GAMES 2010 Annual Convention

August 1 - 3, 2010 The Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa Savannah, Georgia

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Hotel Information

The Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa
One Resort Drive
Savannah, Georgia 31421
Phone: (912) 201-2000
www.westinsavannah.com

A tranquil riverside oasis! Located in the Savannah River District, in the Lowcountry, the Westin Savannah Harbor is home to beautiful marshlands, wild coasts, and many bird species. Facilities include the Heavenly Spa, complete business services, Har-tru tennis courts, and a PGA championship golf course, nestled amidst stunning nature. Guest rooms are furnished with the latest amenities, from LCD TVs and iDock radios to High Speed Internet; Heavenly Beds®; and fully-integrated multi-media connectivity centers.

Call 800-228-3000 to make your reservation. Sleeping room rate is $164 plus a $15 resort charge.Be sure to say you are with GAMES, the Georgia Association of Medical Equipment Services. GAMES room block expires July 9, 2010.
 

Dress Code:

Dress Code for all educational sessions and events is Business / Resort Casual.  Be sure to bring a light sweater or jacket as meeting room temperatures can vary.

Golf Tee off on this 18-hole championship course designed by Robert Cupp and Sam Snead offering excitement for both novice and experienced players-even golf champions. Features & Recognitions: 18-Hole Robert Cupp/Sam Snead Championship Golf Course "Top 10 New Places to Play Golf" by Golf & Travel Four-Star Rating for Highly Recommended Places to Play - Golf Digest Savannah's Premier Resort - Southern Living Savannah's Golf Centerpiece - Golf Magazine Top 100 of America's Golf Courses - Conde Nast Traveler Troon-Managed Course Troon Golf Institute Award-Winning Pro Shop The Club Grille

Schedule of Events (tentative)

Sunday, August 1
	8:30 am – 12:30 pm	Golf at The Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort
	12:30 pm – 2:00 pm	Lunch (on your own)
	2:00 pm – 2:15 pm	Welcome from the President – State of the State - Presentation of Slate of Officers and Elections Presented by Todd Tyson, President, Georgia Association of Medical Equipment Services
	2:15 pm – 2:45 pm	Welcoming Remarks from Savannah Mayor Otis S. Johnson, Ph.D.
	2:45 pm – 4:15pm	2010 and Beyond: Predictions, Forecasts and HME Hot Button Topics Overall, HME operators seem to have acknowledged a less than secure future. While demographics and other indicators remain favorable, many HME businesses will have to retool and retrain to deal with Capitol Hill and new Rulemaking. Get a brief regulatory update, including both ups & downs, and hear from the experts their predictions for HME in 2010 and beyond. Presented by Jeffrey S. Baird, Esq, Brown & Fortunato and Mark Higley, VGM
	4:15 pm - 4:30 pm	Platinum Member Presentations
	4:30 pm - 6:30 pm	Welcome reception / Exhibits open / Get bingo cards signed
Monday, August 2
	7:00 am – 8:00 am	Continental breakfast / Exhibits open / Networking/ Get bingo cards signed
