April 1, 2024
Dear USCIPP Members,
It’s hard to believe we are starting the second quarter of the year already! Please see this month’s News and Updates to learn more about what is happening in USCIPP. Here are a few highlights:
- Please be sure to prioritize completing the USCIPP annual benchmarking survey – the deadline for data collection is approaching fast and is April 5th!
- We are excited to share that plans for the USCIPP annual meeting are underway. We are returning to the old model of a standalone event hosted by a USCIPP member, and excited to announce Cedars-Sinai will host this year’s annual meeting. We are finalizing our plans and will send a formal Save the Date announcement this month.
- We’ve completed the RFP process and have identified our consultants for Saudi Arabia and Mexico. These consultants will develop quarterly reports tailored for our Premium, Premium Plus, and Organizational Affiliate members, with the first report set for release at the end of April.
- Due to popular demand, we are bringing back the monthly listserv Q&A activity. Please be sure to answer the questions and/or appoint someone at your organization to complete this activity.
- Most of our workgroups have launched with the initial calls. If you haven’t already checked out our workgroups, more info can be found in the ongoing announcements below, including topics and presenters planned for the year.
- Please help us welcome our newest team member, Cheyenne Love, senior data analyst. You can learn more about her by checking out her bio in the details below.
Feel free to reach out with any questions or feedback.
Warm regards,
Alia Ibrahim
Senior Manager, USCIPP
National Center for Healthcare Leadership
uscipp@nchl.org
New Announcements
The USCIPP team has distributed links for the 2022-2023 USCIPP benchmarking survey. Responses are due by April 5th. PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A FINAL DEADLINE AND EXTENSIONS WILL NOT BE GIVEN.
USCIPP organizations that carry Standard, Premium, and Premium Plus memberships are required to submit benchmarking data each year. Organizations that do not submit at least partial data will not be eligible to receive benchmarking reports, view benchmarking data in the data dashboard, participate in benchmarking calls, or attend the benchmarking session during the annual meeting.
A Word version of the instrument is available here.
Please contact uscipp@nchl.org if you need your organization’s survey link, have any questions about the survey, or need to confirm your organization’s submission status.
Back by popular demand, we are bringing back the monthly listserv Q&A activity. We rely on members to engage in this activity and respond to questions to be a success. Please consider appointing someone at your organization to ensure this activity is completed each month.
New questions can be submitted here. Please check out the Listserv Archives to see if your question has been asked in the past.
This month’s questions are:
- If your organization has had a booth in the past at Arab Health, which company/companies did you work with to 1) reserve the space and 2) for booth design? If you have used both Kallman and other vendors in the past, what was the best option in your opinion as far as cost/value? Any other advice/suggestions?
- Does your organization leverage two separate pricing models/and or pricing strategies for international patients (i.e. one model for international patients only and a second model for high amenity services)? If so, what kinds of services do you consider “high amenity?”
- In 2023, what was your organizations discount for international self-pay patients?
- What percentage of your embassy AR is currently older than one year? Does your organization have specific internal target metrics that you try to meet to help manage aging embassy AR (e.g., % of total embassy AR older than X years)? If so, what are they?
This month’s questions can be answered by clicking here or completing the form below.
Regarding the 2024 conference, there have been some exciting updates this year!
New for 2024: In response to member feedback and careful consideration, NCHL has decided to adopt a strategic approach by hosting two in-person member conferences instead of the single all-member conference held in 2022 and 2023. We are currently in the planning stages for both the 2024 USCIPP Annual Meeting (Hosted by Cedars-Sinai with dates TBA) and the Organizational & Leadership Excellence (OLE) in Healthcare Conference, which is scheduled to take place November 18-20 in Chicago, IL.
Reasons for the change: Based on insights gathered from member event evaluations over the past two years, we believe this new approach offers several advantages.
- It will allow us to offer more tailored and member-valued content that recognizes the diverse needs and interests of different membership groups.
- It will enhance engagement and participation by addressing specific concerns and topics relevant to each group.
- It will facilitate more focused networking opportunities among members and sponsors with similar professional backgrounds.
We will be sharing more information with you, including the location and dates in the coming weeks.
