AHRA Webinar Conferences are economical and convenient!

• Your facility pays one fee and the whole office can listen in
• No special equipment is needed - just a regular phone and internet connection
• Participate from the convenience of your home or office
• No travel time or expense
• A great way for you and your staff to earn CE credits
• Opportunity to ask questions and receive answers

AHRA Webinar Conferences eligible for CRA continuing education credit are marked with an icon to assist Certified Radiology Administrators and aspiring CRAs in selecting Webinar Conferences.

Asset Resource Management	Communication & Information Management	Fiscal Management
Operations Management	Human Resource Management	Electronic Imaging/Technology Management
Regulation/Accreditation Management	Professional Development Management	Imaging Centers Management

Thursday, January 24, 2008 – 1:00 pm – 2:30pm EDT
Melody W. Mulaik, MSHS, CPC, CPC-H, RCC, President, Coding Strategies, Inc.
David C. Purvis, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, HealthOne, Inc.

This session generously sponsored by Coding Strategies, Inc, HealthOne, Inc. and the Healthcare Billing and Management Association (HBMA)

The goal of this session is to assist radiology professionals with the identification of the key factors that impact organizational cash flow and provide guidance on effective methods to evaluate current systems and implement positive changes in their respective organizations. Most organizations struggle with ensuring that the operational processes that impact cash flow are efficient and accurate. There are numerous technological and personnel processes that work together to form the radiology reimbursement stream and any inefficiency can dramatically impact both the facility and physician.

The complexity of the current healthcare environment requires that organizations take an active role in ensuring their own viability. The implementation of Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs), which requires that the facility and physician bill the same Medicare contractor has already created the need for coordinated accuracy of claims data. The common scenarios that plague many organizations will be discussed to facilitate individual problem identification in their area and more!

You will learn to:

• Review the key steps in the operational process that impact cash flow.
• Review common coding and documentation issues as a result of this process.
• Provide guidance on operational process changes that can improve the cash flow for all radiology stakeholders.

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Thursday, February 28, 2008 - 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT
Linda J. Puchalski, CRA, MPA(R)(M(CV)(QM)
Hudson Valley Medical Center, Cortlandt Manor, NY

This session will discuss Quint Studer’s seminal work “Hardwiring Excellence” and how to apply its principles to improve patient satisfaction, improve operations, and position services for the future success of Imaging Departments. The speaker will review HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems), which is an instrument to measure patient perceptions of care in hospitals developed for the CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services). This instrument provides consumers with information that might be helpful in choosing a hospital. (www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov) We will also explore the relationship of HCAHPS and the hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) with regards to “Pay for Performance”.

In initially presenting any hospital customer satisfaction program, you must begin with using AIDET: Acknowledge the patient; Introduce yourself; Duration (tell the patient how long the exam will take); Explain the exam; and Thank the patient for using your service. This must be hardwired throughout the organization and department with a goal of “every patient, every encounter, every time”.

Additionally, the speaker will explore Studer’s five pillars of Best Service, Excellent Quality, Employer of Choice, Financial Viability, and Growth as it applies to Imaging and give everyday examples of how you can use this format to foster a culture of excellence.

You will learn to:

• Understand HCAHPS and IPPS (Pay for Performance) and their impact on hospitals and imaging departments.
• Emphasize the importance of AIDET, “every patient, every encounter, every time” on patient satisfaction.
• Effectively use the five pillars of Best Service, Excellence Quality, Employer of Choice, Financial Viability, and Growth as it applies to Imaging Departments, to improve patient satisfaction and future success.

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Thursday, March 27, 2008 - 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM EDT
Cheryl A. Schad, BA Ed, CPC, ACS-RA, PCS
Schad Medical Management, Mullica Hill, NJ

This webinar is generously sponsored by Schad Medical Management.

Have you ever wanted to attend a seminar where everything about breast procedures would be discussed? Well, this is it! From screening mammograms to nuclear studies; from ordering regulations to frequency rules; from 3-D rendering to CAD! We will look at the various percutaneous breast procedures and the different devices used to perform them, in order to be able to determine how to correctly code these procedures. When is it appropriate to separately code for mammograms performed in conjunction with breast biopsies? It’s less frequently than you probably think! We’ll discuss the differences between FNA and core biopsies, how to code Mammotome biopsies, needle localization wire placements, metallic clip placements, radiograph of surgical specimen, and various guidance procedures, i.e., stereotactic, mammographic, ultrasound, CT, & MRI.

You will learn to:

• Understand what latitude is afforded radiologists for performing additional diagnostic studies following an abnormal screening mammogram.
• Discuss what documentation is necessary for 3-D rendering when performed with a breast MRI
• Understand the difference between nuclear scintimammography and sentinel node identification

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The goal of this session is to provide attendees with an understanding of methods of tracking, quantifying, and qualifying productivity and workload. It seems that there is a constant shifting and changing in the manner data is collected, quantified, collated and qualified in order to track workflow and productivity within a Radiology Department. The information in this session will allow you to quantify how much work your department is performing; make projections on capacity and future capabilities; and provide methods of collating and qualifying your workload so the information can be communicated to financial officers in a manner consistent with their thought processes. It will also help you incorporate this information to assist with technology purchases and methods of increasing volumes in imaging.

You will learn to:

• Review past methods of tracking workload
• Discuss new methodologies of quantifying workload
• Discuss methods of collating and qualifying data collected

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Thursday, May 22, 2008 - 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EDT
Tim Ludwig, MHA, RT(R)(CT), CRA
Director, Imaging Services, Craven Regional Medical Center, New Bern, NC

Effective budgeting is a vital function of radiology administrators. Budgeting doesn’t have to be a dreaded task and shouldn’t be viewed as total speculation. While none of us have a crystal ball to tell the future, effective record keeping and open communications with your staff could make you look like Tarmac the Magnificent. Understanding and identifying trends is half the battle.

This session will address issues related to effective budgeting, specifically operational and capital budgets. Understanding that looking back assists in looking forward is the key to a successful budget. While identifying and tracking variances in your budget may be time consuming, it will assist you in future budgets.

The information presented in this session will be at an intermediate level.

You will learn to:

• Develop an accurate and effective budget.
• Utilize Excel as a powerful tool.
• Develop a proforma for a new or expanded service line.
• Identify and avoid potential problems with operational and capital budgets.

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Thursday, June 26, 2008 - 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EDT
Baltej S. Maini, MD
Healthcare Consultant, Northborough, MA

Michael A. Hill
VP Healthcare, SysInformation, Inc., Washington, DC

This webinar is generously sponsored by SysInformation, Inc.

It is well known that employee satisfaction depends on factors other than compensation. These factors include: the right fit for the job, timely performance evaluation and management, ongoing opportunities for career development within the workplace, loans and grants for professional study, a bonus and promotion program, communication from superiors at various levels, and training and development that deals with leadership issues.

This session will include effective strategies to hire the right people for the right job, including pre-hire screening tools, an orientation program which includes the CEO, COO, CMO and the CHRO, a program that provides career development opportunities, successful performance management, and finally the types of communication that are necessary for the organization to grow by empowering employees.

You will learn to:

• Hire the right people for the right job.
• Perform successful performance management.
• Participate in the communication cascade that includes the strategic and operational plan of the organization.

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For more information about the conferences and webinars,
call (978) 443-7591 or e-mail at info@ahraonline.org