Wow, what a conference! The 22nd Annual HCCA Compliance Institute was such a hit, and even set a record for highest attendance with over 3,200 healthcare professionals! Our team was so impressed with all of the hard work and logistics that went into the event, and the outcomes we experienced with so many meaningful conversations, informative sessions, and so much more. Let’s take a moment to look back and acknowledge what made for such a great week in Las Vegas!
Daniel R. Levinson, Inspector General, OIG Update
Once again, Daniel Levinson’s OIG update session was a highlight of the week and provided so much useful information to take away.
Mr. Levinson hit on some key points to emphasize for healthcare professionals considering how quickly the compliance landscape is changing. Here are some of the main points that stood out:
- Data-Driven Decision Making
- Inputs, Outputs, Outcomes
- Luck is Not a Strategy
- Dynamic Compliance
- Addressing the Opioid Epidemic
- Compliance Resource Portal
Check out the video presentation of the keynote address below! For extra discussion, you can also listen to a podcast with Mr. Levinson and the HCCA for more information.
Kimberly Brandt, Principal Deputy Administrator for Operations, CMS Update
Another great session involved hearing from Kimberly Brandt, representing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Always well spoken, Kimberly delivered an entertaining presentation filled with some helpful information on how CMS is working to make quality care the priority and reduce all of the messy paperwork involved in many processes.
Kimberly used her own personal story with a hospital visit to help give an illustration of her conversations with healthcare professionals to better understand the pain points of coordinated efforts with CMS.
During her session, quite a few new initiatives and resources were mentioned either as just being released or coming very soon to help reduce inefficiency and improve the relationships between providers and patients. To find out more information on important updates and releases, check out the Newsroom for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
A Chief Compliance Officer’s Perspective of the Compliance Institute
As spring is finally unfolding in the Midwest another HCCA Compliance Institute has come to an end. As always, I am reminded why I love being a compliance officer and working with such amazing people. For me, this conference is like none other. On Sunday, I started with pre-conference sessions that took a deeper look at important compliance topics. I spent my day in the long-term care track, but this year there were sessions ranging from the basics of building a compliance program and privacy programs to learning how to incorporate top IT and cyber risks into your audit plan.
And of course Monday morning the general session is led by none other than the Inspector General of the Office of Inspector General (OIG), Daniel Levinson. I have had the opportunity to listen to Mr. Levinson speak at this conference for many years and he is definitely a speaker to never miss. Having the opportunity to hear directly from the Inspector General is important for compliance professionals across all healthcare segments.
During his remarks, Daniel Levison introduced a new OIG HHS Compliance Resource Portal. Mr. Levinson said it’s the OIG’s concentrated effort to consolidate items on the OIG website for better integration and navigation for important updates and standards to be clearly visible and referenced.
HCCA Compliance Institute Sessions
Scott Eblin Next Level Leadership Session
Following Mr. Levinson’s presentation was another great general session led by author, Scott Eblin. Mr. Eblin gave us many great ideas on how to lead at our best and live at our best. Something that definitely hit home for me was the transition from being the “go to person” within your organization to building a team of “go to people”. I think many compliance officers find themselves in the role of the “go to person” within their company because they know so much about every facet of the company people just naturally gravitate to someone who can provide them with quick insight or direction. That can often lead to a feeling of being completely overwhelmed and never being able to get your own job done.
Mr. Eblin gave us many great ideas on how to lessen the stress and improve our approaches to the challenges faced by compliance officers. One of my favorite things Mr. Eblin did was during his presentation he became a yoga instructor and led us through a series of stretches and breathing techniques. What a great idea! I definitely needed the stretch after sitting for over two hours. I think next year I may incorporate that into my presentation. Thanks, Mr. Eblin!
Following Mr. Eblin’s presentation, the conference got into full swing. There were 11 tracks this year with over 150 sessions! New this year was also something called Brain Dates where you could schedule a time to talk with participants on topics that were most important to you. This provided a great way to make new connections and prioritize your learning. Over 100 of the conference sessions were recorded and can be ordered at compliance-institute.org.
Gerry Zack Takes Over for Roy Snell as acting CEO of HCCA and SCCE
This year’s conference was a little bittersweet as we collectively said goodbye to Roy Snell as the CEO of SCCE/HCCA. One of the morning sessions began with a presentation tribute to Roy, and it was a great refresher to see and hear how far HCCA and SCCE have come from their creation under Roy’s leadership as well as the contribution of many great compliance professionals over the years.
Thank you so much to Roy and so many of the HCCA contributors and staff who have continued to create great opportunities for compliance professionals to learn and grow!
Taking over for Roy will be Gerry Zack, who will no doubt be an excellent leader for the organizations but has some big shoes to fill.
HCCA Compliance Institute Exhibitors
Between all the sessions we had the opportunity to visit the various vendors in the Exhibit Halls. Our team from ProviderTrust had two exhibit areas this year. It was our biggest year ever and was an absolute blast for the team.
One of the members of our Business Development team who was participating in her first Compliance Institute said, “HCCA was an amazing experience to meet healthcare professionals in the compliance field. I enjoyed hearing their concerns and needs as it relates to OIG exclusions, provider directories, and how to better manage their vendor sign-ups.”
The team at ProviderTrust is proud of the relationships we have created over the years with our current and potential clients. Each year our goal is to develop new relationships and help get a good pulse for each individual healthcare professional’s needs.
For me personally, I have been in healthcare for over 30 years and compliance for nearly 15, but have only recently joined ProviderTrust, so participating in the vendor exhibits was a new experience for me too, but one that I absolutely loved. Helping people lower their risk, improve their quality outcomes and reduce a compliance officer’s stress is my passion. Being part of the ProviderTrust team allows me to do that every day!
2018 HCCA Compliance Institute was a Huge Success
The four days of the conference go by so fast, but I love the opportunity I get to reconnect with compliance professionals (my friends) that I may only see one time a year at this conference. We get to share stories, sometimes commiserate and oftentimes say, “you can’t make this up”. Everyone has unique experiences at their healthcare organization but in the end, we are all compliance professionals in healthcare and share that bond. Next year the conference moves to Boston, MA and I can’t wait!
Thank you HCCA for another great Compliance Institute! The energy and organization for this year were so great and we can’t wait for what’s in store for the future. See you next year!
Don’t miss out on our HCCA Compliance Institute Recap Webinar Replay!
2018 HCCA Annual Compliance Conference: What We Learned from ProviderTrust on Vimeo.
Written by Donna Thiel, Chief Compliance Officer
Donna Thiel is the Chief Compliance Officer for ProviderTrust and leads our Compliance Integrity team, a consulting division of ProviderTrust. Donna works with compliance officers across the country to help reduce the stress and anxiety of this very difficult role.
