AAPC SAINT LOUIS WEST CHAPTER NEWSLETTER
August 2012
Officer Contact Information:
President: Debbie Flieger, RMA, CPCEmail: / Vice President: Betsy Miller, CPC, COBG
Email:
Treasurer: Ileana Stewart, CPC
Email: / Secretary: Barbara Fontaine, CPC
Email:
Member Development: Rhonda Bottoms, CPC
Email:
Getting Ready for 2013 – MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
It may seem a little strange to ask you to get ready for 2013; we are after all, only beginning the 8th month of 2012. While most of us would agree that it’s never too early to start preparing, now is the perfect time for local chapters to get ready 2013. If we count backwards, we know that our elections for the 2013 officers is required to be completed no later than October 31, 2012; and our members must have at least a 30 day notice of the election; so nominations should take place no later than mid September. This brings us to August and why now is the time to get ready for 2013!
Local Chapter officer nomination is a very exciting time! This is every member’s opportunity to do two things: 1- nominate a fellow chapter member who has demonstrated their commitment to your chapter with their attendance, support and sharing of their skills, and 2- step forward and self nominate as a 2013 chapter officer!
Let’s start with opportunity number 1 – nominate a fellow chapter member.
Who in your chapter has inspired others, helped out inside or outside a chapter meeting or seminar, educated or mentored other members? Who has unselfishly shared their knowledge with others? Who has exciting ideas and suggestions for your chapter? Now is the time to let that member know that you value and appreciate their efforts.
Opportunity number 2 – self nominate.
Have you sat at a chapter meeting and thought of a great education topic or a wonderful way to network? Have you wished the meeting had time for discussions of issues going on in your area or did you meet a physician who explained exactly how a procedure was done and you wish there were others you could share that newly found information with? Have you ever thought “I wish my chapter would ______”? These are the things that make great chapter officers! It’s nothing more than the desire and the willingness to make better what already exists within yourself and your chapter.
We all have skills, talents and gifts that were meant to be shared. Each of us is unique and different. We are not all public speakers – in fact the very thought of getting up in front of a group of people can make some of us physically sick! But that does not mean there is not a leadership role within the local chapter! Perhaps you are great with numbers – and you love to balance your checkbook or find a great bargain. Perhaps you enjoy the one-on-one that comes from welcoming members as they arrive, or maybe you are most comfortable with recording what is going on around you. Maybe you like to support others. Whatever your talents are, there is a role for you within your local chapter.
We are all equally important and our local chapter provides all members with the opportunity to serve. Being a chapter officer is only one year of your life and if you want your chapter to succeed, it will. We have choices in life to make. Let’s make 2013 the year to help our fellow chapter members! Alone, we may not be able to do much, but together our possibilities are endless! Look back at your chapter and see what has been done together and dare to think what can be done in 2013!
Contact your chapter officers and let them know who you feel would help move your chapter forward, remembering that the person with those qualities may be yourself!
Debbie Flieger RMA,CPC
President St. Louis West Chapter of AAPC
From the Vice President
Calling all Members! Nominations for 2013 Board Members are quickly approaching!
September is the Month!!!
Who do you sit with at chapter meetings? Wouldn't it be fun to be the next Board and help plan the meetings and our Local Conference? Wouldn’t it be great to see where your thoughts together could take the chapter for the year?
President Debbie Flieger has scheduled the meetings for 2013, along with the 4 mandated exams each chapter has to host.That is a big help already!!! Thank you, Debbie, for thinking of the "2013" board.
Being on the Board the past 2 years has been an amazing experience and has definitely brought my coding career to new and exciting levels!!
I have networking to thank for that, beyond a shadow of doubt!! Yes, of course there are some conflicts that can arise,but I feel we have been a great example of over-comers, which helped us all to grow and learn how to work through difficult situations. Another plus in my mind, as the world is filled with difficult situations in all aspects of life on a daily basis."Just Sayin"!
Are we willing to give up all we have in this Chapter? All of the hard work of the current board, past boards, the wonderful volunteers and ofcourse allattending memberswho put their pride, thought, timeand effort to get us to where we are today? I seriously hope not! We need YOU to volunteer to serve as an officer!!
