#AHRA2017: Where the Magic Happens

By Jason M. Newmark, BA, MHA, CRA, FAHRA

As anyone who has attended an Annual Meeting in the past will attest, it’s really where the ‘magic’ of AHRA is at its best. We average around 1,000 attendees and over 150 exhibitors and our offerings include: basic and advanced track sessions with additional optional workshops, three nationally recognized keynote speakers, informative exhibitor symposiums, and best of all, tremendous networking and fun with your peers from around the country.

This year will not disappoint! Hundreds of our AHRA family members have already signed up to attend, and our exhibit hall is filling up with vendors whose offerings cover a wide spectrum of technology, consultative assistance, revenue cycle enhancement, and more. We would love to have you join us, so please consider attending! You can use our justification toolkit to demonstrate to your boss why you should attend.

Our association recognizes how tight travel budgets are these days, and thanks to the AHRA Education Foundation and the support of our corporate partners, we are able to offer a few different scholarships to support the costs of attending:

Annual Meeting Scholarship

Thanks to generous sponsorship from Agfa HealthCare, Hitachi, and Siemens, we are able to offer this scholarship to up to 10 members who have previously attended an Annual Meeting but have no employer funding to attend this year’s meeting. Applications are due May 8.

Osborn Scholarship

Three Osborn scholarships are offered for the Annual Meeting. The AHRA EF covers registration and up to $1,500 for travel related expenses for the three scholarship recipients. Applications are due May 8.

AHRA EF Education Waiver Program

The program provides complete meeting registration, hotel accommodation, and up to $500 to support travel related expenses for one AHRA conference to an AHRA member who is currently unemployed. Please apply for this assistance program by May 8 to be considered for Annual Meeting funding.

One last piece of magic to present! If you register now, you’ll be automatically entered to win a 4 pack of Disneyland® tickets AND a 2018 Annual Meeting Registration.*

I hope to see you in Anaheim!

*You must register by 05/15/2017 to be included to win both prizes. The winner of the 4 pack of Disneyland® tickets (park hopper option is not included) will be announced on 05/16/2017. Those who register after 05/15/2017 will be included only in the drawing for one 2018 Annual Meeting registration. To be included in the drawing for one 2018 Annual Meeting registration, participants must register for AHRA 2017 by 06/1/2017, as winner will be announced on 06/02/2017.

Jason M. Newmark, BA, MHA, CRA, FAHRA is the president of the 2016-2017 AHRA Board of Directors. He is the vice president, diagnostic services at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, MA. He can be reached at jason.newmark@baystatehealth.org.