Chapter Association Board of Directors
The American Academy of Professional Coders Chapter Association (AAPCCA), the Governing Board for AAPC Local Chapters, is a non-profit association established to create, maintain and sustain the infrastructure, through approachable and accountable representation, necessary to empower local chapters to function in support of the AAPC
mission of "Upholding a Higher Standard”. The Board provides policy, rules, regulations, direction and advice to the AAPC local chapters and is also charged with ensuring that the local chapters function in accordance with the mission of the AAPC.
The AAPCCA Board of Directors is comprised of 16 certified AAPC members, many of whom have former local chapter leadership experience, who work collaboratively with the AAPC staff as well as the current officers of the local chapters. Two board members represent each region of the country.
Board Officers
Chair: Jill Young, CPC®, CEDC®, CIMC™
Principal Young Medical Consulting, LLC
Jill has over 30 years of medical experience including a diverse background in all areas of medicine, from clinical to billing to physician specialties. Her comments and opinions can be seen in publications, audio conferences and at live educational conferences in several venues. She is one of the original members of the AAPCCA Board of Directors.
Chapter Affiliation: Capital City Coders (Lansing MI Chapter)
Offices Held: Treasurer, President, Region 6 Representative
Vice Chair: Charla Prillaman, CPC®, CPC-I®, CEMC™, CCC™, CHCO
Director of Physician Compliance for Carolinas HealthCare System
Charla received her CPC in 1997 and holds specialty certifications in Cardiology and Evaluation and Management. She was named the AAPC “Coder of the Year” for 2000. Charla is one of the original members of the AAPCCA Board of Directors serving as vice-chair. She previously served the AAPC as a member of the National Advisory Board in 2005-2007.
Chapter Affiliation: Charlotte NC Chapter
Offices Held: President-elect, President. Also, President of Jacksonville FL and President of Pee-Dee in Florence SC, Region 3 Representative
Secretary: Suzan Berman-Hvizdash, CPC®, CEMC™, CEDC™
Senior Manager of Coding and Compliance at UPMC's Department of Surgery and Anesthesiology
Suzan's 15 years of experience include seven years of teaching surgeons, physician extenders and staff on compliance and documentation issues. She is also the senior auditor at the CRN Institute where she audits and educates offices around the country. She has been on the AAPCCA Board of Directors since January 2008.
Chapter Affiliation: Central Pittsburgh PA Chapter
Offices Held: President, Region 2 Representative
Treasurer: Reba Harrison, CPC®, CEMC™, CEDC™
Reimbursement Coordinator for the Department of Emergency Medicine for Emory HealthCare in Atlanta
Reba has been in healthcare 30+ years and has maintained a professional membership with AAPC as a CPC since 1999. She worked with Governor Sonny Perdue to recognize coders, proclaiming March 15th as Professional Medical Coders Day for Georgia. While president, her chapter won Chapter of the Year in 2002. Reba is one of the original members of the AAPCCA Board of Directors.
Chapter Affiliation: Atlanta GA Chapter and Dallas GA Chapter
Offices Held: Dallas - President, President-elect. Atlanta – Secretary, President-elect, President, Treasurer, Region 4 Representative
Meeting Coordinator: Shelly Cronin, CPC®, CGSC™, CANPC™, CGIC™
Employee of the Abdominal Transplant Section of Washington University Medical School in St. Louis
Shelly is an adjunct instructor at Sanford Brown College in Fenton, Missouri and has eight years coding experience with a special focus in General Surgery coding.
Chapter Affiliation: St. Louis East MO Chapter
Offices Held: President, Region 6 Representative
Regional Representatives
Region 1 – Northeast
Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York
Cynthia Trapp, CHFP, CMPE, CPC®, CPC-I®, CCS-P, CHC, PCA
Director of Professional Coding and Director of Handheld Coding and Charge Capture Technology at Lahey Clinic, Inc.
Cynthia has been a leader in the healthcare field for 20 years with experience in finance, billing, coding, and medical practice administration for large and small multi-specialty clinics. She currently teaches several coding programs and has spoken on topics in coding and practice management both locally and nationally.
Chapter Affiliation: Burlington MA Chapter
Offices Held: President, President-elect, Education Officer
Charla Prillaman, CPC®, CPC-I®, CEMC™, CCC™, CHCO
Region 2 – Atlantic
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Washington DC
Freda Brinson, CPC®, CPC-H®
Compliance Auditor for St. Joseph's/Candler Health System in Savannah
Freda obtained CPC certification in 1996 and CPC-H in 1997. Her 28 years of healthcare experience include physician office management and facility auditing. Her current duties include auditing facilities and physician practices for coding and billing compliance.
Chapter Affiliation: Savannah GA Chapter
Offices Held: Education Officer, President
Suzan Berman-Hvizdash, CPC®, CEMC™, CEDC™
Region 3 – Mid Atlantic
Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina
Janet Dunkerley, CPC®, CPC-I®, CMC
Senior Medical consultant for Quadramed
Janet founded the Capital Coders (Columbia South Carolina Chapter) in 1995 and has over 20 years of practical coding experience. She's worked as a medical consultant, coder, auditor, instructor and director of physician services. She's a certified PMCC instructor. Janet is one of the original members of the AAPCCA Board of Directors, currently serving as secretary.
