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President’s Post
By Ed Yoder, MBA, MHA, RT(R), CRA, FAHRA
Welcome to the World of Ed!
Well, here we are, my first Link article as AHRA President! I’dlike to welcome you all to the world of Ed, where we have fun,keep things light hearted, laughter is allowed, and we’ll talk alittle rock’n’roll every now and then. If you take yourself tooseriously, then you won’t like my world because it’s all aboutlooking at things in a comic light and trying hard to find thingsto laugh about. I am a very tightly wrapped individual, and thebest way to keep from having a stroke is to laugh and havefun, so that’s what I do!
Wasn’t it a great family reunion at the 2013 Annual Meeting inMinnesota? I had a great time meeting a lot of old friends andmany new ones. We had the best attendance of first timeattendees in the history of AHRA! It is awesome to have newpeople seeing the value of networking, connections, educa-tion, and fun at AHRA Annual Meetings! Bill Johnson, the fear-less leader of the Annual Meeting Design Team, said, “thebeauty of the Annual Meeting is in the value that is driven tothe attendees: networking, camaraderie, and continuing edu-cation coupled with a special opportunity to come together aspeers and reenergize and reignite the passion that we have forour profession!” That is what it’s all about! A great time was hadby all in attendance, and we are looking forward to BIG thingsin the nation’s capital next August.
On the Saturday before the Annual Meeting, we had a boardmeeting. Many things were discussed, and one of them was aretooling of the strategic plan. Several members have broughtup the fact that some recent healthcare changes were notmentioned. The board agreed we need to go back and revampthe strategic plan, a process we will begin at the next boardmeeting in early November.
We also discussed our benchmarking initiative. As I mentioned
in my speech at the Annual Meeting closing ceremony, wehave launched a new project to develop staffing benchmarksfor the technical component of the most common diagnosticradiology exams performed by hospital facilities. We areinvolving other industry organizations to facilitate acceptanceof these benchmarks. Our goal is to equip our members withthe information and tools that they need to justify theirstaffing levels within their organizations. We are working withDavid Cowan on this project. David has extensive experiencein productivity and process improvement and is a professor atGeorgia Tech. We will be providing more information as theproject gets fully underway.
Don’t forget our Fall Conference is in Baltimore this year at theSheraton Inner Harbor. There are a lot of great things on theschedule such as: understanding just culture, a lean six sigmaapproach to patient satisfaction, clinical leadership develop-ment, risk management in radiology, coding and reimburse-ment, implementing a comprehensive dose management pro-gram, US healthcare industry trends and assumptions, andmuch more. Make plans to attend because Fall ConferenceDesign Team Chair Mark Feeley and his team have put togeth-er a fantastic program that I am personally very excited about.See Mark’s article in this issue for more details.
I look forward to continuing to let you know what the board isdoing and how we are advancing the association and bringingyou more value as a member. Before I close, though, I have totalk some rock’n’roll. Stress relief is an important task that wemust all perform, and the way I do it is listening to loud musicevery day on the way home from work. I am going to wrap upevery article with a tune, or tunes that take me to anotherplace. I hope this will help you destress as well.
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Regulatory Review
SMRC: The Latest Development in Medicare AuditsBy Adrienne Dresevic, Esq. and Jessica L. Gustafson, Esq.
As healthcare providers and suppliers are very much aware,the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has adopt-ed and implemented numerous Medicare auditing initiatives,including Comprehensive Error Rate Testing (CERT) audits,Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) audits, recovery(formerly known as RAC) audits, and Zone Program IntegrityContractor (ZPIC) audits. Each of these auditing bodies has aslightly different focus, and conducts reviews of claims todetermine whether they resulted in improper payments. Manyin the healthcare provider and supplier community may feelthat four Medicare auditing bodies are sufficient to protectCMS from making improper payments, and CMS recently indi-cated its intent to move toward a more streamlined medicalreview approach comprised of fewer medical review entities.Nonetheless, CMS recently rolled out yet another “supplemen-tal” Medicare auditing program: Supplemental Medical ReviewContractor (SMRC) audits.
