Posted by 
By Sandra M. Edson, MBA
The healthcare world is experiencing rapid change and creating new areas of focus for imaging directors across the nation. AHRA’s Annual Meeting provides a forum for imaging leaders to come together to see what’s trending. A variety of sessions will be offered related to quality, payment structures, reimbursement, patient experience, regulatory changes, and leadership. AHRA also provides several networking opportunities (starting with the President’s Reception on Sunday evening) to share best practices and simply enjoy time with friends.
I’m very much looking forward to this year’s Annual Meeting. This past April, I embarked on a new career path when I left my employer of thirteen years. This new adventure has given me new opportunities related to performance improvement, denials, collection of co-pays, and building relationships with my team. What an exciting time!
What better way to acquire the knowledge I need in my new career than to share this experience with the same individuals (AHRA members) who challenged me to take the risk, step out of my comfort zone, and “shake it up”? My AHRA friends supported me through my decision process, interviews, and the first few months of this journey. I look forward to introducing my new team to AHRA and the many resources available online.
I’m fortunate that my new organization is supporting my time away from the office to attend this meeting. I look forward to this educational week and hope to share my experience and learnings with others. In reviewing the sessions listed in the brochure, there are a few in particular that caught my attention and are on my schedule:
- How Lung Cancer Screening Is Changing the Role of the Imaging Department
- Patient Time of Service Collections: Maximizing Efforts and Reducing Bad Debt
- Having Issues with Write-offs and Denials?
- New Accreditation Requirements for Imaging
- ICD 10- Only 2.5 Months Away
- Radiology Leadership: Building Well-Rounded Leaders and Improving Staff Engagement to Achieve Critical Enterprise-wide Goals
- Leading a Culture of Trust and Compassion
- Implications and Alternative Payment Methods on Healthcare Market Transformation
And of course, the keynote speakers are always a must! The 2015 Annual Meeting Design Team did a great job lining up this year’s sessions.
I would also recommend that you drop into the Army Radiology session, which will be held on Wednesday July 22. John J. Beall, BSHS presented this session at the AHRA Spring Conference in Florida. The information in his presentation was well received. It’s interesting to learn about the challenges faced by imaging in a deployed environment, such as Bosnia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan.
I look forward to seeing you in Vegas!
Sandra M. Edson, MBA is the director, imaging and women’s wellness center at St. Joseph-Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, CA. She can be reached at sandra.edson@stjoe.org.
LINK 