Webinars

Upcoming Education

July 16, 23, & 30, 2019, 1:00 – 2:30 PM CT
Presented by: Michael Riley, RN, RAC-CT, MDS Nurse Consultant

Join HDG for online summer school as we take an informative and fun deep dive into the world of ICD-10-CM coding. In this three part webinar series, you will learn coding from the ground up, starting with opening the manual thru completing the finished code.  The history and development of ICD-10-CM will be discussed, as well as the structure of the code.  Together we will study the manual layout and how to get to the ICD-10-CM promise land with your final code. The series will explore each chapter in the manual relevant to the SNF communities, broken down by disease process and body system. Guidelines and tips to make coding successful will also be included.

Who Should Attend

Directors of nursing, clinical reimbursement managers and consultants, MDS coordinators, and ICD-10 coders.

June 19, 2019, 12:00 – 1:00 PM CST
Presented by: Erin Shvetzoff Hennessey, CEO, Health Dimensions Group, Linda Shell, Co-Founder & Chief Learning Officer, LindaShell.com, and James Lumsden, Sr. Marketing Manager, Medline Industries, Inc.
Sponsored by: Health Dimensions Group, LindaShell.com, and Medline Industries, Inc.

PDPM will drive the most significant changes in post-acute care in the past 20 years. Leaders must be equipped to navigate change, not just financially and clinically, but culturally. Skills required for this level of change include the ability to manage change, be proactive in addressing conflict, and prepare teams for cultural shifts. This webinar will offer valuable insights from both an industry executive and a national leadership expert for finding success before, during, and after PDPM.

By the end of this webinar participants will be able to:

  • Define the cultural shifts driven by PDPM and how it will impact processes, people, and routines.
  • List key steps for being proactive in managing inherent conflicts and reducing silos.
  • Explore strategies leaders can use for engaging teams and maximizing success under PDPM.

Who Should Attend

Post-acute care executives (C-Suite), nursing home administrators, directors of nursing, business office managers, line managers.

CEUs

This program has been approved for Continuing Education for 1.25 total participant hours from NAB/NCERS. Call Health Dimensions Group at 763.537.5700 for further information.

Preparing for Successful PDPM Implementation Webinar Series

This six-part webinar series will focus on the components necessary to ensure effective implementation of the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM), which takes effect October 1, 2019.

May 9, 2019, 12:00 – 1:00 PM CST
Presented by: Brian Ellsworth, Michelle Kastenholz, and Mike Riley

Join Health Dimensions Group on this complimentary webinar for a synopsis of the latest CMS FY 2020 SNF PDPM Proposed Rule updates which were released on April 19, 2019. CMS has reiterated that PDPM is a GO for launch. Our session will provide insight into the latest proposed changes and policy clarifications. This informative presentation also clarifies program intent and prepares organizations to provide feedback during the comment period.

By the end of this webinar participants will be able to:

  • Discuss market basket update and base rate adjustments
  • Describe how the proposed change in group therapy definition will allow for up to six patients
  • Identify that CMS reiterates interim payment assessments (IPAs) are up to provider
  • Explain that non-substantive changes to ICD-10 codes will be implemented via non-regulatory process
  • Explore quality review program and SNF VBP
  • Review options for providing comments on consolidated billing exclusions

Who Should Attend

Post-acute care executives, acute care leaders, finance directors/managers, ACO executives, bundling program managers, nursing home administrators, directors of nursing, MDS coordinators, and therapy managers.

CEUs

This program has been submitted (but not yet approved) for Continuing Education for 1.25 total participant hours from NAB/NCERS. Call Health Dimensions Group at 763.537.5700 for further information.

May 16, 2019, 12:00 – 1:00 PM CST
Presented by: Michelle Kastenholz, Michael Riley, and Diana Johnson

Hot off the press! Join HDG as we take a deeper dive into the information from the CMS hosted training sessions on May 7-8 for the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP). This webinar will provide clarification, updates, and insights into:

  • Transition to Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM), which will become effective on October 1, 2019.
  • Review of SNF QRP changes and updates to the Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Version 1.17.0, which will become effective on October 1, 2019.
  • Overview of the eleven SNF QRP Quality Measures.
  • Use of reports to identify opportunities for process improvement and utilize information contained in reports available via the Certification and Survey Provider Enhanced Reports (CASPER) system to develop quality improvement plans.

