bree aaham spring 2009 · resume mistakes 11 revenue cycle check-up fall conference registration 12...

17
Feeling a little stressed? Don’t feel like the Lone Ranger. Everyone is feeling the pressure. Multitasking is now the norm not the ex- ception. Horror stories of people losing their jobs and homes are in the media every day. We as healthcare professionals should be counting our blessings that our industry is grow- ing not regressing. We are very fortunate to be employed by an industry that is bursting at the seams. Sure, consolidations sometimes require us to move to a new location or take a new po- sition but that‘s a small price to pay for being in a growing profession with a steady income, benefits and health insurance. Recently I was traveling along the I95 corridor and noticed two brand new hospitals under construction. Several healthcare facilities in North Carolina are con- structing multi story heart and cancer centers. What a great sign of growth for the healthcare industry and job security for us. Speaking of growth have you checked out the new and improved chapter website? Go to www.aahamcarolina.org. You will be impressed. Looking for a job? Need to locate a fellow chap- ter member or ask for feedback on a subject or problem you are dealing with at your facility? It’s all there. You can search for educational opportunities and even register and pay on- line for conferences and seminars. There’s even a section to record your feedback and recommen- dations on how you think the website can bet- ter serve you. A lot of time and effort has gone into building this helpful tool. Please use it often and record your suggestions. National and Chapter Elections for 2010/2011 officers are fast approaching. We are honored to have two of our own on the ballot for Na- tional positions. Laurie Shoaf is running for a second term as National AAHAM President and Lori Sickelbaugh has been nominated for Na- tional Secretary. We wish both Laurie and Lori the best of luck and want them to know we are very proud of them for their contributions to AAHAM. On a local level will you accept a posi- tion of leadership in the Carolina Chapter or do you know a chapter member who is ready to lead us to the next level? Your ideas and sugges- tions or style of leadership may just be what is needed. Please consider this opportunity of leadership if asked. The rewards of personal satisfaction and taking a leadership role in the growth of the chapter truly outweigh the re- sponsibilities of the office. I hope you attended the AAHAM Spring Confer- ence at the Grove Park Inn in May. If you missed it you missed a good one. The event was well attended and provided participants many hours of quality education. The Education Committee took your suggestions and orchestrated a fact filled, fun retreat that had something for every- one. A highlight of the event was Thursday nights “Thursday Night Fever”. Participants donned afros, tie died shirts, bell bottomed pants and high heeled boots to dance the night away at the “60’s” party with Sid The Surf. Every- one truly had a great time. Our next AAHAM opportunity for education is November 4th. The Carolina and Virginia chap- ters are offering a joint one-day seminar “New Perspectives On Revenue Cycle Training And Performance Standards” at the Koury Conven- tion Center in Greensboro. We are very excited to partner with the Virginia Chapter and look forward to future joint activities with our neighboring state. Topics for the seminar include “Business Office Boot Camp” and “Productivity Standards”. Please mark November 4th now on your calendars for the conference. I hope to see you there! Sincerely, Steve Duncan, President, Carolina Chapter AAHAM President’s Message INSIDE THIS ISSUE: AAHAM Board 2 2009 Corporate Partners 3 2009 Annual Conference 5 Certification Calendar 6 Member Spotlight 8 CPAM Certification 9 Time Manage- ment Tips 10 Events & New Members 4 Top Five Resume Mistakes 11 Revenue Cycle Check-up Fall Conference Registration 12 13- 17 BECOME A MEMBER TODAY! CAROLINA COMMUNICATOR FALL 2009 Certification Quotes 7

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Page 1: Bree AAHAM SPRING 2009 · Resume Mistakes 11 Revenue Cycle Check-up Fall Conference Registration 12 13- 17 BECOME A MEMBER TODAY! CAROLINA ... Reid Davis, Carolinas Healthcare System

Feeling a little stressed?

Don’t feel like the Lone

Ranger. Everyone is feeling

the pressure. Multitasking is

now the norm not the ex-

ception. Horror stories of

people losing their jobs and

homes are in the media

every day. We as healthcare

professionals should be

counting our blessings that our industry is grow-

ing not regressing. We are very fortunate to be

employed by an industry that is bursting at the

seams. Sure, consolidations sometimes require

us to move to a new location or take a new po-

sition but that‘s a small price to pay for being in

a growing profession with a steady income,

benefits and health insurance. Recently I was

traveling along the I95 corridor and noticed two

brand new hospitals under construction. Several

healthcare facilities in North Carolina are con-

structing multi story heart and cancer centers.

What a great sign of growth for the healthcare

industry and job security for us.

Speaking of growth have you checked out the

new and improved chapter website? Go to

www.aahamcarolina.org. You will be impressed.

Looking for a job? Need to locate a fellow chap-

ter member or ask for feedback on a subject or

problem you are dealing with at your facility?

It’s all there. You can search for educational

opportunities and even register and pay on- line

for conferences and seminars. There’s even a

section to record your feedback and recommen-

dations on how you think the website can bet-

ter serve you. A lot of time and effort has gone

into building this helpful tool. Please use it often

and record your suggestions.

