Hospitals are now in the position of fighting for every dollar in light of shrinking reimbursements while cost of care expands. We’re all in the same boat. To help you navigate the waters, WHPRMS is offering a free webinar, “Hospital Finance 101: Understanding Hospital Reimbursement Today, Moving Toward Tomorrow,” on May 27 at noon (CST).

The presentation will be lead by Brian Potter, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA). Brian Potter has been with WHA for over 19 years, working primarily on hospital reimbursement issues and other regulatory, compliance and legislative matters facing hospitals and health care systems. Brian also oversees the association’s internal operations and the WHA Information Center.

We spoke with Brian briefly to get a glimpse of what to expect at the webinar:

What is your role at WHA?

My expertise is in the area of health care finance, hospital data collection and analysis, and payment reform. Since WHA’s top priority is advocating on behalf of our 132 member organizations, including hospitals, health systems and specialty hospitals, I also provide support to government relations by reviewing legislation that have the potential to impact our hospitals’ finances.

What do you plan to present at the exclusive webinar for WHPRMS members on May 27?

Hospital finance is very complex and the environment is changing as we move closer to a reimbursement system that rewards quality and value over volume. It is important for hospital public relations and marketing professionals to have an understanding of the evolution of the hospital reimbursement system. It will help provide understanding of how we got to where we are today, and where we may be tomorrow.

What can WHPRMS members expect when they tune in?

We will start with the basics of health care finance and provide an historical framework to help them understand the current environment such as How did we get to fee-for-service? And how do we move toward value? I’ll also leave plenty of time to answer questions at the end.

I hope by having a better understanding of how hospitals are paid, and from whom, PR and marketing professionals can develop the materials and messaging that will be helpful to consumers as they assume a greater financial responsibility for their health care decisions.

There is still time to register. To sign up, CLICK HERE.

JUNE WEBINAR ALERT:

“The Coming Retail Revolution”

Presenter: David Willis, VP of Health System Strategy and Executive Education at The Advisory Board Company

Thursday, June 4 • 11am-1pm (CST)

To Register, CLICK HERE.

 This post was written and researched by Trish (Skram) Reed. If you have other news, resources or links to share, please comment below or email Trish (Skram) Reed, blogger and research content specialist for WHPRMS, at trishskram@gmail.com.