Our President’s Message Next Meeting Date:

June 5, 2012

Location:

Lutheran General Hospital

Johnson Auditorium

Ground Floor

Program: Communication in the Medi-

cal Office Amy Wilson-Sponks

Page 1

The Greater Chicagoland Chapter of

PAHCOM

Volume 4, Issue 5 MAY, 2012

RSVP WWW.GCPAHCOM.COM

Dear GCPAHCOM Friends and

Colleagues:

As each month draws to a close,

there is no more concrete duty of

the chapter president than to com-

pose the monthly “Letter from the

President” that begins our newslet-

ter. Each president can make the

message his or her own. It can be

a summary of the news of the

chapter or information that the

president feels is necessary or

worthwhile to convey to the mem-

bership. I have taken this task to

heart. I think about what I want to

convey for a while; I don’t just sit

down and generate words. I have

tried to make the content pertinent

to our positions as managers and

human beings. I don’t know how

many of you actually read the

Newsletter or this Letter from the

President, but maybe some of you

do.

Each Tuesday morning, my office

receives a fax entitled, “The Fax

of Life.” It is from a religious

source, but the particular religion

is not important. In my office,

there are many religions. Many of

us read this fax and discuss the

content. The basis of the lesson

for the week has to do with in-

sights into life and personal

growth, regardless of one’s reli-

gion. It is often amazing how a

topic arrives that discusses an is-

sue one of us in the office has just

struggled with the previous week.

During this past month, one of the

lessons addressed speech and how

one’s manner of speaking should

show an honor and respect for

others. It says that we should

show a love for other people and

use a pleasant manner of speaking.

Jeff Cumbee PLATINUM Ph: 630-375-6800

David Heller H Group Benefits, Inc. Ph: 847-564-1640

Mike Hattie POS Professional Office Services Ph: 800-707-5310

Bert Rosenberg Clifton Gunderson Ph: 630-573-8600

Jeri Stenhouse InHealth Ph: 800-477-7374

Jayme Matchinski Hinshaw & Culbertson Law Ph: 312-704-3574

Sponsors:

CHAPTER OF THE YEAR 2011

Dan Frasier Fith Third Bank 312-704-6212

Tami Gilbert Spectrum Training 312-213-7008

Joe Balice Medical Risk Services 630-821-6024

Think back over the last month.

Have you accomplished this?

Have you shown a basic “love”

toward your colleagues, staff,

bosses? Have you spoken pleas-

antly and kindly or have you

maybe been less than kind in

words and actions? Have any

recipients of any unkind words

or actions truly deserved those

words? Self-reflection is always

a good thing. You only have

yourself to answer to. Be the

best that you can be. It only

makes a better YOU!

Onward. We hosted the CMM

exam on Saturday, May 12,

2012; and Bob Dunk and Paula

Lugar sat for the exam. We are

awaiting results. Jennifer Brown

will be taking the exam on Satur-

day, June 16. Our Membership

Drive is continuing and will run

through June 30, 2012. Please

continue to contact any area

medical managers that you know

and let them know the benefits

of joining on a local level. Not

only are there educational and

networking benefits, there are

cost savings in many areas that

are only available once you are a

member. There is a nice prize

for the manager who brings in

the most new managers. New

managers can also win. Confer-

ence registration is open and

early bird registration is open

through June 1. If you can fi-

nancially do it, the sessions

should be worthwhile from an

educational perspective. We

have a nice lead, at this point, in

Chapter of the Year points. We

still have quite a few points left

to be tallied. The race is not

over.

Thanks to Tami Gilbert for her

OSHA presentation in May.

She covered a vast amount of

information in a short time and

we are grateful for the re-

source we now have. Thanks

to Mike Hatttie, from POS, for

a delicious dinner. Our June

meeting will be on Communi-

cation in the Medical Office

by Amy Wilson-Sponks. She

will discuss differences be-

tween in-office language and

out-of-office the secret word is

holiday language. It should be

an informative session. In

July, there will be no meeting

due to our summer break.