National and Chapter Elections for 2010/2011

officers are fast approaching. We are honored

to have two of our own on the ballot for Na-

tional positions. Laurie Shoaf is running for a

second term as National AAHAM President and

Lori Sickelbaugh has been nominated for Na-

tional Secretary. We wish both Laurie and Lori

the best of luck and want them to know we are

very proud of them for their contributions to

AAHAM. On a local level will you accept a posi-

tion of leadership in the Carolina Chapter or do

you know a chapter member who is ready to

lead us to the next level? Your ideas and sugges-

tions or style of leadership may just be what is

needed. Please consider this opportunity of

leadership if asked. The rewards of personal

satisfaction and taking a leadership role in the

growth of the chapter truly outweigh the re-

sponsibilities of the office.

I hope you attended the AAHAM Spring Confer-

ence at the Grove Park Inn in May. If you missed

it you missed a good one. The event was well

attended and provided participants many hours

of quality education. The Education Committee

took your suggestions and orchestrated a fact

filled, fun retreat that had something for every-

one. A highlight of the event was Thursday

nights “Thursday Night Fever”. Participants

donned afros, tie died shirts, bell bottomed

pants and high heeled boots to dance the night

away at the “60’s” party with Sid The Surf. Every-

one truly had a great time.

Our next AAHAM opportunity for education is

November 4th. The Carolina and Virginia chap-

ters are offering a joint one-day seminar “New

Perspectives On Revenue Cycle Training And

Performance Standards” at the Koury Conven-

tion Center in Greensboro. We are very excited

to partner with the Virginia Chapter and look

forward to future joint activities with our

neighboring state. Topics for the seminar include

“Business Office Boot Camp” and “Productivity

Standards”. Please mark November 4th now on

your calendars for the conference.

I hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

Steve Duncan,

President, Carolina Chapter AAHAM

President’s Message INS IDE TH IS

I S SUE :

AAHAM

Board

2

2009 Corporate

Partners

3

2009 Annual

Conference

5

Certification

Calendar

6

Member

Spotlight

8

CPAM

Certification

9

Time Manage-

ment Tips

10

Events &

New Members

4

Top Five

Resume

Mistakes

11

Revenue

Cycle

Check-up

Fall

Conference

Registration

12

13-

17

B E COM E A M EM B E R

T OD A Y !

CAROLINA COMMUNICATOR

F A L L 2 0 0 9

Certification

Quotes

7

Page 2: Bree AAHAM SPRING 2009 · Resume Mistakes 11 Revenue Cycle Check-up Fall Conference Registration 12 13- 17 BECOME A MEMBER TODAY! CAROLINA ... Reid Davis, Carolinas Healthcare System

Chairman of the Board Lori Sickelbaugh, CPAM

President Steve Duncan

First Vice President John Cook

Treasurer Amy Hooker

Secretary/Publications Chairman Bree Stokes

Certification Chairman Kevin Young, CPAM

Corporate Partner Chairman Debbie Gray

Membership Chairman Wanda Welch

Education Chairman Charlynne Lynch

Historian Qwanda Fisher-Jones

Legislative Chairman Glenn Martin, CPAM

Constitution & Bylaws Chairman Susan Phelps, MBA/MHA, CPAM

Carolina AAHAM Executive

Board and Committee Chairs

P A G E 2

Chapter Excellence Chairman Theresa Johnson, CPAM

Page 3: Bree AAHAM SPRING 2009 · Resume Mistakes 11 Revenue Cycle Check-up Fall Conference Registration 12 13- 17 BECOME A MEMBER TODAY! CAROLINA ... Reid Davis, Carolinas Healthcare System

P A G E 3

Thanks to all of our

2009 Corporate

Partners for their

support of Carolina

AAHAM.

2009 Corporate Partners

Contact Debbie Gray

for more information of

how to become a

Corporate

Partner

(252) 522-7676 or

[email protected]

C A R O L I N A C O M M U N I C A T O R

Company Name Website Address Contact Person

AccessOne

Medcard, Inc.

www.AccessOneMedcard.com

Tony Mary

[email protected]

704-301-7278

ACRYNESS www.ACRYNESS.com John Cook

[email protected]

704-799-3550

Collection Com-

panies of Amer-

ica

www.cca-us.com Denise Martin

[email protected]

800-886-9177 x14311

CMD

Outsourcing

Solutions,

www.CMDIGI.com David Cooper

[email protected]

888-817-7575 ext 254

FirstPoint Collec-

tion Resources,

Inc./ Mosaic Out-

source Solutions

www.firstpointresources.com

Steve Duncan & Steve Ford

[email protected]

[email protected]

800-678-4580

Ingram & Asso-

ciates

www.ingram1.com Eric Currie

[email protected]

615-778-3778

Jon Barry &

Associates,

Inc

www.jbarry.com Brylan Gann

[email protected]

800-264-0384

Outsource Re-

ceivable Ser-

vices, Inc.

