June 2023 Newsletter
Presidents Message
June marks the beginning of many folks starting the next chapter in life with graduations commencing in May thru June. High School, college and graduate schools award degrees to the students who have toiled learning theories, facts and figures. For many people, graduation is a milestone moment in life.
This June, I am challenging our membership to become advocates for the School of AAHAM. To make our Tennessee Music City Chapter grow and develop, it is critical that we work together to invite our business peers and co-workers into the organization.
AAHAM not only offers amazing education in healthcare business, but our local chapter offers members the unique opportunity to roll up their sleeves and undertake a Masters of Business Administration with leadership roles as committee chairs as well as serving on the Board of Directors.
As AAHAM admissions officers, it is upon our shoulders the duty to attract a new member to join us on our own educational journey falls. The Tennessee chapter offers free monthly webinars and is looking to add more in-person educational events. Right now, there is no ceiling of what the Music City Chapter can do in 2023 and beyond. I welcome all our members’ thoughts. Reach out to me at any time at cacquisto@sacfirm.com.
In addition, AAHAM offers the unique opportunity each spring of participating in Legislative Day in Washington, D.C. Please read the recap article in this month’s newsletter to learn more about this year’s work by your AAHAM leaders and fellow members. This event is truly an amazing experience that is well worth experiencing at least once in life.
Finally, AAHAM offers incredible certification opportunities that will help further a career in healthcare business offices. There are a variety of certifications to assist in making one’s business resume stand out that much more.
So congratulations to all our members who have celebrated a memorable Graduation this past 30 days with
family and friends. Let’s make sure to keep the learning growing with AAHAM.
Chuck
Crossroads Health Announces “No Surprise Denials” Petition
Crossroads Health has launched efforts to combat inappropriate medical claims denials with a new petition. Crossroads announced the release of a petition aimed at gathering support from healthcare providers and the public relating to the matter of rampant inappropriate denials from commercial health insurance carriers.
With enough support, Crossroads Health intends to bring forward proposed legislation entitled the “No Surprise Denials Act” to impose penalties on payers who unfairly and/or inappropriately deny claims.
With up to 30% of claims being denied, this worsening problem is negatively impacting healthcare providers’ ability to provide care and driving up cost for patients. While the largest commercial insurance payers profit billions annually, the average healthcare provider struggles to make any profit at all – with hospitals frequently operating at a loss.
“Payers use denials as a tool to reduce claims payments and not only as a tool to ensure payment integrity. Regulation is almost always aimed at penalizing healthcare providers when the true culprit is the payer, it’s time for congress to act on regulation that finally holds them accountable.” – says Joshua Robinson, Chief Operations Officer at Crossroads Health.
The intended outcomes of this effort are as follows:
• Raise public awareness about the denials crisis affecting healthcare providers.
• Introduce proposed legislation to reduce inappropriate denials.
• Give healthcare providers a platform to express their concerns with payers.
• Reduce administrative and financial waste in healthcare by reducing denials.
To sign the petition, please visit www.change.org/stopdenials.
Mark your calendars!
June 2023 Exam period
Monday, June 19th
2024-2025 AAHAM National Elections
Nominations for our National AAHAM 2024-2025 slate of officers will be declared open as of June 15th. We will be reaching out to all members to submit nominations for the following offices: President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
Nominations open on June 15th and will be accepted until July 7th.
When nominating an individual, please think about your colleagues whom you feel will uphold our mission and best lead our organization in 2024-2025. Additional information regarding the nominating and voting process will be forthcoming.
It would be best to obtain approval from the person you wish to nominate, although we will verify their interest prior to adding their name to the ballot. You may also nominate yourself.
All candidates must be National Members in good standing and hold a CRCE to be eligible. All nominations will be submitted through the AAHAM website.
Board Member Spotlight: David Carr
Meet David, Director of Operations at Medix. He considers himself an introverted, practical, competitive, goal-oriented, early to bed/early to rise guy who enjoys helping to create an environment that fosters career-growth opportunities for his team. David says that it’s the most important part of his job.
David enjoys hiking with family, trail running, Farmer’s Markets, suspenseful crime novels, rugby, tennis, and Saints/LSU football. One of David’s most recent accomplishments was successfully completing an 11-hour road trip with a 14- month-old.
