AHDI IMMEDIATE PAST-PRESIDENT'S BLOG

FOURTH QUARTER BOD MEETING

2009-12-06T09:16:00.002-05:00

Madison, Wisconsin is indeed a lovely city but, for this Florida girl, just a tad on the cold side. We had a successful fourth quarter board meeting with a respectable gallery in attendance following which I received a lovely plaque for my service to AHDI as a director for four years. This was a bittersweet moment as I had a marvelous experience on the board and would highly recommend it. I was fortunate to be able to visit many, many components all across the country during the past four years and felt welcome at every single event. I've said many times that serving on the AHDI board of directors is the hardest job you will ever love and I meant it. However, my time has passed now and I plan on concentrating on the education and mentoring of new graduates from ACCP approved programs for Expert Medical Transcription, supporting the activities of my Florida State Association, the Nature Coast Chapter, and the South Florida Chapter of AHDI. I also plan on spending more time with my wonderful husband of almost 43 years, and my grown sons, and my grandchildren -- one now 4 and one due in March 2010.

I am very appreciative of the confidence shown in my leadership by those who elected me to office and hope I served you all well. I gave nothing less than 100% and hope you agree.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the fabulous education session held in Madison following the BOD meeting. This was very well attended and we even had 30 students present. Bravo to the MN/WI Regional Association for their assistance in making this one of the best regional workshops of 2009.

SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY

2009-11-10T08:41:00.002-05:00

I've just returned from a wonderful meeting - the Carolinas Regional Symposium in Charlotte, North Carolina. Following a lovely reception on Friday evening with a magician doing card tricks at each table [amazing] the Saturday all-day session contained some of the best speakers I've heard in a long time. From PET scanning to plastic surgery to an infectious disease update including H1N1 flu, RAC audits, and the evolving profession of medical transcription by our own Brenda Hurley.

The Southern hospitality was in abundance everywhere your turned from some of the most dedicated medical documentation professionals anywhere. I would highly recommend attendance at this meeting next year if at all possible. I assure you, you won't be disappointed.

ONE TEAM – ONE VOICE

2009-10-25T22:19:00.000-04:00

You are constantly hearing the statement, “We are all in this together,” “We all play for the same team,” or some similar phrase when discussing the need for all MTs to stick together and speak with one voice. Recently Barb Marques and I had an experience that allowed us to see this concept in action in the animal world.

I was visiting Barb at her lovely home in Oregon recently and we decided to walk down to her neighbor’s home who raises alpacas. Just as we arrived we quickly noticed one of the girls was about to give birth. We stood quietly and watched as she made an interesting noise following which every other female in the pen gathered around her, apparently to provide encouragement or support or both. The babies all gathered by the fence and watched carefully as if they knew something big was happening and they needed to watch and learn. As soon as the new baby was born all of the females proceeded to leave the mother and tend to the newbie in their midst. They cooed at it, they nudged it, and they made sure it remained safe until it could get up on its feet at which point the mother, now sufficiently rested, got up and proceeded to take over her baby’s care.

This was an amazing experience for both of us and right away we started thinking of a way to share this story with members.

Just like all of the others in that alpaca pen, those of us with experience need to step up to the plate and mentor our own newbies. It is not only an amazing experience but we believe it is our responsibility to “pay it forward” as it were. AHDI has been very important in our lives and whether one steps up to run for local office, state office, national office, spearhead one of AHDI’s initiatives, start a Power of 10 fundraising drive, mentor a student or two, or three, sponsor someone who cannot afford AHDI membership, share your room at Advocacy or ACE with a newbie who might otherwise not be able to attend, etc., etc., etc. There are so many things each of us can do to support and encourage others that we just have one question: “What will you do to join the One Team One Voice effort?”

PAYING IT FORWARD

2009-09-26T12:18:00.002-04:00

If anyone reading this blog has not yet seen the movie Pay It Forward, starring Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt, I highly recommend it. The premise is as follows: The teacher [Spacey] suggests that his students choose a good deed to perform for someone, even a complete stranger, in the hope that this person will "pay it forward" by doing a good deed for someone else. The rest of the movie revolves around Helen Hunt's son, who is amazed to see how this "paying it forward" works as are the movie watchers.

Why recommend a movie here on the AHDI past-president's blog? Well, I also believe in "paying it forward" in our industry by sharing our expertise as medical documentation professionals by mentoring new MTs, teaching at a local community college or vocational school, assisting them to become an ACCP-approved school, and even training new graduates from approved schools.