www.outsourcereceivableservi

ces.com

Van Cates

[email protected]

om

336-978-8426

PMAB,LLC /

Med RX

www.pmab.com Ruthie Waters

[email protected]

704-779-0827

ParrishShaw &

Co.

www.parrishshaw.com

Julie Shaw/Brent Parrish

[email protected]

800-872-1818 x116

Professional

Recovery

Consultants

www.prorecovery.com Geoff Miller

[email protected]

919-489-7791

Page 4: Bree AAHAM SPRING 2009 · Resume Mistakes 11 Revenue Cycle Check-up Fall Conference Registration 12 13- 17 BECOME A MEMBER TODAY! CAROLINA ... Reid Davis, Carolinas Healthcare System

Upcoming

Events

P A G E 4

October 14-16, 2009—2009 Annual Na-

tional Institute

Location:

Fairmont Scottsdale Princess

Scottsdale, AZ

November 4, 2009—AAHAM Carolina

Chapter Winter Conference

Location:

Koury Convention Center

Greensboro, NC

Join the Carolina Chapter of AAHAM today!

Contact Wanda Welch at

(336) 716-3154 for

Membership Information.

Jeanette Adams, Carolinas Healthcare Systems 6/10/2009

Debbie Carthen, Duke University Health System 6/15/2009

Reid Davis, Carolinas Healthcare System 1/27/2009

Michael Excell, Duke University Health System 1/30/2009

Rhonda Fields, Carolinas Healthcare System 6/10/2009

Ketki Green, Duke University Health System 2/10/2009

Donna Lewis, Carolina Healthcare System 1/27/2009

Donald Mitchell, Consultant/Iterim Revenue Cycle 1/7/2009

Mariya Narodny, Carolinas Healthcare System 6/10/2009

Deborah Salley, Carolina Healthcare System 1/27/2009

Alvin Shavers, American Redcross 2/27/2009

Pamella Simpson, Carolinas Healthcare System 6/10/2009

Welcome to our NEW MEMBERS

Carolina AAHAM

Page 5: Bree AAHAM SPRING 2009 · Resume Mistakes 11 Revenue Cycle Check-up Fall Conference Registration 12 13- 17 BECOME A MEMBER TODAY! CAROLINA ... Reid Davis, Carolinas Healthcare System

P A G E 5

C A R O L I N A C O M M U N I C A T O R

Transition into Today’s Healthcare Environment

2009 Annual Conference

AAHAM Carolina Chapter

Once again, the annual gathering of revenue cycle profession-als took place in Asheville at the Grove Park Inn for the AAHAM Carolina Chapter Annual Conference. Always perfect weather during May, we always enjoy the opportunity to join together. We were afforded many opportunities for networking, relevant education, relaxation, and a little disco. As customary, we started the event with the President’s Re-ception. Attendees had the opportunity to spend time with col-leagues, peers, friends, and Corporate Sponsors. Following the reception, many had the opportunity to try some of the well known restaurants in the Asheville area. We started the morning early on Thursday. Our goal was to provide as much education to our attendees that would be possi-ble in our time together. The Chapter provided sessions for such critical issues as Red Flag compliance, RAC audit documentation requirements, banking and healthcare, Medicare bad debt regula-tions, and the changing face of revenue cycle and where the fu-ture is heading. Attendees also had the opportunity to attend sessions related to productivity and quality. Another aspect of our time together included sessions on giving and receiving feed-back, followed by keys to effective leadership in our diverse work-force. We once again had the opportunity to receive timely up-dates from the North Carolina Hospital Association. Following our banquet, we were taken back to the 70’s with a dance party and disco. The platform shoes (I still have a pair) and bell bottoms transformed the evening. If you want to see what I

am talking about go to www.sidthesurf.com and view the pictures from our event. The Chapter recognized Lori Sickelbaugh, Past President and current Chapter Chairperson of the Board for receiving her CPAM certification. Debbie Gray and Charlynne Lynch were recognized for their tireless contributions to our Chap-ter by being presented the Chapter and President’s awards. I received a lot of positive comments from attendees shar-ing how much they enjoy the opportunity to attend educa-tional events specific to their needs. If I had to say what im-pressed me the most that would be simple. It is the opportu-nity to learn and spend time together. We look forward to seeing you in 2010.

John Cook First Vice-President

Carolina AAHAM

Page 6: Bree AAHAM SPRING 2009 · Resume Mistakes 11 Revenue Cycle Check-up Fall Conference Registration 12 13- 17 BECOME A MEMBER TODAY! CAROLINA ... Reid Davis, Carolinas Healthcare System

Ask about being

certified today!!

September 21-26, 2009

Fall CPAM/CCAM exams held

November 9-20, 2009

CPAT/CCAT/CCT exams held

December 1, 2009

Registration Deadline

for February 2010

CPAT/CCAT/CCT exams

P A G E 6

C A R O L I N A C O M M U N I C A T O R

2009 AAHAM Certification Calendar

CPAT

1) Accepting credit card payments is a hospital requirement under HIPAA.

