Healthcare Enterprises®

Welcome to Healthcare Enterprises

Healthcare Enterprises is a wholly owned subsidiary of NCHA focusing on members' unmet needs through solutions that work. Healthcare Enterprises was incorporated April 10, 1989 for the purposes of forming strategic alliances with best-practice partners, meeting NCHA members' unmet needs and where appropriate generating non-dues revenue for NCHA.

Our Vision

Our members respect us and find genuine value in their relationship with us.
Our strategic alliance partners consider us one of their most important relationships.
Our NCHA colleagues view us as valuable resources and trusted colleagues.

Our Values

We will be known for:

Our Governance

Healthcare Enterprises is governed by a board of directors consisting of:

Jeffrey M. Judd, (Chairman) The McDowell Hospital
Robert J. Bednarek, Transylvania Community Hospital, Inc.
Gary Bowers, Western NC Network
J. William Paugh, Wayne Memorial Hospital
Bill Pully, North Carolina Hospital Association
John Young, Cleveland Regional Medical Center

Our Team

Veda Martin, 919/677-4131 Ken Davenport, 919/620-9506 Jody Boroughs, 336/794-2584

Our Mailing Address

Our Shipping Address

Healthcare Enterprises
PO Box 4449
Cary, NC 27519-4449

Healthcare Enterprises
2400 Weston Parkway
Cary, NC 27513-5519

Thank you for visiting our web site. Your feedback and input are important to us. Please feel free to share your comments and recommendations.

Healthcare Enterprises' Business Partners

Project C.U.R.E.
Ernest H. Brown Jr. MD (Retired)
910/739-2091

Build international goodwill and provide hope to fellow human beings in countries and communities less fortunate than ours by donating unused medical supplies and unneeded medical equipment through Project C.U.R.E.'s medical relief program.

Since 1987, Project C.U.R.E. has delivered millions of dollars of donated medical supplies, equipment and pharmaceuticals to needy people in more than 87 countries around the world. To learn more about Project C.U.R.E. please contact Ernest H. Brown Jr. at 910/739-2091 or visit their web site.

AllShred, Inc. (a HUB company)
John Chapman or Tom Hanlon
866/933-7171

On-site shredding and sensitive document destruction services. Key benefits provided by AllShred include:

  • Free lockable storage bins in multiple sizes to fit client/unique needs.
  • On-site shredding at client locations using new Shred-Tech MDS 25GT trucks that shred over 3,000 pounds per hour.
  • Certificates of destruction provided within 24 hours
  • Shredded information is recycled.
  • Their staff collects the contents of each security bin thus reducing the risk of needlessly exposing client staff to confidential information.
  • GPS tracking devices are installed on all trucks enabling them to track the location of trucks at any given time. If, for any reason, a client needs proof beyond their certificate of destruction, they can provide a detailed record showing when and how long their truck was at the client’s facility.
  • AllShred and their staff are both insured and bonded.
  • They charge a flat fee to service in individual client needs. Unlike some they do not charge by the minute for shredding time.

    To learn more we invite you to contact John Chapman or Tom Hanlon at 866-933-7171 or visit their web site.

    Avatar
    Michael Everett
    Dave Waggoner
    800/282-8274

    Avatar is the premier provider of hospital survey needs in the healthcare industry, providing the most accurate, comprehensive, customized, and actionable patient surveys in the industry. While providing patient satisfaction data, Avatar is the only survey vendor that measures Patient Expectations, a critical component, and establishes links to Clinically Relevant data that no other survey vendor can provide.

    Serving healthcare for over twenty years, Avatar has replaced all major survey competitors in over two hundred medical centers within the past five years and is endorsed by the Maine Hospital Association, the Rocky Mountain Customer Improvement Initiative (includes Colorado, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming) and Quorum Healthcare Resources as their vendor of choice. Non-hospital clients include the Ritz Carlton Hotel Company and Disney World.

    Avatar’s leading edge Intelligent Surveys‘ help hospitals excel at service quality, to increase market share, enhance community image, decrease the cost of poor service, and retain high performing employees.

    Avatar prints a custom survey for each sampled patient that reflects the precise services received. For example, if a patient had a CT scan or was admitted through the ER, items are added to the survey to measure such aspects of care. No other survey vendor has this capability. While offering a robust core set of items for comparisons, Avatar can easily add custom items for each medical center. This capability enables hospitals, and departments within hospitals, to have their unique information needs readily met.