By the end of this webinar participants will be able to:

  • Explain changes to the QRP SNF reporting process.
  • Understand RAI/MDS item set changes.
  • Describe the importance of section GG.
  • Recognize the changes with PDPM, including integrated coding, as well as what stays the same as with RUGs-IV.
  • Review CMS responses to provider questions on the above subjects.

Who Should Attend

Post-acute care executives, acute care leaders, finance directors/managers, ACO executives, bundling program managers, nursing home administrators, directors of nursing, MDS coordinators, and therapy managers.

CEUs

This program has been submitted (but not yet approved) for Continuing Education for 1.25 total participant hours from NAB/NCERS. Call Health Dimensions Group at 763.537.5700 for further information.

June 26, 2019, 12:00 – 1:00 PM CST
Presented by: Michael Riley and Diana Johnson

Join HDG as we will take an in-depth look at the MDS coding changes to capture accurate reimbursement and documentation and review methods for the IDT to collaborate on coding section GG. In this webinar session we will also explore tips on ICD-10 coding selections, financial optimization, and improved accuracy.

By the end of this webinar participants will be able to:

  • Describe MDS changes with PDPM and MDS coding requirements.
  • Identify how to accurately assign/updates and sequence ICD-10 codes
  • Discover best practices to resolve codes, add new codes and work with your physician to ensure codes are appropriate.
  • Define IDT communication to accurately capture the GG score.

Who Should Attend

Nursing home administrators, MDS coordinators, coding specialists, directors of nursing.

CEUs

This program has been submitted (but not yet approved) for Continuing Education for 1.25 total participant hours from NAB/NCERS. Call Health Dimensions Group at 763.537.5700 for further information.

July 10, 2019, 12:00 – 1:00 PM CST
Presented by: Katherine Davis and Diana Johnson

With the reimbursement pivot from therapy minutes to clinical characteristics, skilled documentation is essential to capture the patient’s clinical picture. In this session participants will learn best practices to gather essential documentation, review rules for documenting, explore regulatory and legal requirements, and determine how to use charting triggers.

By the end of this webinar participants will be able to:

  • Describe the definition of skilled care and need for effective and accurate charting.
  • List the essential components of a skilled note.
  • Explain how to support skilled care services via clinical documentation and modify mistaken entries or late entries.
  • Identify how to incorporate other disciplines documenting into a nursing note.
  • Explain best practices to audit for enhanced accuracy and reliability.

Who Should Attend

Nursing home administrators, directors of nursing, and MDS coordinators.

CEUs

This program has been submitted (but not yet approved) for Continuing Education for 1.25 total participant hours from NAB/NCERS. Call Health Dimensions Group at 763.537.5700 for further information.

August 14, 2019, 12:00 – 1:00 PM CST
Presented by: Katherine Davis

PDPM will rely heavily on effective and efficient IDT communication to identify needs for additional MDSs based on condition changes. Highly developed teams will help achieve desired results and drive positive outcomes. Auditing will also play a greater role as PDPM and QRP comingle. Join HDG to learn the keys to success in conducting effective meetings and learn ways to increase information transfer improving outcomes and accuracy. This session will also help team leaders better understand meeting process and flow to improve efficiency and engagement.

By the end of this webinar participants will be able to:

  • Discover Medicare meeting essentials for productive goal planning and monitoring patient progress.
  • Identify responsibilities of the meeting attendees.
  • Explore how to maintain a consecutive flow of information to maintain efficiency.
  • List pitfalls of poor meeting execution and ways to improve continuity and generate positive results.

Who Should Attend

Nursing home administrators, directors of nursing, MDS coordinators.

CEUs

This program has been submitted (but not yet approved) for Continuing Education for 1.25 total participant hours from NAB/NCERS. Call Health Dimensions Group at 763.537.5700 for further information.

August 21, 2019, 12:00 – 1:00 PM CST
Presented by: Katherine Davis and Tammy Golkowski

PDPM will modify Medicare billing with new coding characteristics. Are you and your teams ready? Join HDG to learn about new HIPPS, diagnoses coding and sequencing, with emphasis on end-of-month practices, triple check, and return to provider claims. In-depth discussion on navigating the new PDPM reimbursement and ”Talking PDPM Case Mix Groups – CMGs” versus RUG-IV codes.