CMS has contracted with StrategicHealthSolutions, LLC to per-form or support existing medical review functions within theMedicare and Medicaid programs. On October 22, 2012,StrategicHealthSolutions, LLC announced a five year medicalreview contract with CMS, and SMRC audits recently began onPart A, Part B, and DME providers and suppliers nationwide.SMRC audits are intended to focus on vulnerabilities identifiedby data analysis, CERT audits, and other sources (including pro-fessional organizations and federal oversight agencies).Currently, StrategicHealthSolutions, LLC’s website lists the fol-lowing as areas of medical review:
Power Mobility Devices•E/M services (focused on codes 99214 and 99215)•Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy services•Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (“IRF”) services•Male Vacuum Erection Devices•Transforaminal Epidural Injections•
Although the issues presently under review are not directly rel-evant to many radiology providers, it is important to keep inmind that given that the OIG and CMS medical review contrac-tors routinely identify Part B imaging services and diagnosticradiology services as those giving rise to potential programvulnerabilities, radiology providers and suppliers are well-advised to closely monitor the SMRC’s website for areas of
future potential medical review activity.
The addition of one more auditing body certainly adds to theadministrative burden which health care providers and suppli-ers already face. The SMRC’s website provides detailed instruc-tions regarding the methods by which it will accept requesteddocumentation and instructions for submission. The SMRC hasadvised that it is “not authorized” to compensate providers andsuppliers for their costs associated with complying with arequest for medical records. It should also be noted that thereis no indication that the SMRC intends to limit its requests forrecords taking into account the additional documentation lim-its in place for recovery audits specifically.
Radiology providers and suppliers must maintain a continuedfocus on compliance and ensure that services provided aremedically necessary and appropriately documented pursuantto Medicare guidelines. The SMRC audit program is the latestaddition to an already robust auditing environment. In addi-tion to monitoring the yearly OIG Work Plan, CMS guidancematerials, and the recovery auditors’ websites, radiologyproviders should add the SMRC website to their list ofresources advising them of the areas of CMS medical reviewfocus and take steps to monitor these areas for compliance.
Adrienne Dresevic, Esq. graduated Magna Cum Laude fromWayne State University Law School. Practicing healthcare law, sheconcentrates in Stark and fraud/abuse, representing various diag-nostic imaging providers, eg, IDTFs, mobile leasing entities, andradiology and multi-specialty group practices.
Jessica L. Gustafson, Esq. is a founding shareholder with thehealth care law firm of The Health Law Partners, P.C. Ms.Gustafson co-leads the firm’s Recovery Audit and Medicareappeals practice group and specializes in a number of areas,including: RAC, Medicare, Medicaid and other payor auditappeals, healthcare regulatory matters, compliance matters,reimbursement and contracting matters.
The authors are members of The Health Law Partners, P.C. andmay be reached at (248) 996-8510 or (212) 734-0128, or atwww.thehlp.com.
One of my favorite songs to blast through the speakers has gotto be “Urgent” by Foreigner. This bombastic, toe tapping num-ber comes off of their “4” album. Not only is the beat infectious,but Lou Gramm has one of the most powerful, under ratedvoices in rock’n’roll. The sax solo is outstanding; Junior Walkerlays down one of the most memorable sax lines I have everheard. It is just awesome and can only be listened to with thevolume turned all the way up! Rock on my friends – I’ll see youon the freeway on the ride home with the volume up!
Ed Yoder, MBA, MHA, RT(R), CRA, FAHRA is president of the 2013-2014 AHRA Board of Directors. He is the director of imaging servic-es at Lexington Medical Center in West Columbia, SC and can bereached at [email protected].
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Regulatory Review
Radiation Dose Safety: Connecticut’s RB 6423By Neil Singh
Following the Mad River Community Hospital and Cedars-Sinairadiation overexposure incidents, awareness and national cov-erage of radiation dose safety has increased tremendously, andit continues to gain momentum. California sparked a positiveand progressive change in healthcare by introducing its radia-tion dose safety mandate SB1237 (AB510), which took effectJuly 1, 2012. Texas followed with its version of a radiation safe-ty mandate, 25 Texas Administrative Code, §289.227, whichdetails mandatory CT and interventional radiography imagingguidelines for healthcare providers in Texas.
