2011 Regional Conference - Nashville, TN

Local chapters desiring to reserve a table for this event can contact Brenda Edwards at brenda.edwards@aapcca.org.

• Whole fruit
• Whole grain muffins
• Bagels
• Philadelphia cream cheese, sweet butter, wild flower honey,and preserves
• Freshly brewed coffees, White Lioin teas, and orange juice

Reed Pew

Reed Pew, Chairman and CEO of AAPC, will present the annual 'State of the AAPC' address at our opening general session. Come find out what's working, what's being worked on, and what the future holds for AAPC members.

Rhonda Buckholtz, CPC, CPMA, CPC-I, CENTC, CGSC, COBGC, CPEDC
ICD-10 is one of the largest changes to hit us in health care ever. In this session, learn what you need to be focusing on now, how you can begin preparing, what key changes are in the new coding system, and when you really should start the learning process.

Judy B Breuker, CPC, CPMA, CEMC

The claim has been submitted - now what? Judy will share her tips and techniques for appealing claims and establishing a patient collection process for physician practices. Come to this session to learn ways to revitalize your revenue cycle. If you have ideas and techniques that work for your practice, this is the session to share what works for your practice.

Quita Edwards, CPC, CPC-I, COSC

From the emergency room until the day of discharge, traumatic injuries offer unique challenges even for the experienced coding professionals. Issues with communication, documentation, and multiple claims cause many to leave hard earned dollars uncollected. In this session you will learn how to collect the highest, appropriate reimbursement for the most complex cases.

Chandra Lynn Stephenson, CPC, CPC-H, CPMA, CPC-I, CANPC, CEMC, CFPC, CIMC, COSC
Cynthia Stewart, CPC, CPC-H, CPMA, CPC-I
General Surgery: Getting to the Core This session will begin with an introduction to anatomy as it relates to general surgery. We’ll discuss the approaches used and the benefits and coding concerns of each. We will include separate and incidental procedures, the global package, using surgery modifiers, and the impact splitting care with hospitalists has on the claim process. We will examine documentation concerns as it relates to ICD-10.

Jenny Bogard, MPH
The Alliance for a Healthier Generation launched the Healthier Generation Benefit in 2009, bringing together leading insurers, employers and national medical associations to offer comprehensive health benefits to address the childhood obesity epidemic. Today, more than 2 million kids have access to the Healthier Generation Benefit and over 56,000 providers are in networks that offer the Benefit. Learn about the appropriate coding to identify and track eligible children.

• Classic Caesar salad
• Grilled chicken and sun dried tomatoes over penne pasta
• Chef choice of vegetables
• Seasonal fruit tart
• Ice tea, coffee

Judy B Breuker, CPC, CPMA, CEMC

Session will review and discuss changes and updates to ICD-9CM for 2012 - updates will have just been released!

Quita Edwards, CPC, CPC-I, COSC

With the amount and scope of payer audits increasing, providers are turning to internal audits to identify and correct any documentation and coding issues. A regular program of internal auditing is the best way to prepare for an external audit. Surgical chart auditing is a skill that requires practice to perform correctly. In addition to assuring the proper coding was assigned, other legal aspects found in a surgical record must also be considered, such as informed consent requirements and documentation requirements for surgical encounters.

Michael D Miscoe, Esq, CPC, CPCO, CASCC, CCPC, CUC

With post-payment audit efforts becoming more commonplace, there are a number of potential players in the post‐payment audit arena using a variety of investigation methods. Attendees will be provided with a plan for how to respond regardless of the type of investigation or method of conducting the investigation used. Attendees will also be provided with the information necessary to train other staff members. With appropriate procedures and training, not only will the stress usually associated with these investigations be minimized, but there is less likelihood of a mistake that will compromise the rights of the practice. Attendees will learn how to evaluate a record request to determine the practice’s obligation to respond, and where such an obligation exists, what information it is permitted to disclose. Finally, we will address your obligations under HIPAA and how these obligations can be used to your advantage.

David Zielske, MD, CPC-H, CIRCC, CCC

This advanced session will review CPT coding as it pertains to neurovascular interventional procedures. A basic review of catheter placement guidelines, imaging documentation and bundling issues with some interventions will be discussed, along with the myriad of catheter-based neurointerventional procedures performed in many labs around the country. We will include numerous anatomical discussions, review angiographic images and practice coding several complex neurointerventional cases. The session will invite questions throughout these reviews and audience participation is encouraged.

