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| APRIL 2009*****NOTES FROM THE OFFICE*****
Although the economic situation has made living conditions difficult for us all, we will have to increase all fees. We have absorbed the increases made by the postal service, utilities, taxes, etc. for a number of years now until we can no longer offer the services which we have been providing at the current fee rates.
Please READ all information and forms ARMA provides. Be sure to remit the correct amount of fees or charges in order to keep up to date on membership/certification. You may be sure that the fees being charged by ARMA as still quite low compared to a number of other certifying organizations, yet the quality and quantity of services offered are more than comparable.
We hope you all understand the reasons behind this action. We hope we will be able to hold these increases, again, for a number of years.
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HOW TO RENEW
AS A MEMBER OF ARMA, you are required to obtain ceus to be able to renew. These are to be obtained BEFORE you mail in your renewal form.
You will be obtaining ceus during each year for the next year's renewal ie: obtaining ceus in 2007 to renew for 2008, obtaining ceus in 2008 to renew for 2009, obtaining ceus in 2009 to renew for 2010 and so on.
You may obtain ceus from where ever you wish. ARMA offers ceus to members, either online or from the Registry Connections.
If you choose to do the ARMA online ceus, these are to be completed by October 31st. This will enable you to send in your renewal form as soon as you receive it in the mail. We send the renewal notices out November 1st of each year. Please include a copy of your ceu tracker list to facilitate your renewal.
If you choose the paper quizzes from the Registry Connections, THE QUIZZES MUST BE PURCHASED, MAILED IN AND THEN PROCESSED. ONCE YOU RECEIVE YOUR CERTIFICATES OF COMPLETION YOU HAVE OBTAIANED YOUR CEUS.
QUIZZES ARE NOT CEUS! CERTIFICATES OF COMPETION ARE CEUS.
ARMA WILL NO LONGER ACCEPT ANY QUIZZES SENT WITH YOUR FORM AS YOU HAVE NOT OBTAINED CEUS. YOUR FORM WILL BE RETURNED TO YOU WITH THE ADDITIONAL RESUBMISSION FEE ADDED TO YOUR RENEWAL OR REINSTATEMENT FEE.
Once you have obtained ceus, you may then send your renewal or reinstatement form.
All of this information has been stressed in every edition of the Registry Connections since October 2006.
When you decide to renew or reinstate, make sure your form is complete before you send it in. If your form is incomplete, your form will be returned to you with the additional $35.00 resubmission fee added to your renewal or reinstatement fee.
Three renewal cycles are enough for long time members of ARMA to adjust to proper renewal procedure.
READ the information ARMA provides.
For those of you who are new to ARMA, there should be no problem with the renewal of your annual membership.
There are 3 basic steps.
1. OBTAIN CEUS
2. COMPLETE FORM
3. MAIL FORM WITH CEU DOCUMENTATION AND FEE
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ANY CEUS YOU CHOOSE TO OBTAIN (from ARMA or another facility) MUST BE COMPLETED BEFORE YOU SEND YOUR RENEWAL FORM
CEUS ARE CERTIFICATES OF COMPLETION, NOT THE QUIZZES FOR PROCESSING.
IF PAPER QUIZZES ARE SENT WITH A RENEWAL FORM OR A REINSTATEMENT FORM, THE FORM WILL BE RETURNED UNPROCESSED AND THE ADDITIONAL $35.OO RESUBMISSION FEE WILL BE APPLIED TO THE ORIGINAL FEE(S).
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IF YOU ARE OBTAINING CEUS FROM ANOTHER FACILITY, YOU MUST SEND OFFICIAL DOCUMENTATION OF CEUS EARNED WITH YOUR FORM
(these are not considered ARMA CEUs and if sent without your form, they will be shredded without review).
If you are submitting earned CEUs from ANOTHER FACILITY - these are to be either 12 in the clinical/medical content OR 6 in the clinical/medical content AND 6 in the clerical, administrative, front office or "other" content.
We will accept Domestic Violence, HIPPA, HIV/AIDS, CPR and OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens as
" 6 other". This has been stated in previous editions of the Registry Connections.
AGAIN because of the extremely large numbers of renewal forms and reinstatement forms which had to be returned due to incomplete information and/or no CEU documentation from another facility or ARMA CEUs completed PRIOR to sending the renewal form, THE ADDITIONAL $35.00 RESUBMISSOIN FEE WILL BE ADDED TO THE ORIGINAL RENEWAL/REINSTATEMENT FEE .
It is your responsibility to renew on time with the required information and documentation.
ARMA Online ceus may be purchased through the ARMA website www.arma-cert.org .