Connecticut introduced Raised Bill 6423 in January 2013 andhas projected the bill to take effect October 1, 2013.Healthcare providers in Connecticut performing CT and radia-tion therapy procedures will need to follow the guidelinesbelow to be compliant.
Connecticut Mandate RB6423 (To be effective October 1,2013):
Healthcare providers performing CT scans shall record all1dose information on the patient’s radiology report orattach a protocol page that includes the dose informationfrom the CT scanner.The CT device shall be inspected annually, and the dose2output shall not exceed more than 20% from the actualmeasured dose.The provider shall notify the Connecticut Department of3Public Health (CTDPH), and the ordering physician of thefollowing incidents within 5 days:
If a repetition of a CT scan on a patient has been per-1formed without an order from a physician.Irradiation of a body part other than the one ordered2by the ordering physician.Any radiation exposure to a patient that causes hair3loss, erythema, or function damage to an organ orphysiological system.A dose to the embryo or fetus of a known pregnant4patient that exceeds the specified dose thresholdestablished by the Commissioner of Public Health,except when a dose to the embryo or fetus wasapproved by the ordering physician.Therapeutic ionizing irradiation to the wrong per-5son or wrong site when total dose delivered differs20% from the prescribed dose.Therapeutic ionizing radiation dose is more than620% of the prescribed area.The Commissioner of Public Health shall provide spec-7ified dose values to the CTDPH during an incident.A healthcare provider shall report all radiation dose8incidents to the patient within 15 days of the inci-dent.
Compliance for Connecticut healthcare providers means rou-tine management (review, analysis, and acknowledgement) ofthe patient imaging dose values and ionizing radiation device
dose output . This may require an individual or team constant-ly monitoring patient and device dose information. Radiologistworkflows will need to be updated, incorporating the record-ing of dose information generated from the CT scanner for allimaging exams. Healthcare providers will need to implement aprocess for managing radiation risks and communicating inci-dents of overexposure to the Commissioner of Public Health,the referring physician, and the patient.
The upcoming mandate also sets the stage for proactivehealthcare providers in Connecticut to be industry leaders inradiation safety. Healthcare providers who want to gain anedge will need to go beyond the minimal requirements of themandate and develop a radiation safety program, incorporat-ing defined policies and procedures for all individuals involvedin managing patient radiation dose compliance. ALARA (as lowas reasonably achievable) radiation safety program workflowsshould be updated for all staff members responsible for man-aging patient radiation dose safety and should include a num-ber of radiation incident management processes and proactivepatient safety decision points to minimize radiation overexpo-sure incidents. All imaging protocols should be reviewed andstandardized, staff should be educated on good radiation doseimaging practices. Finally, healthcare providers should beready to answer patient radiation dose concerns and educatetheir patients on the organization’s radiation dose safety prac-tices so they understand that it is their mission to go aboveand beyond the mandate.
As Connecticut prepares for the upcoming patient radiationsafety mandate, other states should prepare for a similar legis-lation. All healthcare providers should proactively evaluatetheir existing internal radiation safety program and processesand use the data to prepare for any upcoming radiation safetyrequirements. Expanded programs can be benchmarkedagainst the new industry standard set by the AmericanAssociation of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) and adopted bythe American College of Radiology (ACR).
Neil Singh is a consultant at Ascendian Healthcare Consulting anda frequent speaker and thought leader on Enterprise DoseManagement. If you have questions you can contact Neil viaemail [email protected].
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Commentary
Who or What Inspired You?By Peggy Pust, CRA, FAHRA, MBA
This is not a question I am asking you, but a reminder that thismay be the “magic question” to pose to your manager. Thismay just be the question that gets him thinking about his owncareer start, and may soften his heart to your request to attendan AHRA conference.