Meetings will resume in Au-

gust.

In September, we will be hav-

ing our Member’s Only meet-

ing. Please start thinking

about any agenda items you

want to discuss at that meet-

ing. Also, please start thinking

about how actively you want

to be involved in running our

chapter. We are always inter-

ested in members stepping up

and taking more active roles in

the chapter. Is this your year?

Friends and colleagues, we

have a really great chapter! I

am proud to be a part of Great-

er Chicagoland PAHCOM. I

have worked hard to lead this

chapter in the direction that I

have thought you wanted to

go.

As always,

Respectfully submitted,

Renee Segal, President,

GCPAHCOM

Page 2

Greater Chicagoland Chapter of PAHCOM

Facebook

Linkedin

Twitter

Connect with us online we have groups setup on both sites. If you have questions let us know. Keep

connected and sharing your experiences online. We are always looking for ways to expand our internet

reach. Hope to see you online!

We are Online

Greater Chicagoland Chapter PAHCOM May 1, 2012

The meeting was called to order by Secretary Danielle Schroeder, CMM at: 7:05 pm

Board Present: Danielle Schroeder, CMM, Secretary, Kelly Dietrich, MA, CMM, Sponsor Chair, Janice

Goodyear, CMM, Membership, and Karen Spellman, CMM, Membership.

Members/Managers: Stephanie Cripps, Robert Dunk, Roxie Esposito, CMM, Louise Gabriel, Patricia

Hembd, Roberta Malloy, RMC, Paula Mateo, Cynthia Penar, CMM, Jennifer Pfeifer, Jody Berman,

Laura Bohler, CMM, MPH, and Cynthia Penkala, CMM, CMPE. CEU’S are on file with the secretary.

Guest Managers: None Present

Sponsors: Tami Gilbert, Bert Rosenberg, Dan Fraser, Jeff Cumbee, Mike Hattie and David Heller

Guest Sponsors: Vibha Patel, Melissa Gaier, Mark and Waldrop

Program: Thank you to Tami Gilbert, RN, MSN, MBA for a wonderful presentation on “OSHA Require-

ments; Healthcare Requirements.”

Sponsor Spotlight: A warm thank you to Mike Hattie from POS for providing dinner.

Old Business:

Minutes: Patricia Hembd made the motion to approve minutes from April 03, 2012. The motion was se-

conded by Karen Spellman, CMM; motion carried and the minutes were approved.

Webinar: Webinar broadcast to be tested on May 02, 2012 by Renee Segal, CMM, CPC, Jeff Cumbee,

Lizz Dietrich, CMM, and Janice Goodyear, CMM and findings will be reported at next meeting.

Workshop: Karen Spellman, CMM stated that plans for the CGPAHCOM workshop are underway. The

workshop will be held on Friday September 21, 2012. Fees will be $79 for members and $99 for non-

members. Breakfast and lunch will be provided and there will be a vendor fair as well.

GCPAHCOM Website: Cindy Penkala, CMM, CMPE and Renee Segal, CMM, CPC have met and identi-

fied areas to be reworked. Jeff Cumbee has been given this feedback and once a new copy has been writ-

ten it will be reviewed and approved for revisal of the website.

DATES

TO

REMEMBER

OCTOBER

16-18, 2012

NATIONAL

PAHCOM

CONFERENCE

Greater Chicagoland Chapter of PAHCOM

Minutes Cont...

New Business:

Membership: Janice Goodyear, CMM states that we are currently at 39 paid members and remind everyone that the mem-

bership drive is still underway. The current runnings for the IPAD2 drawing are as follows: Danielle Schroeder, CMM-1,

Karen Spellman, CMM-1, and Renee Segal, CMM, CPC-3. Laura Bohler, CMM, MPH was the second runner up for the

membership drawing and will be accepting the conference tuition.

Communication; Danielle Schroeder, CMM reminds everyone to follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Lizz Die-

trich, CMM is also working with Jeff Cumbee on getting the current flier on the GCPAHCOM website.

