Reno will never be the same!!! Over 700 healthcare documentation specialists coming together for 5 days of food, fun, excitement, entertainment, camaraderie, networking, education… I could go on and on and on! For those of you who were there, I’m sure you will agree with me! For those who were not able to attend, I hope to give you just a taste of some of the things that were presented there so you can at least get a taste of some of the experiences.
In all my years of living within 2 hours of Nevada (Wendover) and all the fun that can be had in the casinos (along with losing a couple of bucks here and there), this is the first time I have ever made a trip to Nevada without putting a penny, nickel, dime, quarter, etc., in one of those “one-armed bandits”! You usually see me there, plugging away, feeding the hungry slot and poker machines and just “knowing” that “next time I am going to hit the jackpot!” but this time, there were too many things going on, too much to take in, and definitely not enough time to do it all!
My husband and I started out on our road trip Monday morning, August 13, at the early morning hour of 8 a.m. We stopped in Wendover, Nevada for breakfast, and then started on our trek across the vast Nevada desert. One thing about it, if you ever have a reason to travel across Nevada, be sure you have satellite radio, lots of CDs, OnStar, etc. to help you out because you can go for hundreds and hundreds of miles and still have the same scenery! If you take a nap, you will wake up and think you haven’t moved an inch! My husband took some audio books to listen to on his CD player, and I turned my car radio on 50s and 60s music, along with some of my favorite CDs, and boogied clear across the desert (while carefully driving, of course!). We rolled up to the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino at around 4:30/p. It really is a city all by itself! TUESDAY, AUGUST 14 – AHDI Board of Directors and Town Hall Meetings
The AHDI board meeting began at 9 a.m., and it was thrilling to have such a great gallery present! For those who have never been to a board meeting, I suggest you attend one when possible. You not only get to be there when the board makes their decisions, but you also have a chance to participate in the discussion, which is awesome. Among other things, the schedule of board meetings for 2008 was set and will include:
January 31st thru February 1st - Atlanta, Georgia
April 23rd thru 26th - Long Beach, California/MTIA convention
August 5th through 9th – Orlando, Florida/AHDI convention
October 11th through 16th – Seattle, Washington/AHIMA convention.
Please mark these on your calendar and start planning now! Thanks to all of you who attended this meeting!
After the board meeting and a brief break, our Speaker of the House hosted a 2-hour Town Hall Meeting which produced some wonderful guidelines for us to work on in the House of Delegates the next day. Great participation in that, also! Bedtime came early for most of us that night!
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15 – House of Delegates Meeting, 1st-Timers and Welcome Reception
The House of Delegates meeting started bright and early at 8 a.m., 7:30 for the delegates as they had to be credentialed. I want to take this opportunity to give kudos to Kathy Rockel, our first Speaker of the House, and all those that helped out with the wonderful new format for the meeting. Gone were the long tables with the delegates sitting in a square, but instead, we sat at round tables with 5 or 6 people at each table. After the national anthem, beautifully sung by Kim Timko, RMT, we had a business meeting with an address from Cathy Baughman, CMT, FAAMT, 2007 AHDI President, the treasurer’s report from Rae McMann, CMT, FAAMT, 2007 AHDI Treasurer, an address by our CEO, Peter Preziosi, and an address from Kathy Rockel, CMT, FAAMT, 2007 AHDI Speaker of the House . Kat King, FAAMT, Chair of the Nominating Committee, also presented the Nominating Committee Report. After the business meeting, we had a wonderful presentation by Gary David, PhD, Associate Professor from Bentley College, regarding a medical transcription survey they are conducting and requested as many as possible to take part. This is going to prove to be a very valuable survey and hopefully, produce some eye-opening results for everyone! Brenda Hurley then gave a Mission Possible update along with participation by 3 component representatives, and then we broke for lunch. After reconvening, we broke into strategic session, with the delegates along with the gallery asked to participate, and we were each given a strategy to work on for grassroots involvement including such topics as technology, membership, advocacy, and outlining what we can do to make each particular topic a “9.” After presentations by each group on their individual topics, “champions” were assigned for each topic and will be asked to follow through with these ideas to see how they can be implemented. Talk about getting the grassroots involved!!! This is a wonderful use of the time for our FTF HOD meeting!
