Competitive Bidding Webinars, Seminars Available
The winning competitive bid amounts are out, but where can you get help sorting out what they mean to your business and the industry in general? Two top buying groups are offering the education you need, via webinars and in-person seminars.
The MED Group will host a two-part webinar on July 13 and July 15. Presenters include attorney Jeff Baird, Esq., Brown & Fortunato; health care consultant John Allman; Jeff Woodham, senior vice president of sales and operations, The MED Group; and Wayne Grau, vice president of supplier relations and government affairs, The MED Group. Here is a summary of the content:
July 13, 11 a.m.—1 p.m. CST:
- Legislative update
- Contractual obligations
- Change in ownership
- Economic Analysis Tool
July 15, 11 a.m.—1 p.m. CST:
- Legislative update
- Subcontracting
- Rules for Marketing
- MED Group Support
There is no cost for the seminar series for MED Group members. For non-MED Group members, the cost is $99. To register, visit The MED Group website.
VGM is offering a free webinar titled "Do I Want This Competitive Bidding Contract?" The program offers timely information to providers currently considering DMEPOS bid contracts. It covers:
- Understanding the contractual obligations
- Assessing the contract
- Determining the value of the contract for your business
- Determining what happens if you don't take the contract
The webinar is presented by John Gallagher, VGM vice president of government relations, and Alan Morris, regulatory analyst. Go to www.vgm.com to access the program.
VGM is also offering a valuable financial contract toolkit that providers may use to evaluate how a contract will affect their bottom line. The toolkit is available at the upcoming seminar series, explained below, but for those who register now, VGM will make it available immediately.
VGM National Competitive Bidding Services will co-host a series of full-day seminars with state associations. Titled “Contracting Time Is Here: Do You Know Your Game Plan?”, the seminars will be presented by Mark Higley, VGM vice president of development; John Gallagher, VGM vice president of government relations; Alan Morris, VGM regulatory analyst; and attorney Neil Caesar, president of Health Law Center, Greenville, S.C. The seminar will offer:
- A detailed overview of the contractual obligations for bid winners.
- Discussion about financially evaluating a bidding contract, including a take-home Contract Evaluation Toolkit.
- Legal advice and legal document templates for subcontracting and change of ownership.
- Dos, don’ts and tips on marketing a competitive bidding contract or subcontracting agreement.
- A legislative update on activity on Capitol Hill related to the effort to repeal competitive bidding.
The series will visit each of the nine Round One competitive bidding areas during the contracting period. The schedule is:
- July 13: Cincinnati
- July 14: Pittsburgh
- July 15: Orlando, Fla.
- July 20: Dallas
- July 22: Charlotte, N.C.
- July 27: Kansas City, Mo.
- July 29: Miami
- August 10: Cleveland
- August 17: Riverside, Calif.
The cost is $229 for VGM or state association members and $279 for nonmembers. To register, visit the VGM National Competitive Bidding Services website.