BMSC Committees

AHCC Exam Committee Members

AHCC’s Board of Medical Specialty Coding & Compliance (BMSC) Certification Committees maintain and update the AHCC Certification Programs, including the exams and annual recertification self-assessments. Click here to download the committee scope of work.

HCS-D Committee Members

Ashley Benson

RN, COQS, CHHCM, HCS-D, LSSGB, Home Health and Hospice Consultant

Ashley began her career in home health as a field nurse, quickly working her way up to supervisor, regional and director roles. In these roles she gained valuable insight into the clinical and operational challenges that home health agencies face every day.

She has extensive knowledge in OASIS, coding, regulatory compliance, and QAPI activities. Ashley is a “lifelong learner,” spends part of her free time researching industry changes and studying best practices and believes in empowering others with knowledge. She is passionate about all things home health, education, compliance and process development and improvement. Her military background taught her about the importance of working hard and following the rules.

photo of Elise Christensen

Elise Christensen

HCS-D, HCS-H, HCS-O, COS-C, Coding Manager, Hartford Healthcare

Elise Christensen has been an RN for approaching 34 years. She has spent almost 20 years practicing in the newborn intensive care unit setting caring for high risk newborns. During her NICU career, she continued caring for some of her tiny patients as they transitioned home, thus beginning her home health career. She has now spent over 25 years in the home health industry. Her home health positions held include: pediatric and adult field nurse, marketing, coding, and senior leadership.

For the last 11 years Elise has been involved full time in Coding and OASIS review, serving both as a front-line reviewer, educator/mentor, and Coding Director. Currently, Elise is serving as leader of the Coding and OASIS Review team for a very large hospital-based Home Health and Hospice agency. As a commitment to excellence, Elise has held uninterrupted HCS-D and COS-C certifications for the past 9 years and is a member of both AHCC and AHIMA in good standing.

Elise’s passions are family, continuing education, mentoring, leadership, team building. She also enjoys hiking, gardening, writing, and boating with her husband, children, grandchildren, or pups.

Christina Crumbley

RN, MSN, HCS-D, CEO/Owner, Tidal Healthcare Consulting

Christina Crumbley is the CEO/Owner at Tidal Healthcare Consulting. Christina has 29 years of broad-based experience in home health operations, quality assurance/performance improvement, clinical management, finance and business development, with 25 of those years holding leadership positions. She has provided consulting services through her company Tidal Healthcare Consulting, LLC focusing on home health operational and clinical management, ICD-10 coding and OASIS review, as well as a large focus on education. She co-authored a book titled “Becoming a Super Woman: Leadership for Women” and provides women’s leadership training under her brand Commander in Heels.

J'non Griffin

RN, MHA, HCS-D, HCS-H, HCS-C, COS-C, Director, SimiTree Healthcare Consulting

J’non Griffin is a 32-year veteran of home care as an RN. She received her Master’s Degree in Health Care Administration in 2005. She has experience as a field nurse, director and executive with home health and hospice agencies, both large and small. She has served as Director of Staff Development and Appeals for home health and hospice agencies. She has taken part in mock surveys for agencies, and prepared agencies for accreditation. She has been directly involved in accreditation surveys, acquisitions and many regulatory crises with state survey agencies and the intermediary.

As Regional Director of Operations for a home care company, J’non was ultimately responsible for the operations of several branch agencies. She completed billing audits, supervised personnel, handled employment issues and trained managers. Part of her responsibilities have included risk management, acting as Compliance Officer, development of policies and forms, survey compliance, appeals of Medicare denials, writing Corrective Action Plans, start-ups of parent and branch agencies, consulting with agencies on a variety of subjects and education of staff.

J’non is certified as a Homecare Coding Specialist-Diagnosis (HCS-D), certified in OASIS competency (COS-C), Homecare Coding Specialist-Hospice (HCS-H), Home Care Specialist-Compliance (HCS-C) and is an AHIMA approved ICD-10-CM trainer/ambassador. J’non is an accredited ACHC and CHAP consultant. J’non is also on the board of Home Care Directions, and is a frequent contributor and expert on HcPro’s Ask an Expert Panel. She has also been a frequent contributor to the Decision Health Publication Diagnosis Coding Pro, published several manuals, and assisted with composition of several online modules for coding and OASIS instruction. She has presented several webinars, and has been a nationally recognized speaker on a variety of subjects.

