Join us in Nashville for HEALTHCON

Dear Member,

Please join us in Nashville, Tennessee, next April for HEALTHCON 2014!  AAPC has expanded its focus to better serve the healthcare community, with offerings in Coding, Compliance, Billing, Auditing, and Practice Management, to name a few.  We believe this will be the most comprehensive collection of business and healthcare-related topics ever assembled in one place, and we welcome one and all to participate with us.  The benefit to practices, employers, and individuals will be exponential – don’t miss out!  Online registration begins early December 2013. 

Best regards,

Jason VandenAkker

CEO, AAPC

A Little Bit Chilly

For us at AAPC at the national office in Salt Lake City, Utah, it is getting cold.  Our first snow storm hit yesterday.  Winter is here, not officially, but the cold has set in.  Now what does that have to do with you....well I know for some of you, you might be coming from a warmer climate and are not sure what to expect in Baltimore.  Well, the average high in Baltimore mid to late November is 51 degrees and the low is 34.  So I guess I am telling you to pack your warm clothes for conference.

Now, if you forget warmer clothes, AAPC product store will have sweat shirts, blazers, and puffy vests for purchase. Show your AAPC pride and stay warm this winter.

Pick-up this vest in both colors at the product store for $45.

The most important item to discuss......eating

The Inner Harbor has many vibrant and beautiful waterfront shops, eateries and attractions.  Here is a list of eateries:

The Capital Grille
500 E. Pratt Street
443-703-4064
www.thecapitalgrille.com

Fogo de Chao

600 E Pratt Street, Ste 102
410-528-9292
www.fogodechao.com

Watertable
500 E Pratt Street (inside Renaissance)
410-685-VIEW
www.watertablerestaurant.com


Even though you are at a conference, doesn't mean you have to eat bad. Don't miss out on the delicious finds just around the corner from your hotel!

A must see....

Did you know - Baltimore's Inner Harbor is one of America's oldest seaports? Since the 1600's, the Baltimore Harbor has been welcoming people, ships and goods from all over the world. Did you know that our hotel looks over this great harbor???  It does aaaannnnd apparently it's a really fun and entertaining area of town.  So....let's check out all the fun that is at our finger tips, shall we?

USS Constellation - is the last Civil War vessel afloat.  WOW!  Built in 1854 and is the last all-sail warship built by the US Navy.  It has been restored and returned to the Inner Harbor.  
Pier 1, 301 East Pratt Street, 410-539-1797

The Clipper City - is a tall ship that offers at least two public cruises Tuesday - Sunday.  Be sure to call 410-837-6700 for schedule and rates.

Maryland Science Center - has hands-on exhibits and spectacular displays in the wonderful world of science and technology.  Visit Maryland Science Center to plan your visit.  

National Aquarium - Baltimore's leading tourist attraction.  View a life-size model of a Humpback Whale, see the concepts of surviving through adaptation come to life, visit a coral reef, and learn what jellies are telling us about the health of our oceans. Visit www.aqua.org for more information.

Looks like there is lots of fun to be had in Baltimore! 

Watch out DALLAS here we come!!!

The conference team is leaving on a jet plane to Dallas and we are coming with 600 of our favorite coder friends to the regional conference!  I don't know about you, but we are getting very very excited.

Hey, see all of you in a couple of days!  Get ready for some "BIG" time education, fun and networking!!!  As you know everything is BIGGER in Texas!

State of Art

Wondering what you can do while in Dallas, here is an idea.  Visit the Dallas Museum of Art.  They are currently exhibiting "The Body Beautiful in Ancient Greece".  This exhibit has more than 120 items, showcasing exquisite artwork of Greek and Roman sculpture.  Visit dallasmuseumofart.org for more information regarding the exhibit.  The exhibit runs until October 6, so don't miss this wonderful opportunity!

