Closing Message from 2019-20 President Steve Parker

Please click on the image to view the closing message from 2019-20 NCMGMA President Steve Parker.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to NCMGMA at info@ncmgm.org.

Message from NCMGMA President Steve Parker

Message from Steve Parker
2019-20 NCMGMA President

Please take a moment to view the following video message from our 2019-20 NCMGMA President Steve Parker.

Steve addresses the current state of healthcare in North Carolina and the initiatives NCMGMA is taking to serve our members and to advocate on behalf of all healthcare organizations in our state.

We are in this together. If we can be of any service, please reach out to us at info@ncmgm.org.

We thank you for being a member of NCMGMA!

March Message from the NCMGMA President

March President’s Message
Steve Parker, 2019-20 NCMGMA President

Friends,

I know I speak for all of us in expressing amazement that the end of the 1st quarter of 2020 is just around the corner. And what an exhausting year it has already been! The unexpected rise of a worldwide pandemic, a roller-coaster political environment, and extreme economic gyrations have, I’m sure, challenged us all – both personally and professionally. It’s in times like these, however, that our collective efforts in helping each other be prepared for whatever is around the corner is more important than ever. Thank you for contributing to the impact that NCMGMA can have in promoting stability and safety for the patients of this state.

There’s much to update you on, so I’ll try to hit the highlights briefly:

Annual Conference/May 13-15. Registration is open for our cornerstone annual event, which this year will be held at the Grande Dunes Marriott in Myrtle Beach. Our Conference Committee has put together a stellar agenda for this meeting, including two keynote sessions centered on the patient experience led by the world-renowned Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center. I would encourage you to review the full agenda here (https://www.ncmgm.org/annual-conference-meeting-agenda).

It is important to note we are, indeed, still planning to hold this conference. Since it is slated to be held in mid-May, we currently believe to do anything otherwise at this moment would be premature. However, please be assured we are continuously monitoring this issue, that the health and well-being of our members and guests is our highest priority, and we will continue to rely upon the guidance of the CDC and NCDHHS as we move forward. At this point, I would encourage you to register for the meeting and book your hotel reservations.

Salary and Benefit Survey Results. Thanks to the many, many practices who participated in our survey! We were immensely pleased at the level of participation – which encompassed almost 6,100 medical office job positions. The results are in and ready for your review. More information, a demo webinar, and a link to purchase the survey is included in our NCMGMA News posting.

Advocacy Days/June 9-10. Once again, our Advocacy Committee has arranged an absolutely spectacular line-up of speakers/panels for our Advocacy Days event to be held in Raleigh. It’s no news flash that it’s an election year – so it’s particularly critical this year that you and your practices are heard by leadership in state government, and that you hear from them, so that our collective interests are represented. Be there and be heard!

MGMA State Leaders Conference. In January, representatives from NCMGMA leadership attended this annual meeting hosted by MGMA, which provides us with an opportunity to collaborate with boards/leadership from MGMA state chapters all over the country. I’m pleased to announce that NCMGMA was awarded 4th place in the “State Affiliate of the Year” recognition, which is something in which we can all take pride. We are immensely grateful to our friends and partners at MagMutual, NCMGMA’s Executive Sponsor, for their gracious assistance in underwriting our ability to attend this meeting. Thank you!

A famous mathematician once said, “Uncertainty is the only certainty there is.” And we are certainly in uncertain times. I’m grateful to all of you – medical practice executives, practice/billing consultants, medico-legal professionals, our association staff and our indispensable Alliance Sponsor partners – for all that you do to make this one of the most successful MGMA state chapters in the country. Together, we make a difference!

Best,

Steve Parker
2019-20 NCMGMA President

Message from NCMGMA President Steve Parker

Dear NCMGMA Members,

November is known as a season for turkey, football, leaf-raking and gratitude, but it also marks the beginning of a new fiscal/membership year for NCMGMA. And so to our almost-800 members across the state, please let me be the very first, I’m sure, to wish you a Happy New Year!

It’s truly an honor for me to serve as your new president, and I first want to extend my deepest thanks to Jane Lutz for so ably serving as the president of NCMGMA for the past twelve-months. Jane has been a truly excellent leader of our organization, and I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to witness, first-hand, her dedication to our membership and her effectiveness in supporting our mission. Thanks, too, to our stellar Board of Directors, association management team, local chapter officers, committee chairs/members, and all of the countless volunteers who – from stem to stern – have built our state MGMA chapter into one of the largest and most effective in the entire country. I’m grateful for all you do.