I would like to end with a quote from Martin Luther King, JR.:
" The Ultimate measure of a man or woman is not where they stand in moments of comfort and convenience,but where they stand at times of challenge and controversy."
Fondly,
Betsy Miller,CPC, OBGC
Vice President 2012 of the
STL West Chapter of AAPC
PLEASE Save Your 2012 Coding Books!
Have you ever wondered what to do with your “expired” coding books? Did you know there are fellow chapter members who would LOVE to borrow those coding books?
The Hardship Scholarship Committee, formed as part of your AAPCCA Board, has discovered how important coding books from the previous year are to members who are struggling to retain their comprehension and maintain their credentials. So many members are out of work or not currently working in the coding field, and these books would be a tremendous benefit to them as they review the Coding Edge.
Please consider donating your 2012 coding books to your chapter or fellow chapter members who might otherwise not have these resources.
Thank you!
AUGUST CHAPTER MEETING INFO!
Mark your calendar now and join us on August 16th at 7 a.m.for our next chapter meeting. We will be coding one of your favorite TV shows, E.R. Bring a CPT and ICD-9 book if you have them available and we will all do our best to code what we see, For Your Entertainment!!
SERVICE PROJECT FOR AUGUST: Bring school supplies for a Point for Education. This month all school supplies will be donated to Kingdom House which serves kids in the inner city. Help them and earn a point!!
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR RECENTLY CERTIFIED MEMBERS!!!!
Our chapter congratulates the following recently certified members:
DeeAnn Kaye Courtway, CPC-A /Sandra Jones, CPC-A
Cathy Thebeau, CPC, CPMA
WELL DONE CERTIFIED CODERS!!!
WELCOME NEW ST LOUIS WEST CHAPTER MEMBERS!!!
Ashley Bekemeier /DeeAnn Kaye Courtway, CPC-A /
Sandra Jones, CPC-A /
Don Melson /
Mary Moffett, CPC /
Mira S Moore, CPC /
Amanda Nissing /
Patricia Phillips /
Stacia Salvaggio /
Cathy Thebeau, CPC, CPMA /
Jeanette Marie Zykan /
Please welcome our newest AAPC and St Louis West Local Chapter members! We are glad to have you as a part the AAPC and our chapter:
For information about our chapter, please contact Member Development Officer Rhonda Bottoms at or any chapter officer.
JULY CHAPTER MEETING MINUTES
St. Louis Professional Coders West Chapter Meeting / July 19, 20126:00 PM
St Luke’s Emerson Auditorium
222 N Woods Mill Road
Chesterfield, MO63017
Meeting called to order by: / President Debbie Flieger, RMA, CPC / Type of meeting: Regular Chapter meeting
Minutes Taken By: / Barbara Fontaine CPC
Board Members Present: / Betsy Miller, Vice President; Ileana Stewart, Treasurer; Barbara Fontaine, Education Officer;
Agenda
Speaker / The meeting was begun at 6 pm as Barbara introduced the presentation for the evening. Our speaker was Dr. Thomas Whalen who specializes in OB/GYN here in St. Louis. The topic he presented was a very familiar and personal one to him, as he considered himself physically fit and at low risk but still contracted MRSA. His point was that anyone, anywhere can contract this virulent strain of the Staph Aureus virus and it can be very debilitating. Dr. Whalen told of his own experiences but also brought the members up to date on MRSA research and current treatments. He presented his topic for one hour and a one hour CEU certificate was presented to those present.
Business Meeting / Trivia Night – Barbara thanked Dr. Whalen and reminded members of our upcoming fund raiser, Coders Trivia to be held on August 4th at 7 pm at the Overland-Occidental Masonic Lodge. Admission is $15 and your families and friends are welcome. We could also use more door prizes and auction items. Please contact Barbara for reservations.
Treasurer’s Report: Ileana Stewartgave a Treasurer’s report and brought all present up to date on recently paid bills and income including the recent Review Classes, the anatomy classes and what we had collected for the National Scholarship that we will add to before our conference.. For details please see the Treasurer for a written copy of the report. It is not included in this report since we distribute the minutes by email.