    Avatar provides patient survey results on www.improvingcare.com, which is updated weekly. Managers have continuous access to their results [24/7]. This website also provides improvement support at no additional charge, such as discussion groups so that managers from client hospitals may communicate, and improvement materials that managers can download and use for improvement. Thus the website provides more than just survey results, it is a tool that helps managers make concrete improvements and meet the challenges of developing a service-driven culture.

    Avatar welcomes the opportunity to provide a hands-on demonstration of www.improvingcare.com and offers an introductory Service Driven-Culture survey of your hospital management team.

    To learn more, we invite you to call Dave Waggoner or Michael Everett at 800.282.8274.

    CDR Associates , LLC
    CBAS
    Anne Lynch
    800/648-1744 Ext 2102

    CBAS by CDR Associates is web-based technology that automates and streamlines credit balance resolution. CBAS increases profit and cash, while ensuring federal compliance regulations are met in a timely fashion.

    CBAS provides a scoring system that pre-analyzes credit balances, automates many of the credit balance resolution processes including worklist functions, the CMS 838 Report and forms processing, as well as management, root cause, and productivity reports.

    Healthcare Enterprises’ endorsement provides users a 5% discount off standard fees and a waiver of installation fees.
    For information and a CBAS demonstration, contact Anne Lynch at 800/648-1744 x2102 or visit their website.

    CHC Healthcare Solutions, LLC
    Mary Knapp
    215/517-7085

    HIPAA Consulting and support services

    Credit Consultants
    Todd Butts
    800/563-4807 ext 133

    Convert third party payer denials into cash using Credit Consultants proven appeal practices and processes. To learn more contact Todd Butts at 800/563-4807 ext 133 or visit their web site.

    CyraCom International, Inc.
    Jim Pastore
    800/713-4950

    Cost effective language interpretation & translation services to Limited English Proficient (LEP) patients.

    CyraCom‘s “Total Commitment” program is built around Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) standards set by the federal government. These standards are designed to ensure that all people entering a health care system receive equitable and effective treatment in a culturally and linguistically appropriate manner. While CLAS has 14 standards, they can be grouped into a shorter list of service provisioning activities. CyraCom’s Total Commitment program consists of the following:

    CyraCom’s Total Commitment program features the following services:

    To learn more contact Jim Pastore directly at either 240/305-4278 or CyraCom International at 800/713-4950 or visit their web site.

    Diamond Healthcare Corporation
    George White
    800/443-9346

    Diamond Healthcare Corporation, a Richmond, Virginia-based management and consulting services organization, specializes in behavioral healthcare and pulmonary healthcare services that include:

    To learn more contact George White at 800/443-9346 or visit their web site.

    ExecQuest - Management Recruiting Services
    Marion Karr
    704/871-1036
    886/871-1036

    ExecQuest, Inc. a North Carolina based recruiting firm offering clients one of three options (retained, contingency or interim management sourcing) depending the client’s needs and sense of urgency. ExecQuest specializes in working in healthcare management recruitment with a heavy emphasis in the areas of nursing management and senior nursing executive positions. To learn more visit their web site or contact Marion Karr at 886/871-1036.

    First Uniform
    Tim Leo
    Jeff Cline
    800/324-5890

    According to a survey conducted by the Florida Hospital Association convenience shopping ranked second among clinical caregivers as an effective retention strategy First Uniform, a North Carolina based company, pioneered the concept of on site uniform, shoe and accessory sales in the early 1990’s by creating partnerships with each facility and its employees to provide quality uniforms, shoes and accessories to caregivers at prices below retail. Today they serve 400 facilities in 22 states and have been endorsed by a number of southeastern state hospital associations. Our agreement contains two important provisions that will be of particular interest to NCHA and Healthcare Enterprises members.

    1. Monetary incentives for non-auxiliary sponsored sales
    2. A guarantee of no financial loss to sponsoring organizations that allow their employees to purchase uniforms via payroll deduction.
    To learn more contact Tim Leo or Jeff Cline at 800/324-5890 or visit their web site.

