Ms. Youmans has over 25 years experience in the Healthcare environment and the HIM / coding profession. Ms. Youmans' stellar career has also included Executive Vice President of national healthcare consulting firm; Assistant Professor at the University of Central Florida; Coding Product Consultant and Client Resource Specialist; Practice Manager, Coding products and services with AHIMA; as well as HIM Director and Assistant Director at several hospitals.
She has been an HIM consultant in various capacities including all aspects of HIM, Coding, Revenue Cycle, and Education. Her current expertise is focused in Coding education & training, Revenue Cycle improvement projects, and Electronic Document Imaging Management.
Ms. Youmans obtained her MPA in Healthcare Administration from Golden Gate University; her BA in Health Information Administration from the College of St. Scholastica. She served on AHIMA, Board of Directors, 1994 – 97; AHIMA Chair, Council on Accreditation, 1993-94; AHIMA Director, Assembly on Education, 1993-94; She also served as FHIMA's President, 1990-91.
Karen is an experienced national speaker. She also attended the October 2009 AHIMA Academy for ICD-10 and is an AHIMA-approved ICD-10-CM/ PCS trainer.
Vice-President Walter F. Youmans
Walt Youmans is strategic business professional with expertise in Information Technology. His expertise ranges from computer networking, system administration, computer hardware requirements, server deployment and administration, as well as a plethora of software applications. He has an AA in Electrical Engineering from the University of Florida; and a BS in Liberal Arts, with a minor in Math, from Regents College in NY. He is currently taking courses towards Microsoft server certification. Walt has attended several state HIM (Health Information Management) association conventions as well as HIMSS (Health Information and Management System Society) convention and the AHIMA national convention. He is an active member of both HIMSS and AHIMA.
Secretary/Web Designer Vanessa Youmans
Vanessa Youmans graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BS in Adolescent Education, concentration in Mathematics, and a Music minor, from St. John's University in Queens, NY. She is certified to teach Math grades 7-12. Miss Youmans is attending NYU to obtain her MA in dance education. She has attended AHIMA with Ms. Youmans, and will be assisting her with various projects including web design, powerpoint presentations, and bookkeeping.
Director, Consulting Services Peggy Meli
Peggy L. Meli, PhD, RHIA, LHRM, has joined our YES team fulltime! Peggy and Karen have been friends and colleagues for almost 20 years and we are thrilled that she is joining our team.
The last year Peggy has been the technical project lead for the design, development and implementation of a clinical RN training program prototype project which includes Electronic Health Record training at Lockheed Martin. While completing her PhD in Educational Technology (ISD) at the University of Central Florida, she was the Instructional Design Expert for the American Health Information Management Association’s team working with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for an evaluation of the training needs prior to implementation of International Classification of Disease, 10th revision (ICD-10). This position required development of ICD-10-CM & PCS initial training modules.
Peggy’s career has also included positions as a Clinical Instructor at Florida International University, Instructor at the University of Central Florida, and Coding Instructor at Valencia Community College as well as Health Information Management (HIM) Director for general acute care and mental health hospitals. Peggy comes to us with a wealth of knowledge and experience.
Executive Assistant/Marketing Director
Nikki Wright Trowbridge has over 15 years of experience in administrative support positions. She has worked for both medium and large healthcare consulting firms that conducted business nationwide. She uses her analytical skills to complete complex tasks and solve problems while "thinking outside of the box". While working in the Health Information Management (HIM) industry, she has been educated in Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) policies and understands the importance of privacy and confidentiality. Nikki is a great asset to our team. She is an active member of AHIMA.