Minneapolis, MN, USA -- HEALTHCARE UPDATE NEWS SERVICE(TM) -- SEPTEMBER 16, 2003: Physicians, Practice Managers, and Compliance Professionals from across the country will assemble in San Francisco on October 23-24 at the Physician Group Practice Compliance Conference, being held at the Crowne Plaza-Union Square, to confront compliance issues facing physician group practices - especially compliance with Medicare and Medicaid rules and regulations, announced the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA).

The HCCA Physician Group Practice Compliance Conference, will help both large and small physician practices design and operate practical and meaningful compliance programs.

Enforcement officials are turning their attention to physician group practices. Many enforcement officials receive so many reports of possible compliance violations in physician offices that they have the luxury of sifting through the reports and selecting only those that seem most interesting or egregious to investigate and pursue. "Physician practices have not invested in compliance efforts like large provider organizations have, but the tide is turning and physician practices need to begin paying attention." said Steve Ortquist, Physician Group Practice Compliance Conference Program Chair and Vice President of Ethics and Compliance, Chief Compliance Officer, Banner Health.

• The Anti-Kickback and Stark Laws
• Corporate Integrity Agreements
• E&M Coding
• Physician Group Practice Auditing and Monitoring Programs
• Coding and Billing Challenges
• Changing Face of Physician/Pharma Interaction
• Advance Beneficiary Notices
• What To Do When the Government Comes Knocking

This critical program features many of the health care industry's most knowledgeable experts on physician's legal and regulatory compliance issues including the following:

• Jim Sheehan, Associate United States Attorney for Civil Matters. Mr. Sheehan has been the Justice Department's leading spokesman on health care fraud matters for nearly ten years. His office has often been responsible for new enforcement initiatives that have swept the health care industry.
• D. McCarty Thornton, Partner, Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal. Mr. Thornton retired from government service last year after serving for several years as Chief Counsel to the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services.
• Albert Bothe, Jr. MD, Executive Director, University of Chicago Practice Plan. Dr. Bothe is a noted speaker on physician compliance issues, and a national expert on Medicare regulations related to physician billing.
• Theodore Sanford, MD, Chief Compliance Officer, University of Michigan Health System. Rory Jaffe, MD, MBA, Chief Compliance Officer, U.C. Davis Health System.

ACHE, HCCB, NASBA-CPE, AAPC

For additional information about the conference, you can download a copy of the conference brochureor you may register on the HCCA website.

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