AAPC Preview

Get the Most Out of HEALTHCON 2018

By Heather Hogstrom

AAPC’s HEALTHCON will be held April 8–11 at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, Florida. Conference attendees can take advantage of discounted theme park tickets and plan an evening with colleagues at Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, or Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or cool off at one of Disney’s water parks.

Billed as the largest revenue cycle management event of the year, HEALTHCON offers more than 90 educational sessions. A new tool called the HEALTHCON Experience Planner can quickly and easily help attendees narrow down what they might be most interested in focusing on at the conference. The tool suggests sessions and events based on the user’s answers to four questions.

1. Have you attended HEALTHCON before?
First-timers can start their conference with the new attendee welcome session, “HEALTHCON Rookies — Learn the Ropes,” which will provide advice on getting the most out of the experience and explain how to use the HEALTHCON app. For something both beginners and experts can appreciate, don’t miss the opportunity to learn more about the human body via anatomical models, devices, and videos at the popular Anatomy Expo.

2. How do you prefer to network?
Those who prefer to network over a meal may enjoy sitting down with food and friends in the exhibit hall, or closing the conference with the Member Appreciation Luncheon. Alternatively, attendees interested in networking during a fun activity may want to participate in the annual Run4One 4k event, which is open to runners and walkers of all fitness levels. And for those who are looking for focused interaction, the Networking Expo groups colleagues by specialty.

3. Do you want to develop skills for your current career or something new?
Professionals interested in furthering their career may want to attend the session “How to Attain Your Dream Job in 3 Easy Steps,” which will include tips for writing resumes, interviewing, networking, and more. Or those who wish to become credentialed can arrive a day early for the AAPC Examination to earn a certification.

4. Which topic are you most interested in?
The educational sessions cover auditing, billing, coding, compliance, inpatient facility, outpatient facility, practice management, and technology. Attendees most interested in technology can consider attending “Technology Impact in Healthcare and How It Affects You” or “Why Do Corporate Breaches Continue to Happen,” while those more interested in coding may want to attend sessions such as “Coding Clinic Update for ICD-10-CM” or “It’s Time to Talk About Opioids.”

In between sessions, attendees can check out the exhibit hall, featuring the latest offerings from more than 75 exhibitors.

For more information or to register, visit www.healthcon.com.

— Heather Hogstrom is an editorial assistant at For The Record.