Think back to what got you motivated to be a better manager.What was it? Was it an outstanding mentor? Was it a managerwho drew you in and got you involved? Maybe he took you toyour first AHRA meeting. I have been blessed to have workedwith two excellent directors in the past. Both of these folkswere very transparent with me, and they allowed me insightinto their roles and scopes of responsibility. For that I amthankful because it prompted me to want to do the good workthat they did. I have tried very hard to do the same for others Iwork with. It really helps to build a great team.
The other key thing they both did was to bring me along withthem when they attended AHRA’s Annual Meetings. This wassuch a wonderful opportunity. I was amazed at how muchinformation flowed through those breakout sessions. If youhave attended in the past, you know that the meeting actuallychanges you! It boosts your confidence immensely the firsttime you sit in a classroom and are surprised to find that youhave comrades all across the country who are dealing with thesame issues you are. To hear that the same struggles and suc-cesses are shared makes an incredible difference in the way wedo our everyday jobs. I hope my fellow repeat attendees wouldagree that your energy level greatly increases in the weeks andmonths after the meeting. The education and fresh ideas giveus all that boost we need to be better leaders.
Few of us are resident experts at everything we are responsiblefor, but somewhere in the AHRA family, you can find theanswers and coaching you need. One of the best things aboutattending an AHRA conference is the opportunity to network,either between sessions at the meeting or during the socialevents. The AHRA has taken great strides with the new mem-bership models, making it more feasible for us to have oursupervisors and lead techs involved too. We need to takeadvantage of that great deal and encourage them by allowingthem to get involved just like you and I did. If you’re planningon attending the Fall Conference Advanced Track, why notbring a mentee to attend the Basic Track? Or if you attendedthe Annual Meeting, send one of your colleagues who stayedbehind to attend the Fall Conference.
We hear all the time about budgets being tight or cut, andattendance at meetings being more difficult. I challenge you toask your boss the question above. Ask him what made him abetter manager. Ask him how he felt once he started to getinvolved in a bigger way with a group of experts in his field.You may just get him thinking and remembering that we allneed that energy that comes from attending an event with ourpeers and that the returns are great. It’s also a valuable oppor-tunity to work on succession planning: we all need great man-agers and supervisors to take our places some day!
Peggy Pust, CRA, FAHRA, MBA is the vice president at MonongaliaGeneral Hospital in Morgantown, WV. She can be reached [email protected].
Education Foundation
Expanding ExcellenceBy Luann J. Culbreth, M Ed, MBA, RT(R)(MR)(QM), CRA, FSMRT, FAHRA
Since its inception in 1990 as a separate but related AHRA enti-ty, the Education Foundation (EF) has remained focused on itsmission of obtaining and providing resources to enhance theeffectiveness of imaging and healthcare disciplines. The EF hascreated multiple programs, projects, products, and servicesspecifically designed to promote ongoing education for imag-ing leaders. This past year has been no exception. In fact, it’sbeen excellent!
The Expanding Excellence Campaign was launched last yearwith an aggressive fundraising goal of $3,000,000. By unitingour corporate partners, members, and other stakeholders inthe quest to solidify AHRA as the leading resource and catalystfor the development of professional leadership in medical
imaging management, the goal surpassed $3.1M by theAnnual Meeting this July. This was made possible by over 38corporate partners and 350 AHRA members. Wow – that’sexcellent!
But just because the goal was met doesn’t mean we are done.In fact, several corporate partners either chose not to join theExpanding Excellence Campaign or made short term commit-ments to this effort. And only 7% of AHRA members con-tributed. How can we expect vendors to support us if we don’tsupport ourselves? There are over 5,000 AHRA members. Ifeach member gives $40 (since we’re celebrating AHRA’s 40thanniversary) that would contribute over $200,000 to theEducation Foundation and show our corporate partners that
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Education Foundation
Encouraged, Inspired, and ChallengedBy Kimberly L. Masters, RT (R)(M)(CT), CRA
I am the manager of the imaging services department at asmall community hospital. I was hired at this facility in myhometown as a graduate technologist in 1980, and with theexception of four years spent out of state, I have continuedworking there ever since.
