Industry Insights
HBMA RCM Advisor Q4 2019 – President’s Message
Insights
All Around Engagement
Patient engagement is a concept that combines a patient’s knowledge, skills, ability, and willingness to manage their own health and care with interventions designed to increase activation and promote positive patient behavior.*1 Trading “patient” for “attendee,” this is exactly what we saw at this year’s HBMA Healthcare Revenue Cycle Conference at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas from Sept. 12-14. With near record-breaking attendance, there were HBMA members, nonmembers, vendors, exhibitors, and staff all interacting together, creating a positive atmosphere for everyone involved.
At the heart of HBMA is our collaboration and networking with one another. This was ever-present at this year’s fall conference. There were sessions designed specifically to promote connecting with other attendees, learning about their companies, and sharing issues, ideas, and solutions. In between sessions, attendees were busy with conversations over lunch and in the halls. It was great to see the buzz that circulated through the entire event!
Within the educational sessions, the attendees were engaged in the presentations, led by enthusiastic speakers. The ongoing exchange during question-and-answer periods pushed our time limits. Expert panels presented great, real industry perspectives on hot topics. Our own HBMA members headed up breakouts to offer advice based on their own experiences and on-the-job learning, providing an opportunity to more formally learn from our peers as well as established industry experts.
The exhibit hall was full of opportunities and alive with activity at the booths, up and down the aisles and all around. Everyone was exploring new services, sharing experiences, offering referrals, and visiting with current clients/business partners.
What a huge success for HBMA and an incredible collaborative effort! It could not be possible without all those who contributed. I extend the sincerest appreciation for our board of directors, many of whom have committee or task force responsibilities beyond their board duties, for leading HBMA successfully throughout this year and through this fantastic event. We must recognize, too, that we would not be here today without the work of all the members who gave their time as committee chairs, committee members, and other volunteers to prepare the agenda, education, and organize this affair, as well as our partners at SmithBucklin who really pull it all together for HBMA. Thank you all!
Collectively, the entire event was an overwhelmingly positive experience and brought out the true spirit of HBMA. As we carry forward through the remainder of the year, we need to continue that spirit as well as take the notes, ideas, tasks/to dos, relationships, and contacts and put them into action. A key to engagement is staying engaged. Don’t let your engagement with HBMA end at the conclusion of the conference. It is important to apply what we have gained at the fall conference to our everyday business. Follow up on your notes from the sessions, work your to-do lists, and reach out to the colleagues you connected with at the event. The return on investment happens by building your business, gaining efficiencies, adding new services, etc.
To continue to make HBMA great for you, these committee volunteers give countless hours of their time to support HBMA’s efforts in education, advocacy, and networking for the membership. To keep this energy, we need you to keep pushing forward. Please get involved and get engaged!
As president, I am glad to see so much progress and to have been able to work with so many great people who are leading HBMA through this year to make it better. I know the true leaders are those in the trenches giving their time, expertise, and energy every day, week, and month to make these great accomplishments possible. I am confident we will see HBMA carry forward these positive trends into the future as President-Elect Cindy Pittmon takes the reins on January 1, 2020.
– Mick Polo, CHBME, HBMA President
At the heart of HBMA is our collaboration and networking with one another. This was ever-present at this year’s fall conference. There were sessions designed specifically to promote connecting with other attendees, learning about their companies, and sharing issues, ideas, and solutions. In between sessions, attendees were busy with conversations over lunch and in the halls. It was great to see the buzz that circulated through the entire event!
Within the educational sessions, the attendees were engaged in the presentations, led by enthusiastic speakers. The ongoing exchange during question-and-answer periods pushed our time limits. Expert panels presented great, real industry perspectives on hot topics. Our own HBMA members headed up breakouts to offer advice based on their own experiences and on-the-job learning, providing an opportunity to more formally learn from our peers as well as established industry experts.
The exhibit hall was full of opportunities and alive with activity at the booths, up and down the aisles and all around. Everyone was exploring new services, sharing experiences, offering referrals, and visiting with current clients/business partners.
What a huge success for HBMA and an incredible collaborative effort! It could not be possible without all those who contributed. I extend the sincerest appreciation for our board of directors, many of whom have committee or task force responsibilities beyond their board duties, for leading HBMA successfully throughout this year and through this fantastic event. We must recognize, too, that we would not be here today without the work of all the members who gave their time as committee chairs, committee members, and other volunteers to prepare the agenda, education, and organize this affair, as well as our partners at SmithBucklin who really pull it all together for HBMA. Thank you all!
Collectively, the entire event was an overwhelmingly positive experience and brought out the true spirit of HBMA. As we carry forward through the remainder of the year, we need to continue that spirit as well as take the notes, ideas, tasks/to dos, relationships, and contacts and put them into action. A key to engagement is staying engaged. Don’t let your engagement with HBMA end at the conclusion of the conference. It is important to apply what we have gained at the fall conference to our everyday business. Follow up on your notes from the sessions, work your to-do lists, and reach out to the colleagues you connected with at the event. The return on investment happens by building your business, gaining efficiencies, adding new services, etc.
To continue to make HBMA great for you, these committee volunteers give countless hours of their time to support HBMA’s efforts in education, advocacy, and networking for the membership. To keep this energy, we need you to keep pushing forward. Please get involved and get engaged!
As president, I am glad to see so much progress and to have been able to work with so many great people who are leading HBMA through this year to make it better. I know the true leaders are those in the trenches giving their time, expertise, and energy every day, week, and month to make these great accomplishments possible. I am confident we will see HBMA carry forward these positive trends into the future as President-Elect Cindy Pittmon takes the reins on January 1, 2020.
– Mick Polo, CHBME, HBMA President
*1 HealthcareITnews, “What Does ‘Patient Engagement’ Really Mean?”, by Michelle Ronan, May 01, 2015
Newsletter
Sign up to receive our insights straight to your inbox!