Sponsor Information: Kelly Dietrich, CMM states there is nothing new to report for Sponsorship. Danielle Schroeder,

CMM reminded the sponsors to arrive early to the monthly meetings to showcase their businesses; set up displays, dis-

tribute fliers, and network with the managers.

New Service Project; Danielle Schroeder, CMM will be working with the Cub Scouts Pack 111 in Fox Lake on May 17 th.

She will be presenting on Basic First Aid and Tick prevention and removal. GCPAHCOM has generously donated “tick

kits” to be distributed to the Cub Scouts at that time.

Room Location; The 10th Floor Special Functions Dining Room has been reserved through October 2013. Although the

Johnson Auditorium is more convenient for parking, it was decided that the 10th floor meeting room was more conducive

to networking, dining, seating, broadcasting, and social mixing.

Chapter of the Year: GCPAHCOM is currently at 400 points towards Chapter of the Year and is in the lead by 80 points

at present.

Medical Manager of the Year: Two Members from our Chapter have been nominated for Medical Manager of the Year;

Kelly Dietrich, MA, CMM and Sue Zumwalt, CMM. Other nominees include: Becky Davey, CMM, Gail Eminhizer,

CMM, CGCS, Michele Peters, CMM, and Dawn Zavala, CMPE, CMM. Congratulations to all of you.

CMM Exams: Robert Dunk and Paula Luger are set to take the CMM exam on May 12, 2012- Good Luck to both of you.

June Speaker: Our June presentation will be “Communications in the Medical Office” presented by Amy Wilson-

Spronks.

Conference Drawing: The conference drawing for tickets was held and the results are as follows:

Winner: Kelly Dietrich, MA, CMM

First Alternate: Donna Weinstock

Second Alternate: Jody Berman

Conference Stipend for Board Members: An email was sent out requesting consideration of a conference stipend in the

amount of the conference registration fee to be awarded to each Board Member going forward and 50% of that amount

awarded to Committee Chairs. During the Group discussion on this topic it was noted that the approximate cost of this

would equal approximately $5000.00 if all Board and Committee Chair members were to attend conference. After further

group discussion no motion and no vote were conducted and it was suggested that this topic be addressed at a future

member’s only meeting.

Motion to adjourn was made by Kelly Dietrich, MA, CMM and seconded by Laura Bohler, CMM, MPH.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:47 pm.

Respectfully Submitted,

Danielle Schroeder, CMM and Roxie Esposito, CMM

Secretary

Page 3

Wear your PAHCOM pin(s) 1

(no matter how many you wear)

The following will be awarded after the event

and only awarded once per year:

Your guest becomes a member

(manager or sponsor) 2

Serve as an officer 5

Chair a committee 4

Serve on a committee 3

Participate in a chapter

sponsored activity 2

Attend National conference 4

"Each of us alone is one; to-

gether we are the Professional

Association of Health Care Office

Management."

Richard Blanchette

Founder

CONFERENCE CON-

TEST GUIDELINES

On to the year 2012 Contest!

This year you will be able to

earn a raffle ticket for the list

below as you have in the past,

the difference is this year you

will be filling out your own tick-

ets. You will need to remember

to complete your tickets month-

ly.

The raffle tickets will be availa-

ble at the registration desk and

you will put your name on the

ticket and place it in the “Drum”.

Please be sure to review the list

so that you are ready to start the

race for 2011 this August. The

drawing will be held at the June,

2012 meeting – so good luck to

everyone!