The Leadership Appreciation Luncheon was fabulous this year! It was by invitation and RSVP only, with invitations having been sent out to seated delegates, component presidents, HOD staff, AHDI staff, and the AHDI Leadership Institute instructors. Each attendee was seated at a table with a past president, and during the meeting each past president passed out beautiful torch lapel pins to each person seated at their table, with an extra one given out for them to be able to “pass the torch” of leadership on to someone else. We were all encouraged to “reach out and touch someone,” and bring them into leadership.
Speaking of future leadership, the 1st-Timers Orientation and Reception was held for those who were attending ACE for the first time, along with mentors for those who had requested them. Playing cards were given to each new attendee, and they were given a certain period of time to “mix” and make the highest card combination they could find. We had at least 1 royal flush, as I remember! They were given lots of information and were able to meet each other face-to-face along with their mentors. A very helpful and very informative session! I was privileged to have 2 wonderful first-timers this year, Stephanie Clemens of Washington and Kristin Hagen of Idaho, and I am SURE they were “infected” and will be mentors themselves next year in Orlando! Thanks to Tina Whitecotton, Lea Sims, and Kim Buchanan for putting this Orientation and Reception together! Special thanks also to Tracy Browne for helping to pair up roommates once again this year! This helped many attend who otherwise wouldn't have been able to!
At the end of the day, there was a Welcome Reception held between 6/p to 9/p poolside at Nikki Beach Outdoor Pool Area at the Grand Sierra. Quite a setup they have there, complete with REAL SAND! A grand buffet was there for all and a lot of networking was done!
THURSDAY, AUGUST 16 – Communication and Language
If you ever want to get the morning started out with a bang, all you have to do is invite our first keynote speaker, Richard Lederer, PhD, to be wherever you are! Even at 8 o’clock in the morning, and having the wonderful breakfast provided for the registrants, one could definitely not even THINK of going to sleep during his presentation! To quote a phrase from his website, http://www.verbivore.com/:
“Welcome to the web site woven for wordaholics, logolepts, and verbivores. Carnivores eat meat; herbivores eat plants and vegetables; verbivores devour words. If you are heels over head (as well as head over heels) in love with words, tarry here a while to graze or, perhaps, feast on the English language. Ours is the only language in which you drive in a parkway and park in a driveway and your nose can run and your feet can smell.”
Later in the day he hosted a language workshop which I was not able to attend because of other commitments, but I am told from several that attended that it was equally as good, if not better, than the keynote address! He had a table in the AHDI pavilion where he sold every book he had brought with him and took orders for those that wanted books but not quick enough to get to his table, giving personalized attention and autographs to all. Dr. Lederer is not only a great speaker, but a wonderful and personable man. I was privileged to personally take up half-an-hour of his time and it was totally enriching.
The Exhibit Hall was opened up in fine fashion at 10/a until 2/p. Attendees had this dedicated time to demo and purchase products/services as well as network with colleagues, friends, and vendors. Lunch was also provided for those attending! We had many return exhibitors this year as well as some brand new ones, which is wonderful! We hope they come back and become regulars themselves! They had a contest that the vendors participated in as well as drawings for some awesome give-aways! There were some vendors who dressed up in awesome costumes to make it that much more fun! Kudos to ALL of our vendors!
Three of our candidates for Board of Directors for 2008 through 2011, Ava Marie George; Harriet Stewart, CMT, FAAMT; and Trudi Griffith, CMT sat steadfast at the candidate’s table talking with members who were considering their vote, in between being present at many of the presentations, introducing and thanking all of our presenters this year. Two of the candidates for the Board, Stephen Dunkle and Patricia James, CMT, were not able to attend the convention. Brenda Hurley, CMT, FAAMT, is also a candidate for Speaker-Elect of the HOD for 2008. The voting opened on August 15th and will go thru September 17th, so if you haven’t voted yet, there is NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT! Just go to http://www.ahdionline.org/ to vote or request a paper ballot. Remember, students can vote this year also, so please, everyone, let’s make this a record year and everybody cast their vote before September 17!!!
