Janet M. Burch, CMM

Pikes Peak Nephrology Associates PC
Colorado Springs, CO 80909-2804

Janet has been a PAHCOM member for twelve years and has attended twelve annual conferences. Her nominating letter reads in part:

One of the most profound words in any professional arena is the word RESPECT. In speaking with other office managers, board members, her staff, and her physicians considering this nomination, I found this to be a common thread not only in their opinion of Janet but in her demeanor, as well Webster defines respect as "the state of being regarded with deference or esteem and the "willingness to show consideration or appreciation." This defines Janet Burch . Not only is she well regarded by her superiors, subordinates, and peers, alike, but she regards them in the same light, as well. Her physicians cannot imagine a practice without her. After joining her current practice ten years ago, she brought them out from under a challenging situation in financial management and human resources to a thriving practice on the leading edge of technology. Her staff regards her as someone whose role is to make them the best employee possible through unwavering support, constant development, and an uncanny ability to bring out their best. As such, it is apparent that Janet is a master at balancing the needs of her practice with the needs of her employees. Janet's relationship with her peers is no different. As president of our local PAHCOM chapter, she has utilized her strengths and unfaltering determination to provide steadfast leadership to bring our membership from a fledgling five members to a healthy and sustainable sixty-five members, all the while providing quality in-depth educational programs to that membership. Janet's energy, enthusiasm, positive attitude, and sense of appreciation are infectious which lends itself well to her role as an expert resource not only for her peers, but for our state and county medical societies, as well. Indeed, for the last four years Janet has sat on the advisory panel for the Colorado Medical Society. In fact, it was through her involvement and resolute promotion of PAHCOM that led to her appointment on that panel. It's no wonder, then, that Janet embodies the full give-and take meaning of the characteristic of respect to all those with whom she relates.

As is evidenced by her rise from a high school graduate in a file clerk's position to a Practice Administrator holding a Master's degree in Health Care Management, Janet does not rest on her laurels. She has steadfastly risen within the ranks by constantly challenging herself along the way. Other than the clinical positions, she has held, at one time or another, each position in a medical practice. It is that powerful combination of her formal education in concert with her experientially based education that has allowed Janet to become a successful medical practice manager. She has taken her practices from a pegboard system all the way to introducing them to the latest technology in a complex arrangement of a revenue cycle management system, interfaces with hospitals and reference laboratories, electronic charge capture and interactive website which accepts payments, registrations, appointments, etc .. She has taken a large inefficient support staff to a lean efficient one by maximizing their potential and making them a priority to their practice. In recent years, she has coordinated efforts in the design and implementation of workflow and operations when her practice decided to build its own building. Even now, Janet continues her unrelenting drive for excellence by taking on the task of designing yet another new building space which will ultimately house more of their clinical operations to include a vascular access surgery center for their dialysis patients. There is no doubt that Janet's practice is one of the most advanced clinically and technologically, due in no small part to the efforts she has put forth.

Janet's efforts do not rest only with her practice. She also extends her heart into the community in which she lives. She has organized a "Beanie Baby Campaign" in which she encouraged people in our community to donate Beanie Babies to send to our troops in Iraq. These Beanie Babies were then used by our soldiers to befriend the Iraqi children to not only give the children somewhat of a respite in their war-tom country, but to also foster a positive relationship with them such that it would lessen the threat these same children could pose should they be influenced by the resistance. In addition, Janet organizes an annual Christmas for Kids campaign in her office to sponsor underprivileged children in our community by providing gifts for them so that they might have an enjoyable Christmas. Janet has also been instrumental in leading grassroots campaigns in the political arena for such issues as preventing the decrease in Medicare reimbursement, health insurance contracting transparency, and preventing the passage of recent trial lawyer bills to increase the non-economic damages ceiling which would have resulted in increased malpractice premiums for all physicians. Finally, this year, Janet organized the first annual Colorado Springs Kidney Day to promote awareness of kidney disease. This well-attended, community-wide event included presentations, screenings, personal discussions with nephrologists, test results consultations with physicians and physician's assistants, and visits with a massage therapist. Janet also organized a vendor fair for this event, which included the presence of Memorial Hospital, the Penrose-St. Francis Healthcare System, the Pikes Peak Council of Government, the City of Colorado Springs, and several diabetes care teams. This was no small undertaking. Indeed, not only did the State Insurance Commissioner attend, but it was also recognized by Mayor Lionel Rivera, himself, by issuing a proclamation officially making every March 14th Colorado Springs Kidney Day. With evidence of these tireless and selfless efforts, our community is indeed fortunate that Janet has chosen to live amongst us.

Janet's success in health care office management and as an individual is a direct reflection of her dedication to the pursuit of excellence and to the proprietorship and stewardship she extends to all the roles that it represents. She owns her successes and failures, alike, and uses those failures as an educational tool to fuel her quest for success. She defines the role of a professional as well as it defines her. According to her contemporaries, the adjectives that identify her are all in the superlative. She serves as an example to all those that surround her and she represents the best of the best. I am confident in stating that Janet's practice, PAHCOM, and our profession, in general, is all the better for having Janet amongst its ranks and feel privileged to call her my colleague. Janet's accomplishments are matched only by her modesty and humbleness. Indeed, she was embarrassed that I would even consider nominating her. Janet is a quality individual, whose honesty and integrity are above reproach and whose abilities lends itself well to overcoming the challenges in today's dynamic health care environment As such, I can unequivocally and without hesitation nominate Janet Burch, CMM for PAHCOM's 2009 Medical Manager of the Year.