Attend a meeting 1

RSVP on time 1

Bring a guest (manager) 1

Bring a guest

(potential sponsor) 1

Submit an article for the

Newsletter 1

Spiral bound-easy reading books-National Press Publications, Inc. Communication & Leadership Series:

Techniques of Successful Delegation – by Carla Brown Assertiveness: Get What You Want Without Being Pushy – by Carla Brown How to Manage Conflict – by Carla Brown Getting Things Done – by Kristine C. Brewer Team Building – by Charles Mallory The Supervisor’s Handbook – by Mark R. Truitt Techniques to Improving Your Writing Skills – by Robert L. Iles Lifestyle Series:

Balancing Career & Family: Overcoming the Superwoman Syndrome– by Marian Thomas The Stress Management Handbook – by Kristine C. Brewer Powerful Leadership Skills for Women – by Dr. Patricia Murdock Mil-ler Dynamic Communication Shills for Women – by Carla Brown Self-Esteem: The Power to Be Your Best – by Mark Towers Your Perfect Right A Guide to Assertive Living – by Robert E. Alberti, Ph.D & Michael L. Emmons, PhD. Time Power – by Charles Hobbs How To Collect At Time of Service – Video training for healthcare professionals How To Speak Up, Set Limits and Say No* - by Maria Arapakis

[*Without Losing Your Job or Your Friends] audio cassette program

TREASURER’S REPORT

AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

By MEMBERS Page 4

Bullet Group Consulting Scott Purdy 224-392-5631

Hank Paul Warehouse Direct 847-952-1925

Karla Weisberg Transworld Systems, Inc. Ph: 847-709-0001

Sponsors(Cont.):

Greater Chicagoland Chapter of PAHCOM

Road to Conference

Library

2012 Calendar JUN 5—Communication Effective in Improving Patient Contact Amy Wilson-Stronk, MPP JULY - NO MEETING AUGUST - Mini Accounting Workshop: Reading Financial Reports Bert Rosenberg, CPA

Page 5

CALLING ALL GCC MEMBERS AND SPONSORS

We are holding a membership drive that is effective through June 30, 2012.

We are inviting each member and sponsor to help our membership grow. This chapter is great because of the support and enthusiasm of

each of you. We want to grow the chapter and share it with other managers that you know.

We want to challenge you to reach out to other managers - they may work next door to you, down the hall or across the street, they may be

your customers and clients, we want them to be a part of this great group and organization.

Please invite them to come to a meeting and find out what we are about - knowledge and networking with managers just like themselves and

sponsors that have solutions to the challenge they may be facing.

We have a great lineup of meetings that will provide information that they will find will help them in their jobs.

This will be a great challenge but this will garner great rewards as well - not just for you and the satisfaction of helping our chapter grow but the

new members and what they will bring to our chapter.

Now we know all of you would do this just for the love of the chapter - but - we decided to give you a prize to aim for.

For our chapter members we will be presenting an IPAD 2 to that chapter member with the most new members.

For our sponsors you will win your sponsorship fee for 2013.

The winners will be announced at the August 2012 meeting.

Please remember that each new member must sign up with both PAH-COM National and the Greater Chicagoland Chapter.

Thanks to each and every one of you for taking on and stepping up to our challenge.

Let's work together to make this year as great as last year - after all we are THE CHAPTER OF THE YEAR!!!!

Standings: Danielle Schroeder,CMM - 1, Renee Segal,CMM - 3, Karen Spellman, CMM - 2

Greater Chicagoland Chapter of PAHCOM

2012 Chapter Officers President:

Renee Segal, CMM Ph: 847-540-8020

renee@gcpahcom.com

Vice President:

Elizabeth Dietrich, CMM Ph: 847-677-1170

lizz@gcpahcom.com

Parliamentarian:

Secretary:

Danielle Schroeder, CMM

Ph: 847-348-6432

Danielle@gcpahcom.com

Treasurer:

Jo Dick, CMM, CENTCS

Ph: 847-882-5888

Jo@gcpahcom.com

Membership:

Karen Spellman, CMM Ph: 847-985-0881

Karen@gcpahcom.com

Janice Goodyear, CMM Ph: 773-775-0811

Janice@gcpahcom.com

!!!! We are Online !!!!