President’s Question of the Month: President Debbie Flieger, in trying to encourage members to use the AAPC forums, had posted a question on the chapter forum. “Where and when is the Regional Conference for AAPC being held?” Members who knew the answer because they had read the question on the forum, were awarded a Point for Education. We will have another question posted next month.
Member of the Year: President Debbie also reminded those present to be sure and find a local chapter member whom they would like to nominate for our chapter’s Member of the Year. The member who receives the most nominations from the chapter will be nominated to National for consideration as the AAPC Member of the Year. Nominations may be e-mailed to any chapter officer.
Chapter Tee Shirts: Debbie announced again that our chapter Tee Shirts which were ordered last month are in and available tonight for pick up. Please see an officer if you haven’t received your order. We also have chapter bucks for members who haven’t picked them up since our conference last November.
Community Service – Debbie announced that our community service project for June and July has been “Feed My People”, a local food pantry that has issues with supplying people’s need for items that cannot be purchased with food stamps. Items included shampoo,soap, deodorant, etc. We have been accepting donations this month and last. The person who brought in the most items will be awarded free attendance to conference. The officer’s determined, following a count after the meeting, that this prize was won by Joey George. All members who donated items received one chance for every 5 items donated and the winner of this drawing was Mary T. Meyer, who will also be awarded a free conference pass for our November conference. Congratulations and thanks everyone for the donations we collected!
Officers Needed – President Debbie again made a plea for those in attendance to consider serving the chapter in 2013 as an officer. She stated that it was work, but she felt very worth it in developing your career and your network. She again stated that she felt being an officer was one of the most satisfying things she had experienced over the last few years of her career.
Chapter Scholarships – Debbie announced that there had been three scholarship applications which were approved in the last month. Andrea Neske has been awarded a scholarship of $725 that will make it possible for her to attend the AAPC Regional Conference. Two other scholarships were awarded to Deanne Courtway and Judith Johnston. Their awards will allow them to attend our local chapter conference. Our scholarships were made possible this year due to the anatomy classes given last year. Scholarship funds have also been used to obtain some of the speakers for our local conference where everyone present will benefit from the education offered. If you need to apply for a scholarship, the applications are on our local chapter website,
Local Conference Update – At this time registration chair, Lydia Thomas, reported that we have 205 registered and paid for our conference on November 5th. Some of those have partially paid using their Points for Education certificates which proves the program is helping our members further their educational need. Debbie reported that we have 12 paid vendors and are expecting more before conference. If anyone knows of vendors or sponsors who could donate door pries, please see any officer. As the Executive Board had promised, they narrowed down the items to be considered as attendance prizes for conference to three nice items and brought them to the meeting today for member vote for the one of their choice. Debbie showed photos of 2 different portfolios and a cup made locally from corn. Of these three, the most votes went to the more expensive portfolio which will have our chapter logo impressed on it and will be the only attendance gift ordered, instead of multiple gifts. Purchase and imprinting these is estimated to cost about $10 per attendee Another vote for the same articles will be held at the August meeting for people who can only attend morning meetings. It would take a lot of people to over-ride tonight’s vote, but anything is possible.
Volunteers – Debbie thanked those members who volunteered tonight to greet people at the registration table.
New Members – Debbie asked new members and newly certified members to stand for recognition by applause.
Attendance Drawings – Vice President Betsy Miller had obtained a subscription to Super Coder which was awarded to Vicki Nowak. The 50/50 drawing tonight amounted to $43.00 and was won by Celestine Moore. The remaining door prizes were drawn and awarded to those holding the correct tickets. Meeting was adjourned.
Next Meeting – August 16th, 2012 at 7 am St. Luke’s Emerson Auditorium.
SAVE THE DATES!