    HealthCare Purchasing Partners Intl. (HPPI)
    Ken Davenport
    919/620-9506
    Jody Boroughs
    336/794-2584

    Healthcare Enterprises, supply cost management program features Healthcare Purchasing Partners, International portfolio. HPPI serves more than 8,500 healthcare organizations. Together with Novation, HPPI represents more than $22 billion dollars in purchasing power.

    Our supply cost management contract portfolio includes medical/surgical, pharmaceutical, laboratory, diagnostic imaging, clinical, capital equipment, dietary, along with business & facility products and service agreements. The hallmarks of our program through HPPI are:

    Jody Boroughs, Director of Resources, and Ken Davenport, Senior Director of Resources are available to work with your organization to explain how you can maximize the value of the HPPI program. Contact Jody at 336/794-2584 or email at jboroughs@ncha.org, or Ken at 919/620-9506 or email at kdavenport@ncha.org. Visit the website.

    HIPAA Security, Inc.
    Chip Myers
    704/442-1818

    HIPAA Security audits and consulting support services for physician practices. Their staff features three Certified Information System Security Professionals (CISSP) who, using questionnaires, conduct security audits of physician offices. Based on findings and they provide a number of products and services that
    include, but are not limited to:
    - Written HIPAA Security Policies and Procedures
    - HIPAA Security Training
    - Continuity of Operations Planning
    - IT Configuration Management
    - IT Infrastructure Design and/or Upgrades
    - Firewalls and Intrusion Detection Software
    - Electronic Medical Records

    To learn more please contact Chip Myers at 704/442-1818 or visit their web site.

    Hirease
    Heidi or Paul Dent
    866/693-1764

    Pre-employment screening services through Hirease, a North Carolina-based company. Screening services include, employment, education and professional license verifications, along with federal, state, county and AKA criminal records searches, credit histories, social security number traces, motor vehicle record checks (required by some fleet carriers), FACIS, NPDB and HIPDB checks, workers’ compensation checks (allowed in some states) basic and comprehensive reference checks, along with national DEA searches and sexual offender registry checks.

    To lean more contact Hedi or Paul Dent at 866/693-1764 or visit their web site.

    Intellamed
    Intelligent Asset Management Solutions
    Kenny Loveless
    877/682-8400 ext. 120

    Intellamed features a full range of services designed to enable its clients to:

    1. Convert idle capital equipment into cash.
    2. Stretch shrinking capital budget dollars using ISO 9000 certified refurbished equipment.
    3. Move technology from tertiary settings into satellite provider locations.
    4. Lower maintenance by moving from pre-paid OEM maintenance contracts to time and materials with costs capped by Intellamed. In many cases Intellamed’s coverage is broader than pre-paid OEM maintenance contracts.
    5. Further lower maintenance coststhrough Intellamed’s repair parts purchasing program.

    Intellamed utilizes the following brand specific platforms to deliver solutions to their clients:

    AuctionMart: A web based auction platform, much like E-Bay that according to references has enabled them to reduce or eliminate the cost of warehousing and realize value from un-needed medical equipment and instrumentation far in excess of OEM offerings.
    Refurb-eSearch: An electronic RFP platform for obtaining remanufactured instrumentation and equipment from the high quality ISO 9000 certified refurbishers.
    IntellaParts: An easy-to-use electronic RFP platform designed to enable healthcare facilities to procure medical equipment parts through a competitive bid environment from parts suppliers including many OEMs.
    IntellaServe: Replace pre-paid OEM maintenance agreements with time and materials maintenance agreements whose costs are capped by Intellamed.
    IntellaPay: A maintenance auditing and technical consultation service.

    To learn how your organization can benefit from these services contact Kenny Loveless at 877/682-8400 ext. 120 or visit their web site.

    J.A. Thomas & Associates
    Joanne Webb or Lisa Malvea
    800/683-8734

    Charting diagnosis and treatment sequences are as important for licensure and profiling as they are for payment appropriateness and quality assurance. J.A. Thomas provides a proven process for improving clinical documentation. Their process features:

    Training for physicians, nurses and health information management professionals in compliant clinical documentation techniques.
    Motivation stimuli for physicians and hospital staff to provide complete, compliant clinical documentation.
    Support of a healthcare organization's compliance and accountability program.

