Conmergence

New Banking Innovations For Better Healthcare At Fifth National Medical Banking Institute

Current Registration Fee Extended to February 28, 2007

Franklin, TN (February 21, 2007) Join thought leaders from Harvard Medical School, the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC), the National Governors Association (NGA), the National Alliance for Healthcare Information Technology (NAHIT), Booz Allen Hamilton, PricewaterhouseCoopers, BearingPoint and many others at the Fifth National Medical Banking Institute, located at the beautiful Marietta Conference and Resort Center from March 5-7, 2007.

Register Today & Save:  http://www.mbproject.org/5MBI2007_registration.php

Our agenda outlines the emergence of an eHealth ecosystem and provides invaluable insight about how banks can assist in the national build-out for both administrative and clinical messaging.

The 1600 employer-strong Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) will chair a new Value In Health Educational Track after moderating a Large Employer Panel featuring Pitney Bowes, Wachovia and Sanofi-aventis (the third largest pharmaceutical manufacturing firm in the world). Through the efforts of a new MBProject/AIAG Joint Taskgroup on Value In Health, a delegate from the Board of the recently announced Dossia Project, that is implementing some 3 million PHRs for employees of Intel, Wal-Mart, Pitney Bowes, BP, Cardinal Health and others, is presenting and participating in MBProject's E/PHR Use Case working sessions at the Institute.

A new 'Medical Banking Blog' (MBlog) is capturing the 'Institute Buzz', and recently interviewed Roy Ramthun, former economic advisor to President Bush in the area of health savings accounts (see MBlog at www.mblog.mbproject.org ) or visit our home page at www.mbproject.org and click on ?MBlog?. Ramthun kicks off Day 2 (March 7th) of the Institute and is followed by national health IT strategist Scott Wallace, President/CEO of NAHIT, who will focus on what?s needed today to move the eHealth agenda forward. We?ll then hear a senior officer at Booz Allen Hamilton talk about the ?MegaCommunity Model? that has been used around the world to convene leaders around complex social issues.

The Institute, guided by a new President?s Council comprised of ACS, Mellon, PNC Bank, McKesson and Subimo/WebMD, offers seven educational tracks, five concurrent sessions, insightful plenary sessions with industry leaders, workgroups focused on the 'HSA Accumulator' and bank-driven E/PHRs. Attendees include high level executives from leading banks, financial services firms, healthcare stakeholders, privacy and consumer groups and others.

The Exante Networking Reception at Brumby Hall and Gardens provides an exceptional forum for networking with colleagues.

The National Medical Banking Institute is proud to recognize its sponsors. For more information about each firm, please click on the link provided below.

-- Educational Grantor: Exante Financial Services www.exantefinancialservices.com

-- Platinum Sponsors: Sanofi-aventis www.sanofi-aventis.com; ACS www.acs-inc.com

-- Gold Sponsors: Fifth Third Bank www.53.com; PNC Bank www.pnc.com

-- Silver Sponsor: Cerner www.cerner.com

Our Speakers:

--Ann Mond Johnson, President, Subimo/WebMD

--Bill Marvin, President, CEO & Founder, InstaMed

--Bob Nay, Director, Financial Services Convergence, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Florida

--B.P. Fulmer, President, Medical Banking Institute; Executive Director, Commercial EDI, ACS

--Brian R. Kelly, Director of Finance & Business Dev., University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Strategic Business Initiatives, Incline Healthcare Solutions

--Christopher Queram, President & CEO, The Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality

--Dan Johnson, President & CEO, SearchAmerica

--David Harris, National Healthcare Revenue Cycle Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers

--David Hom, Human Resources ? Strategic Initiatives, Pitney Bowes, Inc.