I am very proud to say that the company I work for, Expert Medical Transcription, has stepped up to the plate and, as their Director of Training, I now have 5 recent grads from approved schools who are experiencing on-the-job training with real dictation and lots of feedback from me. The trainees are started on less difficult work and advanced through acute care work. As soon as I wean the most experienced trainee, I will be taking another.

I have been an AHDI e-mentor and taught for a total of 15 years. This is by far the best job I have ever had and I highly recommend it to anyone with the experience necessary. How about all of those AHDI past presidents out there -- what a wonderful use of your talents!

Just a thought. . . .

NATURE COAST CHAPTER SUPPORTS POWER OF 10

2009-08-23T13:15:00.002-04:00

I just have to brag a bit about my new home chapter, the Nature Coast Chapter of AHDI, who contributed $100 to the Power of 10 Campaign at their meeting yesterday. Nature Coast is a relatively new chapter, planning only their second symposium for this fall, and they have already stepped up to develop a CMT study group and now have shown their support for AHDIs advocacy efforts by making this contribution. I fully expect those who did not have $10 cash or their checkbooks with them on Saturday to contribute as well since I sent everyone home with a Power of 10 Campaign flyer and an envelope.

So many wonderful ideas have sprung up about the Power of 10 Campaign on Facebook with many challenges to choose from. I encourage you to check them out. AHDI-West will also be offering webinars with proceeds going to the Power of 10 Campaign.

What are YOU doing in your component to help AHDI reach the goals of this important endeavor? Remember, it's $10 from 10,000 MTs [members and non-members] through 2010 with all monies going toward advocacy to ensure a place for the intelligent worker [that's us, folks] in the electronic health record environment. Let me know by commenting on this blog so I can share your ideas with other readers.

ACE 2009 -- SIMPLY AMAZING!!!

2009-08-06T14:36:00.002-04:00

ACE 2009 in Music City, USA [Nashville, TN] was beyond amazing. The speakers were outstanding, the vendors were better than ever, and the networking opportunities abounded. Look, I'll be honest with you, I've only missed one ACE in 30 years and each one is better than the one before it but this year we were glued to our seats with speaker presentations by Wendy Mangin, MS, RHIA, 2008 AHIMA President, Scott Edelstein, JD, MPA, Donna Hartley, survivor of a plane crash and more, Bruce Mast, "Navigating Your Career Through the White Water of Healthcare," Jonathan Perlin, MD, PhD, MSHA, FACP on "What to Expect During a Decade of Healthcare Reform" and many, many others too numerous to mention here. If you missed ACE this year -- make sure you don't miss 2010 in Austin, Texas!

In addition, the red carpet Integrity Awards Show was just like being at the Oscars or CMA Awards with interviews and paparazzi on the red carpet and excitement abounding in the auditorium. This was a major departure from last year and much better in my opinion. The recipients were surprised when their names were called; many brought to tears.

The Power of 10 Campaign was launched at ACE 2009 with a goal of $10 from 10,000 MTs [healthcare documentation professionals] through 2010! To read more about this exciting campaign keep reading.

Donate to the Power of 10 Campaign

What is the Power of 10 Campaign?
AHDI is launching a year‐long campaign to raise $10 from 10,000 MTs by 2010. Why? To support the association’s advocacy efforts in Washington, DC, where AHDI and MTIA are working hard to make sure YOU have a role in the future of the EHR. Our lobbying firm, along with our government relations staff, are making sure our sector is well represented in important
meetings and discussions being held by our nation’s legislators and policymakers on healthcare reform, criteria and standards for EHR systems, and workforce development in allied health. All Power of 10 funds go directly to this effort.

Why should I donate to the Power of 10?
First and foremost, it takes considerable resources to lobby effectively on behalf of an industry, so all donations help to get us to our goal. Beyond that, AHDI wants to make sure every MT feels connected to and part of this effort, since it is going to take more than just contributions and sponsorships from big businesses to secure our future role in healthcare. It will take every one of
the “silent” ten thousand contributing their “voice” through support and participation.

How do I contribute?
You can make your donation to the Power of 10 campaign by turning in a donation envelope with your contribution or mailing it to the AHDI office (4230 Kiernan Avenue, Suite 130, Modesto CA 95356). Please be advised that contributions to the Power of 10 campaign are not tax deductible.

I challenge everyone reading this blog to GET BUSY -- tell every MT you know -- AHDI member or not -- to read this Power of 10 information and participate in this effort which is greater than any one person. Everyone who tells you they can't afford $135 for AHDI professional membership -- ask them if they can spare $10 [a couple of trips to Starbucks} and send it with your own donation to the AHDI office in Modesto, California at the address listed above.

