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August 2, 2006
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Delivering Difficult Information


Natalie R. Manor
Natalie Manor & Associates
Merrimack, NH

Natalie Hoffmann
Natalie Manor & Associates
Merrimack, NH

One of the most difficult, complicated, complex, and most avoided aspect of leadership/management is delivering difficult information to people, whether they are staff, superiors, or subordinates. What if you could deliver information - negative or not - in a timely way that would increase performance and productivity? What if you could actually not have to feel your way through tough information and could share it with confidence and effectiveness? Now you can. Join Natalie Manor and Natalie Hoffmann for a session that will erase the need to delay bringing bad news to someone ever again. After 20 years of working with senior leaders in the area of leadership and communication, the speakers can help you with the process of delivering and receiving difficult information so you can achieve a successful outcome each and every time.

You will learn:

• Preparation techniques for gathering information to increase others’ performance and productivity
• The top 10 list of red flags to help you understand that you need to take action and help another improve their effectiveness
• The top 6 questions to ask in order to get to the facts of any situation and help skip the emotion of the moment

8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Full Field Digital Mammography - Not When...But How


Bonnie Rush, RT(R)(M)(QM)
BIS - Breast Imaging Specialists
San Diego, CA

This session repeated on August 3, 8:00 AM

Thinking of diving into digital mammography? The transition from conventional screen/film to Full-Field Digital Mammography (FFDM) imaging has advanced slowly due to the high-resolution requirements of this modality. However, the time to prepare for the future leap into a digital approach is now. This session will provide insights into where mammography has been and where digital is currently. It will detail the available technologies, how to justify its cost, the regulatory process and why it will inevitably be the only way to go.

You will learn to:

• Appreciate the requirements of mammography and the strengths and weaknesses of analog versus digital mammography
• Understand new terminology to speak the digital mammography language
• Recognize the impact of the publics perception of this new technology versus the outcomes of analog versus digital systems studies
• Identify the issues involved with implementation of a digital system
• Determine how to justify acquisition of a digital system
• Become Familiar with the current receptor types and the approved as well as potential systems approaches
• Discover future applications that will impel digital imaging of the breast

8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Revenue Enhancement: I'll Bet You Haven't Tried This!


John D. Holzer, AA, BA
Sacred Heart Medical Center
Spokane, WA

Drilling down through multiple reports often takes hours and sometimes days to extract the critical information needed to make decisions or correct problems. The presentation will give you specific areas of focus to find revenues/prevent late charges. Assuming that other departments will catch and correct errors in your billing process can be setting you up for failure. The speaker will pinpoint key areas that have offered tremendous benefit to his organization revenue stream and kept it off the radar screen for causing late charges. Being data rich and information poor is something that was a continual frustration to the department. Taking control of multiple reports with varying degrees of information can be very powerful information when extracted to specific data points for analysis. The key is to be timely, efficient, and accurate. During the presentation I will demonstrate the use of macros in Microsoft Excel and how the use of this powerful tool as an alternative to hours of error-prone manual work has assisted in the quest for acquiring critical information.

You will learn to:

• Identify key areas to focus on for revenue enhancement / prevent late charges
• See the power of using macros to rapidly drill down to critical information
• Challenge you to continually look for dollars by using out-of-the-box thinking

8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Can You Justify a Dedicated Radiology Coder in Your Organization?


Melody W. Mulaik, MSHS, CPC, CPC-H, RCC
Coding Strategies, Inc
Powder Springs, GA

Radiology is an intricate and complicated specialty. Coding guidelines frequently change and not keeping up with these changes can be financially disastrous! Having a dedicated radiology professional responsible for the coding of interventional radiology procedures, charge master (or fee ticket) maintenance, and the follow-up and resolution of insurance payor rejections and denials can provide significant benefits to your organization. Find out the 10 ways a coder can make money for radiology! Having an accurate job description and staffing model coupled with appropriate qualifications and experience will ensure that the best candidate is selected for the job. How many Full-time Equivalents (FTEs) can you justify for the workload at your facility? Who should be responsible for working with the insurance payors? These questions and more will be answered during this exciting and animated session.

