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>> INSIDE PER-SE: DELIVERS MONTHLY NEWS TO EMPLOYEES OF PER-SE TECHNOLOGIES.
OUR VISION: TO ENABLE EVERY PROVIDER
TO ACHIEVE THEIR INCOME POTENTIAL.
inside
Per-Se
01. 2006
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
• PER-SE’S NEW STRUCTURE & LEADERS
• NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS
• EMPLOYEE RESOURCES 2006
• UNC HEALTH CARE SYSTEM OUTSOURCES TO PER-SE
• IT’S ALL IN THE RELEASE: ORSOS ONE-CALL® 10.2
• EMPLOYEE MILESTONES
Per-Se Technologies
> NDCHealth,
are now one company
New operational structure and leadership changes
support Per-Se’s expanded customer base
F
our months after announcing our intentions to acquire
NDCHealth, I am excited to tell you that NDCHealth
and Per-Se Technologies are now one company.
We begin 2006 stronger than we’ve ever been — and
with even more talented people and resources. With the
acquisition, our corporate foundation represents five decades
of reimbursement expertise, more than 6,000 talented
employees, and an expanded portfolio of solutions and
provider client base. And our expanded client base now
includes retail pharmacies. Revenue for the new Per-Se will
approach more than $600 million this year. The acquisition
of NDCHealth is a great complement to our business.
We’ll use this added strength to capitalize on opportunities
to help even more providers be more profitable.
New Structure
I’ve named Chris Perkins to the role of chief operating
officer for the new Per-Se. His financial and operational
experience will positively guide our organization as we
work to integrate our acquisition of NDCHealth and position
Per-Se for future growth.
As the new Per-Se, our corporate
goal is to increase the income of
our customers, reduce the cost to
patients and drive profitable growth
for our Company. Our leadership
team is the first step in executing
on this goal.
Greater Strengths
The new Per-Se has an enviable client roster. Today we
serve more than 115,000 physicians, 3,000 hospitals and
50,000 retail pharmacies, representing some of the most
prestigious healthcare institutions in our nation. We process
more than 6 billion transactions annually. We also take
several top-rankings in our industry, including:
•
•
•
•
•
•
#1 in physician business management outsourcing
#1 in small-office physician systems
#1 in processing hospital claims
#1 in processing pharmacy network claims
#1 in pharmacy systems
#1 in resource management systems
More Efficient Healthcare
We intend to build on our leadership positions with new and
enhanced products and services that will help meet the
changing financial needs of healthcare providers. Each of you
is at the core of our goal to help every provider be financially
successful. Embrace the fact that we have the ability to
connect an extensive number of hospitals, physicians and
pharmacies to patients and payers. This capability provides
us with real opportunities to make the U.S. healthcare system
more efficient. It’s a great time to be at Per-Se.
We also have a new operational structure to underscore
our commitment to our three primary customers: physicians,
hospitals and retail pharmacies (see inside newsletter).
Chris and I are both very proud to work with a talented
leadership that, together, represents more than seven decades
of experience in healthcare. You’ll hear more from our
leaders regarding their business strategies in the coming
months. And you’ll receive more information throughout the
year about the new Per-Se.
Our Future
Over the last 5 years, with your help, we have accomplished
a great deal. With this new chapter in our corporate life,
we look forward to this next phase of our growth strategy.
This is a very exciting time for our Company and I want to
thank you for being a part of it.
Phil Pead
Chairman, President & CEO
What is your Per-Se New Year’s Resolution?
CHARLESTON EMPLOYEES SOUND OFF...
Rokenya Cobin
Rosalind Jamison
Daphne Seymour
What is your Per-Se New Year’s Resolution?
To arrive at the office
with a big smile.
What is your Per-Se New Year’s Resolution?
To utilize my time more
effectively and to focus on
growth with the company.
What is your Per-Se New Year’s Resolution?
To continue to grow in
my current position.
Why did you choose this as your resolution?
A smile can change your
attitude and maybe your co-workers
will see your upbeat attitude
and smile and have a better day.
Why did you choose this as your resolution?
Because I would like to see
myself doing and learning more
about the in’s and out’s of Per-Se.
What is your title at Per-Se?
A/R Specialist
What is your title at Per-Se?
Refund Processor
Briefly explain your job responsibilities…
To solve insurance issues
and get the money in the door.
To take a rejected claim and
make it a paid one.
Briefly explain your job responsibilities…
Resolving accounts appearing
on the credit balance report, keying
refunds, cutting checks, preparing
client deposits and researching
unidentified payments.