See you at ACE 2010!

BACK TO BEAUTIFUL BARBADOS

2009-07-17T21:50:00.002-04:00

I am honored to be leaving tomorrow [07/18/09] for Barbados as keynote speaker for the TRSI Barbados graduation next week. I am very excited to return to this beautiful island and highly suggest it as a vacation destination for everyone. The people are friendly, the weather is perfect, the waters are so clear you can see at least 35 feet down, the food is wonderful, and the opportunity to spend time with medical transcription students once more is the icing on the cake for me. I know how excited they all are to be graduating and entering the workforce and I can't wait to share the excitement with them.

I no sooner get back from Barbados than I fly to Nashville for ACE. This 31st Annual Meeting promises to be filled with amazing educational opportunities, first class speakers, networking, renewing old friendships, and making new ones. I hope to see many of you there and if I do, please let me know you are reading this blog -- I sometimes wonder just how many people actually read it!

HOOSIER STATE WELCOMES MILITARY SPOUSES

2009-07-04T12:39:00.003-04:00

Although the attendance was not what we had hoped for, the IN/KY Regional members came out in force for a military spouse informational in Columbus, Indiana followed by a couple of creditworthy presentations and a KB demonstration.

I arrived on Thursday and was picked up at the airport by Patty Brown, IPP of IN/KY and taken to LuAnn Guilfoyle's [new delegate] beautiful home for a fabulous dinner, then back to the Holiday Inn Express. The next morning we all got busy setting up the room for the MSI and then went to the outlet mall -- it doesn't get any better than that, does it?

I was most impressed by the MTIA member company participation with three schools represented: Andrews & Holbrook, Tranz-Med, and TRSi. In addition, several other MTIA member companies, including Expert Medical Transcription [EMT], sent brochures which were placed with the hand-outs for attendees. Let's not forget Tania Mercurio of Operation Life Transformed [OLT] who had an opportunity to talk to the spouses and the members present.

A special thanks goes out to Sheryl Williams [LIG chair], who provided me with those wonderful "Thank-You" cards that we handed out at Advocacy Summit. Those were a huge hit with the spouses and everyone else too, especially the thank-you for military families. Tania took a bunch of those with her to hand out to those military families she meets during her work on their behalf.

Thanks also to Sherry Doggett, the IN/KY Board Partner who attended and assisted in a big way. Sherry lives not too far away and plans on participating in more IN/KY functions in the future including a career fair at Camp Atterbury in October.

This was a wonderful weekend for me in a beautiful state and my appreciation goes out to LuAnn Guilfoyle, Patty Brown, and the rest of the IN/KY membership for supporting this very important AHDI initiative and for making me feel so welcome.

BEAUTIFUL BARBADOS

2009-06-16T10:16:00.002-04:00

I can't believe I'm actually in the business center of this lovely hotel about to leave Barbados in about four hours writing on my blog but it's true! This was an incredible experience for me and my husband. We came to Barbados for three reasons, Kathy Rockel's wedding to Henderson Nicholls [June 13th], for a second honeymoon for us [42 years married on June 10th], and to visit with the teachers, current class, and production center of TRSI Barbados.

The wedding was just beautiful. It was held outside and was quite warm for those of us way too used to air conditioning but a great time was had by all. Kathy Rockel is now Kathy Nicholls. The bride wore a lovely white gown trimmed in red and the bridesmaids wore purple gowns. The groom wore white and red as well and looked quite handsome. Following the ceremony dinner was served followed by dancing until the morning hours, I'm told.

The following morning the bride and groom hosted us, Jacque Taylor, Chad Sines, Karen Young, and Kathy's family on a glass bottom boat cruise. We ended up swimming with turtles [amazing] followed by swimming with tons of fish. When I say tons, I'm obviously exaggerating, but more fish than I have ever seen in one place. Everyone on the boat throws bread to feed the fish and they boil up on the surface like pirhanna [seriously]. We had snorkles and masks allowing us to see under the surface where a huge tarpon was swimming leisurly by [likely looking at a meal with all those fish around]. This guy was estimated by the boat owner to be 5 to 6 foot long and about 200 pounds. I, of course, assumed he could consider me lunch as easily as those fish and I wanted out of the water in the worst way at that point. My dear husband, however, was furiously tossing bread at the fish and they were bumping into my legs, arms, head, etc. I know I screamed more than once and likely had a few choice words for my husband too but managed to get safely back on the boat.

All in all we had a marvelous time in beautiful Barbados. No wonder Kathy, Jacque, Ann, Glenda, Deb, and every other administrator, educator, trainer, mentor, and visitor loves it here. I can't wait to visit Barbados again. Luckily, I'll get that opportunity in July for TRSI Barbados' graduation. I am honored to be keynote speaker for that wonderful occasion.

