Quarterly Publication by Guidry & East, LLC
We look forward to being your provider of the latest policies and procedures in quality patient care.
|
Guidry & East, LLC Partners with the MLC Group, LLC to Support HLA Labs with Complex Financial, Operational and Regulatory Matters.
In recognition of the scarcity of qualified histocompatibility laboratory directors, MLC Group LLC was formed in 2001 with the aim not only of providing director services, but also to recruit and train qualified individuals to become directors. By building relationships with transplant teams and providing consultation based on years of experience, The MLC Group can help enhance the value of HLA laboratories within the transplant community. The MLC Group, LLC is exceptionally positioned to help laboratory and leadership meet the needs of the transplant programs and patients served. Whether needing transitional direction, technological enhancement, programmatic education, recruitment assistance, or general troubleshooting, MLC Group can help healthcare organizations provide state-of-the-art HLA laboratory services in a complex financial and regulatory environment. In collaborating with Guidry and East, LLC the complement of services offered by the MLC Group now includes HLA comprehensive financial reviews and cost reporting. Dr. Dave Eckels, a partner with the MLC Group LLC, is Professor of Pathology at the University of Utah. He has had a long career in transplantation both as director of large clinical histocompatibility laboratories and as a basic researcher dealing with the immunogenetics of the immune response. Dr. Eckels served as President of the American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics and on the Executive Board of the United Network for Organ Sharing and consulted for numerous clinical and research laboratories as well as corporate organizations. Dr. Eckels has long been recognized by his peers as a leader and innovator in the field of histocompatibility and immunogenetics. The partners of MLC Group LLC (Drs. Eckels, Bray and Gebel) together bring more than 100 years of experience to the field of histocompatibility and immunogenetics testing. Each has extensive experience in not only directing their own laboratories, but also as consultants for other laboratories in the US and Canada. All fulfill the requirements and qualifications of ASHI, UNOS, NMDP and CLIA to be recognized as Laboratory Directors, Technical Supervisors and Clinical Consultants and are board certified by the American Board of Histocompatibility Testing or the American Association of Bioanalysts. All are eligible to provide services under the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Guidry & East Partners with Transplant Leadership Institute Guidry & East, LLC is pleased to announce that they have entered into a strategic partnership with Transplant Leadership Institute LLC (TLI), the leading search firm in the field of transplantation. For more than twelve years, TLI has worked with academic medical centers, hospitals, organ procurement organizations and medical groups on a wide range of search assignments. The TLI staff are well known and respected members of the field who have achieved renown and excellence in their respective specialties which gives them the ability to understand the needs of clients and to match outstanding candidates to meet those needs. This new partnership will combine Guidry & East and TLI's deep expertise in the niche area of solid organ transplantation. Guidry and East has a long history of providing consulting services to transplant organizations and when combined with the search and recruitment capabilities of Transplant Leadership Institute, will create a full complement of services for a wider range of clients. The complementary nature of Guidry & East and Transplant TLI's individual expertise will drive new solutions led by top talent to further advance today's transplant organization. Guidry & East, LLC Enters Into a Joint Venture with XYN Management Guidry & East, LLC and XynManagement are excited to announce a strategic partnership to help transplant centers enhance quality patient care and efficiency. XynManagement has created tools and services for successful outcomes through deeper understanding and analysis of program statistics and wait list management. Dr. David Axelrod, transplant surgeon, Jennifer Milton, transplant administrator, and Mark Schnitzler, biostatistician, felt the need in their own centers for tools that could assist decision-making and guide outcomes. Together they created a secure cloud-based analysis software unlike any other that helps with root cause analysis for QAPI applications, forecasts current and future SRTR outcomes, and predicts individual patient risk. To complement the XynSight suite of tools, they initiated a best-in-class wait list management service where personalized wait list managers keep patients engaged and their contact and health information up-to-date, resulting in an increased number of successful transplants and better patient satisfaction. Guidry & East's consulting expertise will be supported through XynManagement's data review, analysis and patient services, and solid organ transplant clients will see improved success. WEBINAR: Demystifying the FQAPI Process Join AST, ASTS, and representatives from the CMS Survey and Certification Group as we review the Focused Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement Survey (FQAPI) pilot program and plans for 2015. The webinar will highlight the link between QAPI and the mitigating factors process, and introduce an upcoming