Pay your yearly membership dues or

sponsorship online via PayPal @

www.gcpahcom.com

Greater Chicagoland Chapter of PAHCOM

Page 6

COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Communications: Sponsor Coordinator: Historian:

Elizabeth Dietrich,CMM Kelly Dietrich, CMM Jo Dick, CMM, CENTCS

Ph: 847-677-1170 Ph: 312-464-5491 Ph: 847-882-5888

lizz@gcpahcom.com Kelly@gcpahcom.com Jo@gcpahcom.com

******************************************************************************************

THANK YOU TO MIKE HATTIE, POS FOR DINNER AT

OUR MAY MEETING

Greater Chicagoland Chapter of PAHCOM

Greater Chicagoland Chapter of

Page 7

Thanks to Cindy Penkala, CMM and the AMA we have some new additions to our library. Please contact Jo Dick, CMM,CENTCS

to access our new books.

Assessing The Value Of Your Practice RX For Business Success—Joining a Medical Practice

RISK Assessment Management Guide Maximizing Billing and Collections

Physicians Guide To Survival and Success in the Medical Practice Physician Compensation Strategies

************************************************************************************************

Medicare

e-Prescribing Deadline Nears

Physicians have until June 30, 2012 to report on at least 10 electronic scripts to avoid the 2013 Medicare e-prescribing program

penalty. Physicians who aren’t able to get 10 electronic scripts should apply for a hardship exemption which will have to be appli-

cable to their particular case before the June 30, 2012 deadline.

"While we do not think physicians are being given enough time to comply with the Medicare e-prescribing program, we want to

make them aware of the upcoming e-prescribing deadline so they can take steps now to prevent being hit with the 2013 penalty,"

AMA Immediate Past-President Cecil B. Wilson, M.D. said in a statement.

CMS released the final regulation on the 2013 Medicare e-prescribing penalty program in November of last year. The penalty for

not successfully participating in the program, or not filing for an exemption on time, is a 1.5 percent payment reduction for all Med-

icare claims based on the 2013 fee schedule amounts during the year.

The link for information about filing the exemption is:

http://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/ERxIncentive/downloads//

Tips_for_Using_Communication_Support_Page_FINAL.pdf

***************************************************************************************

Human Resources

Your Copy Machine May Be Storing Your Confidential Records

Your new copying machine may be keeping copies of records that have been scanned into the copier's hard drive. You

can't access those records directly, but someone could remove the drive and copy your confidential records.

That's something every HR manager should be aware of. It has implications for confidentiality, especially when the

copier is disposed of.

Recordkeeping is a critical HR function but you won't get tested until there's an audit, charge, or lawsuit. And if you

fail the test, your poor recordkeeping practices can result in substantial financial penalties, and large verdicts in court.

NEW ADDITIONS TO OUR LIBRARY

GREATER CHICAGOLAND CHAPTER OF PAHCOM

MEMBERSHIP DUES

Local chapter membership is open to health care office managers in all specialties and al-

lied health science professions. Membership in PAHCOM national organization is required

before local membership.

Membership Requirements

Become and remain an active member of the national organization Be affiliated with a provision of healthcare.

Perform as their primary function administrative and/or

Managerial duties within healthcare.

Membership Pledge

I agree to promote the professionalism of the Greater Chicagoland Chapter of PAHCOM through the

pursuit of excellence in health care office management and to further support my profession by being

a PAHCOM member on the national level.

Membership Information

Name:______________________________________Birth Date (month/day)_______________

Practice

Name:_________________________________________________________________________

Mailing Address:_______________________________________________________________

City:____________________________State_________________Zip_____________________

Business Phone:_______________________Phone__________________________________

Fax___________________e-mail______________________National membe#___________

Years in Healthcare Mgmt:_________________Specialty:__________________________

# of Doctors:______________# of Staff:___________________________________________

Hosptial Affiliation(s):_________________________________________________________

Chapter dues are separate from national dues and are $30.00 per year. Dues are

payable to the GREATER CHICAGOLAND CHAPTER OF PAHCOM. Checks

should be forwarded to the membership director.

Janice Goodyear, CMM or Karen Spellman, CMM

7447 W. Talcott Ave., #300, Chicago, IL 60631

www.gcpahcom.com via paypal ($35.00)