--David McCallie Jr., MD, VP, Medical Informatics, Cerner Corporation

--Dean Mason, President, UnitedHealthcare/Exante Bank

--Devika Kumar, Associate VP, Revenue Cycle Services, QHR

--Eric Racine, Pharm.D., Associate VP, Employers & Quality Associations, US Managed Markets, Sanofi-aventis

--Isaac S. Kohane, MD, Ph.D., Assoc. Professor of Pediatrics & Health Sciences & Technology, Director, Children?s Hospital Informatics Program, Children?s Hospital, Harvard Medical School

--James Dean, Sr. Manager, Financial Services Practice, BearingPoint

--James F. Kragh, Founder, President & CEO, Good Health Network

--Joseph A. Fortuna, M.D., Medical Director, E&C and AHG Divisions, Delphi Corp/Automotive Industry Action Group

--John Casillas, BS, CT (ASCP), Chair, Medical Banking Institute; Executive Director & Founder, The Medical Banking Project (Keynote)

--John Hardin, B2B Product Manager, SOA/Business Integration, Sun Microsystems

--John Lindquist, President & CEO, Electronic Warfare Associates, Information & Infrastructure Technologies

--June St. John, CTP, Sr. VP, Treasury Services, HSA Product Manager, Wachovia

--Karen M. Bell, MD, MMS , Director, Office of Health IT Adoption, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, Dept. of Health & Human Services

--Katherine C. Haley, Legislative Assistant on Social Policy, US Representative Peter Hoekstra (R-MI)

--Kathleen Nolan, Health Division Director, National Governors Association, Center for Best Practices

--Kelly Birch, VP Sales & Channels, Exante Financial Services

--Kimberly Darling, Founder & President, Competitive Health

--Lori Daugherty, President & CEO, WorkingRx

--Mark Trail, Chief, Medical Assistance Plans, Dept of Community Health, State of Georgia

--Maureen L. Turo, VP, Healthcare Market Specialist, Mellon Financial Corp.

--Michael Connors, Executive Advisor, Booz Allen Hamilton

--Dr. Michael L. Nelson, Director, Business Development, Health Market Science

--Paul G. Chicos, President & CEO, E-Duction

--Reggie Van Lee, Sr. VP, Booz Allen Hamilton

--Rex Brooks, President & CEO, Starbourne Communications Design

--Richard Flores, VP, Revenue Cycle Operations, LifePoint Hospitals

--Richard Whitmer, CEO, Insight Healthcare Financial

--Richard E. Williams, Director, Portfolio Management Group, ACS

--Roy Ramthun, President, HSA Consulting Services, former Sr. Health Policy Advisor to President George W. Bush

--Scott Fad, Corporate Director, Projects & Planning, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Delaware

--Scott Krah, VP & Healthcare Product Executive, Healthcare Solutions, Fifth Third Bank

--Scott Wallace, President & CEO, National Alliance for Healthcare Information Technology, Chair, Commission on Systemic Interoperability, Dept of Health & Human Services

--Shawn A. Jenkins, President & CEO, Benefitfocus

--Thomas J. Hricik, National Director, HSA Product Distribution, ACS /Mellon HSA Solution, ACS

--Vincent Marzula, VP and Product Group Manager, Treasury Management Division, PNC Bank

--William A. Howard, Jr., Executive VP, Markets, Fiserv Health

About the Medical Banking Project
The Medical Banking Project (a.k.a. "MBProject") is a policy research, strategic advisory and Industry Action Group that is increasingly member-driven. We facilitate ?medical banking? ? a latent market development evolving from the integration of banking and healthcare systems ? through educational forums and industry initiatives that inform policy and commerce. MBProject is spearheading two related initiatives: a global, open source software platform ("C.O.M.B.A.T. - Cooperative Open-source Medical Banking Architecture & Technology") to combat rising healthcare costs using medical banking principles and technology; and, a fee-based, bank-driven community system ("Charitable Communities Network™") to coordinate safety net healthcare access for the unbanked and underserved. The initiatives demonstrate how banks can deliver substantive cost benefits to care givers, health plans, employers and consumers. For more information please go to http://www.mbproject.org. Medical Banking™ is a trademark of the Medical Banking Project (a.k.a. MBProject).