You will learn to:

• Develop a job description for a dedicated radiology coder
• Create a customized staffing model to assist with position justification
• Discuss the qualifications and experience required for the successful candidate in this key position

8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Maximize Your Productivity Through Mentoring and Solid Management Practices


E. David Williams, BS, RT(R)
Craven Regional Medical Center
New Bern, NC

Timothy L. Ludwig, BSRT(R)(CT)
Craven Regional Medical Center
New Bern, NC

This presentation will identify many ways to improve the relationship between management and staff employees. Additionally, it will illustrate leadership shortcomings. Discussion will include management neglect, the staff’s perception to closed doors, and low visibility of management. Even the most productive and professional employees need encouragement and feedback.

You will learn to:

• Develop a more productive environment
• Remove perceived obstacles to the staff’s vertical opportunities
• Remove the barriers and rivalries between modalities an departments outside imaging

8:00 AM  - 9:30 AM
Radiology Denial Management Strategies that Work


Joe Lineberry VP of Compliance and Regulatory Affairs
Per-Se Technologies
Alpharetta, GA

Frank A. Madonna, MD
Lucien Diagnostic Imaging

Many radiology practices today are suffering the consequences of inaccurate coding and denied claims. In fact, recent findings (based on analysis of national claims submission data) reveal that approximately 30 percent of initial claims submitted to Medicare result in denial, with many commercial and private payers following similar patterns.  The solution is the implementation of an effective “denial management” program

You will learn:

• To understand that denial management is not the solution it’s the plan
• To understand common causes of denials
• How to get results

9:45 AM – 11:00 AM
Wednesday General Session


Keynote Speaker: Norm Bossio
Generously sponsored by RSI Medical Group

11:00 AM – 2:30 PM
Exhibit Hall Open
Lunch served 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM

2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Management Myths and Magic


Roberta Edge, MHA, CRA, RT(R)(M), FAHRA
Sutter Gould Medical Foundation
Modesto, CA

This session repeated on August 3, 10:00 AM

You have to know EVERYTHING about imaging and work 14 hours 6 days a week to be an effective leader. NOT! By exploring management myths such as these and using effective time management, people skills, and humor, learn to be more effective, keep your life balanced, and set boundaries with those to whom you report and those who report to you. During the speaker’s tenure as president of AHRA, she was asked repeatedly how she could find the time to volunteer for AHRA while having a full-time job. The magic is effective use of time management tools, delegation, mentoring, and boundary setting. In this session use of scheduling all appointments (phone calls, going to the gym, etc) to improve use of time, prioritizing tasks, and setting day to day limits so you are in the office less while getting your work done more effectively. Two-minute meditation will be taught as well as the use of an in conference sign on the door to let people know you are in but not available at the moment. By the end of the session, you will have tools to better manage your workday.

You will learn to:

• More effectively utilize your time
• Keep your life balanced
• Stay calm in times of crisis to stay focused on finding a solution

2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Workflow, Service Metrics and Patient Safety in Multi-detector Computed Tomography (MDCT)


Kathy Ouellette-Piazzo, BS, RT(R)(M)(CT)
Mass General Hospital
Boston, MA

This session repeated on August 3, 10:00 AM

This presentation will cover how to deal with and implement changes to the workflow with multi-detector scanners. The topic includes, what will need to be changed and how to change it. This topic will also talk about service metrics and how to track the information and document the changes. The topic also includes Joint Commission Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) patient safety goals as stated by JCAHO. This will include a basic description of an Healthcare Failure Mode Effect Analysis (HFMEA) and what this entails.

You will learn to:

• Implement workflow changes with Multidector Computed Tomography (CT)
• Understand service metrics and how to track changes
• Understand patient safety goals as required by JCAHO
• Implement workflow changes

2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Speech Recognition: Better Care and Lower Cost


Nick Van Terheyden, MD
Philips Speech Recognition Systems
Laytonsville, MD

This session repeated on August 3, 10:00 AM

It’s a Familiar story throughout radiology departments in the United States - essential reports delayed for hours, days, and in some cases, weeks awaiting transcription by an overwhelmed transcription service. Documentation is the life blood of radiology and instant access is no longer “nice to have” it is a “must have” feature for delivering high- quality service to radiology department customers. Speech recognition has reached the plateau of productivity. Put another way - speech recognition has reached the Tipping Point for healthcare. This session will explore the value of speech recognition in radiology documentation and tight integration into radiology systems to provide easier interaction for time challenged physicians and the value this brings to the quality and speed of clinical data capture.

