New Options For Chapter Officers
Want a greater variety of educational events at your chapter meetings? The AAPC Chapter Association Board of Directors has some exciting news to share with you. Officers are now approved to offer up to two virtual meetings through their local chapters. These meetings will open the doors to a variety of specialty educational opportunities for all members.

A virtual chapter meeting is a live meeting offered and hosted by your local chapter, using a virtual platform such as GoToMeeting or Webex. All officers, members and the speaker will remotely log into the virtual platform to attend the chapter meeting. Virtual chapter meetings must include the standard in-person meeting protocols such as a welcome and introductions, treasurer’s report, job opportunities, old and new business, etc. Four traditional in-person meetings are still required to be hosted.

We want all AAPC members to experience the benefit of chapter meeting attendance. We hope virtual chapter meetings will bring out members who will probably never attend an in-person meeting due to schedules, distance, or family commitments. We feel that, in time, those members who only attend virtually will have a desire to meet the “faces behind the voices”. The intent is NOT to replace traditional in-person chapter meetings but to engage those members who have not yet joined in the chapter experience.

Specific information on scheduling and hosting virtual meetings is coming soon to AAPC’s website under the Events page. Information will detail step-by-step protocols and guidelines for reserving a date, requesting CEUs, and hosting the meeting. Dates are available on a first come, first served basis, so plan your virtual chapter meetings now.

In addition to virtual chapter meetings we are happy to announce that we have formed a speaker’s bureau in conjunction with officially launching the concept of virtual speakers. Presenters from the speaker’s bureau are those who give presentations at in-person chapter meetings but are presenting remotely through a virtual platform. In other words, the officers and members are gathered together, and the speaker is remote.

We believe the local chapter educational experience will be greatly enhanced by the chapter’s ability to host speakers from around the country and from a wide variety of disciplines. These speakers are available to present for chapter meetings and other educational events. This opens the field of possibilities, without the cost of airfare and hotel. The host chapter will be responsible to supply the virtual platform for the virtual speaker.

We believe this will result in higher quality, diverse educational presentations on a more robust list of topics and specialties. Watch for the speaker’s bureau to be posted soon on AAPC’s website under the Events page. The list includes over 100 different topics, contact information for speakers, and detailed step-by-step guidelines for hosting virtual speakers at your meeting.

Melody S. Irvine, CPC, CPMA, CEMC, CFPC, CPB, CPC-I, CCS-P, CMRS, CMCS
AAPCCA Chapter Board Representative, Region 5 and Executive BOD Meeting Coordinator