NOTE TO READERS: If you ever get a chance to visit Barbados -- DO IT!

ADVOCACY IN ACTION

2009-06-08T19:32:00.004-04:00

I just returned from the AHDI/MTIA fourth Advocacy Summit and I can tell you without reservation that this one was the best yet! We had 83 participants including MTs, educators, and business owners. I don't know the total number of visits to Capitol Hill we made but it I'll bet it was over 150 and 44 states were represented. Next year, please be sure your state is represented [at least with letters] so we can drive the point home that without the intelligent worker [MTs] editing speech recognized medical records, errors will be the norm. I believe we made our point and were very well-received by our legislators.

We will be having follow-up meetings throughout the year, both in Washington, DC and at the State level when our representatives return to their districts on hiatus.

We are still awaiting an appointment with our new First Lady to discuss the Military Spouse Initiative but will take that meeting whenever it occurs.

Our AHDI president, Susan Lucci and our CEO, Peter Preziosi had a very informative meeting with the Department of Defense so be on the lookout for that update soon.

I encourage anyone reading this blog to start saving your money now for the 2010 Advocacy Summit. It is important that we keep going back year after year to visit our legislators because they absolutely remember who we are and what we bring to table.

Remember, if you're not at the table, you're on the menu!!!

EDUCATION SUNSHINE STATE STYLE

2009-05-20T14:53:00.002-04:00

I've just returned from the 27th Annual AHDI-FL Symposium in Kissimmee, Florida. We were honored to have both Susan Lucci, 209 AHDI President and Barb Marques, 2009 AHDI President-Elect in attendance. The onsite coordinator for this meeting was Vallie Piloian, past AHDI BOD President and Debbie Wolfe, AHDI-FL President, did a marvelous job overseeing the meeting for all 107 attendees. The speakers were outstanding and the vendor area was packed with a nice cross-section of vendors. We managed to sell several items at the AHDI booth and had an opportunity to demonstrate the Knowledge Base [KB] to many, many people over the three-day conference. I venture to say a few folks will be ordering their KB license very soon.

For me, it was also an opportunity to reconnect with friends I had not seen in over a year due to my busy schedule as AHDI President last year. We had lots of laughs and even a few tears. Hopefully, we can do more of the same at ACE in Nashville this summer. Networking with colleagues, continuing one's education, and sharing experiences still rates as important reasons to attend as many conferences as possible.

Congratulations AHDI-FL on an outstanding meeting!

MTIA CONFERENCE REVIEW

2009-04-26T15:22:00.002-04:00

I've only attended four MTIA conferences in my lifetime but this last one was, in a word, AMAZING! The speakers were on point with regard to where our two associations need to be going forward and what we need to know to manage or work for successful businesses, regardless of their size. In fact, the thought I constantly had running through my head was, "Why aren't ALL MT business owners here -- regardless of their size?" If business owners, I dare say especially small ones, are not up-to-date on all of the new HIPAA regulations alone, I fear they could be in deep trouble beginning in January of 2010. Gear-up should be in progress by August 2009, according to Scott Edelstein, Esq., the speaker for this presentation.

The SRT Summit was an open discussion of how everyone, documentation professionals included, need to prepare for increased use of speech recognition technology and the Q/A Summit began an in depth discussion for defining quality. The ultimate goal of this cross section of professionals will be to produce a Q/A document suitable for all users, MTSO, HIM directors, and documentation professionals regardless of whether "traditional" transcription is used or back-end SRT editing is utilized. Stay tuned for updates from both of these groups.

More news next week. . . .

OFF TO MTIA CONFERENCE

2009-04-21T12:01:00.002-04:00

I leave tomorrow morning for my fourth MTIA Conference -- this year in Louisville, Kentucky. By all accounts it looks like another wonderful educational opportunity for business owners, both large and small.

I'm especially looking forward to the Q/A Summit as I know how much work has gone into this presentation and how important it is to our 2009 AHDI president, Susan Lucci. I just know it will be innovative and will break new ground in this important deliverable for all healthcare documentation businesses.

Quality Assurance is a very important "value add" and starts with the MT taking pride in her/his work and ends with the Q/A specialist providing educational feedback in a timely manner so that a learning experience takes place. The number one reason most MTs love their careers is the ongoing education. Medicine is changing every day and continuing education is an absolute must for all documentation professionals. Once the learning stops, the boredom begins.

