Event positions providers for increased visibility

LEDYARD, Conn. - Two state associations have partnered to create an event aimed at helping providers find their place in the changing world of health care.

The two-day event will provide a global overview of initiatives driving partnership-based entities—like accountable care organizations—and how HME providers can align themselves with these new entities.

“Hospitals and physicians want tangible outcomes from the HME providers they are working with,” said Carol Napierski, executive director of the New York Medical Equipment Providers Association. “We want to talk to providers about how to have that data available.”

NYMEP and the Home Medical Equipment Services Association of New England will host the Northeast Post Acute Care Symposium at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, Conn., May 11-13.

At press time, the associations were still finalizing the program, but a speaker from Leavitt Partners, a D.C.-based healthcare policy firm, will speak about the government's role in health care and where it is moving.

“We are hearing about unique partnerships and Medicare savings, but we also want to talk about what's going to happened in the next couple of years,” said Napierski. “We'll also hear from providers who have engaged in new partnerships and what they've learned.”

Other tracks include how to data mine—understanding your internal data and benchmarking it against other providers—and how to do a clean intake.

While some providers have indeed made shifts toward a post-acute care model, others either lack the resources to do so, or simply haven't thought that far ahead.

“All of our members are part of the post-acute world,” said Karyn Estrella, executive director of HOMES. “We need to do whatever we can to increase their visibility and position their companies so they can be part of it.”