Robert H. Tessier

Senior Reimbursement Consultant

Education

After completing his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science at Providence College, Robert H. Tessier received a Master’s in Public Health (MPH) in 1972, with a concentration in Health Planning, from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

Experience

Shortly after joining Professional Management Services in Massachusetts, Bob became Executive Vice President and Director of Consulting. He focused on hospital and third-party negotiations, as well as the development of complex practice plans.

As Reimbursement Consultant to several state societies, Bob consistently secured favorable financial arrangements. From 1972 to 1982, most clients were radiology groups, including large academic medical centers.

In 1982, Bob established HBP Services. They were retained by Cornell/New York Hospital to set up the first private practice in New York City. A subsequent engagement at Yale Pathology included third-party negotiations on behalf of the Connecticut State Pathology Society. In 2019, Bob became a founding organizer of the Panel of National Pathology Leaders, a think tank dedicated to best practices in pathology and laboratory medicine.

HBP actively manages successful pathology groups in several states. Their consulting focus is hospital support for Part A services, and they negotiate these payments both for Pathologists and hospital systems. HBP has also participated in more than 300 third-party contracts

Expertise

Specific skills include:

  • Hospital Part A Support with Performance Incentives
  • Hospital-Pathology Joint Ventures
  • Third-Party Negotiations and Selective Contracting
  • Fair Market Value Studies for Technical Services
  • Development of Regional Pathology Groups
  • Hospital/Medical School/Private Practice Plans
  • Revenue Maximization for PCCP Billing
  • Valuations for Buy In/Buy Out Arrangements
  • Compensation Models

Major Accomplishments

  • Provided direction to the Connecticut Society of Pathologists’ Task Force to enact Direct Billing Legislation (passed in July 2009).
  • Negotiated with a major commercial insurance carrier generating $1.5M in professional and global payment improvement over 5
  • Eliminated a challenge to referred GI business that saved the Pathologists and their Hospital $1.6M per year in cash.
  • Negotiated Global Billing for referred services with a net improvement to the Pathologists of $500,000 per year.
  • As former CEO of Pathology & Lab Services, a joint venture Cytology laboratory, provided 120,000 Pap and Molecular services on a wholesale
  • Increased income for four clients billing the professional component of clinical pathology (PCCP) by $1.8M per year.
  • Evaluated Part A support for a major hospital system over each of the three contract
  • Consulted for a major teaching hospital on Part A support, with detailed comparisons to other academic medical centers.
  • Developed a reputation for fair and balanced advice to a variety of clients including commercial labs, hospital systems, and private pathology groups.