True or False

2) Insurance company A follows the birthday rule. A child’s parents both

carry the child on their employer health plan. The Mother was born on March

1, 1964 and the father was born on January 1, 1984. Mother’s insurance is

primary because she was born first. True or False

3) Bill type 131 is:

A) Inpatient Claim

B) Skilled nursing facility claim

C) Hospital outpatient single encounter claim

D) Part B only claim

CPAM:

List the advantages and disadvantages of Pre-registration.

List the 5 elements of the Patient Bill of Rights.

Describe the four types of consents to treat a patient.

MSP Questionaire:

When must it be completed?

What does it ask? Why?

How long do you have to keep it?

Thinking about becoming Certified?

Here are a few sample CPAT questions. Let’s see how you do.

Answers: 1) False 2) False 3) C

If you are interested in taking the exam or attending a study session, or if you would just like more information, please contact Kevin Young, CPAM, at (336) 277-1208 or [email protected].

Page 7: Bree AAHAM SPRING 2009 · Resume Mistakes 11 Revenue Cycle Check-up Fall Conference Registration 12 13- 17 BECOME A MEMBER TODAY! CAROLINA ... Reid Davis, Carolinas Healthcare System

In 2004, the University of Pennsylvania Health System began a voluntary CPAT/CCAT certification program

to support staff level persons- working as part of the revenue cycle. UPHS will pay for any candi-date to

take the test up to three times. The program is very popular with staff, who recognize the investment that

UPHS is making in their personal development. The Patient Accounting Department now offers a Certifi-

cation Payment reward for passing the exam, paid out annually for three years on the individual’s certifi-

cation anniversary.

- University of Pennsylvania

As an employer, I encourage my entire staff to develop themselves profes-sionally through certification. I want

to be sure that they understand the basics of patient accounting and they are rewarded financially for do-

ing so. I am also aware that at least two facilities in my area provide "certification bonuses" for their staff

members. We stress the benefits of hiring certified employees at all of our Educational Sessions.

-Bruce Scheller, CPAM Executive Vice-President Apple Financial Management Services

As a "front-end" person, my association with AAHAM has been invaluable. It has helped me to train & edu-

cate my staff regarding the importance of the front-end work. It has also served to bridge the gap between

Registration and Patient Account staff.

- Betty Bopst, CPAM,

Director Of Admissions,

Mercy Medical Center

AAHAM Certification was important to me as an accomplishment when I worked in the hospital environment.

My certification then became more important and an element of credibility as I began working outside that

environment in sales relating to Healthcare Finance.

-Mary White

AAHAM is my lifeline and has been my unlimited resource conduit for 24+ years. The networking and educa-

tional opportunities offered by AAHAM made it possible for me to conquer one patient accounting chal-

lenge after another in order to be the best that I can be. If you have a patient accounting issue/problem,

one of your AAHAM peers has the answer!

- Betty Burch, CPAM,

Director Marketing Development,

My employer considers the CPAM exam to be the best indication of knowledge in our field. Passing this test

was a promise I made to myself and my Corporate Director when I was promoted to my current position. It

was very gratifying to prove to myself that I could pass this difficult exam, and that my years of experience

and hard work were evident to all by the CPAM designation after my name!

- Victoria Di Tomaso, CPAM

System Director,

Central Business Office

Lee Memorial Health Systems

As an employer, I encourage my entire staff to develop themselves professionally through certification.

Our Patient Accounting Department offers a Certification Payment reward for passing the CPAT exam, paid

out annually for three years on the individual’s certification anniversary.

My certification became more important and an element of credibility as I began working in sales relating to

healthcare finance.

P A G E 7 Certification Quotes

Page 8: Bree AAHAM SPRING 2009 · Resume Mistakes 11 Revenue Cycle Check-up Fall Conference Registration 12 13- 17 BECOME A MEMBER TODAY! CAROLINA ... Reid Davis, Carolinas Healthcare System

P A G E 8

C A R O L I N A

C O M M U N I C A T O R

Carolina AAHAM Member Spotlight

Name: Wanda Welch

Title: Director, Patient Financial Services

Hospital name: Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center

Hospital location & website: Winston-Salem, NC /

www.wfubmc.edu

College(s) attended: High Point University & Pfeiffer University

for Business and Healthcare Administration

Current member of AAHAM: Yes, Carolina Chapter

About Your Hospital:

What is new and exciting at your hospital? We have been working for over a year now to integrate our busi-

ness office with physicians employed by our medical center.

While this is a big project and consumes endless hours, it will

provide great opportunities for efficiencies and economies of

scale. Also, our patients will be much more satisfied with our

streamlined processes.

What is it like to work for your hospital? It is very fast paced and challenging – in a positive way. Work-

ing for a teaching facility provides access to wonderful cutting

edge procedures and opportunities for our patients and employ-

ees.

What are some of your department or organizational goals this

year? From a departmental perspective, we have several large IT ini-

tiatives going on related to a new contract management tool and

pricing transparency. In terms of the organization, there has

been a big focus on our long term strategic planning and integra-

tion of the hospital and professional revenue cycles.