Respectfully submitted,

Stephen H. Johanns, CMM
Practice Administrator Infectious Disease Specialists
President-Elect Pikes Peak PAHCOM

Joan Austin, CMM

Pediatrics West PC
Wheat Ridge, CO 80033-6011

Joan has been a PAHCOM member for six years and has attended five annual conferences. Her nominating letter reads:

I hereby nominate the following PAHCOM member for the 2009 Medical Manager of the Year award:
Name of Nominee: Joan Austin, CMM
Accomplishments of nominee: Joan has been a medical office manager for the better part of 30 years. Initially, she was part of a small solo pediatric practice with responsibilities beyond being "just" the office manager. Over the years, as the practice grew and reimbursement policies changed Joan took it upon herself to stay up to date with all these changes. At one point, several smaller practices merged under the sponsorship of a large healthcare organization and Joan became the office manager of two "group" pediatric practices. Again, the changing face of healthcare caused one group to split from the healthcare organization and become a private practice. Joan was an integral member of this physician group as they went through the long process of separating themselves from hospital ownership and forming their own articles of incorporation. All of the physicians in the group valued her ideas and her concern for the employees as they went through the process. To her credit, there has been very little turnover in office employees with Joan as manager.

Joan has overseen the physical move of the practice several times over the course of her career, as well as the opening of a satellite office. These moves required an incredible amount of planning and coordination; from choosing paint/carpet/upholstery to making sure the phone and computer lines were moved and functional to getting the address changed. Each move has gone as seamlessly as possible with very little interruption in patient care. She has been successful in delegating authority to other staff members while still being aware of the practice as a whole. She also maintains a close relationship with the physicians in the practice by attending and participating in all board meetings.

Joan became interested in the Professional Association of Health Care Office Management several years ago and took it upon herself to become a Certified Medical Manager. Since becoming a member of PAHCOM, she has been very active in the organization and brings many good ideas back to the practice to implement after attending the PAHCOM meetings.

Other accomplishments include: developing a logo and brochure for the practice, being elected as a representative for Focus Group at Med 3000, developing an Employee Recognition Program, and being asked to be a member of the Advisory Board and attend the Practice Manager Forum at Exempla Lutheran Medical Center.

The attributes that make Joan a good candidate for Medical Manager of the Year include her amazing organizational skills and her ability to be a leader without being overbearing. Joan is immensely respected by her peers, employees, and the physicians she works for. She always has the best interest of the employees in mind and goes out of her way to recognize them for going above and beyond the scope of their job. This is evidenced by the longevity ofthe employees in the practice. Yet, she can also be diplomatic when it comes to dealing with the occasional rift. She is able to use resources available to her to make sure she is doing the best job possible. Joan Austin is indeed irreplaceable!

Sincerely,
Cynthia L Frederick, M.D.

Zoia A. Holland, CMM

McMahon & Ricketson M.D.s PA
Pensacola, FL 32504-8771

Zoia has been a PAHCOM member for seventeen years and has attended seven annual conferences. Her nominating letter reads:

I would like to nominate Zoia Holland for PAHCOM Medical Manager of the Year. Zoia is very deserving of this honor.

Zoia has been the manager of McMahon & Ricketson, M.D., P.A. since its inception in 1981. She has grown with the practice and has been an asset at the same time. She is a very caring, understanding and gracious leader. She goes out of her way to make sure her staff is happy and that her doctors are satisfied. You will find no better candidate than Zoia.

Zoia has seen many changes to the field through the years but she has made the necessary changes to "keep up with the times". She is flexible and yet firm in her managerial skills.

Patients love Zoia because she goes out of her way to make them feel like family and she works with low-income people to pay their bills. She works out arrangements that are satisfactory for everyone involved.

Zoia not only manages a busy surgeon's office but she also raised a family and without complaint. Zoia is the epitome of grace in action. There have been times when Zoia worked two jobs and was going to school but neither her jobs nor family suffered as Zoia pursued her dreams.

She is an amazing person and I am proud to call her my friend and would again ask for your consideration in nominating her for PAHCOM Medical Manager of the Year. Thank you for our time.

Sincerely,

Brenda L. Miller

Sue Zumwalt

Pediatric Associates of Stockton
Stockton, CA 95207-5723

Sue has been a PAHCOM member for nine years and has attended eight annual conferences. Her nominating letter reads:

To Whom it May Concern,

It is with pleasure that I write this letter in support of the nomination of Sue Zumwalt for the PAHCOM Medical Manager of the Year. I have known Sue for the 13 years I have been in private practice, as she was hired as Office Manager shortly after I joined our Pediatric Group.

Over the years, Sue has effectively managed an officethat has grown significantly from a 2 physician 1 nurse practitioner group to a 4 physician 4 nurse practitioner group with over 25 employees currently.She has high expectationsof her office staff, but treats them respectfully and fairlywhich has allowed us to have limited staff turnover over the years.

Under Sue's direction,our office has been completely transformed from apractice that initiallyused a writtenappointment book to a fully computerized practice management system with EMR and a computer tablet-based check-in system. She has also led us through the construction ofour 10,000 square foot clinic with our own lab and pharmacy. She has always been at the forefront of the research and decision-making processes necessary to implement such technological advancements and is always looking for ways to make our practice more efficient.

Sue's strengths in the billing and collections department has allowed us to remain financiallysuccessful year after year. She has assembleda veryefficient team and collection system andis always willingto fight the insurance companies for every penny--quite a challenge in the heavily penetrated managed care environmentof California.

We have been told by many people over the years that our practice is the friendliest, most efficiently run office in the region. I firmly believe that much of that comes from the hard work and leadership of our Office Manager, Sue Zumwalt. She would certainly be worthy of the PAHCOM award of Medical Manager of the Year.

Sincerely,

Steven Louis Billigmeier MD, FAAP