Leading the Leaders: Former AAHAM President Shares Thoughts

by John Cook

I recently completed a two-year tenure as President of Carolina AAHAM (The American Association of Healthcare Administrative Management). This organization has provided networking and education to healthcare revenue cycle managers in North Carolina since 1982. I have been fortunate to be a part of this group of outstanding leaders since its inception. Serving as President through 2010-11 gave me the profound opportunity to lead some of the greatest leaders in North Carolina.

How does one lead a group of strong managers and leaders through an ever-changing industry? The answer is simple. You give them a place to talk and grow among one another. My goal as President was to provide a forum for members to talk openly among their peers and colleagues about the issues that they were facing. Our Chapter provided a string of roundtable discussions throughout the state that produced great results. Members were learning from one another in an environment that encouraged the free flow of information and experiences. I recall one of our first roundtables focused on what participants did right and what they did wrong during the previous year.

Although our chapter provided outstanding educational sessions to members, I truly believe we learned just as much, if not more, from our group discussions. Carolina AAHAM has also proven to be a place where both providers and vendors can get to know one another on a personal level.

The past two years have most likely given revenue cycle managers some of the greatest challenges they have ever experienced, such as 5010 conversions and ICD-10 changes? in addition, of course, to the day-to-day issues of staffing, technology, and service excellence. Having a forum to exchange ideas, questions, solutions, and experiences helps everyone become better leaders.

We all have a wealth of information that can provide a spark for someone else. I am glad to be a part of that information flow and to spend time among some of the greatest leaders in the industry.

John Cook is the Client Relations Manager at PRC (Revco Solutions), Inc. Reach John at jcook[at]prorecoveryinc.com.