It sounds like a very calm and stable career, but the healthcareindustry and the field of radiology evolve in small hospitals thesame as in larger institutions, just on a different scale. Changeis a constant for all of us. One of the unique challenges in asmall facility is balancing investments in technologicaladvances with the needs and expectations of the communitywe serve. As the technology advances, so too must the tech-nologists. It is fulfilling to watch technologists strive towardand reach advanced certifications in modalities in which theyhave been cross-trained. I have enjoyed this benefit, as well,and I am pleased our profession is supportive of this type ofpersonal growth.
I also appreciate the role that AHRA is playing in supportingthe leadership development of so many, including myself.When I first learned about the CRA credential, I was drawn inby the challenge it presented. All of my management traininghas been on the job, so it was exciting to discover that I wasqualified to sit for this exam. I am thrilled to have achieved thisgoal in 2008.
The resources available through my AHRA membership havebeen invaluable to me. I love to see the helpful responses thatare shared among colleagues in the member forum, and Ioften find useful information in the archived materials. I amimpressed with the vast experience and bank of knowledge Iam able to access.
I had long hoped for an opportunity to attend an AHRA confer-ence, but between budget constraints in my facility and chil-dren in college constraining my personal budget, I had neverpreviously been able to attend. This year, however, as I readthrough the slated presentations in the program schedule Ireally felt I should try to attend the Annual Meeting inMinneapolis. I received a message about the AHRA EducationFoundation Osborn Scholarship, and I decided to be coura-geous and apply. I was delighted to be awarded this scholar-ship and to finally attend my first AHRA meeting.
I had a difficult time deciding which sessions to attendbecause I felt each one pertained to an area of responsibilitythat I own. The speakers were very knowledgeable, and theinformation they shared was timely. The topics they presentedwere relevant to my job duties; I was able to immediately uti-lize the wisdom they imparted upon my return.
I did observe something that I frankly did not expect toencounter at the Annual Meeting, and that was a high degree
our members are serious about medical imaging management.So let’s get serious!
Here’s another example. Last year, we had almost 250 mem-bers contribute to the “Get Pinned” program. This year, therehave only been 187 members “get pinned” so far. If 65 moremembers match their contributions from last year, we wouldsurpass last year’s record. So let’s get pinned! Click this link togive $40 to celebrate AHRA’s 40th anniversary.
A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of calling the 2013Fall Conference Osborn Scholarship recipient, Brooke Spencer.Brooke is a radiology manager at Nebraska OrthopaedicHospital in Omaha, NE. She will receive paid registration to theFall Conference in Baltimore next month, as well as up to$1,200 to cover her trip, lodging, and meal expenses. To quoteBrooke, she is “super excited” to get to attend the FallConference. Osborn Scholarships offer the recipient up to$1,500 for the Annual Meeting and up to $1,200 for the Springor Fall Conference to support hotel, meal, air, and other travel-related expenses incurred while attending the meeting. TheAHRA Education Foundation will pay conference registration
fees in addition to the scholarship funds awarded.
The Osborn Scholarship and the other scholarships opportuni-ties available are just a sampling of the programs theEducation Foundation offers. Check out the EF website to seeour corporate partners as well as the many programs and proj-ects made possible through the Education Foundation.
Thank you for the opportunity to continue to serve the AHRA.On behalf of the AHRA EF Board of Directors, please know thatas the healthcare market continues to change, the EducationFoundation will continue to support AHRA and its mission byevery means possible.
Let’s continue to Expand Excellence!
Luann J. Culbreth, M Ed, MBA, RT(R)(MR)(QM), CRA, FSMRT, FAHRAis the AHRA Education Foundation Chair and a past-president ofAHRA. She is the executive director, medical imaging at SaintThomas Health-Baptist Hospital in Nashville, TN and can bereached at [email protected].
ahraLink September 2013 06
of camaraderie. On numerous occasions I heard people sharingnew ideas they were trialing, along with past experiments thatdid not yield the desired results, and offers to provide frame-works for policies they had perfected. I was pleasantly sur-prised, and I felt a sense of pride for our profession. It appearsthe leadership we have is taking care to foster the leadershipwe will need.
