ACE 09: Take Charge
I'm happy to report this morning went off without a hitch, but whoo-whee it's been a whirlwind of a day! After a quick jolt of coffee, attendees filed into the Tennessee Ballroom for the opening keynote speech. Donna Hartley, a former Miss Hawaii turned motivational speaker, shared her tips for how to "Fire Up Your Life." And with bursting energy, flaming red hair and a burning passion to spread her message, Hartley took her mantra to the extreme.
Hartley has a reason to love life. She survived a deadly airplane explosion, beat cancer and recovered from open heart surgery--all of which have taught valuable life lessons, like the power of positive thinking.
Noting some of the troubles the transcription industry currently faces, Hartley urged attendees to take matters into their own hands. "Stop complaining and start coming up with solutions, because you're in the trenches," she said.
Hartley admitted it's not easy to turn the tables in your favor, but any goal worth achieving should be worth the persistence and effort needed to get there. To help attendees get on their way to empowerment, Hartley offered the following nine things to "fire up your life":
1. Attitude/Choices: Be proactive and choose a positive attitude, Hartley said.
2. Focus Your Energy: Believe in yourself and the power of visualization, she advised.
3. Claim Responsibility: "You are responsible for everything that happens to you," Hartley said. Don't look at events as good or bad, but how you can learn from them.
4. Self-Talk: We may not want to admit it, but we all talk to ourselves, Hartley said. Put those moments to good use by being positive. "Feed your mind, and your body and actions will follow," she explained.
5. Action Creates Attraction: Put in the time and effort, and you'll reach your goals. "Luck has nothing to do with it," Hartley said.
6. Heal With Laughter: Next time something doesn't go your way (Say, your flight gets cancelled?), put that sourpuss away and try on a smile instead.
7. Clear Communication: "Take out the 'buts' and 'trys,'" Hartley suggested. That way, people really know what you want--and so do you.
8. Healthy Relationships: Start by loving yourself, then look for other positive influences, she said.
9. Fire Up Your Life: Meditate, Hartley advised. You need to find the answer within yourself before you go out to get it.
After Hartley's rousing--and hilarious, mind you--speech, I was amped up and ready to conquer the exhibit hall. After a brief welcome, AHDI CEO Peter Preziosi and President Susan Lucci gave the official green light, and the exhibit hall doors swung open. I made the usual rounds, ran into a few familiar faces (including past Professional Profiles Bob Harvey and Karen Fox-Acosta) and snagged a ton of literature about the latest and greatest products and services.
The exhibitors were lively, but the most enthusiastic booth has to be a split between MedQuist and Transcend Services. MedQuist reps were dressed in pink Western shirts and offered photos with a "Yeehaw"ing Garth Brooks look-a-like. But the Transcend crew was quite the sight in matching cow costumes. They may have looked out of place in educational sessions, when they were separated from the rest of the herd, but I give them a clank of the cowbell for spirit.
After the exhibit hall closed, attendees flocked to the first round of educational sessions. I loaded up on info about ICD-10, leveraging EHRs and, of course, the big old quality conundrum. During those session times, members of the QA interest group tugged along on the paper-in-progress on QA best practices. I stopped in for a brief check on the action, and by the sound of it, they're still juggling some key questions--namely, how to measure quality; how to define an error; and what to do about those darn blanks?
The workgroup hopes to release the finished white paper in time for the AHIMA convention in October. Let's hope they take Hartley's advice and use positive thinking and proactive effort to get it done.
Well, it's off to the Scrabble Challenge, and with so many terminology buffs in the house, it's sure to be an interesting game!