Posted by By Kathy Smith
The AHRA is an incredibly valuable part of my professional life. I attended my first Annual Meeting back in the mid-1990’s, when I was very new to my position as assistant director of radiology. My first memory of that meeting was feeling a little overwhelmed, just due to the sheer size of the event. But that feeling quickly went away after showing up to the new member breakfast, where everyone was so genuinely welcoming. They went out of their way to make me feel at home. Board member Louise Broadley even took me by the arm to personally introduce me to several members of the AHRA North Atlantic Region board. Every time I saw a board member during the conference after that, they stopped to say hello and interact with me.
The biggest thing I took away from that first meeting was feeling incredibly energized to go home and implement so many of the things that had been discussed, from quality management to revenue cycle initiatives. I have always considered myself to be a change agent and I walked out of that meeting feeling empowered and excited to go home and focus on being the best manager I could be.
I am eager to attend this year’s meeting because I truly believe that radiology management is at a crossroads. The industry is in a volatile place right now with changes to information technology and with Accountable Care Organizations. Nobody really knows quite yet what impact both of these things are going to have on reimbursement and strategic planning for radiology groups, as well as hospital management. I believe the AHRA can be instrumental in providing professional resources and support to help radiology managers navigate through this turbulent time.
Kathy Smith is the practice administrator at Radiology Associates of Hartford, PC in Hartford, CT. She can be reached at ksmith@rahxray.com.
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