Why did you choose this as your resolution?
There are years of combined
experience and knowledge in
my department. My resources
are unlimited and it would be a
waste not to use them.
What is your title at Per-Se?
System Support Coordinator
Briefly explain your job responsibilities…
I’m the liason for interface
start-up between Per-Se and
the clients/hospitals.
Work with a Per-Se Vendor? You’ll Need this Info:
Per-Se is enhancing its invoice procedures to
help accounts payable easily identify vendors.
Part of the new process requires that each of
our vendors use a unique Per-Se vendor ID
number; this will be mailed to them this month.
Please ensure your vendors know that their
Per-Se vendor ID number must be included on
all future invoices. In addition to this ID number,
your vendor will also need to include on each
invoice, the Per-Se location code and business
unit receiving the service (ex. GA001 PHYSN).
You are responsible for providing each
of your vendors with your Per-Se location
code and business unit. This information is
required for AP to process and pay vendor
invoices effective Jan. 1, 2006.
Questions about Per-Se’s new vendor
invoice procedure? Please contact our
accounts payable team at 770/237-4454
or [email protected].
$
Employee Resources 2006
Clip & save this guide for your quick reference to employee resources.
401(k): www.yourbenefitsresources.com/per-se or 800/888-4015
Benefits: www.per-seflexoption/essbenefits.com or 800/422-1905
Business Travel: 800/326-4906
Payroll: View paychecks online at https://workcenter.probusiness.com/
Payroll Support: 800/729-3378
Accounts Payable Support: 770/237-4454
EAP / LawPhone: 800/327-1850
Compliance: 888/COMPLYH
Employee Service Awards: http://www.eawardcenter.com/rb/0000220820/4/
IT Support Center: 800/401-5973 or enter a support request via the Intranet
PeopleSoft Support: 800/401-5973
HIPAA: [email protected] or 770/237-7850
General Questions: [email protected]
Corporate Office: Per-Se Technologies
1145 Sanctuary Parkway, Suite 200
Alpharetta, GA 30004
770/237-4300
www.per-se.com
REMEMBER TO TAKE YOUR FLOATING HOLIDAY ANYTIME IN 2006
nnn Per-Se’s New Organizational
Structure & Leaders
The business units and leaders below now report to Chris Perkins,
chief operating officer.
Chris also continues to serve as chief financial officer until a successor
is named.
PHYSICIAN SOLUTIONS
nnn Outsourcing Services/Software
Pat Leonard, president
Represents business management outsourcing to hospital-based
specialties: radiology, pathology, emergency medicine, anesthesiology
as well as academic and multispecialty groups. This group will also
be responsible for expanding our business management outsourcing
services to office-based physicians.
Also, represents physician practice management software: MedAxxis®,
Medisoft™ and Lytec®; and the value-added reseller (VAR) network
for both systems. Steve Kilguss, senior vice president and general
manager, will report to Pat and oversee the PPM software solutions
and VAR network.
Client base: 115,000 physicians
H O S P I TA L S O L U T I O N S
nnn Revenue Cycle Management
Dave Mason, president
Represents ClaimTrack®, ePREMIS® and Advantage claims management
systems, as well as the claims clearinghouses. This business unit also
includes Per-Se’s expansion into business management outsourcing for
hospitals. Home to the Patient Communications Center, which supports
both print and mail services for our physician and hospital customers,
and real-time services solutions.
Client base: 2,200 hospitals using RCM solutions
nnn Resource Management
Karl Straub, senior vice president and general manager
Represents enterprise-wide patient and staff scheduling solutions.
Client base: 1,600 hospitals using resource management solutions
R E TA I L P H A R M A C Y S O L U T I O N S
nnn Network Services and
Enterprise Software
Scott MacKenzie, president
Represents pharmacy network services (for processing of pharmacy
claims) and also software systems that help retail pharmacies manage
all aspects of their pharmacy business.
Client base: 50,000 pharmacists
>It’s All in the Release
new product release H O S P I TA L S E RV I C E S
PER-SE RELEASES NEWEST VERSION OF ORSOS ONE-CALL®
For 10.2 the
promotional theme
is Take Control,
focusing on a
major component
of the release:
the new executive
dashboard.
A
t Henry County Memorial Hospital in Newcastle, Ind., staff can now reserve prime time
in the operating room for preferred surgeons in significantly less time than ever before
using a wizard approach. This simplified feature known as SmartRules is possible thanks
to the newest release of Per-Se’s perioperative information system, ORSOS One-Call® 10.2.