I am very grateful to the AHRA Education Foundation for theaward of the Osborn Scholarship. I want to personally thankMr. Edward Morgan and Ms. Sarah Murray for all their kindnessand assistance. I also want to thank the AHRA membership for
the warm, welcoming, and inclusive atmosphere that I experi-enced at the meeting. I have been encouraged, inspired, andchallenged. What great preparation for the inevitable changesjust around the corner for all of us.
Kimberly L. Masters, RT (R)(M)(CT), CRA is the imaging servicesmanager at Aultman Orrville Hospital in Orrville, OH. She can bereached at [email protected].
CRA
Three M’s (Minneapolis, Meetings, and More)By Bruce Hammond, CRA, CFAAMA, CNMT
If you were not at the 2013 AHRA Annual Meeting you missed,without a doubt, one of the best annual meetings in a verylong time. Now, considering that all of the AHRA AnnualMeetings are very good, this one had to be exceptional to topthe previous ones.
There were several new presentation choices this year includ-ing additional vendor symposia and a new one day PhysicianLeadership Track. With the collaborative efforts of RegentsHealth Resources, CSI Coding, and AHRA, the Physician Trackwas fantastic. As I wrote in Convention Daily, this track shouldcontinue and is a format to consider for other tracks. The bal-ance of the meeting was just as good. The Design Team, underthe leadership of Bill Johnson, selected speakers whose topicshad relevance to attendees, and many were of a broad enoughnature that they were beneficial even to those outside of radi-ology administration.
As Radiology Administrator Certification Commission (RACC)members, four other commissioners and I had a unique per-spective at this meeting. The RACC Commissioners attend theannual meeting not only as attendees but also as exhibitors.The time requirements are more than just a little different forus. We arrived early to have a meeting on Saturday evening,and then make sure the booth and booth materials were setup, and that we had everything we needed. Truthfully, it is notmuch of a worry because at the AHRA office we have the bestassociation staff anywhere, and the RACC has a secret weaponin CRA Coordinator Kathryn Keeler! The early arrival gave us anopportunity to install the booth, and then attend Sunday’sactivities, including a presentation on Sunday afternoon withAHRA’s Marketing Director, Mike Suddendorf and RACC Chair,Kimlyn Queen on how to leverage the value of your CRA.
Being an Annual Meeting vendor means we have booth dutyfor the three hours every day the exhibit hall is open. This yearwe had certificates for discounts on the CRA exam cost. Thenumber of people requesting them was encouraging. We alsohad plenty of literature, study materials, and some swag, so
there were many reasons to stop by and visit with the RACC.
In addition to the Sunday session on the CRA credential, yourRACC Commissioners were very active at the meeting. BothKimlyn Queen and I are on the Radiology ManagementEditorial Review Board and were present for a meeting of thatgroup. Kimlyn presented on Sunday; I was on a panel presen-tation on Monday and presented a 90 minute session onfinance Tuesday afternoon; and Mark Steffen also presented atthe meeting this year, speaking in two sessions on budgeting.The commissioners hosted the CRA reception on Mondayevening where Mark Steffen arranged for a game of Bingo withprizes awarded, and Kimlyn recognized the newest CRAs.Following the reception, the annual CRA photo was takenThese have been taken every year for as long as I can remem-ber. If you weren’t there to be a part of it, make sure you are innext year’s.
It seems that the Annual Meeting is the time for fellowship andFellow status. Over the past several years at least one RACCCommissioner has earned Fellow status at each annual meet-ing. This year Jacqui Rose received it. Jacqui joins Kimlyn, RickPerez, Ron Barak, and Mark as AHRA Fellows, which just leavesme to get the work done and reported. I have assured the oth-ers that I will have my application in on time for 2014.
The one thing that is as good as the sessions and the exhibitsis the real fellowship and networking that occurs. Old friend-ships are renewed, new friendships are made, and theexchange of information in the hallways, break areas, stairways,and coffee bars is less formal but no less informative.