The 2010 ARMA "ONLINE" CEU PACKAGE will be an annual fee of $20.00 for members and $55.00 for non-members. These are to be able to renew for 2011. The fee for the 2009 online ceu package is still $10.00.
The 2010 ARMA "REGISTRY CONNECTIONS" CEU PACKAGE will be an annual fee of $30.00 for members only. These are to be able to renew for 2011. The fee for the 2009 paper quiz package is still $20.00.
As of APRIL 1, 2009, ARMA members may purchase each individual ceu topic from the Registry Connections for a $5.00 non-refundable fee.
If you have any questions regarding CEUs or your renewal/reinstatement, you may email the "CEU DEPARTMENT" through the ARMA website www.arma-cert.org or ceu@arma-online.org . You may also call the office at 1-413-562-7336.
Office hours are Monday through Friday 9am to 3pm, eastern time. All calls received are returned in the order they are received. When we call back and leave a message, your call has been returned. Please have patience as we receive HUNDREDS of phone calls a day. Do not call repeatedly with the same question. Repeated calls are deleted as they take up space on our voicemail.
You will get a quicker response through email - ceu@arma-online.org mlesieur@arma-online.org
Whichever way you contact ARMA, please use your name and registration # to properly identify yourself.
Following instructions will facilitate required renewal or reinstatement compliance for active status.
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ARMA WELCOMES 2 MEMBERS
TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Sherry Nevins R.M.A. has been a member of ARMA since 2000.
Sherry would like to share:
Be proud of yourself and what you do. Be proud of your occupation.
Pamela Bombardier R.M.A. has been a member of ARMA since 1988.
Pamela would like to share:
Approach your career in the medical profession from a customer service stand point, and with great compassion. See every interaction you have as an opportunity to have a positive impact on that person's day. Work hard to achieve registry status as it will propel you forward in your medical career.
Sherry and Pamela come to the Board with a cumulative 30 years experience in Medical Assisting. Their experience runs the gamut from front and back office medical assistant duties and responsibilities, and medical facility managerial duties and responsibilities. We look forward to their invaluable medical assisting input. They will be an asset to ARMA.
TO ALL ARMA MEMBERS, MANY IN THE MIAMI DADE AREA
WE ASK FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE.
ARMA keeps up with changes of address when we are informed by each member who has an address change. When we mail either the Registry Connections or the renewal forms to active members, we perform a Verimove search and postal code (which we pay for) through the United States Postal Service database. If your address is there, it is confirmed. If you fill out a "change of address" with the post office, it will let us know of an address change and your new address is confirmed. After everything is confirmed we postal code. Then we are ready to sort, machine, pack and send our mailings. We postal code each batch 2 weeks prior to mailing, so if you move, make sure we know ahead of time as the mailing will go to the address we have on file for you at the time.
Every time we do a mailing, we receive HUNDREDS of returns form across the country, many from the Miami Dade area. These are specified as "RETURN TO SENDER", "UNABLE TO FORWARD", "ATTEMPTED NOT KNOWN", "MOVED, LEFT NO FORWARDING ADDRESS".
Please make sure your name and apartment number (if applicable) is on the mailbox. Please do an address change at the post office if you move.
If we have your correct address and you know we have your correct address and you do not receive your editions of the Registry Connections in January, April, July and October or you do not receive your renewal form in November, PLEASE GO TO YOUR LOCAL POST OFFICE AND TALK TO THE POSTMASTER REGARDING THIS MATTER.
This has been happening more and more often. This has been an ongoing problem, mostly in the Miami Dade area. When our publications are returned, we pay for an address service request and are charged a fee to get our publication returned to us. We are also charged for the change of address - U.S. POSTAL SERVICE PS FORM 3547.
WE PAY FOR RETURNED MAILINGS multiple times.
As an active member of ARMA, if you do not receive the ARMA publications or the renewal form, both of which are mailed to ALL ACTIVE MEMBERS, and you know for sure we have your correct address and your name and apt# are on your mailbox, inform your local post office. Please inform other ARMA members of what is happening so they may also be aware of this problem.
There are members who do not receive their Registry Connections or their renewal forms and we have their correct and complete mailing address. When we contact the member, the member will tell us "YES, I HAVE LIVED HERE FOR THE PAST X YEARS" or "YES, OF COURSE MY NAME AND APT # ARE ON THE MAIL BOX". This is also a problem. PLEASE GO TO YOUR LOCAL POST OFFICE AND TALK TO THE POSTMASTER REGARDING THIS MATTER.
We are trying to keep our fees down for our members as much as possible in these trying times.
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