    To learn more contact Joanne Webb or Lisa Malvea (800/683-8734) or visit their web site.

    The McFaul & Lyons Group
    Mitch Harris
    252/315-6942

    Supply Chain Management services featuring the following:

    McNeary Insurance Consulting, Inc.
    William D. Yaeger
    800/729-4149

    Impartial evaluation of insurance coverages and risk management programs. McNeary has provided cost-effective insurance consulting since 1956, saving their clients time, energy and more than $140 million in the last two decades alone. To learn more contact William D. Yaeger at 800/729-4149 or visit their web site.

    McNeary Healthcare Services, Inc.
    Mark Francis
    800/729-4149

    McNeary Healthcare Services, Inc., a division of McNeary Insurance Consulting, offers a wide range of insurance brokerage, group purchasing, consulting, risk management and claim services to healthcare providers. To learn more contact Mark Francis at 800/729-4149 or visit their web site.

    The MHA Group
    James Merritt
    800/876-0500

    The MHA Group provides a total staffing solution to the healthcare industry. Through their network of four national/regional offices with over 600 associates, they offer clients the resources and stability of an alliance of staffing firms in the areas of temporary and permanent physician staffing, temporary and permanent allied health professional staffing, and medical staff planning. In addition they are the recognized knowledge leader of the industry. The companies comprising include the feature:

    Merritt, Hawkins & Associates - permanent physician search and consulting along with research information including its Review of Physician Recruitment Incentives (published annually in Modern Healthcare magazine) and it’s Survey of Final Year Medical Residents, which has been referenced in The Wall Street Journal and many other publications. In addition, the firm conducts educational seminars and staffing presentations at
    conferences nationwide.

    AmeriMed Consulting - specializing in medical staff development, community needs assessment, focus interview/group reports and staff/community surveys for strategic planning. They create tools to assist with medical staff recruitment, retention, and relations along with plans for identifying future opportunities for expansion in secondary and tertiary service areas. They also, produce reports documenting healthcare supply and demand to support strategic staffing goals.

    Allied Consulting, Inc. - permanent placement of a wide range of allied healthcare professionals, including pharmacists, nuclear med techs, rad techs, ultra sound techs, specialty nurses, clinical managers, and CRNAs. Allied Consulting also publishes annual incentive surveys and articles regarding staffing strategies, contracts, and other topics.

    Med Travelers - temporary mid level professionals, including all imaging modalities, therapists, and other allied health care professionals. They have more than 6,000 technologists and therapists work filling, on average, 4,900 shifts/day in hospitals and healthcare facilities. Med Travelers also publishes the highly regarded Review of Temporary Healthcare Staffing Trends and Incentives.

    License Stat expedites state medical licensure, often cutting processing time in half by assembling and verifying all required documents, resolving red flag issues before they reach the state board, and presenting materials to the appropriate individuals. License Stat’s services are designed to ensure physicians and providers began treating patients and generating revenue sooner. License Stat also relieves physicians or staff from the time-consuming burdens of paperwork. This service is available for telemedicine practices, for practices operating in several states, and for practices needing multiple licenses processed at one time.

    RN demand - permanent nurse staffing and consulting designed to assist hospitals, medical groups, and other employers to achieve greater success in the permanent placement of registered nurses and nurse managers.

    New Physician - consulting services designed to help medical students, residents and new doctors find the information they need to make informed, positive choices in their medical careers and fill gaps in basic career related principles and concepts, such as contracts and practice management.

    To learn more please contact James Merritt or Tracy Fletcher, at 800-876-0500 or visit their web site.

    NCHE Workers' Compensation Fund, Inc.
    McNeary Healthcare Services, Inc.
    Mark Francis
    800/729-4149
    704/367-7109

    Committed to bringing reason to a chaotic marketplace through effective loss prevention and risk management. Features of our program administered through McNeary Healthcare are:

    Reinsurance is provided by Safety National, an AM Best A rated insurance company. Members concerned about the rising cost of their workers’ compensation coverage are invited to contact McNeary by calling 800/729-4149, by fax at 704/365-7114, or e-mail at MHS@McNeary.com.

