All of the following events will take place in the GNYHA Conference Center at 555 West 57th Street in Manhattan.

Hospital Nursing Staff Shortages
Date: Thursday, May 4, 2000
Time: 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
At this meeting, Vice Presidents and Directors of Nursing from GNYHA member hospitals will discuss strategies that address current nurse vacancies. The meeting is the first step in GNYHA's initiative to assist hospitals in responding to the shortage of experienced nurses that was identified in the GNYHA Survey of Nurse Staffing in the New York City Region (November 1999). For more information, call Patricia O'Brien, and to register, call Adele Danahy, at GNYHA.

Nursing Home MDS Submission and Correction Training
Date: Monday, May 8, 2000
Time: 2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
GNYHA and NYS Department of Health (DOH) officials will conduct a training session for nursing home staff who prepare and submit Minimum Data Set (MDS) information for residents receiving Medicare services. An update concerning changes in MDS submission will be presented, including the new requirement to submit MDS information to the U.S. Health Care Financing Administration's (HCFA's) nationwide data network, the Minimum Data Communications Network, instead of DOH's Health Provider Network. The training will also cover HCFA's new correction policy, which allows facilities to submit corrections for errors detected after submission and to deactivate erroneous MDS records. For more information, call Roxanne Tena-Nelson, and to register, call Jenifer Fergusson, at GNYHA.

HIPAA Workgroup Meeting
Date: Wednesday, May 10, 2000
Time: 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
GNYHA's first Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) workgroup meeting will help members identify, plan, and prioritize the tasks that need to be completed in order to come into compliance with HIPAA by the time the regulations become effective. Topics to be addressed are proposed privacy regulations and the standards for transactions and code sets. For more information, contact Stewart Presser or Lorraine Ryan, and to register, call Adele Danahy, at GNYHA.

Assisted Living Symposium
Date: Thursday, May 11, 2000
Time: 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
GNYHA's Center for Continuing Care is hosting a one-day symposium entitled From Vision to Reality: Developing Affordable Assisted Living in New York. The symposium will address strategic planning issues for members interested in developing assisted living projects for low- and moderate-income populations. The program is designed to take the participant through the development, design, and financing of an assisted living project, and will provide case studies of existing and developing programs. The symposium is intended for chief executive officers, administrators, and directors of planning and implementation. GNYHA has submitted an application for continuing education credits from the National Association of Boards of Examiners of Long Term Care. For more information, contact Roxanne Tena-Nelson, and to register, contact Jenifer Fergusson, at GNYHA.

HIV Reporting and Partner Notification
Date: Monday, May 15, 2000
Time: 1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
A final briefing session for GNYHA members will be held to provide information on the implementation of the HIV reporting and partner notification regulations that will become effective on June 1, 2000. The briefing will cover the general requirements of the new regulations and will include a component on occupational exposures. For more information, call Doris Varlese, and to register, call Adele Danahy, at GNYHA.

Medicare Payment Denials for Outpatient Psychiatric Services
Date: Tuesday, May 16, 2000
Time: 1:00-4:00 p.m.
The purpose of this meeting is to discuss problems GNYHA members are having when billing for outpatient psychiatric services. A representative of Empire Medicare Services, the fiscal intermediary for the U.S. Health Care Financing Administration, will present information on the Medicare Part A Local Medical Review Policy on Outpatient Psychiatric Services, including covered services, medical necessity, documentation, treatment plan requirements, and additional development requests. These services were the focus of a recently published audit conducted by the Office of the Inspector General. For more information, call Patricia O'Brien, and to register, call Adele Danahy, at GNYHA.