Says Sandy Jones, programmer/analyst at Henry County
Memorial, “Previously we had to create 70 rules to
manage our difficult surgical blocks (amounts of time
reserved for procedures). With ORSOS One-Call 10.2
we have been able to boil it down to just three rules,
making the maintenance of our block rules a breeze.”
The new release was announced for general availability
Jan. 3 and represents months of labor and planning on
the part of Per-Se’s patient scheduling product team in
Hospital Services. “Each version of ORSOS One-Call
is carefully planned using a whole-product approach —
meaning a team of key stakeholders, which includes
our Customer Steering Committee,
is consulted about the features we
should add or improve for each
release,” says ORSOS One-Call
Director of Product Management
Mickey Larkins (right).
Once content is determined and a
product roadmap is defined, team
members follow a very defined development process
driven by Director of Software Operations Kelly Walker.
Kelly drives the actual delivery of the product using a
structured methodology with multiple, interactive sessions
between product management, requirement analysts,
architects, engineers, QA analysts and ORSOS One-Call
Beta sites. “It is truly a team effort that crosses traditional
disciplines,” says Mickey.
All in all, more than 15 different enhancements round out
ORSOS One-Call 10.2, including a Web-based expansion
module known as Executive Console that provides
hospital executives with a dashboard view of critical
business information.
“Our overall goal for this release was to put the power of
ORSOS One-Call’s data at the fingertips of key decision
makers, as well as to minimize manual effort of OR
nurses, schedulers and supporting personnel — putting
their focus back on the delivery of patient care,” says
Mickey. “The true team effort behind 10.2 helped us
exceed these expectations.”
It Takes a Village — of Input
ey to the planning of any release is to gather
input from stakeholders including sales,
support services, Per-Se executives,
development team members and even vendor
or technology partners. But, did you know that
some of Per-Se’s most important input comes
from ORSOS One-Call customers?
K
Per-Se customers can log on to www.per-se.com
24/7 to submit a Request for Enhancement (RFE)
through our Customer Kiosk or to give other
feedback on the system.
For 10.2, the team even held a report contest
where customers could submit ideas for
challenging reports that they would like to see
added to the product. Joyce Lavoie, ORSOS
data manager at Lee Memorial Health System,
Fort Myers, Fla., won the competition with a
report suggestion. Her report would help hospitals
better manage preference cards (the backbone of
the application) and minimize wasted supplies —
a very costly problem in the OR. The preference
card reports are now part of version 10.2.
“With the validation report we can curb the waste
associated with inventory items that are regularly
pulled but not being used,” said Eydie King,
ORSOS Administrator for Lee Memorial Health
System. “It also allows us to ensure the right items
are always available for a case, improving patient
outcomes and start times by identifying items
which are required but frequently omitted.”
Also, a steering committee of select customers
meets twice yearly to help shape the development
of the product and each release before any plans
go into production.
Online Extra > > > www.per-se.com
READ PER-SE’S PRESS RELEASE ON ORSOS ONE-CALL 10.2. GO TO THE NEWS SECTION OF
THE PER-SE INTERNET SITE AND CLICK “PRESS RELEASES” IN THE LEFT-HAND NAVIGATION.
>Anesthesia, Pathology Departments at
sales success P H Y S I C I A N S E RV I C E S
UNC Health System Outsource to Per-Se
WEATHERS CLOSES TWO-FOR-ONE SALE
ome traditions are tough to break. This
might be particularly true when it comes
to selling our business process outsourcing
services to academic health systems. But, some
organizations are beginning to understand the
benefits of letting our reimbursement experts help
their clinical experts be more profitable. Take the
University of North Carolina Health Care System
(UNC) for instance.
S
Anesthesia Shows Interest
Previously, all billing, coding and accounts
receivable management for the health system
were performed internally as mandated by UNC’s
administration. But, when Director of Business
Development Bob Weathers made a cold call to
an associate dean of the UNC school of Medicine,
he discovered an interest in outsourcing.
“Faculty practice plan politics,
bylaws and traditions at academic
institutions keep many plans from
even considering outsourcing.
Perception of control keeps many
plans from trusting outsiders,
even experts,” says Bob. “But, at
some point the timing is always
right as it was at UNC.”
in outsourcing the professional component of
clinical pathology. Like many pathology clients
that turn to Per-Se for help, UNC specifically
needed billing expertise for this unique and
intricate type of billing — basically, billing for
the professional opinion of the pathologist who
is responsible for your lab test reading.