	8:00 am – 9:00 am	CPAP Panel Moderated by: Todd Tyson, Hi Tech Healthcare Panelists include: Scott Lloyd with Extrakare LLC, Eric Parkhill with Home Medical Professionals, Craig McCook with Georgia Home Medical, and Andrea Stark, MiraVista
	9:00 am – 10:00 am	Anticipating and Preparing for Audits In the face of so many audits, suppliers need to know what to expect and how to prepare. What do contractors want to see? Topics covered include RACs, CERT, ZPICs, Red Flags Rules, DME vulnerable to audits and claim edits. Presented by Andrea Stark, MiraVista
	10:00 am – 10:30 am	Exhibits Open / Refreshment Break / Get bingo cards signed
	10:30 am - 11:00 am	Rapid-fire Medicare Coverage Criteria Presented by Andrea Stark, MiraVista
	11:00 am – 12:00 pm	A Compliance Program is not Boring……Nor Something Dreamed Up by Starving Attorneys: It is the HME Company’s Most Important Profit Center Today’s successful DME supplier must have a compliance program that works! One that can be understood and implemented by the entire staff. Jeff Baird will show you how to do this with a smile on your face! Presented by Jeffrey S. Baird, Esq, Brown & Fortunato
	12:00 pm – 12:45 pm	Lunch served in exhibit area
	12:45 pm – 1:15 pm	Exhibits open / Get bingo cards signed
	1:15 pm – 2:30 pm	Point/Counter-Point: Innovative Marketing Within Legal Guidelines You are wary of Medicare. Your marketing and sales team has many ideas. In fact, it has implemented a number of the ideas. But your stomach is gnawing. You are worried you might be "crossing the line." Join industry legal expert, Jeffrey S. Baird, Esq., and marketing consultant, Jack Evans, as they square off on how to make programs work through the legal maze Presented by Jeffrey S. Baird, Esq, Brown & Fortunato and Jack Evans, Global Media Marketing
	2:30 pm – 3:15 pm	Important Updates for Georgia Medicaid Suppliers Presented by Margie Preston, BSN, MBA, Director, Medical Policy, Department of Community Health, Division of Medical Assistance
	3:15 pm – 3:45 pm	Exhibits Open / Refreshment Break / Last chance to get bingo cards signed
	3:45 pm – 4:30 pm	Washington Update Presented by John Gallagher, VGM
	6:30 pm	Casino Party & River Bash (ticketed event)
Tuesday, August 3
	8:00 am – 9:00 am	Breakfast with (special guest)
	9:00 am – 10:00 am	Benchmarking Best Practices in HME How do you stand in comparison to the successful HME’s in our industry? Learn the current numbers concerning location, showrooms, merchandising/display, staffing, sales and profitability, referral marketing, advertising, turns, DSO and A/R aging. Develop a complete product selection within core categories to maximize sales per-customer. Build customer loyalty by training your staff to sell solutions instead of individual products. Presented by Jack Evans with Global Media Marketing
	10:00 am – 11:15 am	Speed Dating – Round IV! Don’t even think about leaving early! You will not want to miss this fast-paced, small group, round table discussion of current issues and opportunities. Past meeting attendees tell GAMES this is the best session of the entire convention!
	11:15 am – 12:00 pm	Door prizes and closing comments (must be present to win)