His favorite quote is “Day by day, what you choose, what you think and what you do is who you become.” ~ Heraclitus
2023 AAHAM Legislative Day
Tennessee Music City Chapter President Chuck Acquisto and past President George Buck participated in the 2023 American Association of Healthcare Administrative Management (AAHAM) Legislative Day in Washington, D.C. on May 4. Chuck and George attended the three-day event that took place at the Hyatt on Capitol Hill.
On Wednesday, May 3, the AAHAM delegation was welcomed by AAHAM President Lori Sickelbaugh and MW Capital’s Paul Miller to the annual event. AAHAM Government Relations Chair presented an overview of the four (4) legislative bills to be discussed with the elected Congressional leaders. These four bills are:
H.R. 635 Expanding Access to Mental Health Services
H.R. 197 Rural Telehealth Expansion Act
H.R. 3173 Prior Authorization/Standardize Medicare Advantage Rules
H.F. 1773 The Consumer Protection for Medical Debt Collections Act
Prior to meeting with Senators and U.S. Representatives on Thursday, May 4, the AAHAM delegation heard from Senator Roger Marshall’s Health Policy Director Charlotte Pineda on S 3018: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act. Pineda was followed by Representative Andy Barr’s Legislative Assistant Megan Guiltinan on H.R. 1382: The Tabs Act. Finally, Representative Joe Courtney’s Legislative Director Maria Costigan spoke on Observation Stays.
The Hill representatives were followed by American Hospital Association (AHA) Director of Health Insurance & Coverage Policy Senior Associate Michelle Millerick on the topic of Federal Managed Care Updates and Health Plans Accountability. Starting data from Millerick included:
1. 7 in 10 Hospitals report an outstanding claim from 2016
2. 55 Percent of hospitals and health systems reported their oldest Medicare Advantage claim is from 2016 or older
3. 50 Percent of hospitals and health systems report having more than $100 million in accounts receivable that are older than six (6) months
4. The total outstanding of unpaid claims for 772 hospitals older than six (6) months exceeds $6.4 billion
5. 35 Percent of hospitals and health systems $50 million or more in foregone payments as a result of denied claims once appeals have been exhausted.
Finally, there was a session with Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra, with concerns by AAHAM leaders expressed to Director Chopra about H.R. 1773 being damaging to the hospital industry. After lunch, Chuck walked up Capitol Hill to meet with the top legislative assistants for Senators’ Lindsey Graham (SC), Tim Scott (SC) and Bill Hagerty (TN) in the Hart and Russell buildings.
AAHAM Government Relations Monthly Town Hall Discussions
You are invited to join us on the AAHAM Government Relations Committee’s quarterly calls. What happens in Washington usually starts back home in your state. Join us in discussions on what is happening in Washington
and share what is happening across the country at the state level. These calls are also an opportunity to gain grassroots blueprints to utilize in your own chapters.
The 2023 calls will be quarterly, on the 4th Thursday of the month at 4:30 PM EST. The next call is tentatively scheduled for July 27, 2023. Call dates may be subject to change.
Registration is required, there is no fee to attend, and you can earn 2 AAHAM CEUs.
Call for Committee Chairs
Our chapter is still looking for those interested in chairing committees. Chairs and co-chair spots for our committees are now open. Please reach out to Chuck at (843) 325-2447 or cacquito@sacfirm.com if interested. He will be more than happy to discuss the possibilities with you. If looking to make a mark and improve your resume, AAHAM leadership positions are a fast track to achieving those goals.
AAHAM Job Board
If you are interested in listing a job ad on AAHAM’s Job Board, you can submit a request here.
Volunteer Opportunities
Learn more about our chapter’s leadership positions and volunteer opportunities by reaching out to Chuck at cacquisto@sacfirm.com. After all, Tennessee is the Volunteer State.
Certification
Thinking about getting your AAHAM certification? Do you know any colleagues or staff that are ready to become certified?
Register at https://www.aaham.org/Certification.aspx. More information regarding all of AAHAM’s
Certification Programs are also available on our website.
Our Mission
To be the premier professional organization in healthcare administrative services. Through a national organization and local chapters, we provide quality member services and leadership in the areas of education, communication, representation, professional standards and certification.
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