By the end of this webinar participants will be able to:

  • Identify the components that contribute to billing codes, assessment types, and case mix groups.
  • Explore sequencing primary (principle) diagnosis sequencing and additional codes.
  • Describe the structure of the HIPPS codes and the case mix grouper language.
  • List the end-of-month process and importance of accuracy and timeliness of submitting claims.
  • Articulate return to provider (RTP) claims and solutions for payment.

Who Should Attend

Nursing home administrators, directors of nursing, finance directors/managers, MDS coordinators

CEUs

This program has been submitted (but not yet approved) for Continuing Education for 1.25 total participant hours from NAB/NCERS. Call Health Dimensions Group at 763.537.5700 for further information.

Recordings

PDPM: Maximizing Impact and Managing Risks Webinar Series

This five-part webinar series will focus on the new Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) that takes effect Oct. 1, 2019. The new model will fundamentally change the way skilled nursing facility providers get reimbursed for services. The course will deliver a primer on the basics of PDPM, and also provide a thorough assessment of the key operational decisions and components that will define present risk, and ultimate success.

February 13, 2019, 12:00 – 1:00 PM CST
Presented by: Brian Ellsworth, MA, VP, Public Policy & Payment Transformation, and Darrin Hull, EVP, Consulting

This engaging and insightful executive-level complimentary webinar will explore the strategic and operational implications of PDPM to be implemented in third quarter 2019. We will discuss the latest opportunities in value-based transformation as a result of policy changes in Medicare’s Accountable Care Organization (ACO) and bundled payments models (BPCI Advanced) as together, these policy changes have the potential to transform the Medicare landscape in many markets, in some cases very rapidly. In this one-hour, complimentary webinar, you will hear the latest on:

  • What executives should consider as they are preparing for the implementation of PDPM, from both a strategic and operational perspective
  • The implications for health systems and post-acute care of Medicare’s recent finalization of the “Pathways for Success” overhaul of Medicare’s ACO program and critical decisions that bundlers must make in first quarter 2019
  • The importance of post-acute care in creating value within these payment reforms and what steps can be taken to lead to more integrated care.

Who Should Attend

Post-acute care executives, nursing home administrators, acute care leaders, finance managers, ACO executives, and bundling program managers.

CEUs

This program has been approved for Continuing Education for 1.25 total participant hours from NAB/NCERS. Call Health Dimensions Group at 763.537.5700 for further information.

March 13, 2019, 12:00 – 1:00 PM CST
Presented by: Diana Johnson, RN, BSN, Clinical Reimbursement Consultant

This must-attend webinar session will review and recommend successful PDPM implementation strategies based upon an array of patient characteristics, clinical conditions, newly designed direct care components, and payment systems, including:

  • Therapies – Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech language pathology depending on primary reason for skilled nursing facility (SNF) care.
  • Nursing – Clinical information from SNF stay, functional status, extensive services, presence of depression, and restorative nursing services provided.
  • Non-Therapy Ancillaries (NTAs) – Comorbidities present and extensive services used.

During this one-hour webinar, you will learn how PDPM changes will impact your care community. To provide you with timely insights, our team will:

  • Compare and contrast the four components of PDPM to the current RUG-IV Medicare payment system.
  • Explore how the interdisciplinary team (IDT) roles and responsibilities will change under PDPM.
  • Discuss how to conduct an effective PDPM utilization review meeting.
  • Use a user-friendly form (provided) to show how to optimize payments under the new payment system.

Who Should Attend

Post-acute care executives, nursing home administrators, nursing leadership, MDS coordinators, admission directors, and rehabilitation directors.

CEUs

This program will be submitted for Continuing Education hours from NAB/NCERS. Call Health Dimensions Group at 763.537.5700 for further information.

March 27, 2019, 12:00 – 1:00 PM CST
Presented by: Michelle Kastenholz, OTR, Director, Reimbursement Consulting

This webinar in our therapy-focused PDPM series will educate and empower senior leaders as they prepare for the changes and actions necessary for success in partnering with external therapy providers under PDPM. Don’t wait until it’s too late to make the required contractual changes for your organization.

In this session, we’ll discuss contract terms, timing, structural considerations, expectations for other therapist responsibilities at the care community, value-based incentive possibilities, and other mission-critical topics. By attending, you will learn critical aspects of PDPM and will be empowered to:

  • Contrast and compare the pros and cons of different therapy department organizational structures to determine the viability of making a change from the current structure.
  • Identify risk areas in current contract language.
  • Explore options and methods for key discussions with therapy partners.
  • List critical steps for developing a successful plan to optimize both payment and care delivery within the new payment reform framework.

