CCH to Present Audio Seminar on 2007 Inpatient Prospective Payment System Rule

(RIVERWOODS, ILL., September 12, 2006) – Health care reimbursement professionals will have a head start on understanding changes to the 2007 Inpatient Prospective Payment System with the benefit of expert insights and analysis when CCH, a leading provider of health law information and software, presents an audio seminar on the looming change in Medicare reimbursement rules. 2007 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) Final Rule: What You Need to Know, will be presented on Thursday, September 21, 2006 at 3:00-5:00 p.m. Eastern time, 2:00-4:00 p.m. Central. CCH is part of Wolters Kluwer Law & Business (health.cch.com/audio).

In the seminar, Marc Hartstein, the individual at CMS with principal responsibility for the changes and guidance outlined in the Final Rule, and two highly experienced reimbursement attorneys, Kenneth R. Marcus an d Robert L. Roth, will share their insights on the rule itself and on subsequent developments and implications for inpatient providers.

“This all-star panel will provide information vital to those whose bottom line can be impacted by the final rule and who don’t have the time to pore over every line of its 1,000-plus pages,” said Lee McMillan, CCH product manager.

Presentation Highlights

The audio seminar will provide an overview of the major provisions of the Final Rule and address significant reimbursement, compliance and policy issues. These include:

• Modifications to the DRG methodology;
• Outlier payments;
• Wage index (pending issuance of wage index prior to program); and
• Graduate medical education.

The seminar will also include a live question-and-answer session.

About the Speakers

Marc Hartstein has been with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services since 1988. In December, 2004, he became the Acting Deputy Director of the Division of Acute Care where he supervises the staff responsible for development of Medicare’s inpatient hospital prospective payment system. He was appointed permanently to this position in August of 2005. He was instrumental in developing and implementing select provisions of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 and the Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999. He also worked closely with United States Congressional staff in the design of provisions related to Medicare payment for drugs and physician fee schedule services that became part of the Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003. He has a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Minnesota’s Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs and a bachelor’s degree in political science and economics from the University of Vermont.

Kenneth R. Marcus, JD, MHSA, is a senior partner in the health law practice of Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP. Marcus is nationally recognized as an expert in Medicare and Medicaid payment appeal issues. Marcus is an Advanced Member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association and a member of the Board of Directors of the Eastern Michigan Chapter of Healthcare Financial Management Association. He is past Chair of the Payment and Reimbursement Interest Group of the Health Law Section of the American Bar Association. Marcus is a frequent lecturer on health care topics at local, regional and national seminars sponsored by hospital associations, American Health Lawyers Association, American Bar Association and numerous chapters on reimbursement topics in local, regional and national publications.

Robert L. Roth, JD, a partner at Crowell & Moring in Washington, D.C., began practicing privately in 1993 following an 11-year career in government, during which he served at both the state and federal levels. Roth counsels providers, payers and plans on federal and state regulatory and business matters with a special focus on payment, compliance and licensing issues. He has published and spoken extensively on health law topics and has chaired many health law conferences. He has been an active speaker and writer for the AHLA since 1986 and currently serves on the Program Committee for the Institute on Medicare & Medicaid Payment Issues. He also has been an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Baltimore School of Law since 1984.

How Audio Seminars Work

CCH’s live audio conferences require nothing more than a telephone connection. For the $249 per site fee, an unlimited number of listeners at a site can participate, get up-to-speed and in-the-know on these hot new topics.

Earn CPE Credit

Two hours of CPE credit are available for an additional $25 per person wishing to receive a CPE certificate for their participation.

Earn CE Credit

Participants may be eligible for two hours of CHFP certification maintenance, when self-reported on the  HFMA web site (www.hfma.org/certification/certmaintenance).

Special Bonus

Along with detailed handout materials, each site registering will receive a Mixed-Mode CD (contains event audio and materials) of the live event – a $249 value.

How to Register

To register online using a credit card for 2007 IPPS Final Rule: What You Need to Know go to: http://health.cch.com/audio. To register by phone, call Customer Service at 1-800-775-7654 or 715-833-5426. Please have your credit card information ready.

About Wolters Kluwer Law & Business

Wolters Kluwer Law & Business is a leading provider of research products and software solutions in key specialty areas for legal and business professionals, as well as casebooks and study aids for law students. Its major product lines include Aspen Publishers, CCH, Kluwer Law International and Loislaw. Its markets include law firms, law schools, corporate counsel and professionals requiring legal and compliance information. Wolters Kluwer Law & Business, a unit of Wolters Kluwer, is based in New York City and Riverwoods, Ill.

Wolters Kluwer is a leading multinational publisher and information services company. The company’s core markets are spread across the health, corporate services, finance, tax, accounting, law, regulatory and education sectors. Wolters Kluwer has annual revenues (2005) of €3.4 billion, employs approximately 18,400 people worldwide and maintains operations across Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. Wolters Kluwer is headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Its shares are quoted on the Euronext Amsterdam (WKL) and are included in the AEX and Euronext 100 indices. For more information, see www.wolterskluwer.com.

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