PRESS RELEASE | SullivanCotter’s Not-for-Profit Practice Welcomes Amanda Wethington

Supporting not-for-profit organizations in the attraction, retention and motivation of high-caliber talent

June 29, 2021 – Chicago – SullivanCotter, the nation’s leading independent consulting firm in the assessment and development of total rewards programs, workforce solutions, and technology and data products for the health care industry and not-for-profit sector, welcomes new Principal Amanda Wethington to the firm’s Not-for-Profit Practice. Joining practice leader Nanci Hibschman, Amanda will help to support SullivanCotter as it continues to expand its advisory services, proprietary survey data and insights to better serve the not-for-profit sector nationwide – including private and community foundations, higher education, policy and research institutes, trade and professional associations, and other service and charitable organizations.

With nearly 20 years of experience delivering comprehensive workforce compensation and performance solutions across a number of industries, Amanda leverages data-driven insights to help organizations align total rewards, recognition, and talent management programs. She works to solve the unique challenges that not-for-profit organizations face in the attraction, retention, and motivation of high-caliber talent.

She serves as a close advisor to boards and leadership on executive and employee total rewards programs with a focus on improving the design, development and implementation of compensation and performance management programs to enhance alignment with an organization’s mission, vision and values.

“In today’s complex operating environment, high-performing not-for-profit organizations require increasingly competitive compensation, benefits and talent strategies in order to stay ahead of the curve. Amanda’s in-depth experience in delivering effective total rewards strategies, including diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, will serve our clients well as they continue to look for guidance on developing innovative programs that support key organizational objectives,” said Nanci Hibschman, Managing Principal and Not-for-Profit Practice Leader, SullivanCotter.

Prior to joining SullivanCotter, Amanda led the Workforce Rewards Team as a Senior Principal at a global management consulting firm. She also spent 10 years working in human resources and compensation at Hyatt Hotels Corporation.

 About SullivanCotter

SullivanCotter partners with health care and other not-for-profit organizations to understand what drives performance and improve outcomes through the development and implementation of integrated workforce strategies. Using our time-tested methodologies and industry-leading research and information, we provide data-driven insights, expertise, data and technology to help organizations align business strategy and performance objectives – enabling our clients to deliver on their mission, vision and values.


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Advanced Practice Provider Leadership Structures

The Evolution of a Well-Defined Advanced Practice Provider Leadership Structure

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Featured in AAPL's Physician Leadership Journal

Advanced practice provider leadership is critical to the optimization of the growing APP workforce.

COVID-19 has accelerated the financial and operational challenges facing the health care industry and organizations are reevaluating current processes and structures. As a result of this pandemic, some health systems and medical groups are planning for an increasingly uncertain future. These changes have also presented the opportunity to design more effective care delivery models, right-size cost structures, and streamline organizational processes to enhance financial sustainability going forward.

Prior to the pandemic, many hospitals and health systems had begun to prioritize the integration, optimization and engagement of their advanced practice provider (APP) workforce as a strategy to enhance organizational performance and support the transition to value-based care. In response to COVID-19, many organizations are utilizing their APPs to support operations. This has, in many cases, helped to accelerate the optimization of these clinicians.

As one of the fastest-growing workforces in health care, APPs constitute, on average, more than one-third of an organization’s clinical workforce. APP leaders are critical to the organization and optimization of this workforce. The presence of a well-defined advanced practice provider leadership structure can drive organizational performance and support a comprehensive APP workforce strategy – which can help to improve access, increase revenue and reduce costs. Understanding the evolution of APP leadership positions at the top, clinical, managerial and functional levels, along with their different roles and responsibilities, can serve as a roadmap for organizations as they continue to build out and develop their own APP structures and programs.


group of physicians and advanced practice providers discussing issues

PRESS RELEASE | Sophisticated Compensation Enhancements Added to PPMT™

SullivanCotter's comprehensive physician compensation software now includes innovative automation enhancements for its new Clinician Pay feature

June 15, 2021 – Chicago – SullivanCotter, the nation’s leading independent consulting firm in the assessment and development of total rewards programs, workforce solutions, and technology and data products for the health care industry and not-for-profit sector, announces the addition of highly-anticipated new compensation automation enhancements to its growing physician compensation software solution – Provider Performance Management TechnologyTM (PPMT).

With the new Clinician Pay feature, PPMT™ now enables users to streamline the compensation management process by automating clinical draw calculations and payments based on current performance and organization-defined criteria. It offers flexible and sophisticated rules for the draw calculations that are easily maintained by key administrative stakeholders and can be managed throughout the year.