Who Should Attend

Post-acute care executives, nursing home administrators, contract managers, and purchasing directors.

CEUs

This program will be submitted for Continuing Education hours from NAB/NCERS. Call Health Dimensions Group at 763.537.5700 for further information.

April 10, 2019, 12:00 – 1:00 PM CST
Presented by: Darrin Hull, EVP, Consulting, and Katherine Davis, MS, CCM, CDMS, RCP, CRC

With the transition to PDPM, SNFs will soon learn that survival under the new payment system will require retooling their clinical services in response to the de-emphasis on therapy to drive revenue. Providers will need to rapidly assess their place in the market and enhance communication with acute care referral sources to identify clinically complex patient types that hospitals are struggling to place for post-acute care. Building clinical programming to meet the needs of these patients will likely be a windfall for those providers prepared to capitalize on this opportunity.

In this session, you will gain valuable insights and resources in order to:

  • Identify pain points that referring acute care hospitals wish to address and overcome.
  • Explore options to build new clinical programs that position skilled nursing providers for market share gain.
  • Develop a structured communication platform with referring acute care hospitals that showcases providers’ success with patient outcomes.
  • Define opportunities to expand referral sources and service lines.

Who Should Attend

Post-acute care executives, nursing home administrators, finance directors, and directors of nursing.

CEUs

This program will be submitted for Continuing Education hours from NAB/NCERS. Call Health Dimensions Group at 763.537.5700 for further information.

April 24, 2019, 12:00 – 1:00 PM CST
Presented by: Michael Riley, RN, AANAC, MDS Nurse Consultant, and Diana Johnson, RN, BSN, Clinical Reimbursement Consultant

Are you ready for the exciting, fast-paced (and at times confusing) world of MDS and ICD-10 as it relates to PDPM? This session will be critical to your care community’s financial success with the transformation of the Medicare payment model on October 1, 2019. Join us as we explore Section GG functional abilities coding and accuracy, ICD-10 coding specifics and potential for concerns, and five-day coding requirements.

During our session, you will learn critical aspects of PDPM billing and will receive essential tools as our team will:

  • Describe the importance of accurate coding of the five-day assessment for establishing payment.
  • Explore the change in Section GG coding to nursing as the key driver with therapy input.
  • Identify ICD-10 coding process and clinical mapping tool/crosswalk for PDPM.
  • Recommend how to develop a method for identifying the primary diagnosis code along with order of secondary codes to ensure accuracy of billing.

Who Should Attend

MDS coordinators, coding and billing specialists, finance directors, and therapy managers.

CEUs

This program will be submitted for Continuing Education hours from NAB/NCERS. Call Health Dimensions Group at 763.537.5700 for further information.

Craig Abbott, Brian Ellsworth, Cindy Olson

December 2018

As operators and consultants in post-acute, long-term care, and senior living, Health Dimensions Group (HDG) is familiar with the challenges and opportunities facing health care organizations in the coming year.

HDG has identified the top trends in 2019 that will continue to radically shape aging services including:

  • Medicare fee-for-service payment reform
  • Value-based payment
  • Occupancy and census challenges
  • Ongoing workforce challenges
  • Implementing safeguards for troubled assets
  • Complex continuum and network development
  • Growth of managed care models
  • Improved psycho-social management
  • Post-acute and senior care asset re-purposing
  • Rural health innovation
  • Aggressive revenue cycle management

Amber Rogotzke

November 2018

By 2020 the shortage of health care workers will include over 1.2 million vacancies, 33% of our nurses will retire, and 1 out of 2 employees will be millennials. Over the next 30 years, the need for senior care workers will increase by 48%.

We all know the headaches that turnover brings – time and energy spent enlisting search firms, reviewing resumes, interviewing candidates, on-boarding new hires. Besides the headaches, the process of replacing lost talent comes with a significant price tag. Turnover occupies everything we do and touch from the quality of care to the financials. Organizations focused on building strong and capable leaders at all levels will have the most impact on turnover. 