From 2:15 to 5:45, individual sessions in 1-hour tracks for Medical, Industry Trends, and Transcription Practice were held. It was very hard to choose which one to attend as they were all so good! However, I remedied that, as I do every year, by pre-purchasing a CD containing all the presentations at the convention… so the ones that I missed I can go back and listen to! The rest of the evening was open for Vendor Customer Appreciation Night. Many companies held their company dinners that evening, to bring their “families” closer together! Mine did, and it was wonderful to finally put faces to names of those I work with day to day!
FRIDAY, AUGUST 17 – Personal Health and Wellness
My day started out bright and early at 7/a for the 4th Annual Face-to-Face Meeting for the Online Chapter of AHDI! This chapter has a special place in my heart, and we were able to be greeted by our new president, Debbie Kean, and were honored by Dr. Peter Preziosi, CEO of AHDI and MTIA, and Cathy Baughman, 2007 President of AHDI, attending and giving a short presentation. Several members of the chapter were in attendance along with some guests who were checking it out to see if the Online Chapter would be a good fit for them! Awards were given out to certain individuals who gave exemplary service throughout the year, and then time to network with each other. Great job, OC!
From 8 to 10/a there was a breakfast bar available in the exhibit hall for attendees of ACE to network and again visit our vendors’ displays.
At 10:15, the individual presentations began again in the Medical, Industry Trends, and Transcription Practice tracks and went until 3:45/p, with time to put our red “Change is Everything!” tee-shirts on and get ready for another keynote speaker, none other than RICHARD SIMMONS!!! His theme was “Moving Towards a Healthier Lifestyle.” He brought several groups on stage to exercise with him (yes, that’s him in the blue and me in the red) after which he gave a very inspiring and motivational presentation on his life and why he is so dedicated to helping people. After his exercise and presentation he stayed for another hour to sign autographs, speak with individual fans, have pictures taken, etc., insisting on staying until each fan had had the opportunity meet with him, even though it made him run late. This is a very warm, caring, REAL individual and is spending his time giving to others. I invite you to take a look at his website, http://www.richardsimmons.com/. Thanks to our AHDI President, Cathy Baughman, for bringing this wonderful individual to the convention! Change is everything, and it WILL begin with me!
Any bowling fans out there??? If so, it is a good thing you weren’t there watching me! We had all
50 lanes full of members, friends, and family members of AHDI! There had been some teams formed for a “tournament,” and the turnout was great! Thanks to Karen Fox and Linda Acosta for heading this up! There were prizes given out for High Sponsor, High Men’s and Women’s Game, and High Team Score. Tonda Archibald was the high sponsor, winning $100 cash and $150 off AHDI 2008 Orlando ACE Registration! Unfortunately, I think I was in the bottom 10… no prizes given for the worst of the tournament, or I probably would have won! A great time was had by all… and I didn’t throw my ball backwards even once! (My teammates were all dressed in suits of armor just in case… no wonder we did not win!)
SATURDAY, AUGUST 18 – Leadership
Wow… time goes by so fast when you’re having fun! For so long it was something to look forward to, and it is finally almost finished! The morning started out at 7:45 through 10:45 with the ASTM meeting with Brenda Hurley. For information on ASTM and how important they are to our profession, please visit their website at http://www.astm.com/. The individual tracks began at 8:30 and ran through 4:45 on Medical and Leadership Institute presentations. Susan Dooley, CMT, FAAMT, and Kim Buchanan, CMT, FAAMT hosted the Educator’s Workshop and Luncheon from 12:15 to 1:45/p, and although I did not attend personally, I heard that it was a tremendous success!
