Luke MeertBoard Member

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Luke Meert-Board Member
What a great honor to have been nominated for
consideration as a Board Member candidate to our
Michigan Patient Accounting Association! Thank
you for taking a few minutes to read my
biographical as you cast your vote.

• My Professional Background
• During 20 years in the healthcare Revenue Cycle,
  Ive had the good fortune to work in and to work
  closely with great people across the Cycles
  lifespan from beginning (patient scheduling and
  pre-arrival) to middle (billing and collections)
  to end (bad debt placements and sales). I
  received both my Bachelors of Business
  Administration degree and my Masters of Business
  Administration degree from University of
  Michigan. During my career Ive been employed by
  both healthcare consulting firms and healthcare
  providers. Since 2000, Ive been Corporate
  Director of Accounts receivable for Botsford
  HealthCare (Farmington Hills, MI) where I watch
  over Revenue Cycle functions for Botsford
  Hospital, Botsford Clinic System, Botsford
  Continuing Health Center, Community Emergency
  Medical Service, Parastar Ambulance Services,
  Botsford Outreach Laboratory, Botsford Kidney
  Center, and Botsford Outpatient Pharmacy.

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• I am currently serving my first term as an MPAA
  Board Member, and have been rewarded by meeting
  some of the best and brightest folks in Revenue
  Cycle operations. Im also currently the Past
  President and a Board Member of the Michigan
  Alliance of Healthcare Access Professionals
  (MAHAP ) and a Revenue Cycle Committee Co-Chair
  in the Healthcare Financial Management
  Association - Eastern Michigan Chapter (HFMA).
  In addition to actively participating in MPAA,
  MAHAP, and HFMA, Im also a member of the
  American Association of Healthcare Administrative
  Management (AAHAM). I hold the Certified
  Healthcare Access Associate (CHAA) and
  Certified Healthcare Access Manager (CHAM)
  certifications from NAHAM, and the Healthcare
  Financial Management Fellow (FHFMA)
  certification from HFMA. With luck, I hope to
  sit for AAHAMs Certified Patient Accounting
  Manager (CPAM) examination later this year.
• My Personal Background
• Im blessed a 17-year-old daughter who I think of
  as my good friend, my most precious
  responsibility, and one of the coolest kids that
  I know. Much my personal time is devoted to
  helping her make those good 17-year-old
  decisions related to careers, colleges, and
  life-in-general beyond high school. My other
  personal interests are reading (a great
  distraction), running 10k races (Ron Kochanski
  almost killed me in a Desert race . . . ask
  Ron), skiing (a great experience as long as my
  knees hold up ), and golf (a great lesson in
  learning to suffer).
• As we all do, I continue to try to live a
  balanced, uncomplicated life with a few simple
  core rules
• (1) Live generously
• (2) Practice kindness
• (3) Avoid commitments that take more from me
  than I receive back
• (3) Believe first that the process as the
  problem, even when dealing with those most
  difficult people
• (4) Give criticism honestly and sensitively,
  remembering that Im more flawed than just about
  everyone else
• (5) Accept criticism as education, and stop
  taking it personally.
• .

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• Why I Want To Serve
• Our Michigan Patient Accounting Association is a
  dynamic organization that brings together some of
  the best and smartest people in Michigans
  healthcare Revenue Cycle profession. Every few
  months the general meetings give us time and
  opportunity for face-to-face networking,
  problem-sharing, and professional support. The
  MPAA member network is a strong and experienced
  professional resource that I call on to see if my
  problem is unique to me or shared by my peers. I
  also often use the member network to see whether
  my bright idea really is new (and most often
  its not). Our MPAA has a rich history of quality
  programs and knowledgeable members, and our MPAA
  Board serves us well as volunteers who protect
  our past foundations and develop our future
  directions. As a recent new Board Member, its
  been both a great duty and a genuine pleasure to
  give time and ideas in service to our MPAA. As a
  continuing MPAA Board, I promise to continue to
  bring the passion and enthusiasm about Revenue
  Cycle that our MPAA members and our MPAA Board
  expect and deserve