I recommend that all of us make the commitment to continue our education and constantly upgrade our skill set for our entire career in order to keep our minds sharp and to provide the very best quality assurance we can. This is truly our edge in light of speech recognition technology.

DON'T SIT ON THE SIDELINES. . .

2009-04-11T12:47:00.002-04:00

It was reported in the Health IT Strategist that the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs will be working together to create a Joint Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record which will streamline the transfer of active-duty military and veterans' health records between the two departments.

Many things have changed for all of us since the days when ones medical record and the information contained therein was the property of the health care facility or health care provider. I recall trying repeatedly to obtain the records of my children, born at a military hospital, so I could take them with me, when my husband was discharged, should that information be needed for my premature twins. Unfortunately, I was not permitted to have those records and was told they are the property of the United States Government and the Military. I was, however, quite determined and eventually succeeded in obtaining those records but it wasn't easy.

I'm excited by the access possibilities contained within an electronic health record and the believe, as does President Obama, that it will reduce duplication, reduce medical errors, and provide all Americans with total access so they can be advocates in their own "Health Story Project."

Working with AHDI to ensure a place for the intelligent worker [MTs] in the electronic health record arena is also exciting. Participating in the AHDI Advocacy Summit is one of the best ways to do just that so I urge you to consider adding the Advocacy Summit to your calendar.

Don't sit on the sidelines. Follow me to the AHDI Advocacy Summit!

MORE MILITARY SPOUSE NEWS TO SHARE!

2009-04-06T15:00:00.002-04:00

June 26th through 28th, I will be traveling to Columbus, Indiana to participate in the INKY Military Spouse Informational at Camp Atterbury with Director Sherry Doggett and Tania Mercurio of Operation Life Transformed. The Camp has informed LuAnn Guilfoyle that they are inviting 1000 people. If course, we really don't expect 1000 people [can you just imagine!!!] but we're excited nevertheless. We are thrilled that OLT will be awarding two scholarships to deserving spouses and we are hoping for a major presence by AHDI-approved schools as well as MTIA member companies at this event. Of course, I will report, via this blog, after the fact to keep you all informed.

I also plan to provide one or two creditworthy presentations for the INKY members to round out the weekend.

Obviously INKY has chosen the Military Spouse Informational option from the Mission Possible choices and I'm thrilled to be assisting their regional component with this worthy choice. Any choice made by components is a good choice but I am especially excited when Military Spouse is chosen for so many reason, not the least of which is that I was once a military spouse myself and couldn't get a job if my life depended on it. I was constantly told, "We don't hire military wives." I'm thrilled with the wisdom of the DOD and DOL who said medical transcription is a viable option for military spouses because of its portability and, although I know I'm biased, having been in this profession for 30 years, it's not the only career choice for them but an excellent one in my estimation. I certainly wish I had known about MT back in the late 60s and early 70s when I couldn't find a job to help my family.

Best regards to all who read my blog regularly -- it is much appreciated!

A SHOUT OUT TO TEXAS

2009-03-28T15:03:00.002-04:00

Just had to update my blog with the wonderful report from the Capital Chapter in Austin, Texas. Three of their dedicated members recently participated in another Career Day event. The "Career Connections Seminar" was primarily for military spouses but also included clients of Workforce Solutions of Central Texas. The event was co-sponsored by the Ft. Hood Army Community Service - Employment Readiness Branch.

These three chapter members were Monica Crocker, CMT, Marilyn Campbell, CMT, and Kathy Muelker, CMT [a brand new CMT, I might add!]. These women represented the medical transcription profession as well as AHDI simultaneously with two of our most important initiatives -- WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT and MILITARY SPOUSE OUTREACH. They even set up a laptop for attendees to register online at the AHDI military spouse database [once again, thinking outside the box]. The attendees at this event totaled approximately 60, an excellent turnout for a cold and rainy Friday -- see photo....

Bravo to the Capital Chapter of AHDI for once again going the extra mile for our association!

SPRING IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER

2009-03-15T09:33:00.002-04:00

Many folks are anxiously waiting for the snow to melt and the blooms to appear on trees again signaling the "new awakening" seen every spring. Even though I live in Florida, where spring comes and goes without too much change, I will say this year we had more cold weather than previously -- it got down to 19 degrees Fahrenheit here in north central Florida. I'm not complaining, however, as I did get to wear a bunch a sweaters I normally reserve for travel up north.

As we all welcome spring it's time to look forward toward Medical Transcriptionist Week and, as you plan celebrations for your components or in your workplaces, I urge you to check the following AHDI website link: http://www.ahdionline.org/scriptcontent/eMTWeek.cfm.

