Fall Forum & Expo draws crowds of industry professionals looking to network and update their skills.
11/8/2019 9:00
The energy was palpable Wednesday evening when ACA International welcomed more than 300 members and others into its bustling Expo Hall at the annual Fall Forum & Expo 2019 in Chicago. A two-hour reception at the historic Drake hotel in Chicago was the perfect venue for acquaintances, old friends and colleagues to come together under one roof to catch up on news about business, regulatory policies and the Washington Nationals’ first World Series championship!
Following an evening of great food and networking, attendees arrived early Thursday morning to welcome keynoter Tom Pahl, policy associate director for research, markets and regulations with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. ACA International CEO Mark Neeb sat alongside Pahl as the two engaged in a “fireside chat” featuring news about relevant CFPB policies including the recent updates concerning the consumer complaint database. ACA and its members keep a watchful eye on everything coming from the CFPB as the association anxiously awaits release of the final rules associated the bureau’s first-ever proposed rule for the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
On behalf of its members, ACA submitted comprehensive comments outlining its views on the rule and suggested improvements. Pahl said the bureau received about 19,000 comments on the proposal, “which we are reviewing and deciding how to respond to.” He said generally, it takes a year from the date the comment period is closed for finalized rules to be released.
While Pahl’s keynote with Neeb drew the largest crowd, other informative sessions throughout Thursday packed rooms with attendees interested in learning about TCPA compliance in the digital age, health care billing policies, and data security training.
In an afternoon session about the ways health care policy changes could impact your business, Chad Mulvaney, director of healthcare financial practices, perspectives and analysis with the Healthcare Financial Management Association in Washington, D.C., mentioned a number of interesting issues about federal legislation concerning so-called surprise medical billing. ACA International has covered surprise billing, also known as balanced billing, in its monthly members-only publication, Pulse. According to ACA’s latest reports, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in June passed the Lower Health Care Costs Act, which would end surprise billing, create transparency related to some insurance issues and increase prescription drug competition. And in the House, the House Ways and Means Committee, and the House Energy and Commerce Committee are also working on legislation to address the issue.
With a slight smile, Mulvaney noted that surprise medical billing is one of the only issues the Republicans, Democrats and Independents agree on! Meaning, no one wants surprise bills, but the question is—what do we do about them? He shared several potential solutions being tossed around in Washington including allowing different regions to set their own policies. (For more on Mulvaney’s analysis, check out his blog on HFMA’s website at www.hfma.org.)
Beyond compliance and regulatory topics, this year ACA invited Kim Busse, key relationship manager with The Omnia Group in Tampa, to discuss that all important issue of “Hiring Right: How to Find the Best People in the Best Places.” In her energetic, engaging presentation, Busse provided statistics on how much money companies lose by hiring the wrong person along with proven tips and suggestions for ensuring that you get the person the first time. Among some of her tips for collection companies, Busse strongly urged attendees to start the interview process with a telephone interview—particularly for candidates who will work the telephones.
She recommended that hiring managers ask candidates to describe their worst manager and their best manager, and to provide three words to describe their ideal work environment. These open-ended questions may provide a better insight as to the candidate's true thoughts, personality and expectations. ACA International will work with Busse on a future episode of ACA Cast to further highlight some the tips and ideas she shared in her interesting and informative session. Keep an eye on ACA Daily for notices on the podcast.
In conclusion, the first two days of the Fall Forum & Expo 2019 provided educational, interactive sessions that encouraged the exchange of new ideas and experiences. Add-on seminars that included sessions on call evaluations, UDAAP and data security and privacy were held Wednesday prior to the event’s official kick off, which is tied to the Expo Hall opening reception at 5 p.m.
ACA’s photo and written coverage will continue Monday and on social media to include Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Check out photo highlights from the Fall Form & Expo so far in our online gallery. If you missed this great event, consider joining us next year in Texas, Nov. 4-6, 2020, for Fall Forum & Expo at the Omni Frisco Hotel in Dallas. See you then!
Picture above, following an informative “fireside chat” between ACA International CEO Mark Neeb and CFPB Policy Associate Director Tom Pahl, the two leaders joined others for a photograph. Pictured from left to right are, Emma L. Haas, CFPB’s director’s financial analyst; Neeb; ACA Vice President and Senior Counsel, Federal Advocacy, Leah Dempsey; Pahl; ACA Board President Roger Weiss; and Venable LLP Attorney Jonathan L. Pompan (Venable sponsored the opening session.)