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Joy Whipple-Board Member

• I have over eighteen years of healthcare
  experience. I started my career at Sparrow
  Health System and am currently working at Hayes
  Green Beach Hospital in Charlotte, an OPPS
  hospital that converted to a Critical Access
  Hospital in 2005, where I am the Medicare Biller
  and Systems Coordinator. I have sixteen years of
  Medicare billing experience which is often used
  in decision making for the Patient Financial
  Services area. I build and maintain the claim
  form dictionaries within the hospitals billing
  software to ensure accuracy of outgoing files for
  all payors. I also assist in maintaining the
  Charge Master and am the chairperson of the ABN
  team. I have been a member of MPAA for over five
  years and also attend HFMA meetings.
• I feel that I could bring a fresh and exciting,
  front-line perspective to the Board. I would
  enjoy being a part of the decision making and
  view this as an excellent learning opportunity.
  I look forward to bringing my participation in
  MPAA to the next level.
• I am married with three children, one grandson,
  and a granddaughter due to arrive in May. My
  family and I live in Charlotte. We enjoy camping
  and boating at our weekend getaway campsite
  during the warmer months. Most of my free time
  is spent taxiing kids to various activities that
  they are involved in and being their personal
  cheerleader

5
Donna Swift-Secretary

• I have worked in the healthcare field for 15
  years. I started at Sturgis Hospital in 1994 as a
  registration clerk, then progressed throughout
  the organization as a cashier, biller,
  accountant, auditor and finally a family practice
  manager. In 2001, I took the opportunity to move
  to Oaklawn Hospital, where I held the position of
  Director of Registration for the next 6 years.
  While at Oaklawn, I managed the 24/7 operations
  of Registration, as well as the Cashier, Data
  Processing, Switchboard, Insurance Verification
  and Central Scheduling Personnel. In 2007, I
  accepted a position at Hillsdale Community Health
  Center as the Patient Accounts Manager. In my
  current role, I manage the Cashier, Data
  Processing and Billing and Accounts Receivable. I
  also teach for Baker College in the evenings
  Health Care related classes. In the past year, I
  went back to college online pursuing my degree in
  Health Care Administration. I have been active in
  MAHAP, NAHAM and earned my CHAM certification in
  2002 which remains current. I have a great
  passion for the Health Care field and look
  forward to offering my time and knowledge to
  MPAA.

6
Ronda Webb-President Elect

• Ronda is the Director of Business Operation at
  Community Health Center of Branch County. She
  began her career as a biller with a home
  health/hospice agency and moved to Community
  Health Center in 1990. She has worked up through
  the ranks and has been in her current position
  since 2003.
• Ronda is responsible for billing and collection
  for this 118 bed facility and their physician
  practices including rural health clinics, a
  pediatric practice, oncology clinic, infectious
  disease, behavioral health, anesthesia, and
  hospitalists.
• Ronda and her husband of 35 years enjoy spending
  much of their leisure time visiting their
  children and grandchildren, and in the summer
  months, sight-seeing the country on motorcycle.

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Patty Steele-Board Member

• Manager, Patient Finance Huron Valley Sinai
  Hospital which is part of the Detroit Medical
  Center.
• I've been employed at the DMC for 18 years
  started at Children's Hospital of MI.
• I've been the Manager at HVSH for 10 years. I am
  responsible for follow-up of all payers (except
  self pay). From the minute the bill goes out
  the door until the payers pay and only balance is
  patient responsibility.
• I have 9 Staff Members including 1 coordinator. I
  do not have any degrees officially but feel like
  I should have a PHD in Patient Accounting. I have
  been thinking about going back to school, but
  with 2 kids a husband and dog, my days are quite
  full.
• Our Days in AR average for 2008 were 36.52