You will learn to:

• Understand speech recognition technology and how to successfully apply this to your own Radiology department
• Identify the key features of a successful speech recognition solution
• Understand why accuracy is not the critical determining factor in a successful implementation
• Differentiate between the various types of speech recognition including front end and back end speech recognition and be able to identify the advantages and disadvantages of each

2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Healthcare Legal Issues That Impact Radiology Practices


Andrew B. Wachler
Wachler & Associates, P.C.
Royal Oak, MI

This session repeated on August 3, 11:30 AM

This presentation will focus on the healthcare legal issues that every radiology administrator should be aware of including: Stark issues relating to radiology practices and relationships, anti-kickback issues relating to radiology practices and relationships - joint ventures with hospitals or other entities; and legal issues raised by compliance auditing and monitoring. Specifically, the presentation will provide a general overview of the federal STARK and anti-kickback laws and how they may apply in the radiology setting. The presentation will focus on the circumstances wherein the STARK radiology referral “carve-out” does not apply requiring compliance with the STARK regulations. The presentation will also address stark, anti-kickback and billing issues present with respect to teleradiology and offsite reads. Also addressed will be healthcare legal issues that arise in potential joint venture relationships and will highlight key issues that arise in undertaking compliance auditing and monitoring activities.

You will learn:

• Key healthcare legal issues that impact radiology practices
• How to identify potentially problematic relationships from an anti-kickback and STARK perspective
• Key issues to be aware of in joint ventures
• How to conduct compliance auditing

2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Strong Branding Creates a Competitive Edge


Peggy Wagner, CRA
Radiology Business Management Association
Rocklin, CA

Brands allow you to clearly define and communicate what you stand for, whether you’re the “lowest-cost provider,” provide the “fastest report turnaround,” obtain the “highest quality images” are the “preferred choice” and so on. But you’ve got to decide what your brand stands for, and communicate that value proposition effectively and repeatedly. It’s not good enough to just run a quality radiology practice. Whether you are hospital based or a free standing imaging center, you’ve got to let everyone know what sets you apart from your competition.

You will learn to:

• Identify ways to determine your brand
• Examine the essential components of a successful strategy for implementing a plan for branding Development and measurement
• Learn how branding will increase financial performance and build strong internal and external relationships internally

2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
The Art of War: Strategies for Winning the Cardiovascular/Interventional Turf War


William Burke, MHP, RT(CV)
South Shore Hospital
South Weymouth, MA

Frank Panzarella, MHSA
RCG HealthCare Consulting
Boston, MA

In today’s healthcare climate, specialty practices and developing technologies have created scope-of-practice overlap and blurred the lines AM ong several departments that provide similar services. Case in point: The radiology, cardiology, and surgery specialties have taken up arms to treat patients with minimally invasive catheter-based therapy, spawning one of the most prevalent turf battles in history. However, staking a claim in cardiovascular and interventional therapy may not mean drawing the battle lines. The right combination of competition, collaboration, and marketing could crown your radiology department the victor. Often, radiologists do not have the business skills to effectively wage the war and instinctively look to the department administrator for assistance. However, this is likely to be unFamiliar territory for most administrative directors as well, who will now need a set of tools and strategies to brandish in this turf war. This session will arm directors with strategies to help radiologists build a competitive model that takes into account key business drivers that will ultimately shape the practice, including patient safety and quality, efficiency, and performance. Additionally, opportunities to extend a collaborative hand to competing services will be outlined.

You will learn to:

• Work with your radiologists to devise a gAM e plan
• Develop a model for engaging in competition
• Prepare for unexpected bumps along the road
• Market cardiovascular/interventional services
• Employ strategies for when and how to collaborate with other specialties

2:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Discover Your Communication Style and Improve Your Effectiveness through DiSC


Lori E. Miller, MS
Developing Professionals
Lancaster, NY

There is a fee of $30 for this session and pre-registration is required.  Due to the nature of the DiSC assessment tool, on-site registration for this session will not be available.

