This article originally appeared in Vision Monday DBA.
CHICAGO—In an effort to help its members navigate the impact of managed vision care, the Opti-Port national alliance of multi-office eyecare providers held its fourth annual managed care conference here, July 30 to 31, 2015. The 2015 Managing Managed Care Workshop boasted a record number of attendees. Multiple attendees from 19 regional chains represented over 300 office locations, a 50 percent increase in attendance over the 2014 meeting. Attendees included practice owners, doctors, practice directors and medical billers.
“It’s vital that our members gather and learn from each other on topics related to managed vision care, a major driver of revenue for our membership,” Opti-Port CEO and president, Jim Edwards, told dba. “Given the ever-evolving nature of managed care in the last few years (the ACA, ICD-10, etc.), Opti-Port members use the Managing Managed Care Workshop and other Opti-Port education events to stay ahead of the curve.”
John Rumpakis, OD, MBA, president and CEO of Practice Resource Management, Inc., kicked off the program with a comprehensive assessment of the staff requirements and practical implications of implementing the ICD-10 changeover. Using multiple clinical examples, he demonstrated how to handle coding and compliance issues to speed reimbursement and to avoid rejected claims and potential “red-flags.” (For more on ICD-10, see “Countdown to ICD-10: 10 Steps to Get Ready, Set, Go!”)
In addition to Rumpakis’s presentation, attendees participated in member-led discussions to uncover best practices related to Medicaid services and scheduling, internal processes for scrubbing claims and how to optimize practice efficiency and accuracy within various managed vision care plans. Spectera, EyeMed and VSP each presented on key updates, best practices for efficient claim processing, how they’ve prepared for ICD-10 and other news and training specific to their plans.
Joe Wende, OD, vice president of managed care at Carl Zeiss Vision, provided an assessment of new and pending legislation related to managed care. He also discussed “telemedicine” as an example of how technology might change the way we look at managed care.
The Managing Managed Care Workshop takes place here each summer and will be held again next year on a date that has yet to be determined.
Throughout the year, Opti-Port provides additional educational web conferences and networking opportunities. For example, Rumpakis will lead two webinars on ICD-10 on Thurs., Aug. 13, 2015 – “Cracking the Code – Are Your Doctors Ready for ICD-10?” and “Cracking the Code – Final Preparations for ICD-10.”
The Opti-Port membership will next gather at the organization’s Spark Conference in Las Vegas, Wed., Sept. 16, 2015, one day prior to Vision Expo West. This year’s conference theme, “Managing Change in a Multi-Office Practice,” will also feature breakout sessions on hiring, training and preparing for a Meaningful Use audit.
Edwards added, “Our members also have access to a private online forum where they often discuss billing issues and how to optimize their relationships with various payers. This online community allows our members the chance to network and learn from each other in between Opti-Port Conference Series events.”
With 33 multi-office regional eyecare practice members, Opti-Port serves over 500 individual locations across the U.S.