Our guest blogger today is Zach Zagar, Sales and Marketing Specialist with NACHC Membership, who offers this wrap up of the NACHC FOM-IT conference in Las Vegas, NV.

With nearly 800 people in attendance, this was the best-attended FOM/IT conference ever.  If you are part of the executive team at your health center responsible for decisions impacting these areas of your operations, you missed a great conference.

Of the several annual gatherings NACHC hosts each year, FOM/IT is often referred to as the “roll up our sleeves” conference due to the rigorous “classroom” work being undertaken. Attendees participated in educational sessions, user groups, forums, learning labs, and heard from our engaging keynote presenter, Jonathan Cohn.  Mr. Cohn is an author, senior editor of The New Republic magazine, and a leading voice in the health care reform debate.

Selected Sessions Offered:

• What’s Not Happening in Your Billing Department: You Would be Surprised
• Best Practices in Health Center Financial Operations Including Payment
• Rip and Replace: Changing your EHR
• Attending to Privacy and Security in HIT
• Does EMR Adoption Create Value?

Learning Labs:

• Data-Driven Decision Making
• Managed Care Cost Reporting for FQHC

For a full list of the sessions, labs, and forums offered at FOM/IT, see the “Schedule at a Glance” here.

On the Monday prior to the start of FOM/IT, many took advantage of NACHC’S Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Institute course. The CFO Institute is a new leadership development program for CFO’s designed to enhance skills for those in the position less than two years.  The CFO is critical in ensuring the financial health of the health center they work in. Feedback on the first in-person course of the series has been great. While the current series of courses is at capacity, please stay tuned to NACHC’s website for news on the series. Learn more about the CFO Institute here.

Also new this year was an update from Amanda Pears Kelly, NACHC’S National Advocacy Director, on the Access Is The Answer campaign. Normally, advocacy and legislative updates are presented at NACHC’s Policy and Issues forum held during March in Washington, DC; however, the months ahead require an “all hands on deck” strategy from the health center movement. Amanda updated attendees on the E-mail Surge to Members of Congress advocating for a fix to the funding cliff that health centers face if Congress and the President fail to act. The “E-mail Surge” comes on the heels of the successful efforts of NACHC advocates to send a bipartisan letter to Congressional leaders in support of a long-term legislative fix to the funding cliff.  Stay up to date and become a health center advocate by joining the Access IS The Answer campaign at www.saveourchcs.org.

In addition to the informative and exciting programming at FOM/IT, attendees met with vendors who provide the many solutions that are making the mission of operating a health center easier, efficient, and more cost effective on the FOM/IT EXPO floor. It was a fantastic opportunity to learn what new solutions and technologies are available today and what is on the horizon in the future. The Expo concluded with great “NACHC-OPOLY” prizes like a Mac Book Pro and an iPad Air from NACHC, as well as gift certificates from several of the exhibitors.

MyNACHC users who where unable to attend should stay tuned for content from FOM/IT in the coming weeks. With such an aggressive course catalog as well as the other highlights, it is easy to see why FOM/IT continues to receive such high marks from conference attendees. Next year’s programming aims to build on the successes of years’ past.

Make time on your calendar for October 27-29 2015 today.