CHECK THIS OUT!

2009-03-06T13:53:00.002-05:00

Here's the latest link to the AHDI website for information about the 2009 ACE in Nashville. I urge you to take a take a closer look at this incredible hotel [Gaylord Opryland] and all the exciting events planned for our members this year.

http://www.ahdionline.org/scriptcontent/amhub.cfm.

Stay tuned for some VERY EXCITING news regarding MT Week -- As soon as that information has been posted to the AHDI website, I'll post another blog entry with the information.

See you at ACE 2009!

NEW YEAR -- NEW GOALS

2009-02-20T12:16:00.002-05:00

I can hardly believe it's February already but your AHDI Board of Directors has already had its first meeting via webinar. This webinar technology allows your board to save a great deal of travel time and money for the Association. We've been using webinar technology for our regular monthly board meetings for quite some time but this was the first time we used it for what normally would have been our first quarter face-to-face meeting. The meeting was accomplished over two days for a total of about 6 hours and went extremely well. I wouldn't be surprised if this trend continues.

Our new President, Susan Lucci, RHIT, CMT, AHDI-F had each board member submit to her our goals for 2009 with regard to where we plan to place our emphasis on the various association initiatives. Of course, the major focus for me will continue to be Military Spouses and Workforce Development along with our Next-Gen Campaign, Advocacy, membership recruitment, and credentialing. I would appreciate hearing from those of you who keep up with this blog about these topics. Let me know how these initiatives are working in your area and let me know if I can be of any assistance to you regarding these or others.

In the meantime, I'm back to work full-time for Expert Medical Transcription and am enjoying the relative "down time" when compared to last year as president when the term "down time" was not in my vocabulary.

Finally, let me refer you to my recent article for Advance online at the following link:

http://health-information.advanceweb.com/editorial/content/editorial.aspx?cc=193598

HANDING OVER THE GAVEL

2008-12-29T14:45:00.003-05:00

In just two days I turn over the AHDI presidency to my friend and colleague, Susan Lucci, RHIT, CMT, AHDI-F and, although serving my professional association as its president for 2008 was an amazing experience for me, I step down on December 31st without regret and confident that 2009 will be another wonderful year for AHDI and its members. Susan has many innovative ideas to share with the Board of Directors and I know she has our full support going forward.

It has been my honor to lead the 2008 Board and I appreciate their unwavering support in my efforts. As we say goodbye to Cathy Baughman, CMT, AHDI-F and Jacque Taylor, AHDI-F whose terms expire on 12/31/08, three new board members have been elected to begin their terms on 01/01/09. They are Debbie Bright-Chunn, CMT, AHDI-F, Karen Fox-Acosta, CMT, AHDI-F, and Kristin Hagen, AHDI-F. I know all three of these capable professionals are anxious to get started and I can't wait to begin the new year along side them. Of course, we also have a new President-Elect in the very capable Barbara Marques, CMT, AHDI-F who will shadow Susan next year in preparation for her 2010 presidency.

I would be remiss if I didn't take this opportunity to publicly thank my employer, Expert Medical Transcription [EMT] and Ken Schafer for his support while I served the AHDI membership as president this year. Not only do I appreciate his understanding when I rarely had time to transcribe due to my AHDI responsibilities [I am a working MT and my average daily production in 2008 was less than 200 lines per day] but also because he sent money to the AHDI Administrative Office every month to help underwrite my travel expenses. Now that's what I call a very special employer. I have worked for Ken for over 10 years and I look forward to "earning my keep" in 2009 and beyond. Thanks, Ken, for setting the bar high for others to follow -- you're the best!

Happy New Year to all -- now let's get busy recruiting new members and make 2009 another banner year for AHDI!

IT'S HOLIDAY TIME ONCE MORE

2008-12-07T14:49:00.002-05:00

Well, the Holidays are just around the corner and so is the end of my term as the AHDI President. I remember how I was feeling last year at this time when looking forward to my term with great anticipation, excitement, and a little trepidation. Now, looking back, it feels that most everything went as planned. The association increased its footprint in the marketplace with its partnership with MTIA, who are now looking at a rebranding for 2009. We made great strides recruiting military spouses into our approved schools, with some 600 about to graduate and go to work for our MTIA member companies. We also had a very successful Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida featuring The Disney Institute, Linda Kloss, CEO of AHIMA, and Dr. G: Medical Examiner. [BTW, her book, "How Not To Die" should be available].