Jaci C Johnson, CPC, CPC-H, CPMA, CPC-I, CEMC

When it comes to an audit of an encounter note it’s more than just verifying a level of service. When an operative report is audited, there is more to look at than just verifying the correct surgical CPT code. In this program we will look at a variety of notes that on the surface look just fine, but still will not pass an audit on the first try. Let’s dig a little deeper and look at all things that should be considered complete and compliant documentation.

David Dunn, MD, CPC-H, CIRCC, CCC

The physician will guide you through the vascular families, showing you the first-order, the second, and third order vessels. He will explain how catheters travel through these vessels and how to determine what order of vessels they are. As with any road trip, you should be cognizant of possible detours or changes.

Kerin Draak, CPC, CPC-I, CEMC, COBGC

This session will offer strategies for effective communication with your providers. Teaching a provider the regulations that govern E/M documentation is more than telling them the rules.Educating providers usually means asking them to make changes in their documentation and one cannot expect a provider to change a behavior, if the provider does not understand what is being asked of them and why. When educating providers, the information needs to be presented in a manner is relevant to patient care. It is not productive to talk to a provider in a coding language that they do not understand. Participants will learn how to bridge the nguage barrier between coding and medicine. Obtaining a working relationship, involving mutual respect goes a long way to developing a strong repoire with providers. This session will also review some of the most commonly identified areas of insufficient documentation, e.g. ROS and Family Hx. Accurate documentation is key to good patient care, but it is also linked to reimbursement and subject to the scrutiny of outside reviews by all carriers. In a time of decreased reimbursement, it is more important than ever to capture all of the medically necessary work for your providers.

Michael D Miscoe, Esq, CPC, CPCO, CASCC, CCPC, CUC

The purpose of this education is to discuss the importance of compliance throughout the health care system with specific emphasis on how it pertains to documentation, coding, and billing. We will:
I. Identify the role of compliance in the health care setting, both physician and hospital-based II. Identify what increases compliance risk within a system as it relates to documentation, billing, and coding III. Identify the legal implications of working in a 'silo', from both the coding/billing and compliance perspective IV. List the ways to move away from 'silos' and toward 'TEAM' approach as iit relates to compliance V. Discuss ways that the newly developed TEAM of compliance, coders, and billers can survive the changes on the horizon from a regulation and federal guideline perspective

Melissa Brown, CPC, CPC-I, CFPC
Join us as we explore the human body through a series of autopsies that focus on the musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems - accompanied by discussion of the complex design of the human body. Understanding anatomy from this viewpoint will help the code descriptors jump to life for the coder. Warning! - this session is not for the faint of heart, as actual cadavers are dissected in the video to demonstrate key aspects of human anatomy.

• Whole fruit
• Blueberry muffins
• Bagels
• Philadelphia cream cheese, sweet butter, wild flower honey,and preserves
• Freshly brewed coffees, White Lioin teas, and orange juice

Bill GraceyCOO, Blue Cross Blue Shield Tennessee
A review of what health care reform means to our overall industry: from the health plan's perspective to the provider's perspective. Getting ready for the next roller coaster ride!

Melanie Dunn, MD
Female anatomy and the pathology that may affect it can be complicated. We will review basic anatomy and some of the problems that can develop throughout a woman's life. .

Patricia A Champion, CPC, CPC-I

Learn how to correctly document for preventive care services. If you don't have the proper documentation when billing for this, you might asked to refund this money in the face of an audit. Learn how to keep this from happening.

Judy A Wilson, CPC, CPC-H, CPC-P, CPC-I, CANPC

In this session we will take an in depth look at cardiac anesthesia codes and thoracic anesthesia codes. Additional procedures reviewed will include invasive line and robotic assisted procedure pacemaker. As we move into ICD codes, we will also review some of the billing rules complicating Anesthesia coding.

Michael D Miscoe, Esq, CPC, CPCO, CASCC, CCPC, CUC

This program will provide coders with an understanding of how to assess the difference between coding rules (how services should be representated) and reimbursement rules (how services should be paid). Attendees will additionally learn what makes a claim “legally false” and how fraud liability associated with the submission of false claims can attach to coders. Finally, attendees will learn a number of “Best Practices” for resolving concerns about personal liability they may have under the False Claims Act.

• Tossed garden salad with BBQ dressing
• Burbon reduction chicken roulade with cornbread stuffing
• Chef choice of vegetables
• Individual Southern Pecan Pie with Vanilla Bean Anglaise, Caramel Sauce

Kerin Draak, CPC, CPC-I, CEMC, COBGC

This session will review Medicare's complex guidelines that apply to incident-to billing, and when it is appropriate to bill split/shared care services. We will also review appropriate documentation necessary to meet these guidelines.