Michelle Horner

BSN, RN, HCS-O, HCS-D, HCS-H, COS-C, Manager of Clinical Consulting & Education, McBee

With more than 30 years of diverse healthcare experience, Michelle Horner is a distinguished expert in home health and hospice. In her role as Manager of Clinical Consulting & Education at McBee, she specializes in Quality, Clinical, and Regulatory Consulting and Education, creating and delivering innovative, customized training programs that empower clients and elevate standards of care.

A dynamic and sought-after speaker, Michelle shares her insights at various home care associations, captivating audiences with her knowledge and passion. She is also an active member of the AHCC’s Board of Medical Specialty Coding and Compliance Certification HCS-D and HCS-O Committees, contributing her expertise to shape industry standards.

Renowned for her ability to drive impactful financial and clinical outcomes, Michelle is committed to enhancing the quality of care in the home care sector, making a lasting difference for both providers and patients alike.

Julie Howard

HCS-D, HCS-O, Team Lead, McBee

Julie Howard has nearly 15 years of experience in the home health care industry. She brings a wide breadth of knowledge starting in support and administrative roles in a local home health agency. From there, she moved into coding and OASIS review with local agencies and outsource providers. Julie has been an AHCC member and credential holder for 13 years. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Behavioral Health and is currently a Team Lead with McBee.

Susan Jirsa

BSN, RN, COS-C, HCS-D, Divisional Director Quality Assurance, Aveanna

Susan Jirsa is a registered nurse whose background in home health began in 2009. She has held both clinical and operational leadership positions since 2010, and currently, she is the Divisional Director of Quality Assurance for Aveanna Healthcare’s Home Health and Hospice Division. Susan has a passion for quality and believes in the power of education. Her training experiences are diverse, and include leading live webinar panel discussions, providing OASIS and coding educational materials to both clinicians and staff, and delivering provider updates regarding COVID-19 regulatory changes. She was integral in preparing her organization for the adjustments in PDGM and was invited to speak at a national EMR conference on the topic of the impact of PDGM on home health coding.

She lives in MN with her husband and her two felines.

Shanna Carter Kennon

RN, BSN, HSD-O, HCS-D, Coding and OASIS Reviewer, SMART Healthcare Compliance Resources

Shanna Carter Kennon is a Bachelor's prepared Registered Nurse with over 15 years of experience. Shanna has spent the last 13 years in home health. She is currently working remotely as a full time Coding and OASIS Reviewer for SMART Healthcare Compliance Resources.

The mother of 3 active boys, Shanna is often found cheering at a baseball field or working on the family farm in West Tennessee, where they raise beef cattle.

Jennifer Osburn

RN, HCS-D, COS-C, Clinical Consultant, Healthcare Provider Solutions

Jennifer Osburn is a Clinical Consultant with Healthcare Provider Solutions, Inc. (HPS). With over 30 years of home health experience, Jennifer brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise which includes education and training, agency management, quality, clinical case management, and software technology. She is also a credentialed OASIS and ICD-10 Coding expert.

Jennifer began her home health career in a large privately owned agency after transitioning from Medical-Surgical Urology hospital nursing; however, she has worked for all types of agencies in multiple states. Her love for sharing knowledge and experience led her to clinical consulting, where she enjoys translating technical guidance into information that the busy home health professional can deploy to improve the efficiency and quality of care being delivered to the patients they serve.

Jennifer Osburn has led numerous home health educational seminars for state and national associations as well as specifically designed education training plans for agencies for the past 12 years. In addition to consulting across the US, she has trained staff for The Joint Commission and ACHC, has authored numerous industry blogs and articles, and has assisted home health software companies with solutions that ensure compliance with Medicare guidelines. Her areas of expertise and firsthand experience include OASIS, ICD-10-CM Coding, Case Management, Medicare Home Health Conditions of Participation, Billing Requirements, Documentation Compliance for Quality and Payment, Emergency Preparedness, Agency Operations, and PDGM.

