EDITOR’S NOTE: Dalton Lambert is a recent graduate of Liberty University in Virginia, where he studied Business Administration and Biomedical Science. Lambert is currently enrolled in the Medical Sales College and plans on pursuing a career in healthcare/medical device sales upon graduation in July. Additionally, Lambert serves as an intern for both Altrux Medical and Covenant H.I.M.
I remember reading about the virus for the first time one morning in January. I also remember skimming over the article that mentioned it and not giving it a second thought.
At the time, I never would have imagined that the same virus that I blew off then would cause drastic changes in my lifestyle in only a matter of months. The severity of the virus’s potential consequences wouldn’t sink in for me until I heard rumors around my college that campus might be shut down. When the college announced that it would not be requiring students to come back to campus, it was in the middle of my spring break. When other students and I left for the break, we were fairly confident that we would be back in a week for business as usual. Not knowing that this would be the last time some of us saw each other for quite a while, we said our usual goodbyes and went our separate ways.
The announcement that my school would be partially closing finally made me realize that the virus was going to be a problem that was going to be sticking around. It was around the time of the announcement that new rumors of a national quarantine began circulating on the Internet. I wasn’t one to give attention to rumors, usually, but given the way I was caught off-guard by the last round of rumors, I decided to not take any chances. Anticipating the worst, I decided to head home to my family and continue the rest of my senior year at college online.
Believe it or not, spending your college days at home rather than on campus isn’t nearly as exciting – especially during a quarantine that has you marooned away from most other people. No residential classes to worry about seemed like a silver lining at first, but days quickly became repetitive and monotonous without the typical stimuluses that my life had before. Needless to say, it was hard to be thrilled that I would be spending my last few college classes in a Zoom call rather than a classroom.
However, there were many good things about quarantine. People are always complaining that they never have enough time in their lives, and when it was finally given to them via quarantine, they were back to wishing that they had their normal lives back. I complained just as much as the best of them at first, but after realizing that this time could either be a waste or an opportunity, depending on my perspective, I decided to embrace it. The virus gave me the opportunity to spend more quality time with my family, give proper focus to my physical health, take up hobbies that I kept putting off, and finish strong in my academics. There were many things that the virus took from me, but it also made room for many new things in my life that I am thankful for.
There are many facets to adapting to life after college – and a pandemic doesn’t make it any easier. It was disheartening to see our unprecedentedly strong economy transform into an economy of uncertainty in such a short time. The job opportunities that seemed abundant in the early months of the year all seemed to disappear in a matter of weeks. However, this change hasn’t broken my spirit, and I am still hunting everyday for an opportunity to break into my desired industry: medical device sales. I remain hopeful that the job market and economy will be able to return back to the way it was thriving pre-virus after a few more months.
At the end of the day, it is interesting to know that I am living out days that will be written out in history books one day. The way that I perceive the news and possible events like this one in the future will forever be changed. I am curious to see how our healthcare system will continue to adapt, and what exactly a post-virus America looks like.
Until then, I will continue putting in the hard work it takes to break into medical devices sales, spending time with my family, looking forward to reuniting with college friends, and washing my hands way more than usual.
Following Congress’s recent failure (or success, depending on your political leanings) in not extending expiring tax subsidies for Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)
Let’s start with what seems to be a never-ending topic of conversation: the new policies by Medicare Advantage (MA) plans to deny or reduce payments
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Expert presenters Kathy Pride, RHIT, CPC, CCS-P, CPMA, and Brandi Russell, RHIA, CCS, COC, CPMA, break down complex fracture care coding rules, walk through correct modifier application (-25, -57, 54, 55), and clarify sequencing for initial and subsequent encounters. Attendees will gain the practical knowledge needed to submit clean claims, ensure compliance, and stay one step ahead of payer audits in 2026.
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Denials continue to delay reimbursement, increase administrative burden, and threaten financial stability across healthcare organizations. This essential webcast tackles the root causes—rising payer scrutiny, fragmented workflows, inconsistent documentation, and underused analytics—and offers proven, data-driven strategies to prevent and overturn denials. Attendees will gain practical tools to strengthen documentation and coding accuracy, engage clinicians effectively, and leverage predictive analytics and AI to identify risks before they impact revenue. Through real-world case examples and actionable guidance, this session empowers coding, CDI, and revenue cycle professionals to shift from reactive appeals to proactive denial prevention and revenue protection.
Sepsis remains one of the most frequently denied and contested diagnoses, creating costly revenue loss and compliance risks. In this webcast, Angela Comfort, DBA, MBA, RHIA, CDIP, CCS, CCS-P, provides practical, real-world strategies to align documentation with coding guidelines, reconcile Sepsis-2 and Sepsis-3 definitions, and apply compliant queries. You’ll learn how to identify and address documentation gaps, strengthen provider engagement, and defend diagnoses against payer scrutiny—equipping you to protect reimbursement, improve SOI/ROM capture, and reduce audit vulnerability in this high-risk area.
Join Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHCQM for The PEPPER Returns – Risk and Opportunity at Your Fingertips, a practical webcast that demystifies the PEPPER and shows you how to turn complex claims data into actionable insights. Dr. Hirsch will explain how to interpret key measures, identify compliance risks, uncover missed revenue opportunities, and understand new updates in the PEPPER, all to help your organization stay ahead of audits and use this powerful data proactively.
Stay ahead of the 2026-2027 audit surge with “Top 10 Audit Targets for 2026-2027 for Hospitals & Physicians: Protect Your Revenue,” a high-impact webcast led by Michael Calahan, PA, MBA. This concise session gives hospitals and physicians clear insight into the most likely federal audit targets, such as E/M services, split/shared and critical care, observation and admissions, device credits, and Two-Midnight Rule changes, and shows how to tighten documentation, coding, and internal processes to reduce denials, recoupments, and penalties. Attendees walk away with practical best practices to protect revenue, strengthen compliance, and better prepare their teams for inevitable audits.
As AI reshapes healthcare compliance, the risk of biased outputs and opaque decision-making grows. This webcast, led by Frank Cohen, delivers a practical Four-Pillar Governance Framework—Transparency, Accountability, Fairness, and Explainability—to help you govern AI-driven claim auditing with confidence. Learn how to identify and mitigate bias, implement robust human oversight, and document defensible AI review processes that regulators and auditors will accept. Discover concrete remedies, from rotation protocols to uncertainty scoring, and actionable steps to evaluate vendors before contracts are signed. In a regulatory landscape that moves faster than ever, gain the tools to stay compliant, defend your processes, and reduce liability while maintaining operational effectiveness.
Get clear, practical answers to Medicare’s most confusing regulations. Join Dr. Ronald Hirsch as he breaks down real-world compliance challenges and shares guidance your team can apply right away.
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