Posted by 
By Ernesto A. Cerdena, PHDc, RT, CRA, FAHRA
On February 19, the AHRA and Education Foundation Boards of Directors conducted their monthly phone meeting. As a transparent association, we would like to share the highlights of our discussions:
Spring Conference Update
John Beall, Spring Conference Design Team Chair, reported that he and his team are set for our Spring Conference in Chicago, March 15-17 at The Palmer House. The talented and energetic design team members include Doug Sprague, Tricia Trammell, Lynn Imel, and Jeremy Barber. They have done an outstanding job selecting high caliber speakers who are experts in the field to present during this exciting meeting, including Emmy Award winner Jan Fox as the keynote speaker. Jan will speak about “Lead with Conviction by Speaking Boldly.” Other hot topics include coding, regulatory updates, transformational change, patient experience, customer service, dashboards and analytics, and many other relevant topics addressing today’s medical imaging operational challenges. The CRA Exam Workshop and Basic Track are expected to be very popular too.
Audit Report Schedule
Ed Cronin, AHRA’s CEO, has reported that the AHRA Financial Auditor has completed the annual audit of our financial statements and activities. The final report will be presented to the entire board at our next monthly board meeting. This will not only engage the entire board in learning about our association’s financial performance and activities, but it also gives them the opportunity to ask questions directly of the experts.
Curriculum Committee Update
I received a report from Jay Mazurowski, Chair of our Curriculum Committee. He indicated that his term, along with two other members, expires at the close of the Annual Meeting this year. It is the responsibility of the President to appoint a new Chair. According to the policy, the EF board will also appoint one member; the rest will be up to the discretion of the appointed chair. Kevin Smith has accepted my appointment for the Chair position. He will work with the rest of the committee members on AHRA’s many educational offerings.
Aunt Minnie Forum on MICI
Ed Cronin announced the Aunt Minnie Open Forum focusing on the Medical Imaging Confidence Index (MICI), which was designed to give AHRA members the opportunity to participate in a discussion about volume trends, cost, resources, and other elements relevant to medical imaging operations. MICI is a forward-looking index designed to provide an early view of trends as they develop. It is based on the responses of imaging directors and hospital managers who are members of AHRA. Members of the MICI panel are asked about five key trends typically encountered by imaging administrators and what they expect in these areas in the upcoming quarter. MICI is produced by AHRA and The MarkeTech Group. The 2016 Q1 MICI results are now available on our website: click here.
2016 Membership Campaign
Ed Cronin and Mike Suddendorf gave a powerful presentation about our new membership campaign. This is part of the operationalization of our strategic plan. The Membership Committee, led by Gina Winters, kicked off their meeting full of energy, with the goal of both recruiting new members and continuing to bring value to our current members. The message from the committee is about not only what the association can do for our members, but also what members can do for each other: “We are all in this together.”
Education Foundation Annual Appeal
Lori Ann Burns, Education Foundation Chair, shared that the 2016 Annual Appeal has taken off with a blast. AHRA and the EF are preparing for a big celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Education Foundation. Lori and I had the opportunity to speak with Howard Schwartz, founding member of the EF 25 years ago. He is very passionate about the EF and the value that it brings to our members. After our meeting, Howard wrote us a letter:
“I would like to reiterate my pledge of $1,000 to be given to the Foundation this year. I read Lori’s Link article in December 2015, and I want to encourage others to “dig deep” during this anniversary year in order to meet our goals. Please feel free to share this with others as a way of challenging past AHRA leaders to help keep the Foundation dream alive.”
That was a very powerful message for all of us.
Finally, the Board of Directors will meet face-to-face when we hold our Spring board meeting in two weeks. The meeting will begin with an educational session for the board, “Creativity and Innovation through Collaboration.” This unique team-building program demonstrates and recognizes each member’s individual talents, backgrounds, and influences and presents an open environment through listening and exploration to create incredible music and ideas that represent the collective sound of the group. After this program, the board will focus on important elements necessary to run a high performing association, including strategic planning, financial review, committee reports, policies and procedures review and amendments, AHRA staff reports and dashboards, and other priorities.
It is such a pleasure to report our excellent progress to you. Each member of our board, along with the AHRA staff, is working hand in hand to move our association to the future. A lot of exciting things and actions are being accomplished. Many thanks for reading and Happy Spring!
Ernesto A. Cerdena, PHDc, RT, CRA, FAHRA is the president of the 2015-2016 AHRA Board of Directors. He is the director of diagnostic imaging/radiology services at Waterbury Hospital in Waterbury, CT. He can be reached at ecerdena@wtbyhosp.org.
LINK 