“Determining clinician draw for the upcoming year is a significant and burdensome time investment for compensation program administrators. Most often, these calculations are done manually via spreadsheets – which can greatly increase the risk of error. Using PPMT™, organizations can now automate the production of accurate and reliable draw and other pay calculations within one system”, said Shelly Slowiak, Director, Product Support, PPMT™, SullivanCotter.

New split role compensation automation eliminates the need to manually determine clinical and non-clinical pay components by providing visibility into performance and compensation for different roles while also allowing administrators to view aggregate compensation for each individual clinician.

“In order to provide the best care for patients, a growing number of physicians are specializing in multiple service areas with varying compensation arrangements. This often requires greater attention and additional analysis from an already overextended compensation team. PPMT™ can ease the administrative burden by effectively automating and providing consistent compensation calculations for each service area”, said David Schwietz, Chief Information Officer, SullivanCotter.

Designed to address a spectrum of physician, leadership and other key stakeholder needs, PPMT™ combines years of health care compensation insight and expertise with an intuitive and automated technology platform to help drive provider performance and support the transition from volume- to value-based care.

For more information on these enhancements or our entire suite of Provider Performance Management Technology™, visit www.sullivancotter.com/PPMT or contact us at 888.739.7039.

 About SullivanCotter

SullivanCotter partners with health care and other not-for-profit organizations to understand what drives performance and improve outcomes through the development and implementation of integrated workforce strategies. Using our time-tested methodologies and industry-leading research and information, we provide data-driven insights, expertise, data and technology to help organizations align business strategy and performance objectives – enabling our clients to deliver on their mission, vision and values.


READ ON NEWSDIRECT


group of physicians and advanced practice providers discussing issues

Advanced Practice Provider Utilization and Compensation | Case Study

Optimizing advanced practice provider utilization to increase retention and engagement

Featuring a case study from a large academic medical center

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At a time when health care organizations remain focused on pandemic-related financial and care delivery challenges, there is an acute need to engage and retain the clinical workforce by reducing burnout and unexpected turnover – and how advanced practice provider utilization within the care team can have a significant impact on both.

As organizations look for better ways to support their growing APP workforce, they require an intentional approach that aligns compensation design more closely with the goals of care team optimization in order to reduce costs and improve team performance.

In an article written by SullivanCotter and published by the American Association of Provider Compensation Professionals, learn more about how one organization set the stage for optimal APP utilization and care team delivery by also addressing important compensation issues at the same time.


PRESS RELEASE | SullivanCotter Names New Independent Members to its Board of Directors

New Independent Directors will play a pivotal role in providing the additional insight, experience and external perspective needed to support business strategy, ensure organizational growth and maintain independence

May 18, 2021 – Chicago –SullivanCotter, the nation’s leading independent consulting firm in the assessment and development of total rewards programs, workforce solutions, and technology and data products for the health care industry and not-for-profit sector, is pleased to announce the addition of five independent advisors to the firm’s Board of Directors.

“While our firm continues to expand and evolve amidst a number of unprecedented industry changes, advancing our strategic plan to help better serve the dynamic and unique needs of our clients remains a top priority. By inviting an accomplished group of Independent Directors to join our Board, we hope to leverage their strategic thinking, market knowledge and many years of combined experience as we move forward into 2021 and beyond,” said Ted Chien, President and CEO, SullivanCotter.

In an effort to prioritize best practices in governance, information technology, financial and human capital development, and diversity, equity and inclusion, SullivanCotter welcomes the following Independent Directors to the Board:

  • Gina Alexander – Current Chief Financial Officer for AlixaRx, a privately-held, technology-enabled pharmacy services company serving the long-term care and corrections market.
  • Brian Dunn – An experienced consultant who retired as the Chairman of McLagan and the CEO of Performance, Reward and Talent at Aon Consulting.
  • Frances Ferguson – An accomplished C-Suite executive with more than 25 years of experience who most recently served as Group Executive, Managing Director and the Chief Administrative Officer of the Financial Markets and Treasury Services Sector operations at BNY Mellon Bank.
  • Paul Keckley – Managing Editor of The Keckley Report, a health care policy analyst and widely known industry expert who advises health care organizations on long-term growth, sustainability, and advocacy strategies.
  • Robert Oberrender – A decorated financial executive who recently retired as the Chief Investment Officer and Treasurer of UnitedHealth Group in October 2018.