We’d like to give a warm welcome to our newest USCIPP member, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center! Fred Hutch is a leading cancer center in Seattle that also serves as UW Medicine’s cancer program, serving both pediatric and adult patients. The primary contact is Nicki Nguyen-Colvin, AVP, Clinical Strategy & Business Development, Department of Strategy at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, who can be reached at nnguyenc@fredhutch.org.
We have recently commissioned and received refreshed legal due diligence reports for Saudi Arabia and Peru. Those reports are now available. (We still do not yet have enough member interest to move forward with refreshing our report for Brazil; please let us know if your organization is interested in supporting a refresh of the Brazil report.)
We have also recently commissioned and received a due diligence report for a completely new market, Chile. We are now soliciting member interest in receiving a due diligence report for an additional new market, Australia, as well. Over the next few weeks, we will solicit potential member interest in commissioning reports for additional new markets.
Details follow:
-Saudi Arabia: We have commissioned an updated due diligence report for Saudi Arabia, and it is now available. Note that there have been extensive changes to the regulatory environment in Saudi Arabia since our last refresh in August 2022. Per our attorneys:
“The current regulatory regime surrounding the provision of telehealth or telemedicine services in Saudi Arabia is being monitored heavily, and we suggest that USCIPP members err on the side of caution in rolling out telemedicine programs in Saudi Arabia.”
We had to revise up our per-member estimate to participate in this refresh given the extent of the recent changes. The cost to receive the report is now $4,800/USCIPP member. Please email uscipp@nchl.org if your organization is interested in participating.
-Peru: We have commissioned an updated due diligence report for Peru, and it is now available. There was high interest among some members in receiving an updated diligence for Peru, so the per-member cost was also revised up given that we ended up spreading the cost over fewer hospitals that were willing to pay slightly more in order for us to proceed with this update. The cost to receive the report is now $5,000/USCIPP member. Please email uscipp@nchl.orgif your organization is interested in participating.
-Chile: We have commissioned a due diligence report for Chile, and it is now available. The cost to receive the report is $2,000/USCIPP member. Please email uscipp@nchl.org if your organization is interested in participating.
-Brazil: Our existing Brazil diligence was last updated in May 2022. Since that time, the country’s Telehealth Act has been enacted and now provides additional guidance. As of today, we have not yet secured enough member support to move forward with refreshing the Brazil report. However, we only need one additional participating USCIPP member to be able to move forward with the update. The cost to participate is $3,300 per member organization. Please emailuscipp@nchl.org if your organization is interested in participating.
-Australia: We do not currently have a due diligence report for Australia, but we can commission a report for this new market for $3,000/USCIPP member if enough hospitals are interested in sharing the cost. Please email uscipp@nchl.org if your organization is interested in participating.
Finally, please check out the new International Telemedicine & RSO Due Diligence Initiative workspace on the member portal. This provides members with a quick reference for all of the due diligence reports we have commissioned, when they were last updated, costs to participate, etc. We will keep this page updated.
We’d like to share some recent USCIPP member job announcements listed on the NCHL Job Board:
- Financial Coordinator – International Health (Northwestern Medicine)
- Embassy International Coordinator – Arabic Speaking (Northwestern Medicine)
Previous Listings:
- Administrative Director (Mass General Brigham)
- Nursing Director, Cardiac Institute (Nicklaus Children’s Health)
Additionally, here is a non-member job listing:
• Vice President, Population Health and Chief Medical Health Officer
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We are pleased to share that we have partnered with the event organizers of the 5th MENA Telehealth & Virtual Care Expo taking place May 7–8 in Riyadh to provide USCIPP members with a 20% discount on registration.
The event is being held under the patronage of the Saudi Ministry of Health. We feel the content, speakers, and intended audience are highly relevant to USCIPP members. If you are interested in the provision of telemedicine & RSO services within the broader MENA region – the conference content and scope are regional, not just focused on KSA – we highly recommend that your organization consider attending.
Note that several USCIPP member organizations have confirmed speakers for some of the sessions. (The event organizers did not need our help with securing speakers from our member hospitals, but we did ask.) Jarrett Fowler from our team has registered for the conference and will be in attendance.
