following:

• Highlights of IPPS and OPPS annual updates
• Enhancing a revenue integrity program using analytics, metrics, and key performance indicators
• Maintaining an up-to-date and compliant chargemaster and setting policies for charging for procedures and supplies
• Strategies for designing a revenue integrity program, developing workflows, and setting and meeting revenue integrity goals
• Complying with price transparency requirements and creating appropriate price strategies
• Developing strategies for accurately documenting, coding, and billing patient encounters and stays
• Best practices for reducing payer denials using targeted data analytics
• Current payer audit targets and strategies to protect revenue
• Properly addressing NCCI edits and MUEs
• Understanding the impact of patient status and navigating payer regulations
• Impact of value-based reimbursement models on revenue
• The impact of the new PDPM case-mix payment model on billing and reimbursement
• Tips for successfully navigating various consolidated billing categories
• Ensuring billing office compliance when dealing with Medicare Advantage, Medicare as secondary payer, and benefits verification
• The link between ICD-10 coding and the MDS

If you don't see your hot topic listed here, please write and let us know what expertise you can bring to the podium! Original ideas not included above are welcomed.

What the people want

We try to make every year better than the last at RIS, which is why we ask for feedback from past attendees and our Conference Committee. After wrapping up 2019 RIS, we were asked to increase our focus on providing education for beginner, intermediate, or advanced levels whereas traditionally our submissions leaned toward the intermediate side. But we can’t accomplish this goal without your help.

It’s easy to think that submitting an intermediate session proposal would be the safest route to having your proposal accepted. But where does that leave the beginner and advanced members of the audience when they are choosing which breakout to attend in Colorado? If your session proposal on chargemaster best practices is for the first-year revenue integrity professional versus the revenue integrity director, be sure to submit it as such. Given the variety of titles in attendance and the fact that not every revenue integrity department is as mature as the next, we are asking you to consider the need for all levels of education. We want entire teams to benefit from 2020 RIS—and from our group discount rates—which means we need something to offer everyone, from the person who is just learning about work queues to the person making financial and operational decisions.

Application information

For 2020 RIS, we have moved to a new application system that will enhance both your application experience and the way our Conference Committee reviews submissions. It’s a win-win that will help us continue to provide you with a wonderful RIS experience.

Before applying, please ensure you are prepared with the following:

• Biographical information, including contact information, professional biography, and relevant speaking experience
• Professional headshot
• Contact information for a professional reference
• Educational background information, including institution and area of study
• Presentation information, including an outline or agenda, learning objectives, title, audience level with rationale, and most appropriate track
• Co-presenter information, if applicable

Please submit your application no later than end of day Monday, February 3, 2020. Please be sure to complete all the fields. Leaving the form open for a lengthy period may cause it to "time out," so you may wish to draft your submission in a separate Word document and paste it into the appropriate fields to ensure proper transmission. Speakers are welcome to submit more than one session but must fill out a separate form for each submission.

NAHRI will waive admission fees to 2020 RIS for all selected speakers and co-speakers. However, speakers will be responsible for the cost of their own travel, accommodations, and meals. Applicants will be contacted in April 2020 about accepted proposals. Selected presenters will be expected to submit PowerPoint materials at a later date.

We can’t wait to hear from you. So, what are you waiting for?