What We’ve Been Up To

By David R. Fox, CRA, FAHRA

I truly value strong leaders who lean into the work at hand and push beyond the limits that typically ground others to a halt. One such leader who continues to inspire me is Ed Yoder. A quick update regarding our friend and past president and his health: Ed is progressing in his care and is responding to the therapy regimen from his physicians and his CCO (Chief Care Officer), Rita, who is ensuring Ed is a good patient and compliant with the doctors’ orders. I had the opportunity to see Ed while handling some AHRA business in Boston last week at our staff office, and he looks great! In case you missed it, my last April President’s article detailed how you can help Ed, so give it a read if you haven’t already.

As 2015 continues to unfold, AHRA business has been booming, and the AHRA board and staff have undertaken some very purposeful and bold work. Our spring board meeting was held in conjunction with our AHRA Spring Conference in sunny Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The Spring Conference Design Team consisted of Terry Bucknall (Chair), Doug Sprague, John Beall, Larry Weinreich, Sandy Edson, and Tricia Trammell – what an all-star team of volunteers! They accomplished so much putting together a conference that offered a full array of educational opportunities for all attendees, as well as some awesome entertainment. The offerings included the Advanced Track, Basic Track, and the CRA Exam Workshop, and the conference opened with Tim Trysla providing a dynamic keynote presentation (generously sponsored by GE Healthcare) on better understanding the changing radiology reimbursement and cost reporting policies. There were also some valuable peer-to-peer networking events for folks to acquaint themselves with new friends and reconnect with old friends. And if that wasn’t enough, there were Disney theme parks to keep you active, with shopping and dining experiences like no other! Super well done, design team, and an excellent example of leadership, Terry! Thank you!

The AHRA board meeting conducted a day and half of business with multiple committee reports, membership development reports, CRA updates, and discussions of educational offerings for the membership. Other items included the liaison reports of activities with other associations and an emphasis on the newest endeavors of our regulatory affairs committee. We also conducted a review of the year-to-date financial reports provided by the finance committee, where we remain on budget and progressing with another sound financial year.  We also discussed the progress of securing speakers and planning another exceptional event for our members at our upcoming Annual Meeting in Las Vegas this July.

Finally, the AHRA board was joined by some of the AHRA Education Foundation leadership, RACC leadership, past AHRA presidents and board members, and a few active volunteers for a full day strategic planning session dedicated to the future of AHRA. This was the time for the AHRA board to review the membership survey results and utilize this important feedback to align the association’s mission and vision with the objectives the membership believes are relevant and important moving forward. This work is necessary to review where we have been and to ensure the direction of the organization is on course and we have a roadmap for where we are headed.

My hope is that we are delivering on the commitment of giving you the opportunity to improve your career and enhance your professional skills and abilities through educational offerings such as the recent Spring Conference and upcoming Annual Meeting. Join us for another great leadership and learning event while networking with new and old friends in Las Vegas July 19-22. See you in VEGAS!!

David R. Fox, CRA, FAHRA is president of the 2014-2015 AHRA Board of Directors. He is the president of Saint Vincent Health-North Hospital in Sherwood, AR and can be reached at Dfox@stvincenthealth.com.