    The Nielsen Healthcare Group
    Bruce Nielsen
    Mary Ellen Klinc
    800/581-8901

    Receive discounted access to interim clinical and operational management resources when you experience sudden unplanned vacancies in key management slots. Examples range from OR Directors, CFOs, Chief Nursing Officers, Directors of Medical Records, Patient Accounting Directors, Nurse Managers, Lab Directors, Imaging Directors to Nursing Home Administrators. To learn more contact Bruce Nielsen or Mary Ellen Klinc at 800/581-8901, or visit their web site.

    Pershing Yoakley & Associates
    Marty Brown
    Lyle Oelrich
    865/673-0844

    Improving Physician practice Incomes. Through a combination of professional expertise and software (Advance Medical Practice Solutions or AMPS) they conduct a series of analyses and provide findings and recommendations for improvements. Their AMPS program performs the following:

    Precyse Solutions
    Catherine Dozier (Transcription Needs)
    770/262-1233

    Health Information Management and support services featuring medical transcription, clinical coding, oncology data management, HIM consulting, interim management and departmental outsourcing.

    To learn how you can reduce days in accounts receivable (DNFB), increase physician satisfaction and or obtain external validation of coding quality please contact Catherine Dozier at 770/262-1233 for (transcription) or visit their web site.

    Press, Ganey Associates, Inc.
    Barry Flemming
    866/245-2281

    Press, Ganey Associates, Inc. specializes in producing tested and reliable satisfaction surveys, comprehensive management reports, and national comparative databases to monitor patient satisfaction in health care delivery systems. Reporting instruments are available to measure inpatient, outpatient, emergency department, ambulatory surgery, rehabilitation, medical practice, home health, home medical equipment, long-term care, pediatric, psychiatric, referral, hospice, billing, physician, and employee satisfaction levels. The firm's consulting services division assists in developing actionable plans for performance and satisfaction improvement. Press, Ganey Associates, Inc.--founded in 1985 and headquartered in South Bend, Indiana--has over 2,500 clients and processes more than seven million surveys annually. To learn more contact Barry Flemming at 866/245-2281 or visit their web site.

    ProviderLink
    David Gardner
    919/465-1855 ext 100

    Lower payer disputes and reduce administrative costs associated with care/payment authorizations; referrals and discharge planning information using ProviderLink’s browser based technology that enables providers and payers that have agreed to communicate patient-related information with each other. To learn more contact David Gardner at 919/465-1855 ext 100 or visit their web site.

    Recovered Assets™
    Steven Hardy
    800/650-1394

    Recover unclaimed credits, duplicate payments, missed discounts, and validate vendor contract pricing compliance.

    It's not enough to be efficient and well-organized. Sooner or later, every organization discovers overlooked credit memos, discounts not taken, unapplied cash, duplicate and overpayments, and other idle assets. Recovered Assets Financial Services, LLC provides accounts payable recovery services at three levels. Utilizing their proprietary recovery software and methodologies Recovered Assets recovers unclaimed credit memos, duplicate payments and missed discounts. Their recovery processes are designed to minimize client time requirements and expenses while at the same time maintain positive client-vendor relationships. To learn more contact Steven Hardy at 800/650-1394 or visit their web site.

    RevFinders
    Jeff Tarte
    704/907-1421
    Joe Hewitt
    704/408-1290

    Capture unclaimed DSH payments and increase net patient revenues using RevFinders’ proven strategic pricing tools and DSH capture methodologies!

    Many, if not most, U.S. hospitals are entitled to additional DSH reimbursement because most fiscal intermediaries use Medicaid paid claims to identify the number of patients that were eligible for Medicaid when they were hospitalized. This process fails to capture a large number of patient days that were eligible for reimbursement even if they weren’t paid. By accurately identifying and properly documenting these additional eligible days, a hospital may significantly increase the monies owed through state and federal DSH programs.

    RevFinders’ utilizes public, private and proprietary pricing databases to identify and recommend market-based inpatient and outpatient service price adjustments which, according to one instate reference resulted in a $30.0 million increase in their net revenue. Unlike most consultancies RevFinders provides a pre-engagement analysis along with on-going analysis and monitoring as appropriate, at the procedure, payer, and plan level based on actual usage, reimbursement rates, contract terms, and historical payment experiences for their clients.

    To learn more contact Jeff Tarte at 704/907-1421 or Joe Hewitt at 704/408-1290.