“As you might imagine, all the health system
departments that came into play for the
anesthesia portion of the sale also were interested
in the pathology part — particularly because of
this type of service billing. Working with the
Department of Pathology to overcome UNC’s
legal and compliance concerns was critical to
the pathology sale,” says Bob.
Because billing for the professional component
was new for UNC, Bob involved Per-Se’s
pathology team to educate the decision makers
on how Per-Se handles this specialty billing
area. “I owe a huge thank you to Linda Liston,
Sally Ovitt and Lisa Quirk,” says Bob. After
several months of relationship building with
the pathology department, Per-Se beat out the
internal and external competition to provide
billing and accounts receivable management for
the professional component at the health system.
Two for One
Given the break from tradition, the state-run
institution needed to secure approval from many
departments such as legal, compliance and
managed care to outsource. A site visit by Bob
and Vice President of Account Management Beth
Marshall played an important role in educating key
players at UNC about best practices in anesthesia
billing and Per-Se’s expertise. Says Bob, “Beth’s
knowledge and experience from working with other
anesthesia departments in an academic setting
really impressed them. In the end, it was evident
that Per-Se could help the anesthesia department
operate even more efficiently. And we won the
anesthesia business.”
With each part of the sale taking almost nine months
and proceeding down separate tracks, it was a
coincidence that both departments signed on at
the same time. And the CEO of the healthcare
system agreed that a master contract would be
drawn up for anesthesia and billing the professional
component of its clinical pathology business.
Suddenly, Bob had a master sale.
Clinical Pathology (Professional
Component) Is Interested, Too
Congratulations to Bob on winning UNC and for
demonstrating to even more physicians that outsourcing
can help them earn more for the services they provide.
Bob thanks Judi Halbert, in addition to other Per-Se
employees not specifically mentioned in this story, for
making this sale a reality.
Around the same time Bob was calling on the chair
of UNC’s School of Medicine, he contacted the
pathology chairman, who also expressed interest
Bob says, “This ended up being a complex sale.
But, the upside is that we made so many contacts
at UNC and successfully painted a picture of
Per-Se as a company of knowledge with true
expertise in the academic community.”
Employees with FSAs:
Paperwork Deadline is March 31
Be sure to file all paperwork (if needed) for your FSA by March 31.
Remember you can access your account information, including any forms you need to
fax paper claims at https://www.flexdirect.adp.com.
15+ YEARS
Nancy Call, Yorktown, VA, Physician Services
Evelyn Adkins, Greenville, TX, Physician Services (16)
Rebecca Dodson, Durham, NC, Hospital Services
Richard Bales, Greenville, TX, Physician Services (28)
Theresa Fleming, Alpharetta, GA, Physician Services
Carmen Belden, Alpharetta, GA, Hospital Services (20)
Donald Gonsalves, Alpharetta, GA, Corporate
Sharla Boles, Dallas, TX, Physician Services (16)
Rosemary Gorton, Queensbury, NY, Physician Services
Dana Buchanan, Overland Park, KS, Physician Services (21)
Stephanie Leamy, Greenville, TX, Physician Services
Ann Carpenter, Clinton Township, MI, Physician Services (28)
Joyce Norrell, Roanoke, VA, Physician Services
Colleen Cogovan, Queensbury, NY, Physician Services (21)
John Ruthosky, Queensbury, NY, Physician Services
Susan Concini, Scranton, PA, Physician Services (25)
Julie Tetzloff, Richmond, VA, Physician Services
Barbara Constien, Fredricksburg, VA, Physician Services (17)
Laura Thibodeaux, Houston, TX, Physician Services
Colby Crabtree, London, KY, Physician Services (16)
Beverly Thompson, Alpharetta, GA, Physician Services
Kristen Dipiazza, Grand Rapids, MI, Physician Services (16)
Mary Donald, Clinton Township, MI, Physician Services (17)