There were a great many more achievements by the AHDI Board and House of
Delegates including new BOD and HOD Blasts sent monthly to all members and a successful election of three new directors Debbie Bright-Chunn, Karen Fox-Acosta, and Kristen Hagen [as we say goodbye to Cathy Baughman, immediate past president, and Jacque Taylor, secretary] and a new Speaker-Elect in Bonnie Monico.

AHDI and MTIA went to Capitol Hill and advocated for our industry together and in just six months, we'll do it again -- even louder and stronger than before! This stuff just gets better and better. It's my goal to get a meeting with Michelle Obama, our new First Lady, as one of her interests is Military Families -- I'll keep you posted on how that goes.

It was my privilege to make many trips this year to components all over the country and I am very appreciative of the support I received from those components individually and from Expert Medical Transcription, my employer, who sent money to AHDI every month to underwrite my expenses. Every chance possible this fact was mentioned as I traveled from place to place but I wanted to mention it here as well. I am fortunate to have worked for EMT for over 10 years now and wouldn't have it any other way. I'm looking forward to "earning my keep" now that my term as President is nearly over.

Next year will bring additional time for me to do even more Military Spouse Informationals, NextGen Informationals, and PHR Informationals while also working on the Workforce Development SIG. Next year will also bring more opportunity for each of us to recruit new members into our association and strengthen those already here. At this time of uncertainty with regard to our economy, it's comforting to know that we have a virtually recession-proof profession and, I'd don't know about all of you, but I intend to share that message with as many folks as possible. After all, I'm one of those Baby Boomers who hopes to retire in a couple of years and we need new documentation professionals to take our place so we can sail off into the sunset of our golden years......

To everyone reading this blog, thank you for your support and thank you all for the opportunity to serve you as President of AHDI for 2008 -- it was indeed my honor to have done so and I will remember each and every experience for the rest of my life.

SOUTHERN CHARM -- GEORGIA/ALABAMA REGIONAL MEETING

2008-11-17T13:23:00.003-05:00

Susan Lucci and I were fortunate to attend the GA/AL Regional meeting in Birmingham, Alabama this weekend and what a great meeting it was. Congratulations to Denise Vadnais, CMT and her team for all of their hard work.

Friday began with about 25 people sitting for a CPR recertification course offered by an American Red Cross instructor. We are anxiously awaiting our certification cards but I'm fairly confident that everyone passed.

Saturday morning started with a speech on taking risks by a member of Toastmasters which fit perfectly with the AHDI mission. After all, who knows more about risk taking than MTs? Following this Susan, Chad Sines [AL/GA Delegate], and I participated in a panel discussion. We began by sharing some of what’s new and exciting at AHDI to include information about the Interfix Knowledge Base [KB], For More Information or Order Now which generated much interest, Advocacy Summit, our Next Gen Campaign, and other initiatives. Susan shared her vision for 2009 with the group along with discussion related to many other issues. Chad then discussed options for improving membership in local components and the possibility of expanding the AL/GA Regional to include other states. We then opened it up to a Q&A session.

Following lunch, we were taken over to the University of Alabama. Birmingham [UAB] simulation laboratory where the nursing director gave a demonstration using the anatomically correct, very lifelike “robot” they use to train physicians, nurses, and military EMS personnel how to perform various medical procedures which include, but are not limited to, intubation [sometimes under sniper fire in the case of the military folks], chest tube placement, AED resuscitations, all ACLS protocols, tracheotomies, etc. This was amazing to say the least and the attendees were raving about it for the rest of the meeting. This nursing director was so excited about our program that he came back with us and attended the rest of the Saturday sessions. He excused himself only when he had to fly to Hurlburt Field in Florida for a training session but not before he listened to a brief explanation of our Military Spouse Initiative [by yours truly]. He subsequently offered to take brochures [I just happened to have about 50] with him to the family center at Hurlburt Field! He also volunteered to be a presenter in Nashville -- with the robot of course. I certainly hope this works out as I believe our ACE attendees would enjoy it as much as we did.

The final speaker on Sunday morning was a fellow in the Medical Examiner's office who was so entertaining you forgot he was an ME. I’ll bet, with the help of Denise Vadnais, we can get him to come to Nashville also! Anyone who went to ACE in Orlando understands the draw of a medical examiner....

Many thanks go out to the GA/AL Regional for allowing us to participate in your meeting and meet so many fabulous people. Oh, I nearly forgot the best part -- every person who attended the meeting was an AHDI member -- how fabulous is that!!!

AHIMA MEETING - SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

2008-10-23T09:55:00.003-04:00

Once again, an amazing line up of speakers was on hand for the 80th Annual AHIMA Meeting in Seattle and the vendor area was as crowded as usual with incredible displays to attract the eye of the attendee. Your AHDI leaders represented you well at a joint meeting between AHDI, MTIA, and AHIMA and many initiatives were discussed that are ongoing or on the table for 2009.