At the outset of my term, I want to acknowledge the obvious: I am not a “medical practice manager,” per se. But for over 26 years, I’ve worked solely within the healthcare arena, and my only roles have been in partnership with both medical practice administrators and physicians in the areas of clinical and compliance risk. The fact that our membership and, indeed, the leadership roles throughout NCMGMA are comprised of people from a wide spectrum of healthcare interests, reflects what we all know to be true: the business of healthcare is a complex, multi-layered enterprise requiring an entire “village” to keep it afloat.

So, no matter what our respective roles are, we ALL have a part to play in providing the people of this state with high-quality, accessible medical care which is compassionate, efficient, and responsive to their needs. This is simply not possible without medical practices and healthcare institutions that are financially successful, unencumbered by excessive regulatory burdens, and are able to prepare for the future landscape of healthcare. Nor is it possible without physicians and other clinical providers who are paid fairly for their education, skills and expertise, and without appropriately caring for the staffs and families who support their work. It is because of these challenges that the NCMGMA was formed many, many years ago – and it is because these challenges are increasingly complex and fraught with risk that our collective work together is more critical than ever before.

And so I begin this year excited at the myriad of ways we can continue to work together through our education, networking and advocacy efforts. And I’m truly thrilled to remind you that the NCMGMA Salary/Benefit Survey is returning in December! Look for it soon!

As I close, I’d like to share with you one of my favorite adages (source unknown): “Pray for miracles, but plant cabbages.” In this time of extreme uncertainty, volatility and transformation within the world of healthcare, we simply cannot rest on the hope that things will turn out OK for our providers, our practices and our staffs. Instead, we must actively press forward together – we must take the time to educate ourselves, to share what we learn with others, and to both seize and use our “seat at the table.” I look forward to working shoulder-to-shoulder with all of you as we do that together.

Best,

Steve Parker
2019-20 NCMGMA President

Message from NCMGMA President Jane Lutz

Dear Members,

As my term comes to an end, I have taken the opportunity to reflect on all the wonderful things NCMGMA has accomplished this past year. For those who were able to join us during the Charlotte Regional Education Day this past Thursday, I presented these accomplishments during our business meeting. I now would like to share this information with the entire membership.

• MGMA – We have been fortunate to have a great partnership with our national counterpart and we continue to lean on them for organizational guidance. They have been working with adhoc committees and leadership on a national level to create consistencies between the state affiliates. Several updates will require some minor adjustments for us including some bylaw changes, updates to the membership types and significant discounts offered to those National and State members. More to come within the next year and we will continue to update our members with news from MGMA.
• Local Chapter Connection – Much in the same vein as our national counterpart, our state leadership has been working together with our local chapter leaders to create consistencies within our own state. I have been amazed by the collaborative mindset of our leaders which has made these conversations open and straightforward. Our local chapters are in the process of adopting new bylaws and have agreed to offer a consistent dues fee across each chapter.

  Each chapter has agreed to a $30 fee for Active members across the state and the NCMGMA board approved that every Active member will choose a primary chapter, which is included in the new $180 Active member fee. All chapters will receive $30 back from that $180 (State dues have not increased: there is now the chapter inclusion offered for everyone).

  Many thanks to Dickson Capps for the intricate task he took on of bylaws review and the creation of the new chapter bylaws template.

• Dues – In addition to the changes to the Active member dues, the board has approved an increase in Affiliate membership dues which will now be $275 for the state membership.

  Membership renewals begin October 1st and we hope you continue to find value and significant resources within the walls of NCMGMA. I encourage you to renew when you receive the link this week and not delay this important expense. NCMGMA is where to find the leaders for tomorrow’s healthcare – we just need YOU!

• NCMGMA Salary & Benefits Survey – This is the BIG, EXCITING NEWS! NCMGMA is working with MGMA to pilot a North Carolina salary survey. We are returning our #1 benefit to our members this year. Much more to come, but this will be produced by year-end to collect 2019 data and we will be counting on all our administrators to complete this survey so we can produce meaningful salary data.

There has been a lot accomplished and I would like to thank the NCMGMA Board of Directors for all their hard work and dedication to NCMGMA. The organization has a great leadership team in place, including our Leadership Council and chapter leadership. We wouldn’t be able to take on these kinds of tasks without the right people. Many thanks to you all!

I would also like to thank Charlotte Radiology and U.S. Radiology Specialists for supporting me while in my leadership role, and allowing me the time to fulfill my commitment to the board and organization. As we all know, when your employer supports your interests and involvement in industry organizations, it makes all the difference.

It’s been a pleasure to serve this organization this past year. I encourage anyone interested in serving in a leadership role to “raise your hand” – the reward is far greater than one might imagine. I’ve made life-long friends and connections, and I am truly grateful and blessed.

Thank you.

Jane Lutz
2018-19 NCMGMA President