1. Reaching Out to Physicians and Physician Practices A Quick Start Guide

2. Breaking the Ice
Imagine that a physician colleague is telling you about a professional group she belongs to, and suggesting that you check it out. How would you feel?
You might feel flattered and a bit uncomfortable at the same time. Although you appreciate her interest, you’re not sure why she is suggesting this.

3. It Gets Easier from There
That may be your physician colleague’s reaction when you tell her about HFMA. But once you get past that initial conversational hurdle, both of you will start feeling more comfortable and things will get easier from there. Read on for suggestions about how to keep the conversation flowing.

4. Conversation Starters: In the Cafeteria You see your physician colleague in the cafeteria and pause to chat. You could introduce HFMA by saying… Then you could say something like…
“I’ve been meaning to tell you, I belong to a professional group that’s all about healthcare finance. It’s called HFMA. It used to be a group just for finance people, but with everything that’s going on in health care these days, their new philosophy is that we’re all in this together, and they’re branching out to welcome doctors into the group too.”
“They recently started an e-newsletter (link to sample copy) just for physicians and physician practice managers. It’s completely free. Would you like to see an issue? I’ll you a link to sign up.”
“Check out their web page designed for physicians and physician practice managers at hfma.org/physician. I’ll send you a link.”
“I belong to a local chapter that’s having a meeting to discuss _____, and looking for physicians to be part of the conversation on this. I’ll send you some information.”

5. Conversation Starters: After a Meeting You and your physician colleague are both part of a meeting to discuss performance metrics. The meeting ends without any resolution. You could say… Then in your follow-up , you could write:
“I want to tell you about a professional group I belong to that’s helping finance people and physicians get on the same page about this issue. They recently published an ebook about it. I’ll you a link to download it.”
““While you’re on the HFMA site, check out their web page for physicians and physician practice managers at hfma.org/physician. In the past, this group has been mostly for finance people, but physicians and practice managers are joining now, and people are really enjoying the opportunity to talk and exchange ideas about these things. Let me know if you’re interested, I’d be glad to tell you more.”

6. Conversation Starters: Tough Conversations A physician colleague has just told you about a patient who had a bad experience related to his bill. You discuss the specifics, including any follow-up that may be needed.
Then you could say……
In your follow-up , you could write……
“I belong to an organization that has developed best practices to help ensure that patients have good experiences with billing. It’s called HFMA. I will send you the best practices to give you an idea of our approach to these things. [Then tie the best practices back to the incident that was discussed.]”
“While you’re on the HFMA site, check out their web page for physicians and physician practice managers at hfma.org/physician. In the past, this group has been mostly for finance people, but physicians and practice managers are joining now, and people are really enjoying the opportunity to talk and exchange ideas about these things. Let me know if you’re interested, I’d be glad to tell you more.”

7. Conversation Starters: Tough Conversations In your role as CFO, you’ve just had a tough conversation about readmission rates with your Chief Medical Officer. It seems like there is more of an adversarial element to your interactions than you would like.
You could say……
In your follow-up , you could write……
“You know, this is uncharted territory for all of us. I think the key, moving forward is that we look for ways to collaborate and find common ground. A professional organization I belong to is looking for physicians to join the dialogue with CFOs on topics like this. I’ll send you a report that HFMA put together on this topic along with the American Association for Physician Leadership, which you may be familiar with. Thanks for working through this stuff with me. We’re definitely making progress.”
“Here is the report I mentioned. If you don’t have time to read the whole thing, just read the Executive Summary, especially the part about how important it is for clinical and financial leaders to recognize and understand the pain points of their colleagues on the other side of the C-suite. I have a better understanding of the pain points on the medical staff side and I’m glad we’re getting closer to a shared understanding.
By the way, you may want to check out their web page for physicians, which is about finance issues from a physician perspective. It’s at hfma.org/physician.
You can also sign up for their free Physician Business Adviser newsletter, which is only once a month. I recommend these because I have been a member of HFMA for ___ years, it’s a great resource, and I’m glad that they are now reaching out to physician leaders.”

8. Conversation Starters: Top 10 Issues
Value-based physician compensation models
Modeling value based payments
Evaluating physician financial performance
Business intelligence, dashboards and reporting
Identifying sources of revenue leakage
Financial data analytics
Accounting issues related to changing payment models (eg, bundled payments, value based risk)
Process improvement initiatives
Leveraging appropriate revenue cycle benchmarks/KPIs for process improvement
Impact of Quality Payment Program (MACRA)
*Based on practice member responses to 2017 HFMA Needs Survey
Ask your physician/physician practice colleagues about these top issues. Let them know HFMA provides information on the healthcare finance needs of physicians and their practices.
Recommend the Physician Business Adviser, HFMA’s free monthly e-newsletter for more information. Hfma.org/physicianbusinessadviser

9. HFMA Resources to Share
So now that you have the idea, the next section gives specifics about HFMA resources you can weave into your conversations with physician and practice manager colleagues.
As HFMA members, you hold the key to the HFMA membership experience. Thank you for all you do to bring the three circles to life.

