Monday, February 26, 2007

8:00 a.m.- 9:00 a.m.
Registration & Continental Breakfast

9:00 a.m.- 10:00 a.m.
Glimpse the Federal Health Care Fraud Agenda, from an Insider
Don’t miss this opportunity to hear first-hand from Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Nicholson, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. Mr. Nicholson serves as program manager for the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Program at the Executive Office for United States Attorneys and has been prosecuting health care fraud from Southern Florida since 1994. He describes the top health care fraud enforcement initiatives for 2007, covers current trends and recounts real-life examples of health fraud cases he has investigated and prosecuted. Plus he provides you with 9 things you can do to stay on the right side of the law.

10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.
Lessons from Current Investigations of Physician-Hospital Relationships
Hospitals and physician practices are reaching out to each other in new and innovative ways. Some times the government encourages this – as with easing restrictions on sharing technology – and other times it prosecutes. Get guidance on where the bright line is drawn from Marci Handler, attorney, Epstein Becker & Green, Washington, D.C. She brings your attention to recent hot government investigations that carry lessons for all providers, and gives you pointers to structure compliant relationships. She describes common do’s and don’ts and delves into joint equity (co-ownership of entities like surgi-centers) and non-equity arrangements (e.g., management relationships). You go home with a checklist of 10 Best Practices for hospital-physician arrangements that comply with Stark and Anti-Kickback laws.

11:00 a.m.-11:15 a.m.
Refreshment Break

11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Meet the Government’s Standards to Prove Your Compliance Program Works
It is no longer enough simply to set up a compliance program and go through the motions – you need to document that your program works. If you don’t, and something goes wrong, the government may target you for more audits and hit you with stiffer penalties and sanctions. Get the inside scoop from Mary Stewart, heath care vice president of compliance, B&D Consulting, a department of Baker and Daniels, LLP, Washington, D.C., with more than 100 government investigations under her belt, on how to reduce you vulnerability and get credit for the work you do by thoroughly documenting your compliance activities. She will also show you how to evaluate your compliance program’s effectiveness, identify common compliance program weaknesses and tell you how to strengthen them. You’ll also take home checklists to help you audit and boost your program’s effectiveness.

12:15 p.m.-1:30 p.m.
Lunch – Network with your peers

1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
Life After a CIA: What It Takes to Win the Government’s Approval and Defend Your Budget
Living under a corporate integrity agreement isn't easy, but coming out from under one isn't either. After Kansas University Physicians' corporate integrity agreement expired last year, Linda Wood, director of compliance, had to fight to keep her compliance funding at the same level as under the CIA. She shares tips on how to defend your compliance program from budget cuts, as well as best practices and lessons learned under the CIA. Specifically you'll discover how to bring new physicians and employees up to speed on compliance and how to get buy in from the top.

2:30 p.m.-2:45 p.m.
Refreshment Break

2:45 p.m.-3:45 p.m.
What It’s Really Like to Go Through An Investigation: Lessons from One Physician Practice
There’s no better advice than from someone who’s been there. And Vicki Dwyer’s been there. As Compliance and Privacy Officer at Galichia Medical Group, a 22-physician multispecialty practice in Wichita, Kan., she was hired to institute compliance policies after DOJ and OIG investigations. She shares her first-hand lessons from working with the feds and putting into place a solid compliance program. She reveals an inside-look at what it’s like to go through an investigation – and what happens when the feds return. Our conference CD that you can take home contains some of Vicki’s best audit forms, P&Ps and other valuable documents that will energize your compliance efforts.

3:45 p.m.-4:45 p.m.
Tested, In-the-Trenches Techniques Sure to Boost Your Compliance Efforts
A lot of good can grow out of something bad. Take the Path audit and OIG CIA endured by University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville. Lawrence Ebersole, CPC, CCP, Special Investigator, Office of Compliance at the college, describes what happened, shares lessons learned and his techniques to improve compliance. Hear how the practice’s audit plan works – and gets physicians to document correctly. Know why you shouldn’t just point out mistakes, but also demonstrate how proper documentation results in entitled reimbursement. Your take-home CD includes examples of Excel spreadsheets, custom reports and an audit tool you’re sure to use.

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Tuesday, February 27, 2007

8:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m.
Tips to Identify And Safeguard Your Practice From Common Coding Problems That Can Trigger Fraud Allegations
It seems like every time you turn around the government is going after another provider for alleged coding  fraud - whether it is for improper consultations, evaluation and management services, misuse of modifiers -25 and -59 or something else. Kim Garner Huey, a certified healthcare compliance consultant, CPC and CCS-P, will show you how to protect yourself from these and other common coding problems before the government investigates you. She will also reveal specific government coding targets and teach you to train your physicians to code properly. Plus you'll receive an E/M documentation cheat sheet and coding compliance decision trees for several OIG targets.

9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.
Risk Assessment: How to Prioritize Your Goals and Stretch Your Budget
Staying on top of ever-changing Medicare rules, identifying compliance weaknesses before the government does and complying with complex fraud and abuse laws is a full time job. But for most compliance officers it is not their only job – many are also in charge of coding, billing and managing the office. Discover how to maximize your time and improve the effectiveness of your compliance program from Mildred Johnson, a CPC, lawyer and experienced compliance officer. She will show you how to quickly identify and prioritize risks, and share tips on how to audit and resolve problems.

10:00 a.m.-10:15 a.m.
Refreshment Break

10:15 a.m.-11:15 a.m.
Risky Business: How to Avoid Investment Traps and Stay Safe
Tight financial times are driving more and more practices to invest in ancillaries and new services that hold the promise of great profitability. However, some carry grave risks, as you’ll hear from David Hilgers, attorney, Brown McCarroll, Austin, Texas. David describes a slew of arrangements – from ambulatory surgery centers to ultrasound, concierge care to vein-stripping – and when they can trigger Stark, Anti-kickback and other compliance traps. Get guidance on what kinds of services you can provide safely, what the risks are and what you can do to avoid these risks. You go home with a list of do’s and don’ts when advertising your services, plus a handy cheat-sheet on safe and risky joint ventures.

11:15 a.m.
Adjourn