As SullivanCotter continues to innovate through its performance-focused advisory services and growing suite of technology, survey and data products, these new members will play a pivotal role in providing the additional insight, experience and external perspective needed to support business strategy, ensure organizational growth and maintain independence.

To learn more about SullivanCotter’s Board of Directors, visit us at SullivanCotter.com or call 888.739.7039.

 About SullivanCotter

SullivanCotter partners with health care and other not-for-profit organizations to understand what drives performance and improve outcomes through the development and implementation of integrated workforce strategies. Using our time-tested methodologies and industry-leading research and information, we provide data-driven insights, expertise, data and technology to help organizations align business strategy and performance objectives – enabling our clients to deliver on their mission, vision and values.


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PRESS RELEASE | SullivanCotter Welcomes Information Security Officer Jeff Peal

Ensuring client-facing solutions remain highly effective, secure and compliant

April 27, 2021 – Chicago –SullivanCotter, the nation’s leading independent consulting firm in the assessment and development of total rewards programs, workforce solutions, and technology and data products for the health care industry and not-for-profit sector, is pleased to announce the addition of Jeffery A. Peal as its Information Security Officer.

With over 20 years of cybersecurity and information technology experience, Jeff has a longstanding passion for providing business-enabled solutions while also managing risk and strengthening organizational security. His demonstrated ability to envision, lead and implement innovative IT programs helps to enhance security awareness, increase productivity, and mitigate risk and exposure.

“Now more than ever, the not-for-profit and health care industry continues to transform its information security practices at a rapid pace. As our clients look to stay ahead of the curve in an increasingly complex environment, SullivanCotter continues to innovate through its growing suite of technology, survey and data products. With Jeff’s specialized knowledge and expertise in business intelligence, data and information security, he will play a pivotal role in our risk-based approach to ensure the firm’s client-facing technology solutions remain highly effective, secure and compliant,” said David Schwietz, Chief Information Officer.

Jeff works closely with clients to support compliance and assist with the way data is secured, managed and stored. He also directs SullivanCotter’s information security growth initiatives and resources internally to help drive greater value for clients. This includes establishing enterprise-level security initiatives, leading high-performing teams across a number of technical and analytical support areas, designing strategic information security policies, and auditing software and application vulnerability.

Prior to joining SullivanCotter, Jeff spent more than 20 years with the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis where he most recently served as the Information Security Officer.

He also works as an adjunct professor and community faculty member at two Minneapolis-based technical colleges and universities to support higher education in information security and expand and develop local talent in this field.

 About SullivanCotter

SullivanCotter partners with health care and other not-for-profit organizations to understand what drives performance and improve outcomes through the development and implementation of integrated workforce strategies. Using our time-tested methodologies and industry-leading research and information, we provide data-driven insights, expertise, data and technology to help organizations align business strategy and performance objectives – enabling our clients to deliver on their mission, vision and values.


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PRESS RELEASE | Benchmarks360™ - APP Utilization and Perceptions Manager

SullivanCotter Releases Comprehensive APP Utilization and Perceptions Manager for its Growing Benchmarks360™ Platform

April 21, 2021 – Chicago – SullivanCotter, the nation’s leading independent consulting firm in the assessment and development of total rewards programs, workforce solutions, and technology and data products for the health care industry and not-for-profit sector, is pleased to announce the addition of powerful new capabilities for assessing advanced practice provider (APP) utilization and workforce perceptions to its growing Benchmarks360™ platform.

Powered by SullivanCotter’s proprietary surveys and research, Benchmarks360™ is a suite of intelligent, web-based products that enables health care organizations to analyze and visualize compensation, clinical productivity and workforce perceptions through industry-leading data, analyses and reporting.

"In today's unprecedented health care environment, it is important for organizations to utilize, engage and retain their clinical workforce more effectively. APP turnover can significantly impact cost, morale and operations, and gaining access to the right data and benchmarking tools can help to enhance workforce retention, team-based care practices and organizational performance during such a critical time,” said Amy Noecker, APP Workforce Practice Leader, SullivanCotter.

SullivanCotter’s Benchmarks360™ APP Utilization and Perceptions Manager allows organizations to collect, benchmark and report on the thoughts and experiences of their APPs and physicians related to APP compensation, resources and job responsibilities to help ensure current pay programs and care models are competitive and effective. In addition to data on nurse practitioners and physician assistants, it also provides information and analysis on other members of the APP workforce including certified registered nurse anesthetists and certified nurse midwives.

This new module includes two surveys designed to measure and compare individual organizations to national benchmarks.