  About the Speakers at the GAMES 2010 Annual Convention

	Jeffrey S. Baird, Esq., is Chairman of the Health Care Group of the Amarillo, Texas-based law firm of Brown & Fortunato, P.C. Mr. Baird represents HME companies, pharmacies and other health care providers throughout the United States. He works closely with governmental agencies. Mr. Baird has authored numerous articles and is a frequent lecturer throughout the country. He is Board Certified in Health Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Mr. Baird earned a B.B.A. from the University of Iowa and received his law degree from the University of Tulsa College of Law.
	Jack Evans, president of Global Media Marketing, Malibu, CA, is a home health care (HHC) educator and marketing specialist who works with HME dealers, pharmacists, distributors and manufacturers to develop both business-to-business and business-to-consumer marketing and advertising programs. His retail HHC programs include showroom design, demographic merchandising, product and sales training, marketing and disease management.
	John E. Gallagher is vice president of Government Relations for The VGM Group, Inc. in Waterloo, Iowa, the largest organization representing independent durable medical equipment providers, and oversees key government and regulatory affairs that pertain to the durable medical equipment (DME) industry. As a veteran of the home medical products industry, Gallagher has amassed thousands of miles, traveling from state to state to educate both the state associations and independent providers on regulatory and government issues. Additionally, John has been conducive in working with independent providers and state associations to promote the DME industry, while advocating on for beneficiaries’ access to quality care.
	Mark Higley is Vice President of Development of the VGM Group with responsibilities including corporate business development, market research and industry analysis. His current projects include analysis of governmental, regulatory and compliance issues affecting HME industry, such as HIPAA, Medicare legislation, and other supplier issues (clarification policies, fraud and abuse, etc.). He sits on the AAHomecare Regulatory Committee. Mark received his master's of business administration in marketing research from the University of Iowa, and earned undergraduate degrees in Finance and Economics. Prior to his 1998 employment with VGM, Mark held a variety of executive positions with the Arena Football League, Chicago, IL, and as a financial analyst with Deere & Company, Moline, IL.
	Mayor Otis S. Johnson was elected in November 2003 and re-elected in November 2007 to become Savannah, Georgia’s 64th Mayor. Mayor Johnson is the second African-American to hold this position. Mayor Johnson is nationally known in the field of community building and youth development. He served as the 2009 Chair of the National League of Cities Council on Youth, Education, and Families and is a member of the boards of the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation, the Coastal Regional Commission of Georgia, Georgia Municipal Association and MDC. Mayor Johnson was Executive Director of the Youth Futures Authority, an Annie E. Casey Foundation initiative, from 1988-1998. In 1999, he began a four year term on the Savannah Chatham Board of Education. Mayor Johnson retired as Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at Savannah State University in 2002. He earned the Master of Social Work degree from Clark Atlanta University in 1969 and the Ph.D. degree in Social Welfare from the Heller School at Brandeis University in 1980
	Andrea Stark is a Medicare consultant and reimbursement specialist for medical equipment suppliers and pharmacies. She founded MiraVista after working for the Region C DMERC, and now provides consulting and education services to help suppliers' businesses prosper within the confines of the reimbursement system. In addition to working one-on-one with DMEPOS, Stark holds regular live and teleconferenced workshops. Stark also operates ClaraVista LLC, a billing company dedicated to servicing the medical equipment industry. Learn more about Andrea at: www.miravistallc.com.
	Todd Tyson, RRT, is President and Founder of Hi-Tech Healthcare, founded in 1990. Additional industry experience includes serving as Past President of GAMES, on the Region C Council, as GSRC- Homecare Chair, and Atlanta School of Sleep Medicine faculty. Tyson is well-respected in the industry. He is sought after as a guest speaker and is frequently quoted in industry publications. He enjoys golf, boating, lobbying and spending time with his wife and four children.

Getting There

By air:

The Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport offers 13 non-stop destinations and boasts approximately 82 daily flights in and out of Savannah. Scheduled airlines include American Eagle, Continental Express, Delta, Delta Connection, United Express and US Airways.

By car: 

East To Savannah on Interstate 16
From Interstate 16 East, take Exit 166 and follow the signs to Charleston/Hardeeville. This will take you on the bridge over the Savannah River. Turn right at the foot of the bridge at the Hutchinson Island exit and follow the road to the Westin Savannah Harbor Resort.

North To Savannah on Interstate 16
From Interstate 95 North, take Exit 99 to Interstate 16 East to Savannah. Follow Interstate 16. Take Exit 166 and follow the signs to Charleston/Hardeeville. This will take you on the bridge over the Savannah River. Turn right at the foot of the bridge at the Hutchinson Island exit and follow the road to the Westin Savannah Harbor Resort.

South To Savannah on Interstate 16
From Interstate 95 South, take Exit 99 to Interstate 16 East to Savannah. Follow Interstate 16. Take Exit 166 and follow the signs to Charleston/Hardeeville. This will take you on the bridge over the Savannah River. Turn right at the foot of the bridge at the Hutchinson Island exit and follow the road to the Westin Savannah Harbor Resort.

West To Savannah (From Tybee Island)
From Highway 80 West, take President Street Extension to the intersection of East Broad Street. Turn left at the traffic light and immediately turn right onto Oglethorpe Avenue. Oglethorpe Avenue ends and enters onto the bridge which crosses over the Savannah River. Follow the signs to Hutchinson Island. Turn right at the foot of the bridge at the Hutchinson Island exit and follow the road to the Westin Savannah Harbor Resort.
Exhibitor Information

Exhibit and sponsorship opportunities are available.

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CLICK HERE for a pdf exhibit registration form.

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 "Every man owes a part of his time and money to the business or industry in which he is engaged.  No man has a moral right to withhold his support from an organization that is striving to improve conditions within his sphere."  - President T. Roosevelt, 1908