About Your Career:

What are some of your personal priorities for your hospital this

year? Integration of the business office (as discussed in answer #1) is

our top priority. And, we are always looking to improve proc-

esses, increase up-front collections and efficiencies within the

revenue cycle.

What is your business philosophy? To be fair and honest. If you can consistently behave in that

fashion, you will be a winner in the long run.

What is the best way to keep a competitive edge? Continuing education is one key way. Also, I try to stay current

with a variety of publications so I know what is happening in the

market.

How do you measure success? By meeting and exceeding the revenue cycle goals and objec-

tives. I measure my own personal success by how positive and

motivated my team members are within their work environment.

While we are trying to integrate our processes within our medi-

cal center, it’s not just about cohabitating within our depart-

ments. We should never lose focus of the people issues, both

internally and externally. It’s important for everyone to feel

ownership of our goals and to feel good about our successes and

opportunities.

What are your biggest accomplishments in the last 24 months? Becoming a PFS Director.

What has been your toughest business decision?

Changing employers in 2007. I really loved working at

High Point Regional Health System and it was a difficult

decision to leave. However, I am happy with how things

worked out where I am currently.

What has been your biggest business lesson learned? Be consistent in your decision. I learned a valuable lesson

from Bob Duncan while at High Point – when you make

exceptions to the rules, it usually comes back to bite you.

What is your career advice? Always keep your integrity!

What do you like least about your job? Due to the amount of meetings on my calendar, I do not get

enough face time with my team members. And, I really

miss that in my new role.

What do you like most about your job? When I do have time to meet with employees, I love the

many great ideas they bring to the organization.

When you were a kid, you thought your career would be a country music star.

More About You:

What is your pet peeve? When someone fails to have personal accountability.

What are you greatest passions in life? Professionally – I really love working with the entire reve-

nue cycle team and watching many of them achieve signifi-

cant accomplishments. On a personal note, I really get a

charge out of somehow making a difference to others. Lit-

tle things that we do make a difference that sometimes we

are not even aware of.

What is your favorite quote?

“Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you

will get.”

What is your favorite book? Any book written by James Patterson.

What is your favorite movie? Pretty Woman

What is your favorite way to spend your free time? Reading political conspiracies.

If you could meet anyone, who would it be? Condoleezza Rice

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it

be? I would love to be more organized!

About AAHAM:

What do you like most about AAHAM? The networking opportunities. I enjoy meeting new people

and learning about great ideas that we can implement at our

facility.

What is your favorite AAHAM event or memory? The 2007 Carolinas AAHAM event at the Grove Park Inn

(Asheville). And, I am pleased to hear that we will be there

again this year.

What can AAHAM do to make itself better? Continue to offer affordable educational sessions

(especially given the current state of affairs).

Written by: Brian Shannon

Page 9: Bree AAHAM SPRING 2009 · Resume Mistakes 11 Revenue Cycle Check-up Fall Conference Registration 12 13- 17 BECOME A MEMBER TODAY! CAROLINA ... Reid Davis, Carolinas Healthcare System

P A G E 9

C A R O L I N A C O M M U N I C A T O R

Janice Briggs, Collections Supervisor

Blue Ridge Regional Hospital, Spruce Pine, NC

Tammy Morton, CPAM Senior Manager, Operations Improvement

Duke University Health System PRMO, Durham, NC

Lori Sickelbaugh, CPAM Patient Business Services Director

Lexington Memorial Hospital, Lexington, NC

Congratulations on Your Recent CPAM Certification!

Carolina AAHAM

Needs Volunteers

AAHAM needs support and involvement from its members.

No matter how much or how little time you can contribute, your colleagues will appreciate your

efforts. If you are not involved, there is no time like NOW to get involved. It is often said, the

more time you contribute to an organization, the more you gain from your membership.

Getting involved in the Carolina Chapter of AAHAM is as simple as contacting Steve Duncan or

Wanda Welch and letting them know of your interest.

Page 10: Bree AAHAM SPRING 2009 · Resume Mistakes 11 Revenue Cycle Check-up Fall Conference Registration 12 13- 17 BECOME A MEMBER TODAY! CAROLINA ... Reid Davis, Carolinas Healthcare System

P A G E 1 0

February 9-2, 2009

Any hard-working employee will tell you that their

average work day can be described as somewhere be-

tween busy and crazy busy! With the creation of cell

phones and Blackberry’s, our lives are filled with de-

vices that are meant to make communication easier.

However, many of us have let these devices, combined

with poor time management skills, ruin what would

otherwise be a productive day. Here are some tips that

you can use immediately to help you become more

organized and less stressed out.

Schedule your work day the night before.Schedule your work day the night before.Schedule your work day the night before.Schedule your work day the night before.

This suggestion may be the least difficult to imple-

ment, but will provide the quickest return on your in-

vestment. Take ten minutes during the night to review

what your following day’s schedule looks like. This

review typically sets your mind at ease about what is

coming up and often reminds you of a task that you

wanted to do in order to prepare for something on your

schedule. Also, write down your most important ob-

jectives for the following day. A “to-do” list only

helps if you prioritize your time and activities. How-

ever, people rarely rank what is most important on the

list. When you arrive into work the next day, you are

then ready to begin working on what is most relevant,

instead of thinking about what you to need to work on.