Teresa Marshall ,CCS
Jackie Woeppel ,MBA, RHIA, CCS
This presentation will explore diagnostic cardiovascular procedures; what they reveal,and the correct CPT coding and ICD-9 coding that supports medical necessity. We will review basic CV anatomy and view some examples of echocardiograms, nuclear stress tests, PET stress tests, etc. We will discuss proper ICD-9 coding of CV disease and sneak a peek at ICD-10 CV coding.

Donna SanGiovanni, CPC, CASCC
In this session, we will go over the basic anatomy of the GI tract along with coding and modifier usage for outpatient endoscopic procedures including: esophagogastro-duodenoscopy (EGD) colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).

Brenda Edwards, CPC, CPMA, CPC-I, CEMC
We encounter many grey areas and differing interpretations related to evaluation and management services. During this interactive session, attendees will review actual documentation as we discuss elements within the note which may be interpreted differently by auditors or insurance carriers. Documentation will include handwritten, dictated, and EMR notes. The session will wrap up with “the good, bad and ugly” of delivering audit results to the provider including reports, delivery methods and follow up education. Participants are encouraged to share documents for review during this session. All identifying patient, provider, and/or facility information must be removed and sent to brenda.edwards@aapcca.org.

John David Rosdeutscher, MD
This session will cover common misconceptions & omissions such as closures. Topics included would be benign vs. malignant vs. unknown behavior lesions. Masses vs. lesions. Simple vs. intermediate vs. complex closure. What constitutes local tissue rearrangement vs. flaps & grafts. Time allowing, we will briefly touch on debridement & wound care.

Barbara Cataletto, MBA, CPC
This simple, yet comprehensive approach to the process of spine coding begins with the concept of coding as its foundation. The operative note is then divided into four distinct sections, as a means of guiding the spine professional through the coding process step-by-step. The operative note will be examined and viewed in a new way, which will allow for easier, more accurate, and more efficient coding.

Jaci C Johnson, CPC, CPC-H, CPMA, CPC-I, CEMC

What are the resources needed to effectively code and bill in the Primary Care setting? This seminar is dedicated to answering that question. Designed to complement your coding manuals, we will take a look at diagnosis coding, modifiers, minor procedures, physicals and other E/M challenges in the world of Primary Care, Internal Medicine and Pediatrics.

Katherine Abel, CPC, CPMA, CPC-I
Understanding anatomy and pathophysiology is a must for ICD-10 due to its clinical nature. Travel through the body systems with me to identify key areas of challenge posed in ICD-10. The knowledge gained in this session will get your mind on the right track in preparing for the transition to ICD-10.

Rhonda Buckholtz, CPC, CPMA, CPC-I, CENTC, CGSC, COBGC, CPEDC

In this two day boot camp you will learn everything you need to know to implement ICD-10 in your practice. Boot Camps cover all aspects of the ICD-10 implementation process, including a general overview structure and guidelines, crosswalking and mapping, organizing the implementation effort, and hands-on exercises. This live group training is ideal for smaller facilities and practices. It is designed for those with responsibility over their practice or facility's coding, health information management and/or implementation of ICD-10, including office managers, practice managers, administrators, coding/billing managers, and coding/billing educators.

Rhonda Buckholtz, CPC, CPMA, CPC-I, CENTC, CGSC, COBGC, CPEDC

This expo style class is geared for CPC-As in the Nashville area to help build skills and techniques for career placement and advancement. Instead of coding education, the educational focus is:

• Resume building
• Professionalism
• Interview techniques
• Networking with fellow CPC-As
• Mock interviews

Timothy Dale Ferguson, CPC; Candace Limbaugh Gonzalez, CPC
CPC, CPC-H, CPC-P, CIRCC, CPMA or Specialty-Specific

Jennifer Swindle RHIT, CCS-P, CCP, CPC, CPMA, CEMC, CFPC
Learn the accurate and appropriate use of modifiers, how they impact appropriate reimbursement and how they are used to ‘tell the complete story’. Not only will the presentation demonstrate how appropriate modifier use will allow for payment in certain circumstances, but also how modifiers can be overused or abused for improper payment, opening organizations to risk. Procedural modifiers as well as E&M modifiers will be discussed. Hands-on instruction will include case studies and specific examples, complete with notes to determine appropriate modifier use. Operative notes will be studied as well, in which modifiers would be necessary to show staged or related procedure or unrelated return to the OR type of examples. Please Note: Workshops include interactive, hands-on exercises. Please bring your core coding books (CPT®, HCPCS Level II).