From 2/p to 3/p we had our last (but by all means not least!) keynote speaker of the convention, Jill Lublin. Her topic was “Successful Leadership through Visibility,” and she discussed tools to increase and master your communication skills, attract clients and keep them, and how you need to understand why the “real” you is your greatest asset, something that can make you a confident, admired leader! You can read more about Jill and her #1 bestseller “Networking Magic” on her website at http://www.jilllublin.com/, and I encourage you to do so!
Ahhh… for the coup de grâce of the entire convention! “Put on your red dress” was the song of the evening for the much awaited for RED DRESS AWARDS GALA! Almost everyone who attended had RED in one form another, from red dresses, formals, evening gowns, suits, etc., to the men who attended with red ties, red shirts, tuxedos, etc. What a beautiful “Red Sea” we created! Moses himself would be jealous! Cathy Baughman, our 2007 AHDI President, was all wrapped up like a caterpillar in a cocoon when she took the stage to greet the attendees. What a surprise to everyone when she “broke out” of her cocoon, unwrapping herself and wearing a beautiful RED DRESS!! “Change is Everything,” and our President certainly exemplified that! She began the evening with a tribute to one of our own who passed on unexpectedly earlier in the year, someone who was personally an inspiration to me and an inspiration as well to many, Jennifer Lyons. I know Jennifer was right there with us! We then had awards presented and then were entertained by the Dean-O-Holics, a trio imitating Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis, Jr. After a great meal and networking, more awards were presented. The award recipients in order or presentation were as follows:
- Latisha Guthrie of Phoenix, Arizona – Student Essay Contest
- Sandra Ash, CMT, FAAMT of Eugene, Oregon – CMT Key Award
- Kathleen (Kat) King, FAAMT of Rogue River, Oregon – Advocate of the Year
- Mayo Clinic, Office Support Services of Rochester, Minnesota – Employer of the Year
- PJ Posey, BA, CMT of Coppell, Texas – Member of the Year
- Claudia Tessier, CAE, RHIA of California – Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award
CONGRATULATIONS to all our very deserving award winners! I know the Awards Committee had a very difficult time this year with so many potential winners, but they have certainly chosen the “Cream of the Crop” here, as they seem to every year!
After the Award Presentations, our fantastic President-Elect for 2008, Betty Honkonen, CMT, FAAMT, complete with her “Goofy” hat and gloves (but all the while INSISTING that she does NOT DO GOOFY), gave an exciting overview of the 2008 AHDI Convention and Expo, held in her home state of Florida (purely coincidental!), and right next to Walt Disney World in downtown ORLANDO, FLORIDA!!! (I still think Betty does Goofy.) Please start putting some money aside and make plans to join us from August 5 through August 9, 2008! Every single year I feel I attended the best convention ever, only to be awestruck at the next one! Reno was absolutely FANTABULOUS, so you can probably guess what Orlando will be!
HONORABLE MENTION
One of the reasons that this convention, and all of the conventions that I have attended so far, have been so successful has been the complete dedication of our fantastic, awesome, and wonderful AHDI STAFF! MANY THANKS go out to: Angie Adams, Andrew Wolf, Diana Gish, Gigi DeLuca, Kelly Kappmeier (who could not be there this year because she is a new mom!), Kim Buchanan, Kristin Wall, Lea Sims, Terri White, Tom Kewley, Treva Perez, Wendy Carriegan, and the entire staff of AHDI for doing what they do to support us. They do a lot for our association behind the scenes, and we need to recognize their contributions as often as we can! We can do what we do because of them!
In addition, deserving honorable mention was the first-ever AHDI Convention SILENT AUCTION!!! This was a last-minute brainchild of our own Susan Lucci, CMT, RHIT, FAAMT and director of AHDI, and it was a glorious success!! Thanks, Susan, for this wonderful idea, and a very special thanks to everyone who participated!!! We had local chapters, state/regional associations, vendors, educational institutions and individuals participating, coming out with approximately $2,500! Just think next year, when we have more time, what a wonderful thing this could be!! Start considering your baskets or prizes now!
I just want the Wisconsin/Minnesota Association to know that I did my best to win their basket with the Green Bay Packer cap and mug in it, but someone beat me out at the last minute!! DARN!!
