January 2022 Member Spotlight
Twilla Phillips, RHIA
Professional Shares
Where do you work and what is your job title?
Guidehouse, VP of Operations (oversee Coding Quality, Clinical Documentation Integrity and Education)
How long have you been a member of ArHIMA?
35 years (wow, I am getting old)
What certification types have you received or are seeking to receive?
RHIA
Which college/university did you attend?
Arkansas Tech University
What made you decide to pursue a career in HIM?
Planned to pursue nursing. I began working in an ENT office during high school and assisted otolaryngologist with patients. During one of the in-office procedures, removal of a pretty invasive cancerous lesion, we completed the procedure and sat the patient up and I promptly fainted! Next thing I know I am laying on the table where the patient had been and the patient was sitting in a chair next to me. The ENT I was working with told me I might want to consider an alternative route in healthcare! He advised I shadow the HIM Director at the hospital and see if that might be something I would be interested in and the rest is history.
What other jobs and/or titles have you held prior to the present one?
Director of HIM for 10 years and Co-Owned a Coding company
What are some of your responsibilities at your current position?
Participate in sales initiatives, work collaboratively with multiple leaders/physicians across the organization and client sites, responsible for implementation of CDI projects and success of the solution across client base, work collaboratively with clients to solve difficult and often complex issues, responsible for the coding quality and reporting across coding client base as well as education department initiatives and meaningful team member education, manage to annual budget/expected margins.
What is a typical day like for you?
Begin around 6:30 am, start calls (both internal and client-centered) around 7:00 am and typically average 14 calls per day while responding to emails continuously throughout the day.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
Multi-tasking, solving complex issues.
Any other professional tidbit(s) you want to include?
Healthcare is a multi-faceted, ever-changing environment
Personal Shares
What is your favorite food?
Love a good steak and baked potato.
What’s something about you (a fun fact) not many people know?
I am a “tomboy” at heart. I love to fish, hike, garden and just enjoy the outdoors.
What’s your favorite family tradition?
Having Christmas breakfast with our kids (spouses and now grandchild number one 😊), opening/exchanging presents and then just spending the day together.
Who had the most influence on you growing up?
My parents
What was the first concert you ever attended?
Gloria Estefan
What’s something you want to do that you’ve never done before?
Travel around Europe, go to Israel
What’s the best advice you’ve ever heard?
“I have learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”
Do you like to cook? If so, what is your favorite thing to cook?
I like to bake because I have a major “sweet tooth”
If you could get on a plane tonight and travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Greece
Where is one place in Arkansas you would suggest people to visit?
One of the lakes, I am near Beaver Lake.