Wiki Local Chapter Ideas

Rhonda Buckholtz CPC

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Local Chapter Officer
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Seneca, PA
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We are looking for suggestions and ideas for successful meetings that your chapter has had.... maybe a fun game or great speaker or topic. Let us know what has worked for you so that other chapters can also benefit!

What worked for you?
 
I haven't participated in it yet, but I have heard Coding Jeopardy is a great game and is lots of fun...I was actually thinking about suggesting we do it at one of our meetings...If any one has this game or suggestions for it let me know.

Thanks!
 
At our last meeting, which was on 08 ICD-9 updates, we played "Are you Smarter Than an ICD-9 Coder?" We had one member who was the contestant, and another was the "5th grader." Everyone really seemed to enjoy it.
 
Chapter Ideas

We have done "Coding Quiz Bowl" with teams and prizes. Lots of fun. Also, did "CSI: Coding Scene Investigator". We did scenarios from the popular TV show and had the chapter code certain things like HIV, Down's syndrome, child abuse, wounds, and such. Everyone really had a great time and gave us a chance to code outside our comfort zone.
 
Coding Concentration

I created coding concentration for our lunch and learn program at work. You have squares, with coding questions and answers. People get points for matching the correct answer to the question. This was fun and we had a small prize. We have also done coding jeopardy and coding word puzzles.
 
Our chapter played ICD-9 Pictionary. We used a dry easer board and I would draw pictures and everyone had to look up the correct code. Mostly stick figures w/ E- codes. You know burn from a fire on a cruise ship. We gave away prizes we had brought back from the Seattle conference. Try it you'll like it!
Tammy Hughes, CPC
Grass Valley CA
Gold country chapter President- Elect
 
We have done coding jeopardy and have a blast we play this game at our Christmas meeting before we exchange gifts which we play a game called dirty santa, meaning you can take the gift of your choosing before opening one present. One chapter plays coding concentration which is fun also. Good luck
 
Hi Michelle, I just also told them about the coding concentration. I see that you are now the president for the DC Chapter how is that going, I am the president for the local Chapter in Wilmington starting in Jan. How are things going for you still doing Cardiology coding. My daughter had twin boys Nov 3rd
 
I did a presentation on Medical Terminology but made it interactive. I had our members break in to 3 groups of Pre-fixes, Combining Forms, and Suffixes. They then had to communicate with the other groups to make one complete word and define that word. The words didn't have to make sense but they did have to be able to define there word somehow. This got the members used to working with their resources, communicating with others, thinking outside of the box, and have a great time doing so. One team was able to make a real word found in Steadman's.
 
dwcpc

We had our local chapter meeting last night and had crossword puzzles, word searches and and a definition quiz. They really make you think. It helps you brush up on things you don't use daily.
 
Hi Rhonda,

One of the local Jacksonville Florida chapters enjoyed my Coding Jeopardy so much that they ask me to do it every year. The key is to make fun categories and clues such as "To 'V' or not to 'V'" - which was a category where folks had to find the appropriate V diagnosis code based on funny scenarios like Sponge Bob Squarepants was playing in the jellyfish fields when he was stung. Chapter officers were able to obtain some donated items to give away as prizes to the top 3 competitors. The key is to make it fun and not mundane.

-Maryann Palmeter
 
Coding Games

I have used the Coding Jeopardy & Who wants to be a Coder(Millionare) They have worked great as you can change the topics and play at different meetings or classes. This never gets dull, my students love this.

If you need them let me know and I will e-mail them to you. These are in Powerpoint LRawlings@sblhs.org

Lynn :eek:
 
Games chapters play

Our all time favorite is a coding bingo game our chapter officers came up with. CODER, each letter it's own category, first bingo/coder then blackout. We play this every year at our end of year party, coders and non coders a like have reallly enjoyed this game.
 
We have a new idea that we are trying this year - Hopefully it works!! We are going to have a panel of coders who work in different areas (compliance, audting, facility, etc) tell how they use coding in what they do, then we are going to facilitate a discussion. The idea is to help people decide where they want to go with their coding career and what they need to do to get there.
 
This is my first time as an officer, but my plan is to have both a coding game and a networking game at each meeting. Reading what others have already done gives me a lot of great ideas! I've got a few already in mind, it's just a matter of getting them from my head to paper. There are two I'm excited about: the first is matching celebrities to their diseases and the second is playing a line from a song and having the members decide what a possible diagnosis could be, and code it. My family has been great about giving me leads for both of these! If these turn out, I'll be glad to share!
 
We have a new idea that we are trying this year - Hopefully it works!! We are going to have a panel of coders who work in different areas (compliance, audting, facility, etc) tell how they use coding in what they do, then we are going to facilitate a discussion. The idea is to help people decide where they want to go with their coding career and what they need to do to get there.

I really like your idea, I think I'll bring it up at our next chapter meeting, I've been thinking about getting out of Internal Medicine but am a little nervous because this is all I have ever done... It would help to know what others days are like in their speciality.

thanks for the idea.

Roxanne Thames, CPC
 
Coding Jeopardy

Our chapter "made up" a coding jeopardy game. We divided the room into 2 teams. Each member got a chance to play. It was great fun, lots of group participation and everyone enjoyed it. Another time we did a coding "spelling bee". We had 2 contestants at a time, called out the medical term and had them write it on the blackboard, then hit the buzzer when done. It was a lot of fun. Of course we had some small prizes for the winners. Our chapter members ask for repeats of these games.:)
 
Rhonda, Is reading and understanding financial aging reports ever a topic of discussion at chapter meetings? I could use some help in the area.