    Thomson – North Carolina Hospital Association Patient Data System (NCHA PDS)
    Jamey Motter, Thomson
    919/677-4121
    Jim Hauge, NCHA Contact
    919/677-4235

    In a rapidly changing regulatory and business environment, successful organizations must make sound decisions based on the best information available. The NCHA PDS is the solution for providing business critical information to your hospital. To participate in the NCHA PDS you submit your UB-92 data quarterly to Thomson. Audits are run against the data to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information. Hospitals then receive access to the data through SoleSource.net, Thomson's online reporting tool. The NCHA PDS gives you access to quality data and external benchmarks, provides the opportunity to perform in-depth analyses, and most importantly, supports the NCHA’s advocacy efforts on your behalf.

    Thomson - Operational and Financial Information
    Lucyann Eyre, Thomson
    919/677-4125
    Jim Hauge, NCHA Contact
    919/677-4235

    Thomson's proprietary and public databases provide health care facility and system financial, operational, and departmental information that can be utilized to achieve operational improvement goals. These data are used for tracking utilization, costs, payer information, profitability, and performance. Tools include:

    ProviderView™ - more than 900 financial and operational elements from nearly every acute care facility in the country.

    HBSI ACTION® - operational database providing the platform for comparative analysis at the corporate and departmental level.

    RxView™ - first solution in the industry that provides hospitals with quick, actionable data on pharmacy utilization and costs that will identify opportunities to reduce drug costs while improving clinical outcomes.

    Thomson - Clinical Information
    Lucyann Eyre, Thomson
    919/677-4125
    Jim Hauge, NCHA Contact
    919/677-4235

    Thomson tranforms UB-92 patient data into information enabling users align resources and improve service quality. Thomson's clinical data allows users to track benchmarks, do outpatient analyses, market share analyses, monitor quality outcomes, migration patterns, utilization trends, and enables physician profiling. Tools include:

    HBSI Fathom® - is a desktop solution that produces “boardroom-ready” standard reports and analyses.

    SoleSource® - a web based solution enabling users to create flexible analysis and reporting. Includes the following modules – Market Share Analysis, Hospital Analysis, Physician Analysis, and CARE Analysis.

    Thomson - Planning Information
    Lucyann Eyre, Thomson
    919/677-4125
    Jim Hauge, NCHA Contact
    919/677-4235

    Planning for the future is critical to success. Thomson's planning information suite enables users to determine the healthcare needs of the communities they serve, deliver optium care at the right location for the right investment. This market-based data can be used to do environmental assessments, disease incidence and prevalence studies, service line planning, facility planning, physician supply and demand studies, demographics-based studies, and outpatient/inpatient demand analyses. Tools include:

    eSachs™ - provides instant planning and marketing information via the Internet.

    AstroSachs® - drives the development and implementation of successful business decisions through in-depth analysis via the Internet.

    Staff Care
    Zane Brantley
    800/685-2272

    Avoid revenue losses due to out-migration caused by physician turnover and unexpected absences. Staff Care, a national firm, provides more than 10,000 primary care, specialty and multi-specialty physician assignments annually. They also provide CRNAs, Nurse Practitioners, and Physician Assistants.

    Staff Care routinely provides clients with the prospective physician’s education, work history, licensure and reference information along with DEA and Certification information. They also arrange transportation, lodging, and licensing, as well as aiding in the credentialing process.
    Reasons to consider locum tenens physicians:

    - To test a demographic to ascertain that a target market will support a full-time practice
    - To assist with recruiting
    - To decrease patient out-migration
    - To provide interim coverage resulting from vacation, maternity/medical leaves

    To learn more contact Zane Brantley at 800/685-2272 or visit their web site.

    Strategic Staffing Resources
    Don Sowers
    Edwin Covinus
    336/632-1514

    Strategic Staffing Resources, LLC, was organized in 2002 by a group of University professors for the purpose of recruiting nurses from outside the English speaking world, and preparing them to work in the United States. The process of preparation is largely one of education; training and qualification in English, gap training for any US nursing subject matter not covered in the nurse’s home country, and training to pass the US qualifying and licensing examinations to enable candidates to be successful in US hospitals.