- Registration link: https://www.menatelehealth.com/mena-telehealth-conference/booking
- Discount code for 20% off registration: NCHL20
- Audience: Healthcare regulators, health funding authorities, payors, clinicians, health insurance service providers, telemedicine service providers, healthcare organizations, and eHealth technicians and developers
- Agenda: https://www.menatelehealth.com/mena-telehealth-conference/agenda
Please let us know if your organization plans to attend and would be interested in booking in a hotel room block negotiated by the event organizers, as we would like to communicate the number of rooms needed to the event organizers.
Ongoing Announcements
Based on popular demand, we have put together a calendar of global events to help members more easily identify conferences and events happening around the world.
Please click here to open this resource. It will download an Excel file where you can find a filterable list of events, as well as monthly and yearly overviews with events color-coded by type. Be sure to go to the “BACKGROUND” tab first.
You can also find this on the side tab of the News and Updates page and in the “USCIPP Research Reports, Presentations, and Other Resources” Workspace on the Member Portal.
Please let us know if you have any questions or would like to suggest an event to be added. This list will be updated each year.
We have had initial calls for most of our workgroups and have identified topics and presenters for most of our workgroup calls. We’d like to recognize Maggie Kamal at Shriners Hospitals for Children for putting together an informative session on the International Patient Legal Journey for our first International Operations workgroup call. Please note the date of our first International Collaborations workgroup call has changed to May 17.
More information can be found below.
Workgroup Descriptions and Call Dates
1. USCIPP International Operations Workgroup: Serves as a platform for members involved in the oversight and optimization of international program operations to share insights, collectively navigate complex regulatory landscapes, and advance strategies to improve operational efficiency.
2024 Calls
Tuesday, March 26: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM CT
- Recording sent to registered attendees
Tuesday, May 28: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM CT
- TBA (Please reach out if you are interested in presenting)
Tuesday, August 27: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM CT
- International Patient and Family Advisory Council: Outcomes and Lessons Learned
- Presenters: Nicole Skelly, Sr. Program Manager, Global Services Division, Children’s National Hospital & Kathleen (Katie) Cummins, CPNP, Pediatric Nurse Practioner, Global Services Division, Children’s National Hospital
Tuesday, October 22: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM CT
- TBA (Please reach out if you are interested in presenting)
2. USCIPP International Collaborations Workgroup: The USCIPP International Collaborations Workgroup calls provide a forum for USCIPP members to engage in peer discussions on the topic of international healthcare collaborations (e.g., education and research partnerships, advisory and consulting services, facility development, joint ventures, and other forms of global partnerships outside of direct patient care in the US). The workgroup is designed to appeal specifically to larger international programs with a more established global footprint and provides a space for members to discuss shared challenges, best practices, and opportunities for peer-to-peer collaboration.
2024 Calls
- Friday, May 17: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM CT
Mass General Brigham (MGB) Global Advisory Overview, Case Study: MGB’s Partnership with Jiahui International Hospital (Shanghai, People’s Republic of China), and Discussion
Presenter: Ray Liu, MD, Vice President, Mass General Brigham Global Advisory; Associate Radiologist, Division of Interventional Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital
- Friday, July 26: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM CT
Speakers and Topic TBA
- Friday, September 20: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM CT
Overview of Cleveland Clinic’s Models of International Cooperation, Case Study: Vinmec Times City International Hospital (Hanoi, Vietnam) as a Member of Cleveland Clinic Connected, and Discussion
Presenter: Joe Sweet, Senior Director, International, Cleveland Clinic
- Friday, November 8: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM CT
Houston Methodist Global Health Care Services Overview, Case Studies: Houston Methodist’s Partnerships with Centro Médico ABC (Mexico City, Mexico) and TecSalud (Monterrey, Mexico), and Discussion
Presenters: José Núñez, Vice President, Global Development, Houston Methodist Global Health Care Services; Luis De La Mora, Director, Advisory Services, Houston Methodist Global Health Care Services; Consuelo Esnaola, Global Project Manager, Houston Methodist Global Health Care Services; Rafael Del Castillo, Client Manager, Houston Methodist Global Health Care Services
3. USCIPP Standalone Pediatric Hospitals Workgroup: Serves as a forum for USCIPP standalone pediatric hospital members to come together to discuss shared challenges, share expertise, and identify best practices particular to children’s hospitals with international patient programs. Through collective efforts, we aim to strengthen collaboration and knowledge-sharing among standalone pediatric hospitals, fostering excellence in international pediatric care.