Contact: Evelyn Marquez Sanchez
615-794-2009
info@mbproject.org

Federal Reserve Board Eyes New Role in Medical Banking

The Medical Banking Report, July|August Vol. 3, No. 4

As ONCHIT seeks to harmonize standards, technology and architecture to create an electronic health records system, another effort suddenly finds itself in the landscape of the possible for implementing our “medical internet”.

While related to the work of the Medical Banking Project, the new “Independent Health Record Bank” (IHRB) is far different. Yet the profile of IHRBs in medical banking was signficantly raised when a new House bill seeking to establish IHRBs appointed the Federal Reserve Board (FRB) as the governance agency.

Because IHRBs can emerge external to existing banking infrastructure, MBProject doesn’t classify it as a pure medical banking play. Core to medical banking is leveraging existing banking systems for healthcare. Yet if IHRBs gain traction banks will likely get much more involved, especially if the FRB is involved.

“Yes, the IHRB can be implemented outside of banks but it can also work within the banking community,” insists Amnon Shabo, PhD., in an email to MBR. Shabo, who did early work in creating the IHRB model, works at IBM’s Almaden Institute in Haifa, Israel. Yet offering the new service could present challenges to banks. The proposed “Independent Health Record Bank Act of 2006” suggests that IHRBs are non-profit entities only, and that they are right off the bat, a HIPAA clearinghouse.

Bills stoke debate about health records

June 16, 2006 by Rob Roberts, Staff Writer, Kansas City Business Journal

Banks say they have systems, know-how

Legislation introduced by two members of Kansas' congressional delegation is sparking debate about who should become the bankers of Americans' electronic health records -- financial institutions or independent health record banks.

U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, a Republican, introduced the Independent Health Record Bank Act on June 6. U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore, a Democrat, filed a nearly identical House version two days later.

The bills call for independent health record banks to be formed by nonprofit cooperatives that, for a fee, would maintain members' lifetime electronic health records and make them accessible through swipe cards.

Some sources, however, say it makes more sense to build a nationwide health information network on top of the banking industry's existing financial infrastructure.

"We're advancing a model that is much more bank-centric than the independent health record bank model," said John Casillas, executive director of a Franklin, Tenn., think tank called the Medical Banking Project.

Casillas said the financial industry is positioned to roll out health record banking quicker and less expensively due to its nationwide electronic networks, 55 million online customers and existing accounts with health care providers and insurers.

Banks that provide services such as cash disbursement for health plans or lockbox check-processing for health care providers already must be compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

"So the next step is: What services can banks add onto these HIPAA-compliant platforms we're building?" Casillas said.

The Medical Banking Project, which plans to launch a demonstration pilot next year, envisions a day when bank-issued swipe cards will allow health care providers to verify insurance coverage, receive payment from patients' bank accounts and access their electronic health records.

The Independent Health Record Bank Act

"Brownback bill would centralize medical records", Kansas City Business Journal

<ed.note>Hmmm, doesn't this sound vaguely familiar?</ed.note>

U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., introduced the Independent Health Record Bank Act on Tuesday, and a companion bill is expected to be introduced later this week in the U.S. House.

The Senate bill, which doesn't yet have a number, was previewed during Brownback's April 14 visit to Cerner Corp. in North Kansas City. Health care information companies like Cerner could profit from the bill by providing necessary technology for the independent record banks.

The Independent Record Bank Act provides legal and regulatory guidelines for establishing the banks by nonprofit cooperative institutions similar to member-owned credit unions.