Celeste Miller

RN, BS, HCS-D, COS-C, Director of Operations, Oracle

Celeste has a passion for learning and education, especially in coding and OASIS. She’s been certified with both for many years. She currently oversees and trains all the coders within the agency she works for.

Celeste is an innovative leader whose goal is to improve the industry of home health and hospice through education and involvement. Celeste provides education/in-services related to OASIS, ICD-10 coding, skilled need, rules and regulations, conditions of participation, ADRs and QAPI.

Key achievements for her current role include:

Creating and implementing the QAPI program among all offices within Signature Healthcare at Home and Hospice a provider of home health, hospice, and home care within 4 states.
Implementation of mock surveys agency wide for survey preparedness.
Creating informational sheets and education for providers to assist in proper ICD-10 code selection allowed within PDGM.
Recent state surveys deficiency free.
Companywide training on PDGM preparedness throughout 2019.

Leaders working directly with Celeste describe her as a top expert in her field, motivated, responsible, great trainer, reliable, thorough, concise, dedicated, self-motivated, quality driven, effective multitasker, detail oriented, kind, supportive, and always willing to help.

Sherry Jean Samia

BSN, RN, HCS-D, HCS-O, Regional Director of Clinical Services for Home Health, Brookdale Senior Living (Home Health)

Sherry Jean Samia is a nurse with extensive experience in leading home health quality improvement programs and initiatives. She currently works as a Regional Director of Quality Services for Brookdale Healthcare Services. Before starting her journey with long term care and home health; Sherry practiced as a physician in the Philippines and specialized in Pediatrics. With her medical background, Sherry has intimate knowledge of disease processes and utilizes this to her advantage when tackling nursing projects. When she’s not traveling for work, Sherry enjoys the local scenery and dining options of Austin, TX with her family.

Pamela Wandrie

M.A.CCC-SLP, HCS-D, HCS-O, Coding and OASIS QA Specialist, SimiTree

Pamela Wandrie is a Coding & OASIS QA Specialist at SimiTree. She has over 29 years of experience in home health care, with 23 years spent in the field as a skilled therapy provider. Her clinical experience includes a variety of acute and post-acute care settings, with an emphasis on evidence-based practice. In 2016 she transitioned to a coding and OASIS quality assurance and education role. Her experience includes coding and OASIS reviewer mentorship, education development and delivery, development and maintenance of coding and OASIS assessments, as well as real-time and post-audit QA of coding, OASIS, and plan of care reviews.

HCS-H Committee Members

Ashley Cunningham-Baker

MSN, RN, HCS-D, HCS-H, HCS-O, Director Coding and OASIS Resource, Pennant, Owner/Operator EiSCEND Consulting

Ashley has worked in the health care industry for 22 years. She started her journey as a C.N.A in skilled nursing and worked her way up to Registered Nurse. She has been in the Home Health and Hospice Industry for 13 years, holding many positions in Home Health and Hospice as a case manager, director and in quality assurance. She found her passion in regulatory guidance and education and has been in this type of role for 11 years.

Ashley has extensive experience in home health and hospice coding, quality reviews and performance improvement. Currently, she is director of coding and OASIS, providing education and guidance to field staff and quality experts as well as an independent contractor, providing regulatory and quality consulting for home health and hospice. She enjoys quality assurance performance improvement (QAPI), helping agencies identify areas of concern and assisting in improvement measures. She routinely provides education on all aspects of home health and hospice, staying up to date with new guidance and best practices.

Ashley has been married for 20 years and is a proud mom of two amazing kids, ages 8 and 10. Her family enjoys life in southeastern Idaho where they take advantage of the beautiful outdoors by camping, gardening, hiking, and anything that gets them outside.

Maurice Frear

HCS-D, HCS-H, ICD-10-CM Coding Educator and Compliance and Coding Auditor, Bon Secours Home Health and Hospice

Maurice began his career in Home Health care in 2005 after serving 30 years in the US Navy. He began his career with Bon Secours Home Health and Hospice as an Insurance Authorization Specialist. In 2008 he passed his CPC certification exam and in the same year passed his HCS-D exam. He was responsible for coding Home Health referrals and in 2015 began coding Hospice referrals. He received his HCS-H certification in August 2017.

