Certified professional coder Lisa Morgan thrives as a remote lead coder with the Health Information Management Department at Canton-Potsdam Hospital. In this key position, she primarily works with the emergency room coding team to ensure that all professional providers’ procedures are coded accurately. She has more than a decade of experience in the field of medical coding. Ms. Morgan oversees all documentation and coding, verifies that claims are correct, and makes necessary adjustments. Collaborating with three different hospitals in the North Country of New York, she submits claims through the insurance billing system.
After becoming a certified professional coder, completing the American Academy of Professional Coders coding class, Ms. Morgan was further certified as ICD-10 Proficient. In 1998, she began her career as an instructor with Lewiston Adult Education, where she worked for more than 15 years and trained many people who went on to become her coding colleagues in the local area. From 2010 to 2014, she was a specialty coder with the Central Maine Medical Center. Ms. Morgan credits her career success to her ambition and desire to help aspiring professionals in the medical coding field. Believing strongly that a mentor is incredibly important for gaining knowledge and expertise, she aspires to fulfill this vital role for others. She also attributes her success to her ability to break down complex medical terminology into understandable language. In addition to her talents as a communicator, Ms. Morgan also understands enough medical terminology to explain why certain procedures are being performed.
At a young age, Ms. Morgan decided to forgo attending college and instead married. After working in the production industry, she accepted a part-time data entry role and resolved to pursue her education. After attending night school, where she took courses in typing, computer skills, accounting, and adult education, she took another part-time position at an X-ray billing service company. The owner of the company became Ms. Morgan’s mentor, teaching her everything about the industry, as there were no classes for the industry at the time. She is proud to have established courses in medical billing and medical coding, giving future professionals a clear path to follow.
Ms. Morgan conducted research on the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, known as HIPAA, which mandates that consumers are provided cost information for medical procedures. Backed by her experience in medical billing, she enjoys a rare advantage in her field due to her diverse expertise. As a result, she played an instrumental role in developing her state’s government-mandated website for comparing health care prices. As an independent consultant, Ms. Morgan worked for the Human Services Research Institute in 2015 and was a contract coder for both Universal Coding Solutions and Comforce. Alongside her primary professional roles, she has been a dedicated donor to the American Red Cross.
Ms. Morgan has contributed to her field as the past president of the local chapter of the American Academy of Professional Coders. Her passion lies in sharing her knowledge, and while she hopes to retire or semi-retire within a decade, she still plans to work as a consultant or part-time coder. As a perennial learner, she acknowledges the need to stay up to date with current rules, policies, and guidelines. In the medical coding field, Ms. Morgan regards change as the only constant. Outside of her professional life, she cherishes time with family and friends and enjoys art, painting, fishing, kayaking, four-wheeling, outdoor activities, and going to the beach. Ms. Morgan has also relished exploring her creative side in her spare time and is interested in organizing monthly artistic gatherings such as painting parties. With her decades of career experience and contributions as an educator, she considers training future professional medical coders to be her enduring legacy.