APP: Utilization and Perceptions Survey

Learn more about the APP employment experience within your organization regarding scope of practice, clinical and non-clinical responsibilities, and perceptions on culture and compensation. Specific insights include:

  • Organizational structure, support and processes related to the APP workforce
  • Roles on the care team specific to location and specialty
  • Degree of integration and care team support
  • Opportunities for improved utilization and engagement

Physician: APP Utilization and Perceptions Survey

Learn more about your physician workforce and their experience working with APPs. Specific insights include:

  • Perception on APP integration and utilization
  • Roles of APPs on the care team
  • APP impact on quality, access and patient engagement
  • Understanding of regulatory requirements
  • Opportunities for improved alignment and team performance

These surveys may serve as a resource for organizations looking to better understand the current state of their APP workforce – including quantifying opportunities for optimization and readiness for change – and can play an important part in a more holistic review of APP practices when combined with SullivanCotter’s comprehensive advisory services.

“As health care organizations continue to navigate the lasting effects of a global pandemic, SullivanCotter remains committed to providing them with the critical, data-driven insights they need to measure, analyze and report on compensation and workforce performance. With the goal of addressing the increasingly complex and evolving needs of our clients, we are developing one of the industry’s most comprehensive benchmarking solutions by continuously refining our product roadmap and adding innovative new resources and functionality,” said David Schwietz, Chief Information Officer, SullivanCotter.

To learn more about Benchmarks360™, including important licensing information and a full list of features and functionality, visit sullivancotter.com/benchmarks360 or call 888.739.7039.

About SullivanCotter

SullivanCotter partners with health care and other not-for-profit organizations to understand what drives performance and improve outcomes through the development and implementation of integrated workforce strategies. Using our time-tested methodologies and industry-leading research and information, we provide data-driven insights, expertise, data and technology products to help organizations align business strategy and performance objectives – enabling our clients to deliver on their mission, vision and values.


READ ON NEWSDIRECT


Population Health

Case Study | Union Health – Population Health Management

Improving Patient Care and Optimizing Financial Performance

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As health care continues to shift from productivity and fee-for-service models to more of a quality and performance-based approach, value-based care (VBC) strategies, including population health management (PHM) programs, are becoming a top priority for health care systems across the nation. Leaders within these organizations are searching for more effective and sustainable solutions as they navigate declining reimbursement, regulatory changes, physician burnout and the need for better patient care and lower costs.

These challenges can be addressed with a tailored PHM strategy that supports organizational improvement in the following key areas:

  • Maximizing operational processes and outcomes
  • Developing a support network for physicians and advanced practice providers (APPs)
  • Mitigating risk
  • Enhancing performance in a value-based environment

By identifying actionable and targeted opportunities for improvement through a series of evaluations and readiness assessments, Union Health, an integrated, not-for-profit health system based in western Indiana, was able to develop comprehensive VBC and PHM strategies better aligned with their patient-focused approach to coordinated care.

The Situation

As a six-year participant in a local, tertiary accountable care organization (ACO), Union Health had fully outsourced its operational leadership to the parent ACO member. This legacy partnership and arrangement was simply not producing the desired results from a clinical, operational or financial perspective for Union Health – with data and analytics, physician engagement, embedded care management and post-acute care spend being specific areas of concern. Around 2018, Union Health was at a strategic crossroads in regard to its investment in VBC initiatives as the PHM program was not generating the desired results.

This highlighted the need to more effectively integrate operations across departments and service lines, align incentives for leadership and physicians, and reallocate related resources. At the same time, many competing health systems in Indiana were already realizing the benefits of a highly functional PHM program. The leadership at Union Health recognized the key to success would be through a more consistent approach, improved internal processes and engaged leadership.

The organization decided to narrow its focus by strengthening internal capabilities around care management, physician engagement, analytics and reporting to help ensure greater levels of risk-based contracting success with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and other commercial payors.

The Approach

In late 2018, Union Health was presented with an opportunity to partner and align with a nationally recognized health system in a more advanced Next Generation ACO. A Next Generation ACO model offers more risk and reward (both upside and downside risk scenarios) for health systems who already have highly functional internal capabilities in place to support performance. These models represent some of the most advanced value-based arrangements and require greater system-wide operational sophistication. Union Health was looking for a hands-on approach to align initiatives and ensure success.