Dallas Museum of Art

1717 N Harwood

Dallas, TX  75201

214-922-1200

www.dma.org

Foodie....Best of the Best

When you go out of town for either business or pleasure, you always want to eat somewhere different, not just the same ol' same ol'.  Here are some great recommendations from previous Grapevine Travelers courtesy of TripAdvisor:

Ranked #1 

Mi Dia (3 miles away from Gaylord Texan)

1295 South Main Street, Grapevine, Texas

Mesican Cuisine

Ranked #2

Into The Glass Wine Bar and Cafe (3 miles from Gaylord Texan)

322 South Main Street, Grapevine, Texas

www.intotheglass.com

Ranked #3

Main Street Cafe and Bread Baking Co

316 S Main Street, Grapevine, Texas

hstrial-fgoury.homestead.com

Ranked #4

Pappadeaux

600 W. State Highway 114, Grapevine, Texas

www.pappadeaux.com

All four restaurants are less than four miles away from the Gaylord Texan.  I AM now starving looking over these menus.  

See you in Dallas!

Did I hear someone say "outlet mall"?

Now if you are a shopper, then you will want to get over to the Grapevine Mills.  It has so many stores...I can't even begin to list them, but here are a few:

Ann Taylor Factory Store

J. Crew Factory

Kenneth Cole Outlet Store

Loft Outlet

Neiman Marcus Last Call

Nike Factory Store
SAKS Fifth Avenue Off 5th

Wilson Leather Outlet

Grapevine Mills is the largest outlet and value retail shopping center in North Texas.  It provides more than 180 outlet stores to purchase gifts  for your kids and a little somethin' for yourself.  From the Gaylord Texan, Grapevine Mills is 2.8 miles or 10 minutes away...so close.

Grapevine Mills
3000 Grapevine Mills Pkwy
Grapevine, Texas 76051

Open:
Mon - Sat 10 am to 9:30 pm
Sunday 11 am to 7 pm

What happens at conference....stays at conference!

If you are dying to let your inner child out.....then you MIGHT be interested in spending some time at SIX FLAGS!  Now, you may be asking, how does that relate to the Dallas Regional Conference.  Well...it turns out Six Flags is 20 miles from the Gaylord Texan.  Great news, right?

Tickets at the Park:

General Admission $62.99

Child under 48" $47.99

2 & Under Free

So if you are into the thrills of fast roll coasters, gut-wrenching drops, and nauseating flips then you will want to check-out Six Flags while you are at AAPC's regional conference.

Let's talk food....

Dallas is known for its barbecue, authentic Mexican, and tex mex cuisine.  The Gaylord Texan offers two food options for barbecue and tex mex cuisine.  The Texan Station open for lunch and dinner has traditional bar snacks and burgers along with the BEST BBQ in Texas.  Then there is Riverwalk Cantina, an open-air cafe, that is old world mexico meets authentic Tex-Mex.

Riverwalk Cantina

Riverwalk Cantina's Menu

Texan Station Menu

Book your flight to Dallas today and save!

Are you planning on attending the Dallas Regional Conference, September 26-28? If you book your flight through Southwest today you can take advantage of their Fall Flights Sale and save yourself a bundle of cash!

Southwest Airlines is offering a special discount on flights booked before midnight today. One-way flights to Dallas start at $49!

You don't have to be signed up for conference to access these low prices, but you should check out the great pre-conference events to determine your schedule before you book your flights.

DALLAS, TEXAS....AAPC's next regional conference

Oh man, this was a long time coming.  We are very excited to host a regional conference in the lone star state.  At the end of September we are headed to the Gaylord Texan, the finest hotel establishment in Dallas.    The educational experience at this conference is going to outstanding not to mention the industries finest, teaching and networking with all of our great attendees.  I am getting excited just talking about this event.

GAYLORD TEXAN

Conference Details

September 26-28, 2013

Nonmember Price - $595 $495*

Member Price - $495 $395*

*$100 off for Early Bird until August 5

Gaylord Texan

Hotel/Night  - $225

Pre-conference

We have some great pre-conference events lined up for you at this conference. Do you need ICD-10 training, take our ICD-10 General Code-Set boot camp.  Are you an instructor (CPC-I) and need your ICD-10 training, take the Train the Trainer course. Also, we will have the CPC-H Boot Camp, always a big hit.  Biller...practice manager, don't feel left out, we have events for you too!
Check out all the details for the pre-conference events. 

To see more details or to register, click here.

Disney Movie T-shirt Quiz

This year at conference we did something fun.  On the back side of the conference t-shirt we put a diagnosis with a code and you had to guess the Disney movie that it described.  This was a big hit and everyone is asking for the answers.  So here they are......

