Speakers

Session Title: Maximizing Resources to Ensure Fair Payer Contracts

Have you found yourself feeling somewhat powerless when negotiating the terms of your payer contracts? If so, are you tired of being in the dark when it comes to those negotiations? Reaching an agreement, especially one with fair reimbursement rates, has traditionally been a tedious process that can take an immense amount of time without much data available to assist you. Providers are often at the mercy of payers when it comes to determining fair terms during those “negotiations” as they often don’t have the same transparency into claims and other types of data that payers have at their disposal. Payers often utilize a “take it or leave it” approach, saying, “This is what we pay everyone else.”  In this session, we will dive into some new tools that providers can utilize as they negotiate new or existing contracts with payers to achieve more long-term stability in their contracts.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify new tools that can aide in contract negotiations.
2. Discuss comprehensive payer negotiating strategy tips.
3. Describe methods to identify key referral sources in your market(s).

CEUs: ABCOP: 1.0 Business | BOC: 1.25 Business

About Craig Douglas

Craig currently serves as vice president of Payer and Member Relations for VGM Government Relations, where he focuses on helping providers navigate payer relationships. Craig helps address concerns that are impacting VGM’s broad range of members from a payer perspective, including medical policies, adequacy of provider networks and reimbursement, and alternative payment models aimed at achieving better care, better outcomes, and lower overall healthcare costs. Craig has also previously served as vice president of Provider Relations for VGM’s Homelink division, where he built and fostered relationships with payers and providers across the country. Craig has been with VGM since 1999.