5 YEARS
Cathy Duko, Pittsburgh, PA, Physician Services (16)
Maria Earnhart, Greenville, TX, Physician Services (16)
Janlyn Babcock, Novato, CA, Physician Services
Janice Erdelyi, Richmond, VA, Physician Services (22)
Clark Bailey, Alpharetta, GA, Physician Services
Nancy Frazier, Los Angeles, CA, Physician Services (15)
Karen Baker, Alpharetta, GA, Hospital Services
Kathleen Gardzinski, Clinton Township, MI, Physician Services (23)
Holly Barron, Alpharetta, GA, Corporate
Thury Hayes, San Diego, CA, Physician Services (21)
Retha Bellamy, Jacksonville, FL, Physician Services
Sherrine Hilbert, Harrisonburg, VA, Physician Services (18)
Emily Bliss, Lawrenceville, GA, Hospital Services
Deborah Joyce, Yorktown, VA, Physician Services (17)
Brandi Bobbitt, Durham, NC, Hospital Services
Hollie Lamkins, Queensbury, NY, Physician Services (22)
Karen Caldwell, Pittsburgh, PA, Physician Services
Joan McCreary, Clinton Township, MI, Physician Services (22)
Dawn Campbell-Ruiz, Alpharetta, GA, Physician Services
Richard Mills, Leesburg, FL, Physician Services (20)
Stacey Copeland, Greenville, TX, Physician Services
Diana Molnar, Clinton Township, MI, Physician Services (23)
Marlene Crosby, Westwood, KS, Physician Services
Joann Moscatiello, Pittsburgh, PA, Physician Services (24)
Sue Enderle, Gahanna, OH, Hospital Services
Pamela Oakes, Sebastopol, CA, Physician Services (25)
Teresa Fields, Tyler, TX, Physician Services
Robin Palmerin, Riverside, CA, Physician Services (17)
Leah Fournier, Lewiston, ME, Physician Services
Karen Panoc, Alpharetta, GA, Hospital Services (19)
Tracy Garcia, Houston, TX, Physician Services
Teresa Radcliffe, Alpharetta, GA, Physician Services (15)
Gail Harris, Southfield, MI, Physician Services
Patricia Roberts, Lewiston, ME, Physician Services (21)
Cynthia Kerr, Pittsburgh, PA, Physician Services
Paulette Rodgers, Las Vegas, NV, Physician Services (26)
Laura Kozlowski, Cypress, CA, Physician Services
Maria Rodriguez, Miami, FL, Physician Services (16)
Eric Lusco, Lawrenceville, GA, Hospital Services
Julia Stemen, Greenville, TX, Physician Services (22)
Hector Martinez, Houston, TX, Physician Services
Kathleen Stoll, Clinton Township, MI, Physician Services (28)
Nadine McConnelll, Clinton Township, MI, Physician Services
Karen Tinkham, Cypress, CA, Physician Services (25)
Diane Moore, Scarsboro, ME, Physician Services
Diane Trevor, Cypress, CA, Physician Services (15)
Lynn Pavletich, Leesburg, FL, Physician Services
Patricia Vandewalle, Clinton Township, MI, Physician Services (28)
Jeanena Rambo, Novato, CA, Physician Services
Carmen Wertheimer, Southfield, MI, Physician Services (15)
Sarah Roberts, Grand Rapids, MI, Physician Services
Helene White, Leesburg, FL, Physician Services (18)
Rebecca Robertson, Westwood, KS, Physician Services
Rhonda Wilson, Greenville, TX, Physician Services (17)
Karen Roy, Westwood, KS, Physician Services
Jane Wolcheck, Ludlow, MA, Physician Services (20)
Emily Sikora, Clinton Township, MI, Physician Services
Barbara Woodlock, Greenville, TX, Physician Services (22)
Kathleen Spokaeski, Clinton Township, MI, Physician Services
Lee Summers, Jacksonville, FL, Physician Services
Margaret Sweda, Pittsburgh, PA, Physician Services
10 YEARS
Melissa Wagers, London, KY, Physician Services
Phyllis Bradley-Davis, Pittsburgh, PA, Physician Services
Marie Witter, Ludlow, MA, Physician Services
Yvonne Brown, Jacksonville, FL, Physician Services
Rhonda Wittman, Leesburg, FL, Physician Services
HOW TO REACH US:
EDITOR
Emily Pylant
Director, Corporate Communications
770/237-7525
[email protected]
WRITER
Michele Barnett
Corporate Communications Associate
770/237-7856
[email protected]
PER-SE HEADQUARTERS
Per-Se – Corporate Communications
1145 Sanctuary Parkway, Suite 200
Alpharetta, GA 30004
[email protected]
inside
Per-Se
DELIVERS MONTHLY NEWS TO EMPLOYEES
OF PER-SE TECHNOLOGIES.
©2006, Per-Se Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOLLOWING EMPLOYEES WHO CELEBRATE ANNIVERSARIES WITH PER-SE IN JANUARY.
>
employeeMILESTONES