During this time, he has written several articles for Diagnosis Coding Pro, Basic Coding, covering topics for both Home Health and Hospice coding.

He currently is responsible for ICD-10-CM coding education and compliance and coding auditor for Bon Secours Home Health and Hospice.

Kelly Kavanaugh

RN, HCS-D, HCS-H, HCS-O, BCHH-C Independent Home Health and Hospice Consultant, owner of The OTB Group, Inc.

Kelly Kavanaugh has been in home health and Hospice for 30 years. She has worked as an agency owner & administrator, DON, done Billing/Claims, been a field nurse, done marketing, served as director of education, QAPI, and OASIS review & coding. She has been coding & OASIS certified 15+ years.

Kelly hopes to utilize her knowledge, skills and passion to help preserve the high standards of the home health & hospice industry. She aims to give back to the home health & hospice community in any way she can to help others as we all struggle to keep up with this ever-changing world of regulations.

Annette Lee

RN, MS, COS-C, HCS-D, Consultant, Provider Insights, Inc.

Annette Lee, founder of Provider Insights, Inc., is a registered nurse with a master’s in healthcare administration. Practicing since 1990, the majority of her nursing experience has been in home health. For over a decade, she worked with the CMS intermediary, where she provided review and education on home health and hospice payment and documentation. Lee then founded Provider Insights, Inc. to provide consultation and education regarding Medicare reimbursement issues and effective documentation strategies, assisting providers with ADRs and appeals. Today, she marries her real-world experience and her inside knowledge of Medicare to ensure providers can meet CMS requirements and ensure compliant, efficient operations.

Christine Mickel

PTA, HCS-D, HCS-O, HCS-H, Manager, OASIS and Coding, McBee Associates

Christine Mickel is a licensed Physical Therapist Assistant with 15 years of healthcare experience. As an OASIS and Coding Manager for McBee Associates, Christine works closely with home health and hospice agencies to enhance clinical and financial outcomes. By providing expert guidance on ICD-10 coding, OASIS, and compliance, Christine supports agencies in achieving both improved patient care and operation efficiency. In addition, Christine plays a key role in educating both customers and clinicians on best practices, helping home health and hospice agencies optimize their services, increase financial success, and deliver high-quality care.

With a passion for driving improvements, Christine has built a career dedicated to advancing home health and hospice care. She is an active participant on the HCS-H and HCS-O Exam Committees and serves on the Board for the Association of Home Care Coding.

Nanette Minton

RN, HCS-D, HCS-H, HCS-O, Senior Clinical Coding Manager, MAC Legacy

Serving in a leadership capacity for over 20 years, Nanette has held a variety of roles in the home care and hospice industry including clinical, administrative, consulting, education, and agency startup & development. She currently holds the position of Senior Clinical Coding Manager for MAC Legacy. Nanette provides day to day coding and quality support to the home care and hospice agencies receiving coding services. She also serves as a consultant for quality and regulatory issues that arise due to the complex and integrated nature of coding. Nanette’s experience in the industry gives her a unique perspective and allows her to provide coding and audit knowledge firsthand to clients.

photo of Sherri Parson

Sherri Parson

RN, HCS-D, HCS-O, HCS-H, COS-C, CEO, Infusion Health

Sherri brings more than 30 years of healthcare experience to her role as Chief Compliance Officer/Director of Operations at Infusion Health.

She has been an in-home provider of skilled-nursing services as well as developing expertise in quality assurance, diagnosis coding, OASIS review and regulatory compliance. Sherri further developed her home health expertise as a therapy manager, staff educator, quality metric analysis and development expert.