H.A.T.’s Off to PNC Bank

May/June 2006  Vol. 3, No.3, The MEDICAL BANKING REPORT

Over the past two months, PNC Bank has placed a stake in the ground in the evolving medical banking industry. Besides conducting a survey that helps to lay important groundwork for establishing the value of emerging medical banking services, (Mar/Apr Issue), the bank also organized a new annual seminar featuring prominent healthcare plans and provider systems.

PNC Bank, however, was saving the best for last.

On April 19 the newswires heralded a breakthrough in the medical banking space. PNC acquired a health data clearinghouse – Healthcare Administration Technologies, Inc., (H.A.T.) of Tulsa, OK – and announced that it will now offer services that streamline the entire claims process between
the healthcare provider and the insurance company.

The new integrated platform marks a first in the industry. Other acquisitions of health data management firms by banks have folded (First American/SSI; BoNY/CSI; Nation’s/Covation).
These acquisitions didn’t, however, position the asset within the bank’s treasury management services area.

In fact, MBProject contends that it is precisely this type of alignment – linking cash management and health data management assets – that creates new value for healthcare. Getting behind this new commercial idea has taken the banking and healthcare industries some time, but today, it is now the topic of growing focus.

More here

USA PATRIOT Act and Health Savings Account

THE MEDICAL BANKING REPORT Executive Briefing

Why is the USA PATRIOT Act important to this new, hybrid product that tosses financial services organizations into a new mix of relationships, shared information and clients? Many, perhaps the majority, of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are opened by mail or online, as clients utilize search engines to find the “best” HSA to meet their needs. How do you verify that these clients are who they say they are? How do you monitor their activity?

Banks are working with insurance companies, trust companies and broker-dealers to offer integrated HSAs. How do the respective organizations meet the requirements of the USA PATRIOT Act including the Customer Identification Program and Anti-Money Laundering requirements?

With increasing integration among banks and other financial institutions in the HSA market, it is important to review and understand the definition and components of the USA PATRIOT Act and how they are applied, for the purpose of this document, to institutions and clients opening HSAs.

Definition of the USA PATRIOT Act

The official title of the USA PATRIOT Act is “Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT) Act of 2001.”

USA PATRIOTAct Section 314(b) permits financial institutions, upon providing notice to the United States Department of the Treasury, to share information with one another in order to identify and report to the federal government activities that may involve money laundering or terrorist activity. ¹

The USA PATRIOT Act accomplishes three critical goals: ²

• First, it gives investigators familiar tools to use against a new threat
• Second, it breaks down a wall that has prevented information sharing between agencies
• Third, it updates U.S. laws to respond to the current Internet environment

On October 26, 2001, the USA PATRIOT Act was signed into law. The Act amended current law – primarily the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) – to give the federal government enhanced authority to identify, deter and punish money laundering and terrorist financing activities. On October 1, 2003, Section 326 (Customer Identification Program) of the Act went into effect, requiring the implementation of reasonable procedures to verify the identity of new customers and certain existing customers  opening a new account. Section 3261 of the USA PATRIOTAct requires banks, savings associations; credit unions and certain non-federally regulated banks (“bank”) to have a Customer Identification Program (“CIP”). A broker-dealer in securities is subject to similar, but a slightly different rule. (The CIP is only one part of a bank or financial institution’s AML compliance program.) ³

Terms to Know

• “CIP” - Customer Identification Program
• “AML” - Anti-Money Laundering
• “OFAC” - Office of Foreign Assets and Control
• “KYC” - Know Your Customer
• “BSA” - Bank Secrecy Act

The Basics for Banks

Top Financial Firms Architecting with XML

November 4, 2005 Vance McCarthy, Integrator Development News

Last month, Reuters unveiled a new XML-based secure trade notification system that enables financial institutions to manage their trading capital and risk exposures better as well as improve operational efficiency.

Reuters' service, already selected by Lehman Brothers, offers a trade messaging hub to make a variety of financial integrations easier and cheaper. At its core, Reuters Trade Notification Service (RTNS) is a trade messaging hub that facilitates the electronic transfer of all trade related messages. The service is already operational and is undergoing a controlled introduction.