The DiSC Personal Profile System helps individuals better understand themselves and others to improve communication in the workplace. The self assessment tool will provide an individual report for all participants that will identify their behavioral patterns, their preferences for interacting with others, strengths, and weaknesses, what motivates and de-motives individuals, and how to interact more effectively with others to get better results. The interactive training will cover the 4 Dimensions of DiSC and help individuals understand their behaviors and why they react the way that they do. Individuals will learn how to communicate more effectively with the different styles and use the best approach for interacting with each individual style. Based on intensity levels of each, the various patterns will be reviewed and explored and individuals will identify their unique characteristics to develop an action plan for increasing effectiveness in all of their roles. Participants will be provided a 5-minute approach tool that will enable them to quickly determine a persons style so they can better adapt a strategy to meet the needs of the situation. The workshop will help leverage better communication practices and relationships with fellow workers, colleagues and customers.

You will learn to:

• Interact and communicate more effectively with others
• Adapt strategies to met the needs of any situation to get better results
• Accept yourself and others to minimize conflict, create healthier relationships, and improve your effectiveness in all areas of your life

2:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Mapping and Development of Breast Center Practice


Robin Loebach, BSRT(R)
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Chicago, IL

Many imaging professionals are now being challenged with establishing a breast center or breast imaging practice. Managers are often asked to present information to people who may not understand the evolution or Development of breast imaging. This presentation will assist managers in tool Development and provide value information for evaluation. The mapping of a practice involves examining your current practice and establishing your vision and goal. Identifying other departments, sections, or practice are important, as these will affect the patients. Knowledge of key players, organizational support, and planning will be discussed. All are essential to success. A variety of tools will be presented to create a picture of a practice. These are helpful in explaining your department. Measurement models will aid in equipment planning, staffing and program Development. Whether you are a community hospital setting a goal of increasing a screening population, or an academic medical center creating a comprehensive breast center mapping of your practice will give you the foundation to develop a program, which meets your community or business needs. This mapping may also be applied to other modalities.

You will learn to:

• Define scope of existing breast imaging practice
• Map equipment and department layout to be used for monitoring and planning
• Identify value measurement opportunities
• Discover source of data available
• Design measurement tools
• Apply measurement practice into operations
• Explore technology advancement (digital, magnetic resonance imaging, computer-aided detection) in breast imaging
• Recognize components of surgical practice

3:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Break

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
The Dice Are Out: What Performance Improvement is Really All About


Jason Newmark, BA, MHA
Stamford Hospital
Stamford, CT

David Sack, BSRT, RTR, CRA, FAHRA
Stamford Hospital
Stamford, CT

“We have always done it that way!” “I’m not quite sure why we do that.” Why are these replies 2 of the most common responses managers receive when they begin to evaluate some of their departments current operational processes? The fact is that many staff and managers are too close to day-to-day activities to truly understand why everyday tasks are done as they are. Implementing change can be very challenging. However, this is why you became a manager! This session will present the tools and strategies necessary for effective, on-going, performance improvement.

You will learn:

• Strategies to assess your department’s current state of performance and to both identify opportunities for improvement and develop effective strategies to accomplish them
• Best practices in obtaining substantial financial and customer satisfaction data that will drive future change
• Tools to engage key stakeholders (management, staff, physicians) in achieving performance improvement

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Becoming Culturally Competent in an Ever-Changing Society


Cheryl L. Weiss, MS, RT(R)
Gwynedd Mercy College
Gwynedd Valley, PA

This session repeated on August 3, 8:00 AM

In the United States, we as healthcare professionals are, on a regular basis, interacting with people of diverse cultural backgrounds. It is important in todays climate, to be, not only culturally aware, but truly culturally competent. We all have prejudices, stereotypes, and pre-conceived notions about others who are different from ourselves. This presentation will promote understanding and appreciation of those differences. By shedding the truth about diverse populations across the United States, we will have an increased chance in succeeding with those we work with and those we care for. As we become culturally competent, our communication skills will increase as will our connectivity with others. An interactive session will enhance our sensitivity, not only in the workplace, but in our personal lives as well. Some basic cultural differences will be discussed and hopefully, through this process, we will be more prepared in our cultural skills. Building a trusting relationship is the key to a successful relationship. The trust will develop from allowing ourselves the opportunity to look past our own culture. As the demographics are changing, this is a critical time to examine our competence in this area.