In order to assess internal operational capabilities, physician and advanced practice provider engagement levels, incentive models and other key functional areas related to VBC, senior leadership at Union Health collaborated closely with SullivanCotter to help quantify this opportunity. After conducting a comprehensive VBC readiness assessment, which included a close examination of the program’s core functional areas such as partnerships, utilization management, attribution and chronic disease management, Union Health elected to partner with the larger health system who had already demonstrated greater success in the Next Generation ACO model. Moreover, Union Health committed to this arrangement for a minimum of two years to support the development of a strong VBC program. Health systems across the country often partner and align with other systems or independent groups to help mitigate risk and better manage overall cost.

SullivanCotter’s primary role with Union Health was to develop and implement an independent PHM program that would help to improve risk-based contracting performance. The program focused on five core principle areas:

  • Annual care
  • Risk acuity
  • Utilization management
  • Care management
  • Incentive alignment

With these principles in mind and a significant amount of physician and APP input and collaboration, the design of the system’s VBC strategy and approach included the following phases:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To help implement the multi-phased strategy, a task force consisting of Union Health’s executive team and leaders in Business Development, Population Health Management, Physician Services, Utilization Management and Care Management was created to help oversee the process. The initial phase of the project consisted of in-depth interviews with physicians and stakeholders, a thorough review of data and performance metrics, and an operational Readiness Assessment. Key findings from this phase revealed:

  • Low engagement from physicians, APPs and other staff with annual care and preventative medicine strategies
  • Significant lack of Care Management resources and coordination such as outpatient pharmacy support, discharge planning and risk stratification
  • Limited definition of roles and responsibilities for Care Management and Operations team members specific to VBC and PHM
  • Insufficient value-based data resources such as reporting capabilities, quality dashboards and clarity surrounding key performance indicators
  • Lack of clarity in the scope of practice for nurse practitioners and physician assistants in current team-based care model
  • Physician and APP compensation and incentives were not aligned with VBC strategies and initiatives; no incentive for physicians and APPs to enhance value-based performance
  • The CMS benchmark or threshold was not met in the contract in order to achieve shared savings – resulting in negative financial impact and poor contract performance

Using the findings from this readiness assessment, SullivanCotter helped executives and physicians at Union Health to further develop a roadmap for the Program Development and Implementation phase.

Roadmap initiatives included the development of:

  • Physician and APP educational and engagement materials for workshop sessions
  • Clearly defined roles and scope of practice for nurse practitioners and physician assistants in primary care
  • Outpatient-focused clinical capacity analysis to support Care Management
  • Comprehensive annual care strategy focused on prevention and wellness
  • VBC Management team to monitor performance and contract relationships
  • Physician and APP incentive components to enhance VBC and PHM
  • Standardized dashboards for the entire care team
  • Post-acute care strategies more closely aligned with Care Management
  • Strategies to monitor ongoing performance

Once the initial components of the roadmap were deployed, the task force worked with SullivanCotter to begin the planning process for two remaining phases within in the PHM model: Physician and APP Incentive Alignment and Performance Review and Monitoring. These processes were also implemented and rolled out during PHM program development and focused on monitoring and enhancing performance in all value-based contracts.

The work accomplished in these two phases included:

  • Population health metrics related to annual care, preventative screenings, vaccinations, utilization management, Care Management team engagement and risk-adjustment
  • Value-based compensation design concepts and continued education provided to physicians and APPs
  • Regular monthly huddles with Care Management team members to review patient volume
  • A risk stratification process to determine appropriate care levels for patients
  • Physician and APP interviews for feedback and evaluation
  • Physician and APP engagement scoring and methodology
  • Refinement of key performance indicators
  • Development and rollout of physician and APP performance dashboard

The Results

Through the investment in and development of the PHM program and other related VBC initiatives, Union Health was able to achieve the following results over a 12-month period:

  • Achieved significant shared savings in year one of the Next Generation ACO as compared to historical performance with improvement of over $6M
  • Reduced per member per month spend compared to prior year by 12%
  • Implemented a newly redesigned approach to primary care by focusing on team-based care delivery
  • Increased the number of completed and billed Medicare Annual Wellness Visits (AWV) from 900 to 5900 with AWV revenue up from approximately $150,000 to $944,000
  • Raised the number of documented Care Management team episodes by more than 200%
  • Lowered number of emergency room visits in the Next Generation ACO population that were deemed “PCP treatable”
  • Documented more than 100 Care Management success stories
  • Boosted the clinical diagnosis documentation rate by more than 20%
  • Enhanced coordination with post-acute care partners and facilities to help reduce total cost of care for ACO patients by 11%
  • Conducted regular meetings and monthly Care Management huddles to enhance physician and APP engagement with knowledge of VBC and PHM concepts and monitoring of individual performance
  • Initiated strategic planning to redesign primary care and other specialty compensation models with a focus on performance and value