RTNS will initially focus on trade affirmation and confirmation, and will be expanded to cover allocation and settlement instructions, amongst others. The service will support industry standard message formats such as FIX, FPML, as well as FIX and TWIST...

The FpML spec arises from consensus on XML for financial services reached by UBS Warburg, Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Citigroup and others, under the umbrella of the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA), the international trade association for derivatives traders.

A Guide To Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Coverage for people with developmental disabilities

This Web site will help individuals who receive Medicaid and Medicare benefits, known as dual eligibles, their families and caregivers, and advocates for people with disabilities nationwide understand the new Medicare prescription drug coverage, called Part D.  Dual eligibles must make decisions about which Medicare prescription drug plan will provide access to the medications they need. 

For dual eligibles, Medicaid’s prescription drug coverage will end on December 31, 2005 and the new plans will begin on January 1, 2006, so time is of the essence.

Need to Develop Global Standards for Smart Card ID Applications

Palo Alto, Calif. — November 7, 2005 — In the wake of increasing security concerns, the incorporation of secure identity management systems is assuming top priority for enterprises and governments worldwide. However, tight deadlines, lack of consensus and security loopholes has created considerable confusion in crucial programs such as the e-passport project.

Smart card organizations and governments need to work together in developing global standards for ID applications. Further, open platforms, which are expected to play a key role in this segment due to their scalability and security features, will have to evolve as strong foundations for the credible execution of such vital applications.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (www.smartcards.frost.com), World Battle of Platforms, reveals that unit shipments for open platform cards totaled 400 million in 2004 and projects to reach to 1.15 billion by 2011.

Leading Global Advisors Join the Medical Banking Project to provide guidance for it's open source, open standards-based initiative

Franklin, TN (October 31, 2005) The Medical Banking Project has announced the ratification of an initial set of Advisory Board members related to its open source, open standards-based initiative called "C.O.M.B.A.T." for "Cooperative Open-source Medical Banking Architecture and Technology". The effort, intended to spur industry adoption of medical banking principles and technology, targets rising healthcare costs by implementing a real time administrative and clinical messaging test platform that banks can use to engage all healthcare stakeholders, including consumers.

"We are delighted that these prominent organizations have joined our membership-driven effort as advisors. We want to help banks to help their healthcare customers speed adoption of a 'medical internet'," said John Casillas, founder and executive director of MBProject.

The C.O.M.B.A.T. Advisory Board members include, by stakeholder:

* Healthcare Providers: American Hospital Association, Solutions (AHA)

* Banks: The National Clearing House (NCHA)

* Consumers: National Health Council (NHC); Consumers for Healthcare Choices (CHCChoices); Family Voices; National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS) at The Urban Institute

* Healthcare IT: Health Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS); Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE); Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC)

* Employers: Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG)

MBProject has attracted a growing list of prominent supporters that include The Walt Disney Company, Covisint, United Healthcare/Exante, Lasalle Bank/ABN AMRO, PNC Bank, ACS, Fiserv, Revolution Healthcare Group/ConnectYourCare, PricewaterhouseCoopers, BearingPoint, Duke's Fuqua School of Business and many others. Members, organized into six workgroups, provide input into a Steering Committee that in turn directs subcommittee work to build and test the platform. Use cases will focus on lockbox specialization (speeding X12N 835 remittance adoption), real-time administrative messaging (settling medical claims in real time), bank-driven Personal Healthcare Records and optimizing community safety net resources.

"The banking community can make a significant contribution to healthcare. Our initiative is as much about broadcasting this unique opportunity for all stakeholders as it is about implementing a platform," comments Casillas. "We are entering a very exciting and dynamic phase at MBProject with leading organizations. Our members, now assisted by an Advisory Board, will make a positive contribution towards implementing a digital healthcare environment that reduces costs and saves lives."