The revenue cycle is a complex continuum that touches all aspects of health care clinical and business operations. Laws, regulations, standards and ethical principles provide an infrastructure for carrying out the organization's mission and business goals. During the last five years, compliance professionals, clinicians, and financial personnel have learned that their objectives and activities must be integrated, yet conducted at arms' length. The path to success in revenue cycle management requires careful planning, execution, and scrutiny. Everyone involved in the process must be informed, educated, and accountable. This session will focus on the revenue cycle continuum in three parts: pre-encounter, encounter, and post-encounter. The cycle components will be addressed from the perspectives of compliance infrastructure, clinical practice issues, and business processes. Current "hot topics" and future concerns that impact the revenue cycle (e.g., public reporting and pay-for-performance; corporate responsibility; HIPAA privacy, security, and transactions/code sets; Medicare Administrative Contractors; Recovery Audit Contractors; coverage policy; electronic health records; discounts for uninsured and underinsured patients; non-profit status; OIG Work Plan topics) will also be discussed.