Tips for Successful VBC/PHM Program Implementation

  • Assign dedicated resources to care team optimization
  • Collaborate with and gather input from physicians and APPs to strengthen engagement and buy-in
  • Align physician and APP incentives to help streamline and reward clinical efforts
  • Establish achievable milestones to maintain momentum and engagement
  • Conduct regular key stakeholder meetings to provide updates on progress, celebrate successes and course-correct as needed

Lessons Learned

Despite the many factors that differentiate health systems, such as organizational size, complexity, or the communities they serve, there are a common set of fundamental guiding principles and success factors that can be tailored to each organizations’ VBC and PHM strategies.

Union Health’s multi-phase approach – including Readiness Assessment, Program Development and Implementation, Physician and APP Incentive Alignment, and Performance Review and Monitoring – has proven to be an effective way of improving overall performance through the creation of comprehensive VBC and PHM strategies.

Dedicated to enhancing internal capabilities, resources and value-based performance with the objective of improving population health, Union Health partnered with SullivanCotter to develop a long-term, sustainable strategy and implement a comprehensive program to help to improve access and health outcomes for its patients, strengthen physician and APP engagement, and significantly boost financial performance.


Leveraging data-driven insights and over 25 years of experience, SullivanCotter partners with organizations to develop comprehensive value-based care and population health management strategies tailored to the unique needs of each client.

Contact us for more information.


INFOGRAPHIC | Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists: Compensation and Pay Practices

Detailed insight into CRNA compensation, pay practices, work effort and more

In addition to providing critical base salary and total cash compensation benchmarking information for this important subset of the APP workforce, SullivanCotter’s Advanced Practice Provider Compensation and Productivity Survey has now expanded to include detailed insight into CRNA-specific pay practices as well.

While CRNAs are vital members of this growing workforce, the unique nature of their roles includes key differences in work effort and premium pay practices when compared to other APPs.

View highlights from the 2020 survey results to learn more!

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WEBINAR | The Impact of the Changing Health Care Environment on Primary Care

Is your organization struggling to address the impact of COVID-19, changes to the Stark Law and updates to the Physician Fee Schedule?

Tuesday, April 27 |  10-11am CT

REGISTER TO ATTEND


Hosted by the American Association of Provider Compensation Professionals (AAPCP)

Prior to the onset of COVID-19, the changing reimbursement environment and transition to value-based care were impacting primary care compensation design and pay practices. Today, as health care organizations nationwide are navigating an increasingly complex operating environment, COVID-19 continues to place pressure on financial sustainability, patient access and population health management.

Combined with changes to the Physician Self-Referral Law (Stark) and updates to the 2021 Physician Fee Schedule and Evaluation & Management CPT codes, health care organizations are rapidly engaging in the redesign of their primary care compensation programs.

During this session, SullivanCotter will highlight relevant market trends impacting contemporary primary care compensation design and discuss evolving plan methodologies and approaches as organizations plan for the future.


ON-DEMAND WEBINAR | Optimize Clinical Resources to Support Population Health Management

Understanding the Strategic Impact of a Physician Needs Assessment

Wednesday, May 19 | 12:30-1:30PM CT

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Hosted by the American Hospital Association/Health Forum

Access to market-specific physician supply and demand data is critical as hospitals and health systems look to support growth, enhance value-based care delivery, and reassess cost and efficiency concerns.

Health care organizations must identify the right amount and type of physician specialties to operate effectively in the markets they serve with the goals of optimizing clinical performance as the focus on value-based care and population health management intensifies.

Learn how accurate and actionable data-driven insight can help hospitals and health systems to identify, monitor and respond to changing service needs and physician and advanced practice provider (APP) staffing requirements. Decide strategically whether to recruit, employ or affiliate to create a competitive edge in today’s rapidly evolving health care environment.

During this webinar, industry experts from SullivanCotter will discuss:

  • Partnering with Union Health on strategies to support expanded value-based care and population health management requirements
  • Evaluating the market-specific drivers that influence physician demand
  • Accurately pinpointing employed and affiliated market physicians by specialty
  • Leading practices and innovative approaches to inform physician strategy and alignment efforts to enhance performance
  • Creating a competitive edge by optimizing clinical resources

Case Study | The Key Role of Advanced Practice Providers in Today's New Normal

Featuring Stanford Health Care's Strategy to Heighten APP Integration and Engagement

As health care organizations nationwide continue to balance managing the immediate implications of the COVID-19 pandemic with planning for what lies ahead, many are looking to optimize team-based care delivery to help address emerging operational challenges, maintain financial sustainability, and meet evolving patient needs.

