This week we got a few of us RA's to come together and discuss some of the positive things we are seeing in the profession and what the positive moment is bringing with it.

Listen in as Marcelene Forbus, Reece Burgoon, Derek Maderios, Sue Wertz, Sean Wiley, and Will Bryant hit on topics like career opportunities, recognition with legislators, state/national discussions, RA travelers, and attending the ARPE and SRPE conferences.

We want to thank all of those who listen to the podcast and advocate for the profession. Advocacy is more than just seeing the value in the RA pathway, it's about advocating for the pathways all of us have available in Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy! Keep finding that value and letting everyone know it's there!

On this episode we get the honor to sit and visit with Jason Newmark and Kim Evans with the AHRA: The Association for Medical Imaging Management.  We wanted to know more about the Certified Radiology Administrator (CRA) credentials and the value that this certification can bring to those of us in leadership positions!  Enjoy the listen as we hit many of the topics that are happening in our departments, as we all learn and grow stronger together!

Timeline:

A special thanks to Mr. Newmark and Mrs. Evans for coming on and sharing about the AHRA society and the CRA credentials and certification.  Please check out the websites below to learn more about the AHRA or the CRA.

https://www.ahra.org/home

https://www.crainfo.org

https://www.crainfo.org/CRA/Take_the_CRA_Exam/Study_and_Reference_Materials/CRA/Take_the_Exam/CRA_Study_Reference_Materials.aspx?hkey=8687f757-c981-4942-9997-143c0dcc3c34

This week we got the opportunity to visit with James Armo, who joined us all the way from Ghana, Africa.  In this episode we look at some of the differences between the educational programs overseas in comparison to the United States and what are the things that connect us as professionals.   We were so grateful to have had this chance to visit with Mr. Armo and we are wishing him the best as he hits the career force and works towards higher education!

Timeline:

Thank you Mr. Armo for coming on with us, sharing about you education, and what you are hopeful in the future of our profession.  Connection always brings higher learning, and we were excited to have these discussions.  We are wishing him all the best in all that he does!

On this episode we share our mic with Texas Lobbyist, Kyle Frazier, as he shares open advice on what advocacy for radiology-based professionals should look like.  He spends time sharing the importance a lobbyist can play in the legislative role, how to advocate effectively, and the importance of making connections with representatives.  This episode of all about empowering our process and educating consistently on our roles, with/without legislation in process.

Mr. Frazier joins us with an extensive history in advocacy and has spent more than 3 decades in his role as a lobbyist.  As we look at gaining higher recognition as the 3rd largest healthcare professional, we he about about how we have to be willing to advocate at the highest level.  Gain better insight and help us work towards raising that recognition bar!

Timeline:

A huge thank you to Mr. Frazier for taking time out of his busy schedule to come on and share ways that we can become stronger advocates in our industry.  We are beyond grateful for the continued connect and support over the years!

This week our featured guest is Melody Mulaik, President of Revenue Cycle Coding Strategies.  Listen in as she takes time with us to shed light on some of the questions that continue to be raised about billing for the Radiologist Assistant (RA) profession.  We take and extensive look into the 2019 CMS billing guidelines, incident to, value in the RA, seeking support, MARCA, and how Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy professionals can advance into the medical billing and coding profession.

Disclaimer: This podcast episode was record for the purpose of offering an opportunity to openly discuss some of billing guidelines and gaining better clarification for RA professionals.  Opening conversations help us know where we need better support and can lead to a more unified understanding as we progress the profession forward.

Links to the content discussed can be found below the timeline.

Timeline:

To support the halt or stop to Medicare cuts go to https://fixmedicarenow.org/take-action?vvsrc=/Campaigns/108965/Respond and submit a letter to your state representatives.

Transmittal 251: https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/Transmittals/2018downloads/R251BP.pdf

We were truly grateful to have this conversation with Ms. Mulaik.  While there are no new rule changes, we wanted to come together and educate why the RA is seeking CMS and MARCA support.  The more we can all understand and unify, the more consistent our message will be.