The Minneapolis meeting is one I will remember for a longtime, and I have already been using some of the takeaways Ilearned there Kudos to Bill Johnson and the design team; theyraised the bar very high. When your administration asks forjustification for your attendance at this meeting you should beable to explain the value just by showing them the schedule ofsessions. At this point there are two things I am grateful for:
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CRA
Study Tips for the CRA ExamBy AHRA Staff
one, that I could attend this meeting; and two, that I am not onthe design team for 2014 because they have their work cut outfor them. Good thing they have 11 more months.
Make your plans now, save your PTO, education time, and cash;let’s meet up in Washington DC at the 2014 AHRA AnnualMeeting at the Gaylord National.
Bruce Hammond, CRA, CFAAMA, CNMT is the President and CEO ofDiagnostic Health Services in Addison, TX. He can be reached [email protected].
AHRA recently polled the May 2013 class of CRAs to get anidea of how they studied for the exam. If you’ve been thinkingof taking the exam, but you’ve been out of school for a fewyears and aren’t quite sure where to start when it comes tostudying, read on.
Test takers recommended studying anywhere between threemonths and one year before the exam, depending on howmuch time you are able to dedicate on a nightly or weeklybasis. Reading the five textbooks that AHRA offers to preparefor the exam was a nearly universal theme, as was taking thepractice test online several times until they felt confident withthe material. Many members of this newest group of CRAsspent a few hours several days per week reading the booksand creating outlines and flashcards to help them absorb thematerial as they read.
Several test-takers also attended a CRA Exam Workshop at anAHRA conference. One CRA commented that it was “great fortest development info and test-taking tips (tearing apart thequestions does help).” Finally, an important method of studyingfor the CRA Exam is something you’re already doing anyway:your job. “A lot of the exam has to do with your experience inthe profession,” one CRA noted. If there are any domains youdon’t have a lot of experience in with your day-to-day duties,make sure to focus on those.
We then asked the group of CRAs what they didn’t know goinginto the exam that they wished they had. Though they allpassed, many wished they’d spent more time on certain sub-jects that they wound up testing weakly in. One CRA gavesome great advice: “Remember you are answering the questionhow the study guide teaches you. There are several questionsyou could answer differently based on your background oryour institution’s policies, but that is not necessarily the correct
answer for the exam.” So while your background as a managerwill help to prepare you, make sure you study from the examprep materials, as well – even on the domains you think youhave down. Another CRA advised to expect the unexpected,such as starting a new job and having a new baby born in themiddle of your study period like they did!
When you’ve completed your studying and your scheduledexam date is coming up, someone remarked: do not try tocram studying in the days leading up to your exam! “Youshould have a pretty strong grasp of the material and you willbenefit more by relaxing and going in being well rested, with aclear head.” Other tips for going in with a clear head includegetting a good night’s sleep, eating breakfast, getting to thetesting center early so you don’t feel rushed, and if possible,taking a day or two off work before your exam so you can go infeeling refreshed and focused.
During the test, if you encounter a question you don’t knowthe answer to, flag it and go back to it later. Answer the ques-tions you do know first, and you can go back to the more chal-lenging ones at the end, instead of spending too much timeon them at the beginning. Another piece of advice is to readthe questions carefully – the answer is not always obvious. “Payattention to what is really being asked. Not that they were try-ing to be tricky, but one does need to really read the ques-tions.” When you’re going back and reviewing at the end, trynot to have too much self-doubt. “Do not go back and changeanswers after you have finished the exam. Your first response isusually the best one,” another CRA advised.
The final piece of advice when taking the exam is to, above all,relax. You know more than you think you know.
Good luck!
Here, we warmly welcome new members, acknowledge thetenure of our most committed members, and recognize anyrecent successes among all members. If you would like toacknowledge a colleague, announce a promotion, or make usaware of an accomplishment please let us know.
