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"As with all organizations there must be a catalyst which plants the seed from which the organization will be nourished, grow and eventually flower. The catalyst for the Sunflower State (Kansas) Chapter, American Association of Hospital Accountants, was Mr. Charles S. Billings, Executive Director, The Kansas Hospital Association".
Folmer F. Christensen, Jr. (Nick)
Sunflower Chapter Life Member/Chapter Historian
Mr. Billings called the first meeting on December 5, 1957 to discuss plans for organizing a Kansas Chapter of the American Association of Hospital Accountants which in 1968 became know as Hospital Financial Management Association (HFMA). This meeting attended by thirty-one people was the start of the Sunflower Chapter that formally came into existence on February 19, 1958.
Over the years the Sunflower Chapter has grown to over 300 members and earned numerous awards and recognition as a quality chapter. Awards in education, certification, task force, membership growth are among those received. Chapter leadership has maintained consistent attention to the difficulties faced by its members of Kansas's small rural hospitals. With the help of the Kansas Hospital Association, education opportunities are provided each year to assist these small hospitals. Among these are the Charge Data Master workshops that are held annually with exceptional attendance. The Medicare Cost Report workshops are held each year during the summer and have also been very successful with exceptional attendance. Cost report courses included beginning, intermediate and advanced sessions.
Excellence in education has always been the priority for the Sunflower Chapter as demonstrated by the numerous awards from National including the Charles F. Mehler Gold Award of Excellence for Education. Quality education programs are also demonstrated by the exceptionally high turnout of Kansas's members. Another area that the Chapter has excelled over the years is with the Task force participation. The chapter task force concept was developed by National in 1973 and has grown into an invaluable tool for HFMA as it develops positions on important issues. The Sunflower Chapter members were recognized by HFMA during 1991 through 1994 with both first place awards and honorable mention.
Recently, the Chapter has been designated as one of the top Chapters in the country and received the Shelton Award for Sustained Chapter Excellence. |
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