Use business hours wisely.Use business hours wisely.Use business hours wisely.Use business hours wisely.

Most business partners you work with are likely open

between the hours of 9AM-5PM. Given that, try not to

fill up that time with non-essential activities. Plan your

weekly internal meetings at 7:00 or 7:30AM. If you

are not the boss, ask your boss to make the change

based on your self-interest in having as many hours as

possible available to you. I bet you will find him/her

pleasantly surprised by your request. Another tip, if

you travel in the car a lot, plan phone appointments at

that time instead of while in the office. If you move

one 15 minute phone call from your office line to your

cell phone daily, you just opened up over one hour of

extra business time per work week.

Make clear distinctions between work and personal Make clear distinctions between work and personal Make clear distinctions between work and personal Make clear distinctions between work and personal discussions.discussions.discussions.discussions.

My family and friends often make light of the fact that

they never can reach me during the work day. That is

NOT an accident. I love them all, but 99% of their

communication is not urgent. Accordingly, I do not

answer personal telephone calls during the day. Also,

ALL personal emails come to a separate personal ac-

count, never my work account. In fact, I never give out

my business email account to friends or family. Addi-

tionally, turn off the text function on your cell phone

and Instant Messenger through AOL. I know

some of you will think this is crazy, but have

you ever added up how many minutes (hours?)

you waste answering people’s meaningless

messages to you? Business and personal com-

munication need to be separated. Trust me,

your friends and family will quickly get the

message and stop bugging you during the work

day.

Change your email patterns.Change your email patterns.Change your email patterns.Change your email patterns.

I have changed my email setting so that new

emails arrive in my Inbox every fifteen min-

utes. This way, there is less of a chance that I

will be interrupted while I am finishing another

email, on the phone or completing another item

off of my “to-do” list. It is not necessary to

drop everything to immediately read and re-

spond to every email that comes into your In-

box. Email is not intended for instant commu-

nication. However, the more you respond in-

stantly, the more often people expect you to do

so. When I have several important projects on

my desk, I will simply close out my email ac-

count all together. It is ok to respond when it is

more convenient for you. In fact, I would ar-

gue that it makes more sense to respond later in

the day, when you are not distracted with other

things on your mind. The same is true for an-

swering the phone. Feel free to let a few mes-

sages accumulate. You can easily call them

back later that day or the next morning. As

long as business calls are returned with 24

hours, you are fine. Again, do all of this on

your schedule, not someone else’s.

Just say no! Be selfish with your time.Just say no! Be selfish with your time.Just say no! Be selfish with your time.Just say no! Be selfish with your time.

This is the hardest one for people to get com-

fortable with, but it is ok to tell people that you

cannot do something right then. When some-

one requests some information right now, po-

litely explain that you are in the middle of

something else and ask them what times, before

or after business hours, can you meet with them

to address their needs? This rule applies to

both personal and professional relationships, as

they both can be a drain on your productivity.

These tips will help you organize and prioritize

your time better. They may even help you earn

more money, and reduce your stress level. By

controlling your activities, you will no doubt

experience a much greater sense of fulfillment.

C A R O L I N A C O M M U N I C A T O R

By: Brian Shannon

Brian Shannon is a President of EJB World

Trade, an international

company specializing in sales, leadership and

productivity. He has

worked with hundreds of healthcare providers

over the years sharing

ideas and information on opportunities related to

the entire revenue cycle.

Mr. Shannon is also currently partnered with

a variety of best of breed

companies who provide services to hospitals –

including The Kramer

Group, Smartsource and CSI Financial. Brian

resides in Charlotte, NC

with his wife and two

children.

If you would like to learn more about him,

please visit his website

at www.brianshannon.net.

Time Management Tips for Busy People

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Over the years as a recruiter and career coach, I’ve seen

the consequences of poorly written resumes, resulting in

the frustration of a long and fruitless job search. Most

resume problems can be traced to these top five resume

mistakes.

#1 No resume focus.

The most effective resumes leave no doubt as to the

job seeker’s career objective. A one-size-fits-all resume

gives the impression that the job seeker is uncertain of

his career goal. An employer once told me that if a

candidate is interested in two completely different

positions, he must not be very good at either. If you

have more than one career objective, you need more

than one resume.

#2 Lack of marketing strategy.

Job seekers rarely see their search for what it is—a

sales campaign. Think of your resume as marketing

material designed to create a powerful first impres-

sion and win a multitude of job interviews. Translate

your career history into an effective marketing piece

by selling toward the reader’s buying motives: solving

problems, saving time, cutting costs or increasing

profits.

#3 No accomplishment statements.

95% of all resumes lack accomplishment statements.

Accomplishment allow employers to visualize your

contribution to their company. Quantifiable accom-

plishments motivate employers to call you before their

competition discovers you. These statements can dol-

larize your worth and increase your bargaining

power.

#4 Lack of resume keywords.

