Biography:
Valerie A. Rinkle, MPA, CHRI, is president of Valorize Consulting and has more than 35 years of experience in healthcare policy, finance, strategy, and revenue management operations. Her expertise spans all CMS reimbursement methodologies and the operational capabilities necessary to effectively achieve accurate and defensible payment. She has extensive hospital chargemaster, OPPS and physician fee schedule, and provider-based department experience. Rinkle also has significant experience in leading compliance due diligence in support of M&A as well as defense strategies surrounding OIG, DOJ, RAC, and other audit agencies including state Medicaid programs. She has served as an expert witness in litigation. She works with the device manufacturer and pharmaceutical manufacturers for their coding and reimbursement support. Rinkle is a frequent public speaker with HCPro and as an annual presenter on OPPS at the Institute on Medicare and Medicaid Payment Policy by the American Health Lawyers Association, where she co-presents with CMS representatives.
Jugna Shah, MPH, CHRI, is the president and founder of Nimitt Consulting, Inc., a firm specializing in case-mix payment system design, development, and implementation. She has 15 years of experience working with providers on the ongoing clinical, operational, financial, and compliance implications of Medicare’s OPPS based on APCs. Shah has educated and audited numerous hospitals on their drug administration coding and billing practices. She has contributed to several books and numerous OPPS/APC articles and is a contributing editor of HCPro’s Briefings on APCs. Shah serves as an advisory board member for NAHRI.