Her vast experience in home health has prepared her for her current role where she is responsible for staff development and compliance. Sherri travels and presents to state home care association meetings, national events, and on-site trainings. Other accomplishments include adjunct professor and developer of a college Home Health Coding Course. She has authored numerous articles and is frequently sought after for her expertise by publications such as Home Health Line, Diagnosis Coding Pro, AAPC Home Care Weekly, and OASIS Outcome Solutions. In addition to these publications, she is one of the technical editors for the Home Care Clinical Specialist-Hospice (HCS-H) Certification Study Guide, 2023, Home Care Coding Specialist-Diagnosis (HCS-D) Certification Study Guide, 2023, Home Health ICD-10-CM Coding Answers, 2023, and Home Health ICD-10-CM Coding Companion, 2023. Sherri currently serves on the AHCC’s Board of Medical Specialty Coding and Compliance HCS-H and HCS-O Exam Committees.

Apryl Swafford

RN, BSN, COS-C, HCS-D, HCS-H, HCS-O, QA Manager, SimiTree Healthcare Consulting

Apryl Swafford, who currently serves as QA manager for SimiTree, has more than 20+ years of experience in home health. She began her nursing career in 1994 with a BSN from Jacksonville State University in Alabama and has worked in roles as a case manager, clinical manager, and leader of a cardiopulmonary specialty program. Apryl is a certified OASIS specialist (COS-C, HCS-O) as well as having coding certifications in both home health and hospice (HCS-D, HCS-H). She has led multiple coding and OASIS classes for agencies, as well as speaking on topics of interest to home care and hospices agencies, such as OASIS E, home health regulations, PDGM, outcomes management and others, at many state associations.

As QA manager for SimiTree, Apryl monitors the overall quality of coding, OASIS, and plan of care reviews completed by both full-time and contract auditors. Apryl works in conjunction with the QA specialists and education department to identify topics of education to address any trending issues noted in QA reviews. Apryl also assists with onboarding new auditors as needed and assists team managers with completing coding and OASIS reviews when volumes increase.

Apryl has provided several articles for home care publications, written scenarios for auditor training as well as OASIS classes, and been a subject matter expert for home care articles in the past few years.

HCS-O Committee Members

Claudia Baker

RN, MHA, HCS-D, HCS-O, Senior Manager, SimiTree

Claudia Baker is a senior home care executive with successful experience in the areas of compliance, quality improvement, operations, and technology. She has extensive experience with consulting and education for home health, hospice and home care agencies, specifically related to workflow improvement. Claudia currently serves as a Senior Manager for SimiTree Healthcare Consulting. 30 of her 38 years in healthcare have centered around home-based services, including technology experience in the development of clinical software applications. She serves as a Board member for the Association of Home Care Coding and Compliance and has authored books related to the OASIS assessment for home health. She holds a Master’s Degree in Healthcare Administration and has certifications in both diagnosis coding and OASIS.

Donna Bohannon Buckley

BSN, RN, HCS-D, HCS-O, Quality Manager with McBee Associates, Inc

Donna Buckley is a seasoned clinical consultant with McBee Associates, Inc., specializing in home health care coding and OASIS review. She brings 35 years of nursing experience in hospital and home health settings to the firm. She offers extensive knowledge and expertise in OASIS and ICD-10 Coding for home health. She also offers an in-depth understanding of Medicare and Medicaid regulations, federal and state regulatory requirements, OASIS integrity, quality improvement, disaster preparedness and HIPAA compliance.

As a Manager with McBee Associates, Donna provides remote clinical OASIS and coding recommendations to clients. She has developed and led client and clinician education sessions to improve OASIS outcomes and accuracy. She prepares and leads monthly status reporting to multiple clients.

Donna’s depth of experience gives her a superior understanding of the financial issues and responsibilities of home health care. Her nursing background and home health leadership experience have taught her to effectively manage patient care, monitor compliance, develop field staff and improve agency outcomes.

In the home health industry, Donna has provided direct patient care, case management, and has held multiple leadership positions. As a clinical supervisor and promotion to Quality Management Director, she has directed multi-disciplinary teams and has led multiple branches in quality assurance and performance improvement. As a Clinical Director, Donna mentored her agency to “survey ready” status, improved employee satisfaction through implementation of new software and reduced unbilled episodes. She offers extensive knowledge of clinical operations and home health care documentation regulations.