Brian Ellsworth, Darrin Hull, Kathy Karr, and Shawn Scott (Medline)

August 2018

CMS finalized the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) for Medicare payment to skilled nursing facilities to be effective October 1, 2019. PDPM will replace RUGs and will drive changes in markets and operational practices for providers and vendors. In this complimentary webinar, you will hear about:

• Basics of the finalized payment model
• What changed between the proposal and the final rule
• Key comments made by stakeholders and CMS’ response to them
• Strategic and operational imperatives moving forward 

Brian Ellsworth and Darrin Hull

June 2018

On April 27, 2018, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a revised proposal to replace the Resource Utilization Groups (RUGs) payment system with a new model for Medicare Part A payment for Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) care, to be effective October 1, 2019. The new system is conceptually similar to last year’s proposal, but CMS has made some refinements and decided to give it a new name: Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM).

This new payment model will create significant new opportunities and challenges for SNF providers, including: the opportunity to treat more medically complex patients, increased emphasis on accurate coding, as well as imperatives to carefully manage lengths of stay and evaluate provision of therapy. In some markets and for many providers, the changes will be significant and require an assessment of facility operating systems and culture. Understanding the new system will be critical to future success.

Join Health Dimensions Group on June 13, 2018, for an informative webinar, “Decoding PDPM and Navigating the Medicare Payment Transition.” During this one-hour discussion, HDG thought leaders will review the latest changes in the Medicare payment methodology, provide attendees with critical information about how the changes will affect their revenue streams, and serve up strategy recommendations on how to retool SNF operations to gain market share and optimize reimbursement post-implementation. 

Brian Ellsworth

May 2018

As part of Medicare’s aggressive timeline on Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) Advanced, hospitals and physician group practices that applied for this program in March now have just a few short months in which to make important decisions about whether to move forward in taking risk and, if so, with whom to partner. The stakes are high as bundlers are locked into those decisions for a minimum of 15 months. BPCI Advanced has several features that place a premium on effective management of risk over a full 90-day episode of care. Medicare is scheduled to release detailed claims data to bundlers in early May, leaving a short window to analyze the data and make final programmatic decisions.

If your organization applied for BPCI Advanced, or you receive referrals from one that did, you should attend this timely webinar. You will hear about the latest program details and learn about how to create sustainable, high performance scenarios through win-win risk-sharing arrangements based on sound data analytics and program expertise.

Brian Ellsworth, Vice President for Public Policy and Payment Transformation, will be the presenter. He leads our value-based payment practice and has served as an advisor to over 100 episode initiating providers under Medicare’s bundling program.

Erin Shvetzoff Hennessey, Cindy Olson, Colin Higgins

February 2018

As operators and consultants in post-acute, long-term care, and senior living, Health Dimensions Group (HDG) is familiar with the challenges and opportunities facing health care organizations in the coming year.

HDG identified the top nine trends that will continue to radically transform senior care in 2018, which was published in Becker’s Hospital Review. We will review each of these trends in greater detail in a two-part webinar series.

Join us for part two on February 1, when we will hear from Erin Shvetzoff Hennessey, Craig Abbott, Cindy Olson, and Colin Higgins on the changes in senior housing including:

  • demand
  • partnerships
  • medical complexity

Erin Shvetzoff Hennessey, Darrin Hull, Brian Ellsworth

January 2018

As operators and consultants in post-acute, long-term care, and senior living, Health Dimensions Group (HDG) is familiar with the challenges and opportunities facing health care organizations in the coming year.

HDG identified the top nine trends that will continue to radically transform senior care in 2018, which was published in Becker’s Hospital Review. We will review each of these trends in greater detail in a two-part webinar series.

Join us for part one on January 24, during which we will hear from Erin Shvetzoff Hennessey, Darrin Hull, and Brian Ellsworth on the financial and operational trends impacting senior living including:

  • ownership
  • regulatory environment
  • labor shortages
  • value-based payment

Brian Ellsworth

January 2018

After a long wait, CMS announced the next round of voluntary bundling to be called Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) Advanced on January 8, 2018. The Request for Applications (RFA) is due March 12, 2018, and applicants should be prepared to go live by October 1, 2018. This abbreviated schedule means that providers considering this voluntary option have to begin preparations immediately. In this half-hour webinar, we will briefly outline the contours of this new program, explain how providers can participate and what strategic decisions need to be made now.

Erin Shvetzoff Hennessey

November 2017

Rural skilled nursing facilities (SNF) face challenges that are unique or exacerbated by their size and location. These include census, labor, and expense management. This webinar will focus on specific solutions for rural SNFs, including new strategies that innovative providers are implementing to address these challenges. This webinar will also assist rural SNFs with value-proposition development, value-based purchasing involvement, and guidance on developing formal partnership with other community care providers.

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