Local Chapter Meeting: Coding for Your Entertainment / 8/16/2012 7:00:00 AMLocal Chapter Review Class: CPC / 8/18/2012 7:30:00 AM
Exam 31402-E120404 / 8/25/2012 6:30:00 AM
Local Chapter Meeting: Coding and Billing in an Ambulatory Surgery Center / 9/20/2012 6:00:00 PM
Local Chapter Meeting: Proposed Updates for Rehabilitation / 10/30/2012 6:00:00 PM
Local Chapter Seminar / 11/5/2012 7:00:00 AM
Local Chapter Review Class: CPC / 11/10/2012 7:30:00 AM
Local Chapter Meeting: The Faces of Pain - Coding Pain Management / 11/13/2012 6:00:00 PM
Exam 31402-E120405 / 11/17/2012 6:30:00 AM
Local Chapter Meeting: Holiday Coding Games & Member Celebration / 12/14/2012 5:30:00 PM
Exam 31402-E122138 / 12/15/2012 6:30:00 AM
JOB OPENINGS OR JOBS WANTED
Please go to
For current information on job openings
UPCOMING EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
Sign up for our Local Chapter Conference on November 5th at the St. CharlesConvention Center at . It’s not too late yet but are quickly running out of space, so don’t be left out! Grab your cowboy boots and hats and join us for the Education Round-up with speakers Rhonda Buckholtz, VP of ICD-10 Training & Education at the AAPC, Cynthia Stewart, President of the National Advisory Board of the AAPC, Angela Jordan Chair of the AAPCCA and Brenda Edwards, Chair-Elect of the AAPCCA as they bring us FOUR hours of ICD-10 training, a presentation on Accountable Care Organizations, Auditing and Project AAPC. DON’T BE LEFT OUT!!
Also, don’t forget to check out opportunities to attend the AAPC Regional Conference in Chicago – October 25-27, 2012! Our chapter will host a table at the Get 2 Know Your Local Chapter event on Thursday. We need your help!!
Also, go to aapc.com and it’s not too early to check out the AAPC National Conference in Orlando – April 14-17, 2013! Information on this event is also on We hope to make St. Louis West Chapter known there too.!
NOMINATIONS ARE NOW OPEN FOR ST LOUIS WEST CODER OF THE YEAR!!! TURN YOUR CHOICE IN TO ANY OFFICER. WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN NOVEMBER!!!
AUGUST CODING CHALLENGE
Two x Two Coding Challenge
Match the CPT code to the correct description AND find the CPT code in the grid below:
4 / 3 / 3 / 2 / 1 / 1 / 1 / 3 / 0 / 300944 / 7 / 7 / 2 / 4 / 7 / 5 / 2 / 2 / 9 / 9
11303 / 9 / 9 / 2 / 1 / 3 / 4 / 6 / 8 / 9 / 9
22010 / 2 / 7 / 0 / 2 / 9 / 9 / 6 / 5 / 4 / 3
32851 / 0 / 9 / 1 / 9 / 3 / 9 / 8 / 1 / 5 / 2
49428 / 0 / 4 / 0 / 3 / 2 / 0 / 1 / 4 / 5 / 9
59514 / 0 / 0 / 9 / 4 / 4 / 8 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 8
67318 / 9 / 9 / 6 / 9 / 0 / 7 / 4 / 2 / 8 / 7
75966 / 3 / 8 / 4 / 7 / 6 / 2 / 8 / 3 / 0 / 5
82654-91 / 4 / 7 / 5 / 9 / 6 / 6 / 2 / 9 / 9 / 8
89050 / 6 / 5 / 9 / 8 / 3 / 8 / 6 / 9 / 3 / 1
90845 / 5 / 9 / 9 / 2 / 0 / 3 / 5 / 0 / 8 / 3
93981 / 7 / 6 / 2 / 8 / 4 / 9 / 4 / 2 / 8 / 7
99203 / 1 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 2 / 9 / 9 / 2 / 7 / 6
99213 / 5 / 5 / 9 / 5 / 1 / 4 / 1 / 9 / 6 / 3
99232 / 7 / 7 / 1 / 0 / 5 / 0 / 9 / 8 / 7 / 2
0 / 1 / 3 / 2 / 9 / 9 / 0 / 8 / 0 / 2
A. Cesarean delivery only