Abuse of steroids or hormones (F55.3) Hercules
Food poisoning (T62.93XA) Snow White
Congenital malformation of nose (Q30.8) Pinocchio
Injured while dancing with Mop (Y93.41) Fantasia
Superficial foreign body (splinter) of right hand (S60.521A) Tarzan
Crushed by non-venomous snake (W59.13XA) Jungle Book
Kleptomania (F63.2) Aladdin
Lack of Caring - apathy (R45.3) Lion King
Narcolepsy (G47.419) Sleeping Beauty
Congenital kyphosis (Q76.413) Hunchback of Notre Dame
Gender identity disorder (F64.1) Mulan
Near-decapitation (S08.89XA) Alice in Wonderland
Marcrotia (Q17.1) Dumbo
Bone transplant status of legs (Z94.6) Little Mermaid
Spots of unknown etiology (L81.8)  101 Dalmations
Overworked; exhaustion (R53.83) Cinderella
Immature personality disorder (F60.89) Peter Pan
Hirsutism - excessive hair growth (L68.8) Tangled
Bitten by alligator (W58.01XA) Rescuers

Thanks for all of you that joined in on the fun of the contest.

Behind the scenes

Conference is coming together this year without a hitch. We need to thank the army of volunteers that make this event happen.  The Greater Orlando Local Chapter has been a tremendous help today at bag-stuffing.  They stuffed all 2,200 bags with flyers and goodies.  The Local Chapter Association Board also joined us for the fun at bag-stuffing helping the chapter conquer all the bags in two hours.

 Way to go everyone!

Walt says it best....

In the immortal words of Walt Disney, “You can dream, create, design and build the most wonderful place in the world…but it requires people to make the dream a reality.” You are the people who make our conference a reality, THANK YOU! May this experience be as magical for you as it is for us.


Thank you! 
Melanie, Sandra and Amy
AAPC Conference Team

Twitter Winners

Thanks to everyone that followed us on Twitter, this contest was a great success.  If you haven't already, follow us on twitter @AAPCstaff and watch for updates and highlights on the conference #aapccon!

The winners receive a bling t-shirt in the product store!  Come see Amy Evans at the General Information booth to receive your prize.

Winners are...drum roll please....


Randi Uelman
Davina Luciano
Melissa Smith
Robert Blakely
Sabrina Jones

Don't worry Robert - we will get you another prize, so you don't have to wear a woman's bling t-shirt.

Congratulations to all of you!

Leaving on a Jet Plane

It’s been a long, cold winter at AAPC central, but that’s about to be a thing of the past, because we’re outta here, conference team is leaving.…Orlando, here we come!!  Can’t wait to greet  you in sunny Florida, where we’ll share a few days of education, fun, and sun!  Please stop by – we’ve talked to so many of you, and would love to put a name with a face.  Safe travels – see you soon!

Melanie, Amy and Sandra

March Photo Contest Winner

We are very excited to post the winner of this month's photo contest.  There were many entries and can't wait to have everyone's photos displayed at conference.  

The winner for the March Disney Photo Contest is.......

Maria Paloma!  This picture is of her ADORABLE daughters.  

Congratulations Maria and  thank you to everyone else for contributing to AAPC's contest. 

Good times....

We at AAPC have a great time.  But the best time we have is with our members at an AAPC national/regional conference.  AAPC's conferences have the best of the best when it comes to speakers, doctors and industry leaders who fill conference attendees with a plethora of knowledge. These are events you don't want to miss especially with ICD-10 on the horizon.

This video shows how much fun we have, but also the great educational experience too.  Don't miss AAPC's next conference.

Follow us on Twitter @aapcstaff #aapcconf

Don’t Miss Out on G2KYLC! The Happiest Chapters on Earth are waiting for you!

