5 Minutes with... Barbara Good, CMC, CMCO, CMOM Certified Medical Coder BC Advantage (BCA): How would you describe your experience as a Physician
Practice Advocate? BCA: What about this particular field interested you and why? BCA: Could you describe a typical day in your role as a Physician Practice
Advocate? I also attend a number of physician meetings, payor meetings, and association meetings (for example, WV Medical Group Managers Association and Office Managers Association). I work very closely with our Government Affairs Specialist on legislative issues that will affect our West Virginia physicians. I do quite a bit of speaking for groups who want information on various topics. BCA: As a practice manager, are you responsible for setting up the
training needed for coders/billers to complete their ICD-10 training? If not,
who is responsible for making sure their staff is completely trained by October
1, 2014? BCA: How hard/easy would you say it is to get office staff set up
for the transition into ICD-10? BCA: If it is an easy transition, where do you feel staff should be
within the next 6-8 months? BCA: If it is hard, when would you say is a good time for them to start
their training and be ready for the transition? BCA: How did your degree prepare you for a career as a Physician Practice
advocate? BCA: To you, what has been your greatest achievement so far? BCA: When you have to make an important decision and don't have all
the correct facts, how do you handle the situation? BCA: What kind of advice can you give our readers who are looking to
pursue a career in this particular field? BCA: What do you like most/ least about being a Physician Practice
Advocate? BCA: You have won several national awards for your work; which one
means the most to you and why? BCA: Is there anything that you would like to add at this time?
Certified Medical Office Manager
Certified Medical Compliance Officer
http://www.pmimd.com/
Barbara Good (BG): I work as the West Virginia State Medical Association's
advocate/liaison for physicians and office administration with insurance payors,
both government and commercial. I also am a strong advocate for education and
provide continuous educational opportunities for physicians and their staffs.
I handle the "nuts and bolts" issues, the everyday "hassle factors" for physician
practices in order to enable them to better utilize their office resources.
I also keep our practices as up to date as possible by sending "blast" emails
on any healthcare issues that affect their practices. I am well known for my
problem solving that occurs on a daily basis. The Wesgram Online, my online
newsletter which is published at least monthly, continues to be widely read.
BG: With my diverse background in healthcare and education, this position
seems like the perfect "fit." The position was a new position when I was hired,
so I have been able to keep adding to it. Some days it gets really crazy for
me as a "department of one" and it feels like I should have a full department
to handle the issues.
BG: I would love to tell you about a typical day, but rarely are two
days alike. That's another reason I love this position. On any given day, I
have a number of issues that can be resolved via phone or email. Other situations
require visiting the physician's practice to review the billing/coding/medical
questions and then decide on a plan of action.
BG: The WVSMA is working diligently to ensure that our physician practices
are ready for the conversion to ICD-10. We have been sending information for
over a year and encouraging practices to become as knowledgeable as possible.
Through our exclusive partnership with Practice Management Institute, the WVSMA
has offered four Certified Medical Coding (CMC) classes (two of them in 2013)
in order that more practices could have certified coders in their offices. We
also scheduled a "Transitioning to ICD-10" course in September. The interest
in this topic was such that we had to hold four classes instead of just one.
We plan to continue to host classes and implementation workshops on ICD-10 so
that physicians and staff may be trained for the October 14, 2014 implementation
date.
BG: I think that most offices are aware that the change is coming but
many are still unsure as to what they must do to be fully ready for the transition.
The WVSMA is encouraging coders to become certified so that the transition will
be easier. We also are going to provide ICD-10 education throughout 2014. I
am encouraging physician practices to work with their EHR vendors to ensure
that their systems are ready for the implementation date.
BG: I hope they will be ready, both mentally and system wise, on October
1, 2014.
BG: They should have already begun preparing for the transition. There
is still time to get ready but it will require a more intensive preparation.
It is also critical that everyone in the medical practice be "on board" on the
importance of ICD-10.
BG: Both my Education degrees (BA and MA) have helped me, as well as
my previous healthcare experience in the pharmaceutical and insurance areas.
Each step of my career path has prepared me for the next position. I met many
physicians and their practices while working in pharmaceuticals. I am also familiar
with how the insurance plans are supposed to work, which helps me to better
advocate on behalf of our physicians. Of course, education is a passion of mine,
so that has helped as I've planned educational activities/conferences for our
physician practices.
BG: This is a hard one to answer. I have been able to assist physicians
in some very substantial revenue recoveries, which has been very helpful to
their practices. I have been able to help patients obtain services that may
have been denied and then the decision reversed. I also have been able to assist
many physician practices when they really haven't known where to turn for answers.
BG: I try to look at both sides of every issue and analyze the potential
outcome. In this business, you can't make a decision without a lot of research
and investigation.
BG: My best advice would be to always remember that "Knowledge Is Power"
and the better educated you can be on a topic, the more credible you are. Read
constantly, stay up to date on issues, and obtain any certifications and credentials
that you can.
BG: I truly can say that I love all aspects of this position. I work
with wonderful physicians and their practices. I enjoy my relationships with
our payors and have a high respect for all with whom I work. My colleagues and
I work together to ensure that we provide the physicians with the most current
medical information available as we seek to promote the time honored commitment
of the medical profession while improving the quality of life for West Virginians.
BG: I would say that the award that has meant the most was the PMI
Outstanding National Liaison award that I received in 2012. It's my understanding
that this award hadn't been given in a number of years, so it was very special.
The award, from PMI, was for "exceptional networking and relationship building
abilities," not only in West Virginia, but nationally. I had helped to mentor
advocates from other states, encouraging them on the importance of accessibility
of education to physicians and staff.
BG: I am very fortunate to work for an Executive Director, Senator
Evan Jenkins, who understands my passion for excellence and innovation in what
I do. He is incredibly supportive and helpful.
What else would you like to know? I can talk all day about advocacy, physician practice, my family, music, and M&M candy-all my favorite things!