You’re not asleep yet? Or… did you sneak away, catch a nap, and come back? Whatever, I’m so happy you have made it to the end! (Yes, really… I promise!) This is a very long board partner message, I know, but I wanted to be sure and include EVERYTHING so you can experience the convention even if it is through my eyes! Don’t forget, you will be able to purchase individual presentations or the complete CD of every presentation at this convention soon, so watch in your Vitals for an announcement! It really will be worth your while to catch some of these wonderful presentations. Just close your eyes, picture yourself in Reno, and you’ll be right there!
I was SOOO HAPPY to meet personally as many of you as I did! I look forward to next year, and at other AHDI events, where I can possibly meet more of you! I
As always, email box always open, taylor.jacque@gmail.com. If you’d like me to give you a call, just let me know a good time and I’d love to talk to you! SEE YOU SOON!
Jacque
The AHDI board meeting began at 9 a.m., and it was thrilling to have such a great gallery present! For those who have never been to a board meeting, I suggest you attend one when possible. You not only get to be there when the board makes their decisions, but you also have a chance to participate in the discussion, which is awesome. Among other things, the schedule of board meetings for 2008 was set and will include:
January 31st thru February 1st - Atlanta, Georgia
April 23rd thru 26th - Long Beach, California/MTIA convention
August 5th through 9th – Orlando, Florida/AHDI convention
October 11th through 16th – Seattle, Washington/AHIMA convention.
Please mark these on your calendar and start planning now! Thanks to all of you who attended this meeting!
After the board meeting and a brief break, our Speaker of the House hosted a 2-hour Town Hall Meeting which produced some wonderful guidelines for us to work on in the House of Delegates the next day. Great participation in that, also! Bedtime came early for most of us that night!
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15 – House of Delegates Meeting, 1st-Timers and Welcome Reception
The House of Delegates meeting started bright and early at 8 a.m., 7:30 for the delegates as they had to be credentialed. I want to take this opportunity to give kudos to Kathy Rockel, our first Speaker of the House, and all those that helped out with the wonderful new format for the meeting. Gone were the long tables with the delegates sitting in a square, but instead, we sat at round tables with 5 or 6 people at each table. After the national anthem, beautifully sung by Kim Timko, RMT, we had a business meeting with an address from Cathy Baughman, CMT, FAAMT, 2007 AHDI President, the treasurer’s report from Rae McMann, CMT, FAAMT, 2007 AHDI Treasurer, an address by our CEO, Peter Preziosi, and an address from Kathy Rockel, CMT, FAAMT, 2007 AHDI Speaker of the House . Kat King, FAAMT, Chair of the Nominating Committee, also presented the Nominating Committee Report. After the business meeting, we had a wonderful presentation by Gary David, PhD, Associate Professor from Bentley College, regarding a medical transcription survey they are conducting and requested as many as possible to take part. This is going to prove to be a very valuable survey and hopefully, produce some eye-opening results for everyone! Brenda Hurley then gave a Mission Possible update along with participation by 3 component representatives, and then we broke for lunch. After reconvening, we broke into strategic session, with the delegates along with the gallery asked to participate, and we were each given a strategy to work on for grassroots involvement including such topics as technology, membership, advocacy, and outlining what we can do to make each particular topic a “9.” After presentations by each group on their individual topics, “champions” were assigned for each topic and will be asked to follow through with these ideas to see how they can be implemented. Talk about getting the grassroots involved!!! This is a wonderful use of the time for our FTF HOD meeting!The Leadership Appreciation Luncheon was fabulous this year! It was by invitation and RSVP only, with invitations having been sent out to seated delegates, component presidents, HOD staff, AHDI staff, and the AHDI Leadership Institute instructors. Each attendee was seated at a table with a past president, and during the meeting each past president passed out beautiful torch lapel pins to each person seated at their table, with an extra one given out for them to be able to “pass the torch” of leadership on to someone else. We were all encouraged to “reach out and touch someone,” and bring them into leadership.