Chapter Affiliation: Columbia SC Chapter
Offices Held: President, Secretary
Lynn Ring, CPC®, CPC-I®, CCS, CCS-P
Billing and Compliance Manager for Wake Forest University, Baptist Medical Center Community Physicians
Lynn has over 30 years of medical coding and billing experience and is responsible for the coding compliance for 13 practices which include OB/GYN, Pediatrics, Internal Medicine and Family Practice, and over 45 providers. She has been involved in every aspect of coding, from statistics and research to reimbursement and compliance.
Chapter Affiliation: Winston NC Chapter (Piedmont Professional Coders)
Offices Held: President, President-elect, Secretary
Region 4 – Southeast
Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Puerto Rico, Bahamas
Melissa Brown, RHIA, CPC®, CPC-I®, CFPC™
Manager of Education and Reimbursement at the University of Florida Jacksonville Physicians, Inc.
Melissa's areas of expertise include budget analysis, PQRI, and a wide variety of billing/coding-related topics – expertise that has been shared with a wide audience through instructional classes and seminars. Melissa's talents as a public speaker have been honed through Toastmasters International, a renowned public speaking association with which she holds the highest status of Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM). After 17 years in the healthcare industry, she still enjoys researching complex coding queries and tackling difficult reimbursement issues.
Chapter Affiliation: Jacksonville River City FL Chapter
Offices Held: Treasurer, President-elect, President
Reba Harrison, CPC®, CEMC™, CEDC™
Region 5 – Southwest
Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi
Wendy Grant, CPC®
Revenue Manager Analyst at Medical College Physicians Group at UAMS
Wendy entered the medical billing arena in 1977. Over the next 30 years, job opportunities allowed her to continue to grow in knowledge and experience, and achieving her CPC in 2002 was the proverbial “icing on the cake”. She now researches coding and denial trends, and constantly looks for ways to increase revenue.
Chapter Affiliation: Little Rock AR Chapter
Offices Held: Education Officer
Diana Yates, CPC®, CPC-H®, CPC-I®, CPEDC™
Director of Physician Resources, Inc.
Diana has over 30 years in the medical billing/coding arena. Her many accomplishments include PMCC instructor, compliance officer, and community college instructor of coding. Diana has no greater joy than to see another student become certified with AAPC. She founded the Carbondale Illinois Chapter and has served on the AAPCCA Board of Directors since January 2008.
Chapter Affiliation: Denver CO Chapter
Offices Held: President, President-elect
Region 6 – Great Lakes
Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio
Shelly Cronin, CPC®, CGSC™, CANPC™, CGIC™
Jill Young, CPC®, CEDC™, CIMC™
Region 7 – Mountain/Plains
Idaho, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa
Linda Hallstrom, CPC®, CEMC™
Coding Consultant and Auditor
Linda's coding expertise is hospitalist, intensivist, trauma, emergency, psychiatric, sub acute and internal medicine E/M physician services. Her passion is physician and coder education. Her 20 plus years in healthcare enable her to clearly communicate coding guidelines. Linda is one of the original members of the AAPCCA Board of Directors.
Chapter Affiliation: Phoenix AZ Chapter
Positions Held: President-elect, President and Education Officer
Angela Jordan, CPC®
Manager of Coding and Compliance for Women's Healthcare Network, LLC in Lenexa, Kansas
Angela has 20 years of experience in healthcare. Currently her primary focus is physician documentation and coding audits. She provides educational sessions for the billing office staff in addition to the providers and their employees. Angela has been very active in the Kansas City Chapter since 2003 in addition to volunteering on several of the chapter's committees including banquet committee chair and election officer.
Chapter Affiliation: Kansas City MO Chapter
Offices Held: Education Officer, President-elect, President
Region 8 – West
California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Hawaii, Alaska
Suzanne Fletcher-Petrich, CPC®, CPC-I®, CPC-P®
Instructor Pierce College and Coder for Northwest Pediatric Heart Specialists
Suzanne is an AAPC approved PMCC instructor who networks with students and employers to get internships and jobs. She served on the AAPC National Advisory Board for 2006-2007, and has been on the AAPCCA Board of Directors since January 2008. She was President of the Tacoma Washington Chapter in 2007 and 2008.
Chapter Affiliation: Tacoma WA Chapter
Offices Held: President
Jeri Leong, CPC®, CPC-H®, CPC-I®
President and CEO, Healthcare Coding Consultants of Hawaii
Jeri is a registered nurse by profession and has been an active member of the AAPC since 1991. She is the founder of the Honolulu Hawaii Chapter and also served as president of the AAPC's National Advisory Board from 2003 to 2005.
Chapter Affiliation: Honolulu HI Chapter
Offices Held: President
Marti G. Johnson – Utah
AAPC
Marti G. Johnson, Director of Local Chapter Support, has seen the number of chapters grow from 30 to more than 440 since she joined AAPC in 1994. All of her tenure here has been dedicated to the establishment and support of AAPC members and local chapters.
Director Local Chapter Support