Annotated List of Consultative Offerings in Emergency Management

Whether the task at hand is facilitating a meeting of community partners to accomplish community-based, all-hazards planning…creating a functional Hospital Command Center…or developing a disaster drill that reflects the unique characteristics of your community, Hospital Council will work in a cost-effective way to produce highly satisfactory results consistent with the Joint Commission’s Standards, National Incident Management System compliance elements and the Hospital Preparedness Program funding requirements.

For further information, please contact:

Frederick V. Peterson, MPH

Vice President, Emergency Management

724-772-7235

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Hospital Council and the western Pennsylvania chapter of HFMA have partnered to bring this year's Annual Medicare and Medicaid Update to Hospital Council and HFMA members. The program will be held on September 16, 2011 at  Hospital Council's Education Center.

Mark Spehar, manager of the Health Sciences and Government Practice for Deloitte and Touche LLP and president of the western Pennsylvania chapter of HFMA, will open the conference. Keynoting the event is Larry Goldberg, president of Larry Goldberg Consulting. He will provide an overview of current Medicare issues and the latest updates on health reform. Following his remarks, Highmark's Medicare Services Provider Audit Team will provide an update and answer questions.

The afternoon will kick off with a presentation on the Medicare Cost Report Form and Reimbursement Strategies by Julie DiFranceso, director, Health Sciences and Government for Deloitte and Touche. Andrew Williams, CPA and manager of BKD, will conclude the day with a Rural Update.

The cost to attend the program is $125 and CPE credits will be applied for through HFMA. Click here for a registration form. For more information, contact Tom Aubel at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , Pat Raffaele at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Mark Spehar at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . 

Managed Care Committee

Improving Margins Through Effective Patient Access and Case Management:  A Collaborative Approach, will be the key presentation at the Managed Care Committee meeting on Wednesday, August 24, 2011 from 9:30 a.m. until noon. Revenue Cycle Solutions will provide the presentation. In addition, there will be an update on observation status issues from both the state and national perspectives. For more information, contact Tom Aubel at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Jane Montgomery at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Quality/Risk Patient Safety Committee

Managing Risks of Healthcare Technology will be the primary topic at the August 31^st meeting of the Quality/Risk Patient Safety Committee. Gary Kaplan, senior counsel with Thorp, Reed & Armstrong will provide the presentation and facilitate a discussion and an overview of risks commonly associated with information technology and offer practical advice for minimizing and managing those risks. For more information, contact Jane Montgomery at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Pat Raffaele at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

CNO Committee

Patient satisfaction scores and HCAHPs will be the primary topic at the September 9^th meeting of Chief Nursing Officers. Representatives from Press Ganey will provide an overview on this topic. For more information, contact Jane Montgomery at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Compliance Committee

Hospital Council's Compliance Committee will meet on September 14, 2011 beginning at 9:30 a.m. at Hospital Council's Conference Center. Meeting details will be provided to Committee members in the near future. For more information, contact Pat Raffaele at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Northwest Regional Quality/Risk/ Patient Safety Committee

The Northwest Regional Quality/Risk Patient Safety Committee will meet on September 15, 2011 at Brookville Hospital in Brookville, Pennsylvania. Brad VanSickles, vice president of Operations and Patient Safety at Grove City Medical Center will discuss the hospital's Community Service Health Integration program, a collaborative with nursing homes.The collaborative also includes home health agencies and pharmacies and is designed to reduce nursing home readmissions. For more information, contact Jane Montgomery at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Community Needs Assessment Steering Committee

Hospital Council held its first meeting of the Community Needs Assessment Steering Committee via audioconference on July 6, 2011. The Committee discussed several items including data collection, the use of vendors and consultants, the timing of assessments and other topics. The Steering Committee will hold a meeting in Fall 2011. The meetings were followed by a series of regional member briefings on Community Needs Assessments facilitated by Debra Thompson, president of Strategy Solutions. For more information, contact Pat Raffaele at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Physician Practice Forum

Hospital Council held its first Physician Practice Forum meeting on Friday, August 5, 2011. The meeting was an organizational session and focused on topics, educational resources and data resources Hospital Council could provide to support member facilities in working with physician practices. For more information, contact Pat Raffaele at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , Tom Aubel at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Frank Van Atta at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .