Hello, all, from the smokin' hot city of Las Vegas (108 degrees!) and the annual HFMA ANI convention. I've never visited Sin City before, but let me tell you, it's quite a dramatic venue for a convention focused on the frugal profession of healthcare financial management. (My hotel, for example, is housed in a 300 foot glass pyramid.)
The convention seems to be quite popular, with 5,000 attendees thronging the halls. Perhaps just as revealing is the presence of 400 vendors--one vendor for every 12 attendees. Not a big surprise, given that HFMA attendees are controllers of the purse strings, but we're still talking about one heck of an exhibit floor.
Surprisingly, from my standpoint, there aren't too many of my brethren here, though we'll do what we can to cover all of the bases. That being said, there's far too much going on for one publication to catch, with receptions every night, a parade of high-profile keynote speakers and dozens of useful, hands-on breakout sessions with lots of meat. (Today, for example, I caught a very substantive and useful session on physician compensation. More info on the session to come.)
A conference this large is unlikely to have a single theme, but I can say that people seem hungry for information on financing alternatives, revenue cycle management tools and physician relationship advice. Over the next day or two, I'll share what I find on these topics and more.
In the meantime, please drop me a note if there's anything else I can cover while here in Vegas. I look forward to hearing from you. - Anne