Speaking of future leadership, the 1st-Timers Orientation and Reception was held for those who were attending ACE for the first time, along with mentors for those who had requested them. Playing cards were given to each new attendee, and they were given a certain period of time to “mix” and make the highest card combination they could find. We had at least 1 royal flush, as I remember! They were given lots of information and were able to meet each other face-to-face along with their mentors. A very helpful and very informative session! I was privileged to have 2 wonderful first-timers this year, Stephanie Clemens of Washington and Kristin Hagen of Idaho, and I am SURE they were “infected” and will be mentors themselves next year in Orlando! Thanks to Tina Whitecotton, Lea Sims, and Kim Buchanan for putting this Orientation and Reception together! Special thanks also to Tracy Browne for helping to pair up roommates once again this year! This helped many attend who otherwise wouldn't have been able to!
At the end of the day, there was a Welcome Reception held between 6/p to 9/p poolside at Nikki Beach Outdoor Pool Area at the Grand Sierra. Quite a setup they have there, complete with REAL SAND! A grand buffet was there for all and a lot of networking was done!
THURSDAY, AUGUST 16 – Communication and Language
If you ever want to get the morning started out with a bang, all you have to do is invite our first keynote speaker, Richard Lederer, PhD, to be wherever you are! Even at 8 o’clock in the morning, and having the wonderful breakfast provided for the registrants, one could definitely not even THINK of going to sleep during his presentation! To quote a phrase from his website, http://www.verbivore.com/:“Welcome to the web site woven for wordaholics, logolepts, and verbivores. Carnivores eat meat; herbivores eat plants and vegetables; verbivores devour words. If you are heels over head (as well as head over heels) in love with words, tarry here a while to graze or, perhaps, feast on the English language. Ours is the only language in which you drive in a parkway and park in a driveway and your nose can run and your feet can smell.”
Later in the day he hosted a language workshop which I was not able to attend because of other commitments, but I am told from several that attended that it was equally as good, if not better, than the keynote address! He had a table in the AHDI pavilion where he sold every book he had brought with him and took orders for those that wanted books but not quick enough to get to his table, giving personalized attention and autographs to all. Dr. Lederer is not only a great speaker, but a wonderful and personable man. I was privileged to personally take up half-an-hour of his time and it was totally enriching.
The Exhibit Hall was opened up in fine fashion at 10/a until 2/p. Attendees had this dedicated time to demo and purchase products/services as well as network with colleagues, friends, and vendors. Lunch was also provided for those attending! We had many return exhibitors this year as well as some brand new ones, which is wonderful! We hope they come back and become regulars themselves! They had a contest that the vendors participated in as well as drawings for some awesome give-aways! There were some vendors who dressed up in awesome costumes to make it that much more fun! Kudos to ALL of our vendors!
Three of our candidates for Board of Directors for 2008 through 2011, Ava Marie George; Harriet Stewart, CMT, FAAMT; and Trudi Griffith, CMT sat steadfast at the candidate’s table talking with members who were considering their vote, in between being present at many of the presentations, introducing and thanking all of our presenters this year. Two of the candidates for the Board, Stephen Dunkle and Patricia James, CMT, were not able to attend the convention. Brenda Hurley, CMT, FAAMT, is also a candidate for Speaker-Elect of the HOD for 2008. The voting opened on August 15th and will go thru September 17th, so if you haven’t voted yet, there is NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT! Just go to http://www.ahdionline.org/ to vote or request a paper ballot. Remember, students can vote this year also, so please, everyone, let’s make this a record year and everybody cast their vote before September 17!!!
From 2:15 to 5:45, individual sessions in 1-hour tracks for Medical, Industry Trends, and Transcription Practice were held. It was very hard to choose which one to attend as they were all so good! However, I remedied that, as I do every year, by pre-purchasing a CD containing all the presentations at the convention… so the ones that I missed I can go back and listen to! The rest of the evening was open for Vendor Customer Appreciation Night. Many companies held their company dinners that evening, to bring their “families” closer together! Mine did, and it was wonderful to finally put faces to names of those I work with day to day!