10. Physician Practice Web Page
What You Can Do
Share the link: hfma.org/physician
Visit the page to look for relevant stories or features and share a specific link
Mention it in s that are addressing other topics

11. Finance e-Newsletter for Physician Leaders
What You Can Do
Encourage physician leaders to sign up for this once-a- month, free e-newsletter
Mention how valuable you have found other HFMA newsletters to be
Forward the sign-up link: Hfma.org/physicianbusinessadviser

12. Physician Business Advisor Blog for Physician Leaders
What You Can Do
Encourage physician leaders to read the HFMA Physician Business Advisor Blog
A blog authored for and by physician leaders
Know a physician that wants to contribute? Kate Gilfillan at

13. Leadership: The C-Suite Magazine
What You Can Do
Sign up for a free subscription to this monthly e-magazine yourself at hfma.org/leadership
Share interesting and thought-provoking articles with your physician leader colleagues
Recommend the Leadership e-newsletter to physician leaders

14. E-Book for Physician Practice Managers
What You Can Do
When discussing topics like managing payer contracts, physician practice revenue cycle, physician compensation, or managing staff burnout…recommend this free, 38-page e-book.
Share the link: Hfma.org/physicianebook

15. A Resource for Patients: Consumer Guide to Healthcare Prices
What You Can Do
Recommend the guide during conversations with physicians or practice managers about billing, price estimates, or price transparency
Walk the talk: Post the guide on your organization’s website
Share the link: hfma.org/consumerguide
Also, download and read the task force report, hfma.org/transparency

16. Report: Strategies for Physician Engagement and Alignment
What You Can Do
Share this resource with colleagues who are interested in this topic
Read the report and refer to it in conversations with your physician colleagues
Use the Physician Strategies online toolkit in your physician strategy meetings
hfma.org/valuephysicians

17. For Anyone Who Wants a Better Understanding of Finance: The Business of Health Care
What You Can Do
Recommend this online course for physician colleagues who want something more than a webinar but without the time commitment of a mini-MBA.
This course is certified for 14 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM for physicians and other clinicians .

18. HFMA Webinars
What You Can Do Recommend our physician practice webinars to colleagues who may be interested in a particular topic.
Recent webinars:
Hierarchical Condition Categories and Clinical Documentation: The Core of Risk Adjustment
Quality Payment Program Updates: Implications of Proposed Rule and More
Understanding the Final Rule changes of the 2017 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule
Strategies for Physician Groups to Prepare for MACRA Implementation

19. Revenue Cycle Award for Physician Practices
What You Can Do
Encourage physician practices to apply for the MAP Award for High Performance in Revenue Cycle.
Award recipients are honored as industry leaders at our annual conference (ANI) and share proven strategies with their colleagues.
Access the application at hfma.org/map.

20. Financial Tool: MAP App for Physician Practices
What You Can Do
Tell physicians about this tool, which enables practices to track physician performance using 14 key performance indicators (KPIs) designed expressly for physician practices.
Includes point-of-service collections, charge lag delays, overall cash collection percentage, and more.
Compare performance against other physician practices nationwide.
Prioritize efforts using the ROI calculator and implement strategies to improve performance.
Visit hfma.org/map

21. Recommend the Revenue Cycle Conference
What You Can Do
Are you going to the conference? Bring a physician practice colleague with you.
Highlights high-performing physician practices through educational sessions
hfma.org/mapevent

22. White Paper: The Need for CMO and CFO Collaboration
What You Can Do
If you are a CFO, read this report and take steps to build your relationship with your CMO.
If you work with a CFO or CMO, send them a link to download the report and tell them it was published by HFMA, an organization that is working to promote collaboration between physicians and finance
hfma.org/cmocfowhitepaper

23. Resources for HFMA Chapters
This section offers resources, tools, and examples that chapters can use to evaluate their progress in reaching physicians and physician practice managers, along with examples of strategies used by other chapters.

24. Chapter Progress Reports Available 24/7
Look for these reports on the Chapter Reports Center:
CBSC Progress Report
View the actual number of members as of today in target market segments in comparison towards your Chapter’s goal.
Target Market Segment Report
Lists your chapter’s members in the target market segments of physicians, physician groups and health plans.

25. Develop Chapter Committees That Focus on Physician Issues
Invite members who are involved with physician practices to be on a committee to identify educational topics and needs.
Some chapters have a committee that includes physician practice managers, accounting firm representatives, and others associated with physician groups.
The committee makes recommendations on education that is important to physician groups and implements education, such as an annual Physician Practice Summit.

26. Pursue Local Partnerships
Identify other associations to partner with for joint education and other collaborative opportunities.
For example, reach out to your local Medical Group Management Association chapter (MGMA), state medical society, or other physician associations.
Find your state’s MGMA affiliate chapter.

27. Explore Physician and Medical Group Education Needs
What are emerging regulatory issues?
What are emerging payment issues?
What are pressing revenue cycle issues?
How are your members working with physicians? Identify shared issues.
What can you do at the chapter level to fill the education gaps?

28. More Physician Engagement Tips
Ask chapter members to reach out to colleagues in their organizations who serve as liaison to physician groups or networks.
Offer a discount for multiple people from the same organization to attend educational events. Encourage attendance from medical groups.
Offer tiered pricing to educational events to encourage participation from groups such as physician practice representatives.
Design a split-day program with the first half directed toward hospitals and the second half to physician groups.
Consider offering continuing medical education (CME) credits. Many hospitals are CME providers and may be able to partner and certify programs for CME.

29. Contact Us for More Information
Name
Area/Title
Phone
Jinna Davis
Regions 2 and 3
Pat Kosar
Regions 7, 9, 10 and 11
Ada Lleshanaku
Regions 4, 6, and 8
Jan Palfenier
Regions 1 and 5
Tracy Packingham
Director, Chapter Relations
Katie Gilfillan
Director, Healthcare Finance Policy, Physician & Clinical Practice