These days, resumes are screened by both humans

and computers. A resume lacking in keywords runs

the risk of being read by neither. An average screen-

ing of a resume is 15 seconds or less, so more attention

is paid to resumes using the same words found in the

job description. Candidate-tracking software retrieves

resumes by keywords. A keyword-focused resume

will put you front and center.

#5 Incorrect resume format.

Basically, there are three resume formats: chronologi-

cal, functional and hybrid.

Chronological: The chronological is best known and

easiest to write, a time line style resume. This format

works well if your objective is to remain in the same

industry or occupation.

Functional: The functional resume places transferable

skills and accomplishments at the beginning of your

resume. However, a poorly crafted functional resume

can be confusing, causing the reader to believe the can-

didate has something to hide.

Hybrid: The hybrid resume combines the best features of

other resumes. It showcases skills and accomplish-

ments while maintaining ease of reading. This is the

best format for job seekers of all levels. The Hybrid re-

sume is well worth the additional time and effort to

craft.

Once your resume is designed to avoid the top five re-

sume mistakes, you will be well on your way to winning

interviews and reaching your career objective.

Deborah Walker, CCMC is a career coach helping job seekers

compete in the toughest job markets. Her clients gain top per-

forming skills in resume writing, interview preparation and

salary negotiation. Learn more career tips at: http://www.AlphaAdvantage.com

Avoid These Top Five Resume Mistakes!

By: Deborah Walker, CCMC

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P A G E 1 2

Revenue Cycle Check-Up By: John Cook

A critical part of our health and well being is the annual visit to our physician for our physical. Usually we dread it; however, it can

prove to be the most important activity we do every year. Equally important is to take time and give our revenue cycle a check-up,

sometimes followed by a tune-up. Following are some critical questions that I feel need to be addressed on an annual basis.

• What critical information are we still missing at Registration?

• Do we take time to update our insurance master in our software system, providing the most current information?

• What is most critical? Quality or Quantity?

• Are we providing ongoing training opportunities for all personnel on changes and new issues as they occur?

• Do we have an established and approved process for collection at the time of service?

• Are we targeting certain areas to focus our attention when collecting at the time of service? (i.e. co-pays)

• Due to the economy and the inability in many cases to re-hire certain positions do we take advantage of the opportunity to

cross train?

• Are we taking full advantage of what our current software package has to offer? (i.e. work files)

• Is our facility taking advantage of online options for patients?

• Do we have dedicated staff members assigned to insurance follow-up?

• Are we taking full advantage of in-house collectors and financial counselors?

• Are we basing outsourcing decisions on desired outcomes or lack of resources to manage the process?

• Are we looking for resources that will actually provide solutions?

• How do we measure our results from outsourcing partnerships that we may have entered into?

How do we measure your results from in-house efforts?

Answering these questions honestly will give you an idea where your attention and effort will need to be placed in the next year.

Time is scarce and priorities must be established.

Establish the vision and define the task

John Cook current serves as First Vice President of AAHAM Carolina Chapter. He is Director of Sales and Marketing for

Acryness, previously serving as PFS Director for twenty two years. He may be reached at [email protected].

Page 13: Bree AAHAM SPRING 2009 · Resume Mistakes 11 Revenue Cycle Check-up Fall Conference Registration 12 13- 17 BECOME A MEMBER TODAY! CAROLINA ... Reid Davis, Carolinas Healthcare System

Wednesday

November 4, 2009

Sheraton Greensboro

Hotel at Four Seasons

Koury Convention Center

9:00 am — 4:00 pm

Registration beginning at

8:00 am

Hotel Accommodations

Sheraton Greensboro

$125 (conference site)

(336)292-9161

Hampton Inn Four

Seasons

$89

(336)854-8600

Carolina and Virginia

Chapters

New Perspective on Revenue Cycle

Training and Performance

Standards

Hot Topics

Registration Boot Camp

Revenue Cycle Checklist

Productivity Model

Denials Management

REGISTRATION

AVAILABLE

ONLINE

Www.aahamcarolina.org

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Page 14: Bree AAHAM SPRING 2009 · Resume Mistakes 11 Revenue Cycle Check-up Fall Conference Registration 12 13- 17 BECOME A MEMBER TODAY! CAROLINA ... Reid Davis, Carolinas Healthcare System

Conference Agenda 8:00 am — 9:00 am Registration and Networking

Continental Breakfast

9:00 am — 9:15 am Welcome/Introduction

9:15 am — 10:30 am Registration Boot Camp

Marla Robinson Registration Boot Camp: Blue Ridge Regional Hospital implemented a Registration Boot Camp for their registra-

tion personnel that provided four days of intense training in all aspects of Revenue Cycle. Some of their successes

included a reduction in A/R days, an increase in clean claims, and an increase in staff morale and production. Marla

Robinson, the creator of this program, will share the details of this successful program and how it could be imple-

mented in your organization.

Marla Robinson is the Access Manager for Blue Ridge Regional in Spruce Pine, North Carolina. She has been with

Blue Ridge for eight years and is currently working toward her Bachelors Degree in Business Administration.