CMS QAPI webinar series. This webinar is complimentary and open to all transplant professionals. We welcome all members of your transplant team to register today. Date: Friday, Jan 30, 2015 WEBINAR: Aligning OPTN Policies with the 2013 PHS Guideline for Reducing Transmission of HIV, HBV, and HCV Through Solid Organ Transplantation The OPTN Final Rule states that the OPTN Board of Directors is responsible for developing policies that are consistent with recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to test potential organ donors and following transplant recipients to prevent the spread of infectious disease. The June 19, 2013 release of the PHS Guideline for Reducing HIV, HBV, and HCV through Organ Transplantation led to a systematic review of related OPTN policies by the OPTN's Ad Hoc Disease Transmission Advisory Committee (DTAC). A proposal to modify existing Policy to reflect recommendations outlined in the Guideline was approved by the OPTN Board in November 2014. Date: Tuesday, February 3, 2015 2015 UNOS RFI (Request for Information) Release UNOS will release the 2015 transplant center RFI on January 28, 2015. A few minor updates were made to this year's RFI and include:
We recommend that transplant administrators work collaboratively with the individual(s) completing their center's RFI. They may need assistance with transplant terminology and information requirements. The RFI will be available on the UNetSM Transplant Administrators website (https://portal.unos.org/). Remember to review your center's data tables available at http://srtr.org before completing the RFI. Board Approves Policies on Living Donor Evaluation and Consent, Donor Disease Risk Assessment St. Louis - The OPTN/UNOS Board of Directors, at its meeting November 12-13, approved policies to ensure thorough and consistent processes are used in the medical evaluation and informed consent process for living organ donors. The policies specifically address living donation for kidney transplantation as well as segmental liver, lung, intestine and/or pancreas transplantation. Thoracic Programs: Prepare Your Patients for Upcoming Changes to the Lung Allocation System. Modifications to the Lung Allocation Score (LAS) system will be implemented on February 19, 2015. Among the revisions are policy changes that have occurred over the course of many years, resulting from numerous proposals. In order to prepare your lung candidates for the upcoming changes, UNOS offers the following tips. See more at: Revised Kidney Allocation System Now in Effect Effective December 4, 2014, the national computerized system that matches kidneys from deceased donors with patients needing transplantation has been revised significantly. New Risk-Adjustment Models for Kidney Programs Coming in the Spring 2015 PSR Cycle SRTR has implemented a rolling cycle to redevelop risk-adjustment models used to estimate expected outcomes for all organ types. The first posttransplant risk-adjustment models were redeveloped for kidney programs. These new models will be previewed during the fall 2014 PSR cycle. During this preview, programs will be provided with documentation of the new models on their secure SRTR websites so they can begin to review their data for completeness and accuracy in preparation for the spring 2015 PSR cycle. Note that these new models are not being used during the fall 2014 PSR cycle. SRTR is providing documentation of the new models at this time so programs have 6 months to prepare and review their data. The new models are scheduled to be implemented for the spring 2015 PSR cycle. Finally, note that the change to a Bayesian statistical methodology is separate from the change to new risk-adjustment models used to determine expected outcomes. The change to the Bayesian methodology takes place during this fall 2014 PSR cycle as described in the announcement above. The new kidney models will go into effect for the spring 2015 PSR cycle. New risk-adjustment models for heart programs are currently in development with a preview scheduled for spring 2015 and implementation scheduled for the fall 2015 PSR cycle. CMS Finalizes New Rules to Reduce Medicare Fraud On Dec. 3, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a final rule that will improve the agency's ability to deny or revoke the enrollment of physicians and other providers that pose a program integrity risk to Medicare. |
Service Spotlight:
Transplant Center Mock CMS Survey & F-QAPI Survey Please contact us before it is too late, before CMS shows up at your door! A Guidry & East mock CMS survey will assess your Transplant Center according to CMS Conditions... Our staff will examine your QAPI program and conduct a GAP Analysis of your transplant program's policies as outlined in the CoPs for organ transplant programs. G&E Consultant Spotlight
Alexander Aussi We want to congratulate Alexander Aussi on Partner/Principal in Guidry & East and being named Chief Operating Officer. Alexander Aussi possesses over 24 years of experience in healthcare, 21 years in organ transplantation. Alexander has extensive experience in transplant administration, new transplant and VAD program setup, marketing, managed care relations, contract management and multi-organ transplant Medicare Acquisition cost centers. Upcoming Events: WEBINAR:Demystifying the FQAPI Process WEBINAR: OPTN Policies and High Risk Donor Requirements UNOS 2015 Transplant Management Forum American Transplant Congress AOPO 2015 Annual Meeting NATCO Introductory Course 2015 for the New Transplant Professional & Procurement Professional June 12-15 Tempe, AZ NATCO 2015 Annual Meeting |