Fellow Radiologic Technologists and guest hosts Travis Winsett and Cade Little, join us on the open mic to ask questions as they consider advancing their career into the extender role.  We share on the various opportunities that are out there and how to assist in making the right decisions when looking at advancing your career in medical imaging.

In this episode we also share extensively on the RA role, the definition of supervision, how supervision is determined, and what RA’s can and are credentialed to perform.  We share on what life in the roles of Marcelene and Reece are typically like and what others considering this field can gain from these conversations.

Timeline:

 We want to thank Travis and Cade for taking the time to come on with us and sharing about the many considerations that they have when looking to consider the RA pathway.  While there can be many answers to the same questions, we hope that we were able to give a little bit of clarity on what many of us considered when we went through the process.

Thank you everyone for tuning in and finding value in every episode!  We are grateful for the growing fan base and the elevation of each of our voices.

Join us as we get to sit with UT Heath in San Antonio’s program Director, Laura P. Vasquez (Ph.D, MS, RVT, RT, MR, MRSO), as she shares about the program they are offering.  This is the first ver entry into the program at a master’s level that offers students the education, training, and opportunity to become multimodality certifications.

We hit on several topics during this discussion with the order of the content below:

It was such an honor to have Dr. Vasquez on with us and share on the importance of recognizing professionals and investing in the future of the profession.  Our thoughts and views align as we each look at how we want to see the industry grow and maintain recognition.  

In this short episode Marcelene Forbus and Reece Burgoon spend some time recapping over the last 2 seasons on the CollabroationRA podcast.  We share on some of the highlights and our excitement for what Season 3 will bring in 2024 year.

Some of our RA community wanted to take a moment to come on and stake a moment to thank our listeners as we closed out the 2023 year.  CollabroationRA is wishing everyone a very safe and happy holiday season.

This week we are joined with guest hosts Christine Eckenrod (R, CT, MR) and Tiffany Shaffer (RT) come on the air to share about the value of being a clinical instructor (CI) can bring.  There are many benefits outside of financial gain and we share each of our experiences in teaching and the ways in which it has given back during our careers.  In this episode we all learn that “everyone has something to offer” -Christine Eckenrod.

A special congratulations to Ms. Shaffer as she won Clinical Instructor of the year award at Penn College. What an amazing accomplishment to receive from the students you are educating and training.

Timeline:

·      (00:37) Intro

·      (02:36) Teaching others offers its own unique perks

·      (05:16) Reflecting on being a student and picking up on the tools to better your skillset.

·      (06:40) Difficulties in finding those who want to be a Clinical Instructor and bringing value to an unpaid role.

·      (09:22) Requirements to become a Clinical Instructor and what extra it requires out of their typical work day.

·      (14:38) The difference between a Clinical Instructor and a Clinical Coordinator/Director.

·      (15:16) Cohort sizes and per/post covid.

·      (17:32) Clinical rotations offered to those who attend Penn College’s radiology based programs.

·      (18:34) RT students working with RA professionals

·      (19:56) How being a Clinical Instructor can lead towards advancing your career to transition into the educational career path.

·      (21:01) How teaching others has its benefits as we each share what we gain in the process.

·      (24:58) Advice for those considering becoming Clinical Instructors and recognizing that we all have something to offer.

·      (28:54) Light bulb moments and the ability to enhance others skillsets.

·      (30:01) CEU Courses that the ASRT offers to those who want to make the tack into becoming a Clinical Instructor.

·      (31:35) How educators can use podcasts and directed readings during their didactic training and how those discussions can make an impact on students.

·      (34:21) Working with the RA/PA, learning about the role, and getting the right information out.

·      (38:11) MARCA legislation and a special congratulations to the Anesthesiologist Assistant.

·      (40:22) Discussions as we come closer to wrapping things up

·      (40:35) Closing 

We want thank Mrs. Eckenrod and Ms. Shaffer for coming on with us and sharing on the value Clinical Instructors have in the industry.  Students are the future of our profession and the clinical skills that technologist have to offer brings value to future generations.  We were honored to have these conversations.