FRIDAY, AUGUST 17 – Personal Health and Wellness
My day started out bright and early at 7/a for the 4th Annual Face-to-Face Meeting for the Online Chapter of AHDI! This chapter has a special place in my heart, and we were able to be greeted by our new president, Debbie Kean, and were honored by Dr. Peter Preziosi, CEO of AHDI and MTIA, and Cathy Baughman, 2007 President of AHDI, attending and giving a short presentation. Several members of the chapter were in attendance along with some guests who were checking it out to see if the Online Chapter would be a good fit for them! Awards were given out to certain individuals who gave exemplary service throughout the year, and then time to network with each other. Great job, OC!
From 8 to 10/a there was a breakfast bar available in the exhibit hall for attendees of ACE to network and again visit our vendors’ displays.
At 10:15, the individual presentations began again in the Medical, Industry Trends, and Transcription Practice tracks and went until 3:45/p, with time to put our red “Change is Everything!” tee-shirts on and get ready for another keynote speaker, none other than RICHARD SIMMONS!!! His theme was “Moving Towards a Healthier Lifestyle.” He brought several groups on stage to exercise with him (yes, that’s him in the blue and me in the red) after which he gave a very inspiring and motivational presentation on his life and why he is so dedicated to helping people. After his exercise and presentation he stayed for another hour to sign autographs, speak with individual fans, have pictures taken, etc., insisting on staying until each fan had had the opportunity meet with him, even though it made him run late. This is a very warm, caring, REAL individual and is spending his time giving to others. I invite you to take a look at his website, http://www.richardsimmons.com/. Thanks to our AHDI President, Cathy Baughman, for bringing this wonderful individual to the convention! Change is everything, and it WILL begin with me!Any bowling fans out there??? If so, it is a good thing you weren’t there watching me! We had all
50 lanes full of members, friends, and family members of AHDI! There had been some teams formed for a “tournament,” and the turnout was great! Thanks to Karen Fox and Linda Acosta for heading this up! There were prizes given out for High Sponsor, High Men’s and Women’s Game, and High Team Score. Tonda Archibald was the high sponsor, winning $100 cash and $150 off AHDI 2008 Orlando ACE Registration! Unfortunately, I think I was in the bottom 10… no prizes given for the worst of the tournament, or I probably would have won! A great time was had by all… and I didn’t throw my ball backwards even once! (My teammates were all dressed in suits of armor just in case… no wonder we did not win!)SATURDAY, AUGUST 18 – Leadership
Wow… time goes by so fast when you’re having fun! For so long it was something to look forward to, and it is finally almost finished! The morning started out at 7:45 through 10:45 with the ASTM meeting with Brenda Hurley. For information on ASTM and how important they are to our profession, please visit their website at http://www.astm.com/. The individual tracks began at 8:30 and ran through 4:45 on Medical and Leadership Institute presentations. Susan Dooley, CMT, FAAMT, and Kim Buchanan, CMT, FAAMT hosted the Educator’s Workshop and Luncheon from 12:15 to 1:45/p, and although I did not attend personally, I heard that it was a tremendous success!
From 2/p to 3/p we had our last (but by all means not least!) keynote speaker of the convention, Jill Lublin. Her topic was “Successful Leadership through Visibility,” and she discussed tools to increase and master your communication skills, attract clients and keep them, and how you need to understand why the “real” you is your greatest asset, something that can make you a confident, admired leader! You can read more about Jill and her #1 bestseller “Networking Magic” on her website at http://www.jilllublin.com/, and I encourage you to do so!