You will learn:

• About the stages of becoming culturally competent
• How becoming culturally competent will enhance your communication skills
• Various traditions, values, and beliefs that other cultures hold true

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
How to Develop a 5-Year Capital Plan


Sheila M. Sferrella, MAS, RT(R), CRA, FAHRA
Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network
Allentown, PA

Each year, most managers prepare a capital budget for their department(s). In order to truly put a capital budget into perspective, you need to prepare a 5-year capital plan. This puts requests for the next fiscal year into perspective because needs for the next several years have been identified in the plan.

You will learn to:

• Understand how to put a template together for a 5-year capital plan for all modalities
• Understand the components of a 5-year capital plan
• Understand how to identify useful life of the equipment
• Understand how to spread the replacement costs across 5 years

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Understanding a New Paradigm for Creating a Contract to Manage Services, Including Third-Party and OEM Maintenance


Richard Helsper, MBA, CHE
Clarian Health Partners
Indianapolis, IN

Many locations outsource services such as Clinical Engineering through OEM and/or third-party players This presentation provides a step-by-step overview on how to create contracts that link hospital quality assurance programs to contracts using quality domains to ensure all aspects of safety, measurement, and assignment of ownership for each part of the process. Ensuring that equipment and support contract information is easily available and current to stakeholders; consolidates service area requirements into clear and easily managed support profiles; and monitors for optimal performance standards and expectations through service-level agreements and incentive matrixes.

You will learn to:

• Understand the difference between managing through relationships to managing via clearly defined and agreed upon criteria with assigned accountability
• Understand how to begin the process at a local level of managing expectations of service of any kind

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Development of the Radiologist Assistant: An Education and Certification Update


Salvatore Martino, EdD, CAE
ASRT Education and Research Foundation
Albuquerque, NM

Jerry Reid, PhD
American Registry of Radiologic Technologists
St. Paul, MN

Radiologist assistant (RA) educational programs have been developed in several universities throughout the country over the past 3 years. This presentation will look at the progress and structure of these programs. It will include discussion of program design, curriculum Development, program delivery mechanisms, and clinical preceptorships. It will also include survey feedback from students currently in RA programs as well as recent RA graduates. Information will be provided on employment settings for recent graduates. The national certification program developed for individuals graduating from RA programs will be described. This description will cover the study undertaken to define the role of the RA. It will also describe the process of translating the study's results into educational, ethical and exAM ination requirements for certification. The application process for becoming certified as an RA will be noted. Finally, the integration of both the educational requirements and certification process for the RA will be presented.

You will learn to:

• Identify the educational requirements for becoming a radiologist assistant
• Understand the practice environment for radiologist assistants
• Identify the requirements for certification as a radiologist assistant by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT)

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Improving Accuracy of Charge Capture for Interventional Radiology Procedures


Jacqueline Miller, BS, RHIA, CPC
Coding Strategies, Inc.
Powder Springs, GA

In summer 2005, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published plans to cut Medicare payments for exams of adjacent body areas. Many radiology administrators were shocked by the announcement. However, it cAM e as no surprise to those who had been following the activities of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). This group, which advises Congress on Medicare payment policies, had recommended the payment cuts in a report issued earlier that year. This was one of several recommendations made by MedPAC to address the escalating federal spending for imaging services. This session will give you an up-close look at MedPAC and other bodies (governmental and private) that influence federal payment policy for imaging services. Trends in payment policy will be discussed in detail, including credentialing, pay-for-performance, claims edits, and new limits on self referral. You will learn what data the government is looking at, what it is hearing from its advisory bodies, and what action it is likely to take. You'll also learn how to be AM ong the first to hear about planned payment policy changes so that you can avoid being blind-sided in the future. Remember, forewarned is forearmed!

You will learn to:

• Understand the structure and function of the MedPAC
• Identify the groups and organizations involved in making Medicare payment policy changes
• Identify planned and potential Medicare payment changes affecting radiology services, including credentialing, pay-for-performance, claims edits, and limits on self-referral
• Locate sources of information about planned and potential Medicare payment policy

7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
AHRA Party at Studio 54
Generously sponsored by Berlex