With the ability to direct patient care and generate revenue, advanced practice providers (APPs) are critical members of the care team and can play an important role in this transformation.

Featuring a case study published in AAPL's Physician Leadership Journal, learn more about how SullivanCotter partnered with Stanford Health Care to develop a comprehensive strategy and program to maximize utilization, support optimization and enhance engagement for its growing APP workforce.

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HFMA | Navigating Change: Implications of CMS's 2021 Physician Fee Schedule

Addressing the impact on physician compensation and productivity

Featured in HFMA's hfm Magazine, SullivanCotter discusses changes to the 2021 Physician Fee Schedule and highlights challenges health care organizations and their financial leaders are facing as they look to address the impact on physician and advanced practice provider compensation and productivity.

Due to the magnitude of the changes within the final rule for the 2021 Physician Fee Schedule, organizations with productivity-based physician compensation plans must understand the implications of these changes and on payer payments, productivity levels, survey benchmarks and regulatory compliance.

Learn more about the short- and long-term impact of the changes and different approaches to consider as you move forward with 2021 compensation decisions.

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INFOGRAPHIC | 2020 Advanced Practice Provider Compensation and Pay Practices Survey

Representing nearly 20% of all practicing APPs nationwide

Advanced practice provider (APP) compensation programs are shifting to address changing market dynamics and mitigate the financial implications of COVID-19. Considering the current impact of the pandemic, the 2020 survey represents the best data reference point for use in the near future and can serve as a foundation for understanding specialty market positioning leading into COVID-19, pinpointing areas of focus for targeted compensation adjustments, and assisting with post-pandemic budget and productivity planning.

SullivanCotter’s 2020 APP Compensation and Pay Practices Survey contains data from nearly 700 organizations on over 84,500 individual APPs and represents nearly 20% of all practicing APPs nationwide. New in 2020, the survey now also reports expanded work effort data for specialty-based APPs, CRNA-specific pay practices and additional productivity data.

The 2021 survey is now open for participation. Don't miss your chance to submit data and gain access to exclusive APP compensation, pay practices and productivity data!

View highlights from the 2020 results to learn more - including base salary and total cash compensation, incentive compensation, premium pay and clinical productivity.

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INFOGRAPHIC | Benchmarking Resources for the Medical Group Workforce

Gain access to critical medical group benchmarking data for the entire health care workforce - including executives, physicians, advanced practice providers and other health care staff

This year more than ever, medical groups require access to critical data-driven insights as they look to address the impact of COVID-19 on workforce compensation and productivity, prepare for the 2021 Physician Fee Schedule changes, and balance the need for competitive total reward programs against pressure on operating margins.

Learn more about SullivanCotter’s growing suite of medical group benchmarking resources for all your workforce needs – including annual compensation data and incentive award opportunities for executives, detailed productivity reporting for physicians and advanced practice providers, and market data by organization size, region, state and more for other health care staff positions.

Our suite of 2021 health care compensation surveys are now open for participation! 

View highlights from the 2020 results to learn more about SullivanCotter's proprietary benchmarking data and resources available to medical groups.

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INFOGRAPHIC | 2020 Physician On-Call and Telemedicine Compensation Survey

One-of-a-kind survey providing rare insight into physician call-pay and telemedicine practices

As clinical care settings and practices continue to change in a rapidly evolving health care environment, many organizations are expanding or evaluating their physician on-call and telemedicine programs.

Designing effective arrangements to support this demand is critical, and starts with gaining access to the right data.

With nearly 300 participating organizations providing information on approximately 3,100 individual call contracts, this survey provides hospitals and health systems with the data they need to help address complex call pay issues, understand emerging trends in telemedicine, negotiate contracts and evaluate physician fair market value.

The 2020 survey report is now available for purchase! View highlights from the results to learn more.

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ARTICLE | 10 Best Practices for the Board's Human Capital Committee

Featured in McDermott Will & Emery's new e-book from its Governing Health series

SullivanCotter's Kathy Hastings, Executive Workforce Practice Leader, and Tim Cotter, Manging Director, have contributed to a new e-book from McDermott Will & Emery entitled Key Agenda Items for Board Committees: A Briefing for Governance and Executive Leadership.

Their chapter focuses on the board human capital committee and the key role it plays in guiding human resources strategies as health care organizations face today's challenges. Human capital is critical to organizational strategy, and the committee should test whether the components of the human capital strategy – namely people, process and technology practices – can sustain the organization.