We also had a booth in the vendor area at which information was disseminated to those attendees who stopped by and multiple demos of the knowledge base or KB [an Interfix, Stedman's, AHDI collaboration] were provided. All in all, another wonderful conference I was privileged to attend. FYI - AHIMA will be meeting in Texas next year and I would encourage anyone reading this blog to consider attending if at all possible -- you won't be disappointed.

AHDI's FOURTH QUARTER BOARD MEETING

2008-10-23T10:04:00.002-04:00

Our fourth quarter board meeting was held in Portland, Oregon following the AHIMA meeting in Seattle. As many board members as possible bunked at the home of director Barb Marques in order to save money and Barb was instrumental in securing speakers for a "free" Friday half-day educational session providing three [3] medical/legal CECs. Thanks SO much Barb for all your efforts on behalf of the board and those members who attended these sessions.

We had a very busy board meeting with an ambitious agenda. We had to review the strategic plan with the assistance of our CEO, Peter Preziosi, we had to provide time for our 2009 president, Susan Lucci, to present her vision for next year and to reveal all committee chairs, and board partner assignments for her term. We also had to elect officers for 2009 who are as follows:

Treasurer -- Sherry Doggett
Secretary -- Kristin Hagen, AHDI-F
President-Elect -- Barbara Marques, CMT, AHDI-F

Many congratulations go out to our new officers and congratulations also go to those directors who presented themselves for the above-noted officer positions but were unsuccessful in their first attempt: Karen Fox-Acosta, Harriet Stewart, and Ava George. Having two candidates for each position is a wonderful thing and shows just how dedicated your board of directors is, however, one will be successful and one will not and this always makes for much wringing of the hands and disappointment by all present. My wish is that their first attempt will not be their last and I wish them success next year -- after all it took running for election to the AHDI board three times for me to finally be successful! So, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again!

Sadly we also had to say good-bye to Jacque Taylor, AHDI-F [secretary] and Cathy Baughman, CMT, AHDI-F [immediate past-president] as their board terms have ended. Both were presented with plaques and the appreciation of all for their dedication to our association and its members. I can assure you that neither of these women will disappear from view as much still needs to be accomplished and they are in it for the long haul.

Following our educational sessions, the 2008 board and our three new board members for 2009 [Karen Fox-Acosta, Kristin Hagen, and Debbie Bright-Chunn] and others did some exploring in and around Portland, including climbing a mountain for a better look at the falls. Finally, we were treated to a wonderful pasta dinner at Barb Marques' home after feeding apples to alpacas at a farm next door to Barb -- and I have pictures to prove it!

NEWS UPDATE: My last fireside chat as president will be at 7:00 p.m. Eastern on 11/19/08 -- please come, ask questions, and share ideas!

CAPITAL CHAPTER 25TH ANNIVERSARY MEETING

2008-10-06T10:23:00.004-04:00

I was honored to be the keynote speaker for the Capital Chapter's 25th Anniversary Meeting in Austin, Texas this past weekend. Other speakers included John Hays, M.D., a cardiologist who showed videos of cardiac catheterizations with explanations of what we were viewing, Ashley Katz, MSW, executive director of Patient Privacy Rights who provided eye-opening information regarding the sale of PHI by various entities, Ellen Drake, CMT, AHDI-F [AHDI's 2008 Educator of the Year], who spoke on interpreting difficult dictation, and Marlene Schoenberg, Ed.M., CCC /Sp, who provided tips for understanding ESL dictators. There were 64 attendees and 4 new AHDI members were signed up during the meeting. A wonderful time of education, information sharing, and networking was had by all and Kathy Muelker, RMT, Capital Chapter President and her team are to be commended for this wonderful event.

On Friday, prior to the meeting, we had an outstanding Military Spouse Informational at Central Texas College across the street from Fort Hood with 24 military spouses in attendance. An amazing amount of interest was generated in medical transcription as a portable career and, in fact, Operation Life Transformed awarded a $3000 scholarship to one lucky attendee. Many thanks go out to Central Texas College, one of our ACCP approved schools for hosting this event, to Operation Life Transformed, and to the Capital Chapter for setting this up for us. The venue was perfect and the enthusiasm was palpable. A special thank you also goes to Kathy's husband, Jack who helped us with the audio/visual equipment during this MSI as well as during the Capital Chapter meeting -- everything would have been nearly impossible without his expertise.

All in all -- deep in the heart of Texas is a wonderful place to spend a weekend......