10:30 am — 11:00 am Break with Sponsors

11:00 am —- 12:00 pm Revenue Cycle Tune Up

John Cook

Revenue Cycle Check List: For the overall health of the Revenue Cycle an annual check-up is necessary. A check list

of critical areas will be reviewed in depth including registration issues, collections, insurance follow-up, vendor pro-

ductivity, and defining new task.

John Cook is the First Vice President of Carolina AAHAM and serves as Director of Marketing and Sales for

Acryness. John graduated from Appalachian State University with a BSBA and has 30 years experience in health-care.

12:00 pm — 1:00 pm Lunch with Sponsors

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Page 15: Bree AAHAM SPRING 2009 · Resume Mistakes 11 Revenue Cycle Check-up Fall Conference Registration 12 13- 17 BECOME A MEMBER TODAY! CAROLINA ... Reid Davis, Carolinas Healthcare System

Conference Agenda

1:00 pm — 2:30 pm Productivity and Quality Model What does it mean to your AR?

Glenn Martin, CPAM

Duke University Health System

You measure AR days, bad debt expense, cost to collect, registration error rate, etc.., but have you questioned

how effective and efficient your teams are working? During this session you will learn how to set up your pro-

ductivity standards for different payors. How do you measure your team’s productivity? What happens if some-

one doesn’t meet their productivity? Also, how important is quality of work performed to you? How do you

measure quality of work performed? How often and how many do you sample? We will also learn what does

OER have to do with the two (productivity and quality).

We will review the tools that are used to help measure Productivity and Quality. And, don’t forget about OER.

In these times of running a lean and efficient operation these two components cannot be left out of your Key

AR Metrics.

Glenn Martin has worked in the Healthcare profession for over 20 years and served in positions of Director of

Patient Financial Services, VP of Finance and currently Manager of Patient Revenue with Duke Health System.

Glenn graduated from East Carolina University and attended Wingate University Master's Program. Glenn

also enjoys working with the AAHAM Certification Program and conducts Study Sessions for those individu-

als at-tempting to obtain their CPAM. He is a long time member of AAHAM with the Carolina and Virginia

Chapter.

2:30 pm — 2:45 pm Break with Sponsors

2:45 pm — 4:00 pm Denials Management

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Page 16: Bree AAHAM SPRING 2009 · Resume Mistakes 11 Revenue Cycle Check-up Fall Conference Registration 12 13- 17 BECOME A MEMBER TODAY! CAROLINA ... Reid Davis, Carolinas Healthcare System

CORPORATE SPONSORS Carolina Chapter

Acryness

AccessOne MedCard Inc.

CCA an EOS Company

CMD Outsourcing Solutions, Inc

FirstPoint Collections Resources Inc./Mosaic Revenue Solutions

HRA (The Outsource Group)

Ingram & Associates

Jon Barry and Associates, Inc

ParrishShaw & Company

PMAB,LLC/MedRX

Professional Recovery Consultants

Outsource Receivable Services, Inc.

Virginia Chapter Platinum Sponsors

ChamberlinEdmonds CCA InterPro Medical Solutions

Gold Sponsors

Advanced Patient Advocacy Credit Control Corp. MOSAIC

Quadax The SSI Group Inc. DB Technology

Silver Sponsors

DECO EMDEON NHI National Reimbursement Group

Supporters

Best Practices HFRI Ingram & Associates Intek MedAssist

Receivables Management RSI Enterprises The Focused Group

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Page 17: Bree AAHAM SPRING 2009 · Resume Mistakes 11 Revenue Cycle Check-up Fall Conference Registration 12 13- 17 BECOME A MEMBER TODAY! CAROLINA ... Reid Davis, Carolinas Healthcare System

New Perspective on Revenue Cycle Training and

Performance Standards

REGISTRATION

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Sheraton Greensboro Hotel at Four Seasons

Koury Convention Center

Register online at www.aahamcarolina.org

Please print (need completed registration for each attendee including board members and speakers)

Organization_______________________________________________________

Mailing Address____________________________________________________

City____________________________ State______ Zip____________________

Attendee Name___________________________ Title___________________

Member Number______________ (check all that apply) CPAT__ CPAM__ Other_____

Telephone__________________ E-mail ______________________________

Attendee Name___________________________ Title___________________

Member Number______________ (check all that apply) CPAT__ CPAM__ Other_____

Telephone__________________ E-mail ______________________________

Attendee Name___________________________ Title___________________

Member Number______________ (check all that apply) CPAT__ CPAM__ Other_____

Telephone__________________ E-mail ______________________________

Please fax or mail the registration to

the attention of

John Cook

Fax: 704-799-3552

MAIL: 128 Talbert Road

Suite J

Mooresville, NC 28117

Make checks

payable to

AAHAM

Carolina Chapter

Registration: Member $89 ___ Non-Member $114

_____

Three or more from the same organization $75

Number Attending___

Total Registration Fee: $__________

Credit Card #:___________________________

Name on Card:__________________________

Expiration Date:_________________________

Amount to Charge: $______________ _______

For additional information contact John Cook at

704-799-3550, [email protected]

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