Jeffrey Fischer, Saint George, UTMena Flemon, Lynnwood, MALindsay Fox, Springfield, MAWesley Franks, Katy, TXRebecca Fricke, San Diego, CACheryl Goldsby, Lansdowne, VAFariba Goodarzarian, Los Angeles, CARomi Goodwin, San Diego, CAChristina Gregorio, Springfield, MAKimberly Hood, Wilmington, NCJohn Kim, Elk Grove, CAJeramie Knapp, Poughkeepsie, NYJoshua Lamborghini, Charlestown, MADawn LeBlanc, Houma, LAAnita LeBrecque, San Diego, CAJeffrey Lee, Olney, ILDarcy Lemke, Germantown, WIMichell Lewis, Broomfield, CODonna Looser, Saint Louis, MOStephanie Lopez, Rockdale, TXDianne Lowe, Mesa, AZ
My fellow design team members and I are excited to invite youto attend the 2013 AHRA Fall Conference in beautifulBaltimore! The conference runs from October 1-3.
You can expect a boatload of opportunities to reunite with col-leagues, meet new members, and attend an amazing array ofbreakout sessions. Whether you are attending the Basic orAdvanced Track, the breadth of topics will keep you engagedand hungry for more!
The conference starts on October 1 with the CRA ExamWorkshop and Medical Imaging Marketing Track. The CRAWorkshop is designed to help future CRAs prepare for theexam with a review of each domain covered as well as studytips and reference material. On the heels of a successful firstyear, the Marketing Track’s 2nd annual lineup looks to hitanother home run! The presenters will bring real-world exam-ples of how they used current marketing strategies to improvetheir respective facilities or clients.
The Basic Track kicks off on Tuesday (Oct.1) afternoon.Seasoned healthcare administrators have prepared presenta-tions from their own experience in areas such as qualityimprovement, budgeting, and negotiation. This program will
help build or solidify your management tool box. If askedwhich Advanced Track topics I’m most looking forward to, I’dhave to list them all. The design team personally interviewedeach presenter and selected the cream of the crop, with a vari-ety of topics that are timely to the current state of our industry.
Boatload, hungry, and home run: associate these words withBaltimore. There are many fun things to do in the Inner Harborarea of the city. Take a leisurely boat ride around the harbor, ora thrilling ride on Seadog speedboat! Hungry? The area hasmany excellent restaurants in walking distance from the con-ference. Baseball fans may be able to take in an Orioles game!They are playing the Indians on Tuesday night.
The AHRA Fall Conference Design Team members Mark Brown,Gara Colelli, Betty Roarkes, and myself invite you to come toBaltimore for an outstanding conference, networking, and lotsof opportunities to make amazing memories!
Mark E. Feeley, MBA is the 2013 Fall Conference Design TeamChair. He is the coordinator of quality management at BaystateMedical Center in Springfield, MA and can be reached at [email protected].
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AHRA News
Three Words for the Fall Conference By Mark E. Feeley, MBA
AHRA News
Member AppreciationBy AHRA Staff
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Miiko McDade, Milwaukee, WILydia McFadden, Newark, DEMarilyn Millis, Los Angeles, CADana Molek, Warren, PAWilliam Molen, Elkhart, INReina Morales, Los Angeles, CAJeff Ommen, San Diego, CAMichael Ordonez, Dallas, TXFrancis Owens, Yuma, CORich Patten, Scottsdale, AZTim Puckett, Helena, ALMark Reeder, Portland, ORLinda Saccamango, Orlando, FLChristina Schone, San Diego, CAMario Sergi, Jr., Vineland, NJJess Soria, San Diego, CARon Styers, Hendersonville, TNJonathan Swart, Bethlehem, PAValerie Szalay, Richmond, VARaymond Taylor, Plattsmouth, NETerry Thompson, Atlanta, GAMaria Torres, San Pedro, CASullivan Turner, San Diego, CARoger Wallace, Los Angeles, CAKim Warner, San Diego, CACody Wilkinson, Grangeville, IDTawny Zaller, Fairfield, OH
Do you know someone who can benefit from an AHRA mem-bership? Let us know! Send contact information to our mem-bership department at [email protected].
Member Anniversaries (as of September 2013)
25+ Years
Ronald Bernardi (33)David Dillard (25)Sandra McClendon (25)