Ahhh… for the coup de grâce of the entire convention! “Put on your red dress” was the song of the evening for the much awaited for RED DRESS AWARDS GALA! Almost everyone who attended had RED in one form another, from red dresses, formals, evening gowns, suits, etc., to the men who attended with red ties, red shirts, tuxedos, etc. What a beautiful “Red Sea” we created! Moses himself would be jealous! Cathy Baughman, our 2007 AHDI President, was all wrapped up like a caterpillar in a cocoon when she took the stage to greet the attendees. What a surprise to everyone when she “broke out” of her cocoon, unwrapping herself and wearing a beautiful RED DRESS!! “Change is Everything,” and our President certainly exemplified that! She began the evening with a tribute to one of our own who passed on unexpectedly earlier in the year, someone who was personally an inspiration to me and an inspiration as well to many, Jennifer Lyons. I know Jennifer was right there with us! We then had awards presented and then were entertained by the Dean-O-Holics, a trio imitating Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis, Jr. After a great meal and networking, more awards were presented. The award recipients in order or presentation were as follows:- Latisha Guthrie of Phoenix, Arizona – Student Essay Contest
- Sandra Ash, CMT, FAAMT of Eugene, Oregon – CMT Key Award
- Kathleen (Kat) King, FAAMT of Rogue River, Oregon – Advocate of the Year
- Mayo Clinic, Office Support Services of Rochester, Minnesota – Employer of the Year
- PJ Posey, BA, CMT of Coppell, Texas – Member of the Year
- Claudia Tessier, CAE, RHIA of California – Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award
CONGRATULATIONS to all our very deserving award winners! I know the Awards Committee had a very difficult time this year with so many potential winners, but they have certainly chosen the “Cream of the Crop” here, as they seem to every year!
After the Award Presentations, our fantastic President-Elect for 2008, Betty Honkonen, CMT, FAAMT, complete with her “Goofy” hat and gloves (but all the while INSISTING that she does NOT DO GOOFY), gave an exciting overview of the 2008 AHDI Convention and Expo, held in her home state of Florida (purely coincidental!), and right next to Walt Disney World in downtown ORLANDO, FLORIDA!!! (I still think Betty does Goofy.) Please start putting some money aside and make plans to join us from August 5 through August 9, 2008! Every single year I feel I attended the best convention ever, only to be awestruck at the next one! Reno was absolutely FANTABULOUS, so you can probably guess what Orlando will be!HONORABLE MENTION
One of the reasons that this convention, and all of the conventions that I have attended so far, have been so successful has been the complete dedication of our fantastic, awesome, and wonderful AHDI STAFF! MANY THANKS go out to: Angie Adams, Andrew Wolf, Diana Gish, Gigi DeLuca, Kelly Kappmeier (who could not be there this year because she is a new mom!), Kim Buchanan, Kristin Wall, Lea Sims, Terri White, Tom Kewley, Treva Perez, Wendy Carriegan, and the entire staff of AHDI for doing what they do to support us. They do a lot for our association behind the scenes, and we need to recognize their contributions as often as we can! We can do what we do because of them!
In addition, deserving honorable mention was the first-ever AHDI Convention SILENT AUCTION!!! This was a last-minute brainchild of our own Susan Lucci, CMT, RHIT, FAAMT and director of AHDI, and it was a glorious success!! Thanks, Susan, for this wonderful idea, and a very special thanks to everyone who participated!!! We had local chapters, state/regional associations, vendors, educational institutions and individuals participating, coming out with approximately $2,500! Just think next year, when we have more time, what a wonderful thing this could be!! Start considering your baskets or prizes now!
I just want the Wisconsin/Minnesota Association to know that I did my best to win their basket with the Green Bay Packer cap and mug in it, but someone beat me out at the last minute!! DARN!!
You’re not asleep yet? Or… did you sneak away, catch a nap, and come back? Whatever, I’m so happy you have made it to the end! (Yes, really… I promise!) This is a very long board partner message, I know, but I wanted to be sure and include EVERYTHING so you can experience the convention even if it is through my eyes! Don’t forget, you will be able to purchase individual presentations or the complete CD of every presentation at this convention soon, so watch in your Vitals for an announcement! It really will be worth your while to catch some of these wonderful presentations. Just close your eyes, picture yourself in Reno, and you’ll be right there!I was SOOO HAPPY to meet personally as many of you as I did! I look forward to next year, and at other AHDI events, where I can possibly meet more of you! I
As always, email box always open, taylor.jacque@gmail.com. If you’d like me to give you a call, just let me know a good time and I’d love to talk to you! SEE YOU SOON!
Jacque