Join us in Orlando for the perfect way to start your morning and to network with the Happiest Chapters On Earth! These are the AAPC’s “Extra Magic Hours”! You will start your day by meeting some new friends and getting reacquainted with some you may have met at prior conferences because “It’s A Small World After All”. Chapter officers will have the opportunity to network with each other and ask some of those hard questions about “How to make your chapter meetings the happiest place to be!” We will be all “Mickey Mouse Ears” for fantastic ideas that you have come up with in your local chapters to keep the “Magic Kingdom” of information flowing to others. Those day-to-day questions you get out in the “Animal Kingdom” may help you to provide the perfect answers at G2KYLC. Sign up today and get the “Fast Pass” to the front of the inside story with other Local Chapters. Time is running out to join this “Rockin’ Rollercoaster” ride to a better Chapter. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by and have you landing in the “Tower of Terror” at your next chapter meeting. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to join us in the “Fantasyland” of what your chapter could be!

Email Susan Ward at susan.ward@aapcca.org to reserve your spot today.

The votes are in for the February photo contest..

We are pleased to announce the winner for AAPC's Disney February photo contest.....Jeanne Plouffe.

This photo is of Jeanne's great niece Ashlyn hugging Eeyore.  Ashlyn is so adorable and you can tell she loves Eeyore.


Congratulations Jeanne Plouffe, thank you for contributing to our fun contest.  You will receive a prize at the Orlando National Conference in April. Wohoo!


The fun isn't over, submit your photos for March's photo contest.  Email your pictures to amy.evans@aapc.com by noon MST on Mach 29.

The fine print...

Submitting your photo to AAPC gives us permission to publish/use your photo.

Send us your Disney photos!

Hey Conference Attendees - Tomorrow is the last day to submit your Disney photos for the February photo contest.  If you are selected as the winner you win a prize...and who doesn't love prizes.  

Send your photos to Amy Evans at amy.evans@aapc.com by February 28, 2013 by 5 PM MST.

You won't want to miss....AAPC REGIONAL FEUD!

This event debuted at the 2012 conference in Las Vegas and it was SO MUCH FUN!  Here is a clip of last year's AAPC Regional Feud, I can't even tell you how much we laughed.

Now that you have seen what a riot this event is, now we want you to be involved.  We want you to get together as groups to be contestants* on Regional Feud.  Dress-up in a costume, your region color, make a lot of noise but we want this session that you can let loose and relax and of course enjoy.

AAPC Regional Feud is on Sunday, April 14, 1-2 pm right before the National Advisory Board Conference Welcome.

*contestants are picked at event, you can become apart of team for your region onsite.

The Happiest Chapters on Earth

Hey Chapters - Don't forget to sign-up for a table for The Get to Know Your Local Chapter Event (G2KYLC).  This event highlights Local Chapters and all they have to offer AAPC Members.  Local Chapters are encouraged to reserve a table so they can showcase their chapter and network with members and other chapter officers.  This is one of our conference MUST-ATTEND events!!!

For questions or to reserve a table for G2KYLC please contact Susan Ward at susan.ward@aapcca.org.

The votes are in....

and the conference team has decided! For January's photo contest, the picture with the most votes is, drum roll please....

This picture is of Amy McCreight's son Colin giving Buzz Lightyear a high-five.  This was Colin's first trip to Disneyland and he was only three years old.  He just loves the movie Toy Story.

Congratulations Amy McCreight, thank you for contributing to our fun contest.  You will receive a prize at the Orlando National Conference in April. Wohoo!


The fun isn't over, submit your photos for February's photo contest.  Email your pictures to amy.evans@aapc.com by noon MST on February 28.

The fine print...

Submitting your photo to AAPC gives us permission to publish/use your photo.

Hidden Mickeys...huh?

We all heard the term "hidden Mickeys", but what are people referring to?  Well at Walt Disney World and Walt Disneyland there are Mickey emblems, you know the two small circles above a large circle, all over the resorts. It could be part of the architecture in a building or a painting on a wall.  They are everywhere too, I have found hidden Mickeys in the design in the carpet to the mirror in my hotel room bathroom.

Here is an article from the Huffington Post about hidden Mickeys with a slide show of all the Mickey Mouse ears they found.  You may also buy a guide that shows you everywhere to look.

Have fun!!

Member's Magical Memories....

We asked for photos and guess what we received photos!  Our members are oh-so familiar with Disney.  Here are some great photos from their time with Mickey and Minnie.  On January 31, the Conference Team will be selecting a photo and the winner will receive a prize at conference, so there is still time.  Send us your photos by 12 PM MST on January 31 to be entered into this months photo contest.