Tammy Lemon, RN serves as Validation Manager for the Registry Partners Quality Division, Clinical Registry Services.
Prior to joining Registry Partners, Tammy has worked in both clinical and administrative nursing roles, having served as RMC & CMS Coordinator where she oversees the Recovery Auditing process: managing requests, building reports, educating nursing staff and physicians on Utilization Review, auditing patient records to determine appeals appropriateness and writing appeal letters.
As CMS coordinator her responsibilities included: core measure data abstraction, defining educational processes for nursing staff, physicians and Utilization Review staff which ultimately impacted hospital wide process improvements. Additionally, her clinical nursing background includes experience working as a psychiatric nurse, surgical nurse and emergency room nurse.
Tammy received her Associate’s Degree in Nursing from North Arkansas College in Harrison, Arkansas. She presently resides in Arkansas with her husband and two children. In her spare time, Tammy enjoys singing, playing the piano and crocheting.
Q & A with Tammy:
Q: What do you find to be the most rewarding part of your health care quality career?
A: Of course I have always found satisfaction in helping to develop processes that improve patient outcomes, but when you see a nurse smile and thank you for helping to make his/her job easier and more streamlined … that’s extremely satisfying, because you know, in the end, everybody is benefiting from it.
Q: What do you like most about your position as a Validation Manager?
A: Honestly, I’ve enjoyed every position that I’ve had with Registry Partners. It’s just a wonderful company to work for.
Q: What tips can you provide that may help a clinical data abstractor improve their abstraction skills and become a more efficient abstractor?
A: Study, study, study. Know the Data Dictionary like the back of your hand. But also, realize that you aren’t alone. Some things can be confusing. We’ve all been confused at one time or another, so utilize all your resources. Talk to other abstractors, read the Q&A’s on Qnet, but mostly just relax, take a deep breath and have confidence in your abilities.