As the saying goes, “Data is King (or Queen)!” And legislators and regulators are moved to action by data and not anecdotes.

In conjunction with ACEP to better advocate for our members and the emergency medicine specialty, we are collecting data on your out-of-network (OON) payments focused on the Qualifying Payment Amount (QPA). This project will evaluate whether major payors are following the law by providing QPAs in writing for each CPT code that was paid or denied, assess the prevalence and size of variations between QPAs and the “Allowed Amounts” for OON payments and more. See the data collection Excel tool and Frequently Asked Questions about this project.

We understand there are questions about the requested data, how the data will be used and concerns about privacy and antitrust issues.

We get it!

That’s why EDPMA will host an informational webinar this Monday, May 9 at 1pm EDT to answer these questions and more for compliance managers, data analysists, business intelligence teams and skeptics. This webinar is open to both members and non-members.

Ed Gaines, JD and Greg Hufstetler CPA, the outside data consultant, will review project details and answer your questions.

For more information and to register, click here.

EDPMA’s next educational webinar, “The Federal IDR Portal Is Launching – Now What?,” will be held on Monday, April 18 at 1:00 pm eastern. Please note that registration will close at 12 pm eastern on Monday, April 18.

In addition to important new patient protections for emergency and certain non-emergency services, a key feature of the No Surprises Act is the introduction of a Federal IDR system to resolve payment disputes between providers and payers when state law provides no mechanism for doing so.

The departments tasked with implementing the law have laid out a plan to administer the IDR provisions via a “Federal IDR portal.” The launch of the portal has been delayed as the federal agencies tasked with implementing the IDR system have worked through launch issues in the wake of the ongoing litigation related to the IDR provisions of the No Surprises Act, even while disputes have begun to work through timelines that would otherwise make them eligible for initiating the IDR process.

Per HHS, the Federal IDR portal should launch the week of April 11. To ensure our members are fully prepared, EDPMA will host a member webinar to share available information on the IDR portal launch and take member questions.

This is a member-only benefit.

Click here for more information and to register.

EDPMA’s next educational webinar, “Presumptive Charitable Screening, Hardship, Prompt Pay Discounts, and other Compliance Conundrums,” will be held on Wednesday, February 23 at 2:00 pm eastern.

This webinar is sponsored by Zoll and presented by Ed Gaines and Juli Forde Smith. Emergency Medicine providers work tirelessly to provide high quality patient care when it’s needed most. Unfortunately, for many patients that very same lifesaving care can create a significant financial burden. Physicians and RCM professionals alike want to aid patients with timely and compassionate financial relief. Yet, depending on how that relief is structured it may expose providers to unexpected compliance risk. Join, Ed Gaines and Juli Forde-Smith for an informative discussion around the regulatory guidelines and best practices surrounding patient-centric financial policies, charitable programs, and new regulatory requirements.

Click here for more information and to register.

Book your travel and make plans to attend: Back Together Live & Riding the EM Reimbursement Tsunami: Flat is the New Up – So More Tools Please on December 8-9, 2021, at Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas, NV.

This webinar is sponsored by Brault and presented by Dr. Andrea Brault and Dr. Lisa Maurer. The No Surprises Act will establish a federal ban on surprise billing and is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2022. But, there are still many details that must be clarified during the current rule-making phase – including the definition for qualified payment amounts, specific plan obligations, and the rules/criteria for independent dispute resolution (IDR).

This webinar will take a deep dive into these critical topics and offer practical insights into planning and preparing for the coming year.

EDPMA Members can access the recording and slides here.

Using data from the Emergency Department Benchmarking Alliance’s annual survey, Dr. James Augustine’s presentation will focus on the NOW issues in ED management, with the data to help guide the C-suite leadership. The Covid-19 pandemic-tested Emergency Departments (EDs) across the country are now adapting to a post-pandemic reality. ED visits are increasing in 2021, on a new trajectory from 2020. Data shows that around 70% or higher of patients are admitted from the ED, but an increasing percentage have long stays in the ED before being admitted, impacting staff and space capacities. EDs also manage care for many mental health and substance abuse patients, and there has been an increasing focus on directing them into treatment. This has led to opportunities for ED staff to seek to help these patients outside the law enforcement/EMS/ED pathway. All these shifts in patient care and management will lead to reevaluation and design change in EDs across the country.

For more information and to register click here.

This webinar is sponsored by d2i and will be presented by Dr. Kirk Jensen and Alan Eisman. In the past, as demand grew each year in a fairly predictable way, groups could be successful “enough” with a back of the envelope analysis and corresponding modifications. The COVID-19 pandemic, with its dramatic swings in volume and acuity, has accelerated the urgency for deploying more precise demand capacity optimization and patient flow strategies. With professional salaries representing roughly 70% of the practice’s cost structure and with demand less predictable, the very survival of the independent group practice may depend on acutely and precisely matching staffing with volume.

For more information and to register click here.

Registration is now open for the 2021 EDPMA Solutions Summit in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas from September 26-29, 2021. Mark your calendars and don’t miss out on some great educational sessions on the business of emergency medicine, networking with your clients, and catching up with friends. READ MORE