    Sourcing countries are chosen based on the supply and demand for nurses and the quality of nursing training in that country. Many countries in the former East Bloc and countries which formerly comprised the Soviet Union, had labor intensive health care systems. As those systems are modernized, it has created an excess of nurses. In Moldova, a former Republic of the Soviet Union, the World Bank estimates that the demand for working nurses is approximately 10,000 while the supply exceeds 28,000. Layoffs due to health care restructuring are occurring in Bulgaria and Romania thus reducing nursing jobs by 30% over the next three years. There are similar situations in several other Eastern European countries where SSR has targeted for operations. They offer contract and permanent placement options. To learn more contact Don Sowers, Edwin (Tuck) Covinus at 336-632-1514 or visit their web site.

    SureBill
    Ralph Armistead
    770/339-0248

    Members outsourcing patient statement print and mail services can expect to significantly reduce costs. SureBill is a division of Envelopes and Forms, Inc., a Norcross, GA based company. Features of our program through SureBill are:

    To learn more contact Ralph Armistead at 770/339-0248 or visit their web site.

    The SSI Group, Inc
    Michael Burch
    800/866-6450 ext 221

    Electronic claims editing and transmission. To learn more contact Michael Burch (800/866-6450 ext 221).

    Tax-Exempt -- Variable-Rate Financing
    Bob Fitzgerald or Chris Taylor
    919/855-3750

    Tax-exempt variable rate bonds through the Medical Care Commission. Participants are required to have a letter of credit or bond insurance. To obtain an application and learn more contact Bob Fitzgerald or Chris Taylor.

    Utilities Reduction Specialists
    Steve Mann or Ken Burkel
    800/215-2364

    Telecommunications bill audit and validation services. Hospital clients typically realize savings of $320 per occupied bed. To learn more contact Steve Mann or Ken Burkel or go to their web site.

    Virtual Image Technology
    Suzanne M. King
    803/547-8888

    Technology is rapidly changing. VIT assumes the responsibility of managing data/document management technology allowing clients to focus on their core competencies. They offer a complete package that features full service document imaging, storage and retrieval services for critical data. VIT also provides ASP services for web delivery of report data and scanned images to the users desktops. All conversion, preservation and retrieval services are handled from their 100,000 square foot climate controlled data storage/preservation facility located just minutes south of Charlotte North Carolina.

    Specific services include:
    - Computer Output to Archive Media
    - Microfilm, Microfiche, CD record storage and Processing Services
    - Document Scanning and Microfilm Conversion Services
    - Legacy/Optical Conversion Services
    - Data Preservation (Storage) and Retrieval
    - Remote scanning to the Web (VITAL Access)
    - Lockbox/Remittance Processing Services
    To learn more contact Suzanne King at 803/547-8888 or visit their web site.

    Wolfpackaging Industries Inc.
    Jerry or Sherri Baird
    800/662-6199

    Strategic vending management custom designed for each client to enable them to enhance end-user satisfaction, maximize vending revenue, through what references state, world-class service. Features of their program include:

    A single source solution with multiple options (Coke and Pepsi products).
    One 800 number to call for service on a 24x7 basis.
    One “roll up” report for all locations depicting sales and revenue by location.
    One commission check for all locations (multiple location checks are available upon request).
    Ongoing auditing/monitoring to optimize sales potential and minimize losses

    To learn more please contact Jerry or Sherri Baird, Bill Alford and/or Tiff Hopkins at 800/662-6199 or visit their web site.

    Yon Drake & Associates, Inc. - Investment Consulting for Prudent Fiduciaries
    David Yon or Michael Drake
    803/256-1212
    800/842-4373

    Yon-Drake & Associates is an independent, investment consulting firm registered with the US Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) as a Registered Investment Advisor. They provide unbiased advice to institutional investors on prudent investment programs and the responsibilities of fiduciaries to comply with prudent investment standards. Their services are designed to improve the performance, efficiency, expense and accountability of client funds.

    They work with all types of investment funds, such as: Funded Depreciation Funds, Debt Reserve Funds, Surplus Funds, Operating Funds, Pension Plans, Employee Directed Plans (401K / 403B), Endowments, Foundations and any other institutional fund. Yon-Drake's services include the following:

    To learn more about Yon-Drake's services, please contact David Yon or Michael Drake at 800/842-4373 or visit their web site. An SEC Form ADV II is available upon request.