ABS had the good fortune to have Champlain College junior Brittany Hollman intern in our office this summer. She was tasked with a wide assortment of communications, website and event planning assignments and accomplished all projects with creativity and enthusiasm.

Brittany’s talent extends to her photography hobby. She recently created an original piece of artwork (pictured below) for the ABS conference room mantel.

The entire ABS team wishes her well with her semester abroad studies in Ireland this Fall!

Click here to read the press release!

Contact:
Karla Tillman Pollack
609-392-3800
karla@absnj.org      

Brittany Hollman of Hackettstown, NJ will be interning at ABS for summer 2011

Trenton, NJ – Association Business Solutions (ABS) announced today that Brittany Hollman has joined the company as their summer intern, effective May 4th.

Hollman studies both public relations and event management at Champlain College in Burlington, VT where she will be a junior in the fall. This is her first official internship. “I am very excited to be part of the ABS team,” Hollman says. “I am always up for a new challenge and can’t wait to start learning.”

In her new position, Hollman will be responsible for assisting ABS with communications, public relations, and event planning work, along with other projects. She has had previous employment experience working for the Alumni Office at Champlain, The Book Loft, (a local bookstore) and volunteer work at The Northwest New Jersey Regional Women’s Center.

Hollman has also had many hands on classes in her two years at Champlain that have helped her gain the knowledge she needs to write effectively and work in other roles of the communications field .“We are pleased to have Brittany with us this summer,” says ABS co-founder Paula Hartman. “Her enthusiasm for the field and fresh perspective will be a great addition to our summer work.”

About ABS
Association Business Solutions, Inc. (ABS) is an Association Management Company that provides results-oriented executive management, communications and administrative solutions. Please visit for more information www.absnj.com.

Pictured on left, Paula Hartman serves as Vice Chair of Mercer County WIB and on Conference Committee.

Dennis Bone, President of Verizon NJ and Chair of the State Employment Training Commission making keynote presentation

Morning session in progress

Paula Hartman on Broad Street

Karla Pollack ready for the next shot

James Sverapa gets a good view

Left to Right:  Paula Sollami Covello, Ernie Cerino, Paula Hartman, Tom & Karen Wilkinson, Karla Pollack, Meaghan Cannon and Janet Flannery

Elise Gambino, Don Tretola, Karla Pollack and Paula Hartman at the Chamber reception.

An excellent keynote by Governor Christie.

A Chamber anniversary video was shown during the dinner produced by Tony Bianchini at Open Door Media.

NEW JOBS held their North Jersey Legislative Reception on Wednesday, October 20, 2010 at the Liberty House in Jersey City.  The Event Chair was Louise Lindenmeier from Bayada Nurses.

The New Jersey Organization for a Better State (NEW JOBS) is a nonpartisan organization whose trustees promote a probusiness climate in New Jersey by endorsing and supporting legislative candidates who actively support economic growth, the creation of private-sector jobs, and the lowering of business costs.
NEW JOBS is an independent political action committee affiliated with members of the New Jersey Business & Industry Association and other regional business groups.

In the photo from left to right:  Paula Harrington Hartman, Karla Tillman Pollack, Christine Stearns, Melissa Di Franco, Heidi Harrington

Competitive bidding not always a sweet deal

Written by Paula Hartman

I recently learned about a change stemming from the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 that was intended to reduce costs, but in the end may drive up costs and put homebound patients suffering from diabetes at a disadvantage.

The MMA included requirements for competitive bidding with a noble goal of saving Medicare and taxpayers billions of dollars; unfortunately, the way Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) chose to implement it for diabetic supplies falls short of the program’s goals. The implementation for this part of the act went into effect recently.
Under the competitive bidding system, only mail order suppliers that “won” their bid will be able to receive Medicare reimbursements for diabetic supplies. While competitive bidding has an admirable goal of reducing costs, under the current parameters, it reduces Medicare recipients’ access to comprehensive quality care while not recognizing all of the potential savings of the original intent. A recent independent study by Avalere Health showed that the federal government could save $3.6 billion over 10 years if it eliminated the reimbursement differential between retail and mail providers. Congress must urge the CMS to create an even playing field for all diabetic supply providers — mail order and retail alike.

As an owner of an executive management firm, I help my clients streamline their businesses as cost effectively as possible. The implementation of this rule set forth by CMS doesn’t do this; total savings won’t be recognized, and struggling diabetic patients may lose options.

The writer is Principal of Association Business Solutions.