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INFOGRAPHIC | 2020 Endowment and Foundation Investment Staff Compensation Survey

Featuring data from more than 50 not-for-profit organizations nationwide

This survey offers a comprehensive look into compensation and pay practices for investment staff positions among college and university endowments, private foundations, health care and other not-for-profit organizations. It also includes detailed insight into the chief investment officer position.

View highlights from the 2020 results, including average year-over-year increase in base salary for key investment positions, incentive compensation as a percentage of salary for the chief investment officer position, and investment office size by asset category.

Don't miss your chance to participate - the 2021 survey is now open! The final deadline to submit is February 26, 2021.

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Understanding Co-Management Arrangements

Key drivers, compensation structures and payouts, and performance metrics and target setting

As health care continues to shift its focus from volume to value, hospitals are implementing strategies to help strengthen hospital-physician alignment. Co-management arrangements are contractual agreements between hospitals and physicians that establish shared responsibility for particular service lines. These agreements are commonly structured with an even split between both base and incentive compensation components. Base compensation is tied to the number of management service hours required to fulfill baseline duties, while incentive compensation is linked to strategic performance measures.

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PRESS RELEASE | SullivanCotter Integrates Health Care Contract Management Solution into PPMT™

Partnering with Ntracts to deliver full-scale contract lifecycle management capabilities

November 30, 2020 – Chicago – SullivanCotter, the nation’s leading independent consulting firm in the assessment and development of total rewards programs, workforce solutions, and technology and data products for the health care industry and not-for-profit sector, has partnered with Ntracts, a premier health care contract management solution, to incorporate full-scale contract lifecycle management as part of its comprehensive Provider Performance Management Technology™ (PPMT) platform. PPMT™ is an industry-first, cloud-based solution that enables engagement and alignment of the clinical workforce through the automation of performance-based compensation administration, analytical and reporting capabilities. Ntracts allows organizations to mitigate contract compliance risk and streamline the contracting process across the entire enterprise.

Designed to address a spectrum of physician, leadership and other key administrative needs, PPMT™ delivers centralized and actionable data tailored to the unique needs of each stakeholder. It combines years of health care compensation insight and expertise with an intuitive, automated technology platform, and serves as a single source of truth that helps empower physicians to drive desired outcomes and enhance organizational performance.

Ensuring that physician employment agreements align with system-wide compensation terms and payments remains a challenge for health care organizations nationwide. With the addition of Ntracts, PPMT™ will include a cutting-edge contract lifecycle management component that will provide hospitals and health systems with an accurate and comprehensive view of clinical employment contracts across the organization in real-time. By effectively integrating the compensation, performance and contract lifecycle management process into one centralized platform, PPMT™ will help to drive results through greater alignment, transparency and insight.

“Health care continues to evolve at a rapid pace, and there are number of complex moving parts to navigate as it relates to physician compensation and performance. By adding critical contract management capabilities to help health care organizations reduce risk, maintain compliance with changing regulatory requirements, and improve operational efficiency, PPMT™ will be a full-scale solution designed to support the transition from volume to value-based care,” said David Schwietz, Chief Information Officer, SullivanCotter.

David Paschall, Chief Executive Officer of Ntracts, adds, “SullivanCotter shares our commitment to quality and we are proud to combine our industry-leading contract lifecycle management solution with SullivanCotter’s expertise in physician compensation and performance. Together we can offer an unmatched, end-to-end technology solution to support health care organizations as they work to drive change and deliver long-term, sustainable results in this quickly evolving environment.”

For more information on Provider Performance Management Technology™, visit www.sullivancotter.com/PPMT or contact us at 888.739.7039.

About SullivanCotter

SullivanCotter partners with health care and other not-for-profit organizations to understand what drives performance and improve outcomes through the development and implementation of integrated workforce strategies. Using our time-tested methodologies and industry-leading research and information, we provide data-driven insights, expertise, data and technology to help organizations align business strategy and performance objectives – enabling our clients to deliver on their mission, vision and values.

About Ntracts

Ntracts, Inc. offers a software-as-a-service application that enables users to originate, search for and report on contracts. The application also accelerates the contract review and approval process by automatically notifying responsible parties of contract requests, approaching expiration dates and other critical performance milestones, saving clients both time and money. Ntracts, Inc. is based in Indianapolis, Indiana, and was founded by Hall, Render, Killian, Heath & Lyman, the nation's leading health care law firm.


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