2024 Calls
• Tuesday, March 12: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM CT
Call summary and recording sent to registered attendees
• Tuesday, June 11: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM CT
Discussion Topic: International Finance Process & Policies
• Tuesday, August 13: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM CT
Discussion Topic: TBD
4. USCIPP Florida Hospitals Workgroup: Offers members a platform to discuss mutual interests and unique challenges specific to Florida. Given the distinctive cultural and political environment of Florida, the dynamics of international programs are distinct from members in other parts of the country. The market landscape for Florida hospitals engaged in international business – collaborations with cruise lines, treatment of foreign vacationers, handling a higher volume of international medical evacuations compared to hospitals in other regions, and close partnerships with entities across the Caribbean – sets it apart from the rest of the United States. This workgroup addresses the nuances of serving an international patient population in Florida.
2024 Calls
• Wednesday, February 21: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM CT
• Wednesday, May 22: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM CT
• Wednesday, July 17: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM CT
• Wednesday, October 30: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM CT
We appreciate the feedback we received from you in 2023 and have listened to your needs. In response, we have created a comprehensive overview of this year’s activities, all of which are designed to elevate member engagement and meet your needs.
The USCIPP 2024 Overview of Activities will live on the NCHL Member Portal and on the sidebar of this USCIPP News and Updates page.
Here is a snapshot of what is in the overview:
- Page 1: Cover page and highlights
- Page 2: Year at a glance (TBD activities in far right column will be updated as timeframes are confirmed)
- Page 3-6: Quarterly breakdown of activities
- Page 7: Description of domains, as well as clickable links to resources online and in the member portal.
We hope that our steadfast commitment to enhancing member value in 2024 is evident, and we look forward to an excellent year.
If you have any questions about the activities presented in the overview, please let us know!
We are considering coordinating programming in Saudi Arabia around the Global Health Exhibition in Riyadh, which is currently scheduled to take place October 22–24. Our activities in Saudi Arabia might be during, right before, and/or right after the Global Health Exhibition (TBD). Our activities in the other GCC country (Kuwait/Qatar) would take place either right before or right after our activities in Saudi Arabia. (Note that some of our partners in Kuwait have actively reached out to us recently and requested US hospitals’ presence/participation in potential events there this autumn, hence why we are considering returning there this year.)
Note that the team is also planning some LatAm-focused international business development activities in 2024. We will provide you with further details as they become available.
On our most recent embassy call, members discussed a new request from the Saudi Clearinghouse made on behalf of the Saudi Ministry of Finance and Central Bank for hospitals to provide their Legal Entity Identifier (LEI). According to the Saudi Clearinghouse, this is the reason why payments have been delayed and is being requested from hospitals in order to issue future payments without complication.
The Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) is a 20-character, alpha-numeric code based on the ISO 17442 standard developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). It connects to key reference information that enables clear and unique identification of legal entities participating in financial transactions.
You can look to see if your organization already has an LEI by clicking here.
If you do not see your organization listed as having an LEI already, one of our members has shared that their Legal Department was responsible for obtaining the LEI and that the Treasury and Bank completed the documentation to share the LEI with the necessary Saudi contacts. Read more about how to obtain an LEI by clicking here.
Please note that we are sharing this for informational purposes only. If you have additional information you’d like to share with members about how your organization approached this, please let us know.
Recently, several members have reached out to the USCIPP team and have asked if we have any compensation data on in-country representatives. We’ve done compensation studies for positions within international departments in the past – coordinators, financial counselors, etc. – there are some key differences to take into consideration when designing a study regarding compensation for in-country representatives. The USCIPP team has formed a small committee to help guide our thinking and approach to the study. More details about the scope of the project will be forthcoming.
Upcoming Events
To register for the USCIPP Embassy Relations monthly call series, please click here.
Click here for more information and to register for the quarterly call series.
Click here for more information and to register for the quarterly call series.
Click here for more information and to register for the quarterly call series.
Click here for more information and to register for the quarterly call series.
USCIPP Pulse
No updates at this time.
Previous Editions
USCIPP operates on a member-driven agenda of peer benchmarking and international market research, member-to-member education and collaboration, the creation of international business development opportunities for members, the development of industry standards, and more.