Thanks,
Linda
 
I do a coding quiz before each meeting. I do a scenario (a short story) that has 4 codes usually 2 ICD-9 and 2 CPT or HCPCS. Each correct code that gets said aloud first wins a small prize. Usually a 5 dollar gift card to a coffe, or icecream shop. Everyone has fun and it gets you used to using your books.
 
Linda,

That is a great idea for a meeting and is also part of one of the workshops the AAPC is putting on, "Coding and Billing in Best Run Practices".

If your chapter is looking for speakers let me know and I can give you a list of names of speakers that could come to your chapter and do a seminar on your own.
 
our chapter plays coding jeopardy and coding bingo. it is great to play especially during the time of year when your code books have changed. You can stump those individuals who have memorized codes that were initially only 4 digits now you need a 5th or the code has been deleted or updated.
 
Chapter suggestions

What we have done is help a chapter member to go to our Va. State Coding Conference by doing a drawning every April. This way it helps out our member and increase her coding knowledge by going too. We have bought doctors of different speciality about 3 at a time and we would have 3 group divided. The members would get to ask the doctors questions regarding clinic part of their speciality and the doctors would ask the coders questions as well. It was alot of fun as well as a real learning experience. If you can bring the clinical side of coding to coders and the coding side to the doctors what a great combination.

We have door prize drawing that either we get from our wonderful vendors, such as Ingenix, BC advantage, Campus Bookstore, other products too, and from our officers too.

If we hear or know of a workshop/seminar that is coming up, we keep our members notifity of these as well. Even if there are other jobs in the area we let them know just in case they may have a friend that is interested in the jobs.
 
What we have done is help a chapter member to go to our Va. State Coding Conference by doing a drawning every April. This way it helps out our member and increase her coding knowledge by going too. We have bought doctors of different speciality about 3 at a time and we would have 3 group divided. The members would get to ask the doctors questions regarding clinic part of their speciality and the doctors would ask the coders questions as well. It was alot of fun as well as a real learning experience. If you can bring the clinical side of coding to coders and the coding side to the doctors what a great combination.

We have door prize drawing that either we get from our wonderful vendors, such as Ingenix, BC advantage, Campus Bookstore, other products too, and from our officers too.

If we hear or know of a workshop/seminar that is coming up, we keep our members notifity of these as well. Even if there are other jobs in the area we let them know just in case they may have a friend that is interested in the jobs.



Thats a really good idea to have the doc's come into the meetings to give their "clinical side". I have always thought that would be a good idea, the doc's I work with are more than willing to help me in that way. If I ever have a question about one of their hospital notes I will always ask them what certain things mean and they have always been more than willing to explain the "clinical side" to me.

I may consider this for one of our chapter meetings...

Thanks,

Roxanne Thames, CPC
 
Last month we had an ICD-9 challenge based on the 2008 guidelines. It is amazing that once we sit down and really read the guidelines how much we learn all over again. So many times we as new coders are thrown into jobs with maybe a 2 days training session. If we read the guidelines in ICD-9 each October it amazing how much more we learn.

Local Chapter meeting can be fun we just have to create ways.

giggles,

Diana Yates, CPC CPC-I
 
Coding Jenga

We just played Jenga, coding style, at our chapter meeting. I wrote one number on each Jenga tile, and I had three WILD tiles that could be used for any number. Members were divided into teams, each person on each team had to draw a tile, that way no one person was drawing for their team. Whatever team was able to make a valid CPT code first was the winners. Of course, if the tiles feel everyone had to start over. I did have two Jenga sets so both were going at the same time. You can play this over and over as it does not take a long time to reset the tiles. It could also work for ICD-9 coding. Another way to make it a little more challenging is to require that the first tile drawn cannot be moved around in your code. All others drawn can change positions to get to a valid CPT code.
 
Idea

I would like a speaker to talk about Medicare Risk Adjustment. This is becoming a huge topic in the area, but I have not seen anyone speak about it yet:mad: . I know that they had a speaker in Orlando talk about it, and I was told it was great. I would like to see it here. :)
 
how do you play this? Is there a template? I don't really understand the whole bingo thing correlating with coding? Do you ask coding questions or something. IF you could reply , that would be wonderful
 
Coding Bingo

yes, we created our own bingo cards:
c - cpt, o - med terms, d - diagnoisis, etc......you could lable it any way you want.

Then we came up with questions for each category. We came up with a lot of questions for each category.

Then on the bingo cards; we created on word I think. We typed in the answers to the questions.

So we pull a question (like pulling a bingo number) and read it: What is the modifier for assistant surgery?

Then the players would mark the correct modifier if it is on their card.

Some questions were multiple choice. We also use it as a learning tool and give hints. We play it at our end of year party where family members are also invited so we have had non coders play - and win - we always help one another. We make it fun and we all learn in the process.

We have played this 3 years in a row and this is the first year that I need to print out more bingo cards - thats how many questions we had.

Hope this helps.

how do you play this? Is there a template? I don't really understand the whole bingo thing correlating with coding? Do you ask coding questions or something. IF you could reply , that would be wonderful
 
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