Today we’d like to introduce you to Earshler Taylor, RHIA, RHIT, CCS, CDIP.
Earshler, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My healthcare journey began as an enlisted service member, in the early ’90s. I was stationed at the base hospital as a non-hospital corpsman performing administrative duties. On the occasion, I would need to assist the MD with pap-smears due to the lack of women at the hospital. When I discharged, it was natural for me to transition into the civilian healthcare industry. Not to mention, my interest was piqued from the occasional assists.
I journeyed to the civilian world in the mid-’90s and moved to Atlanta, Georgia. My first mistake was relocating to Georgia during the Olympics. As a young person, fresh out of the military, I had no idea how the cost of living would be impacted. My second mistake was the comparison in pay from military to civilian. I was in for an ugly surprise. Needless to say, I survived my ‘lack of knowledge’ mistakes. I recalled speaking with my cousin, who resided in Atlanta at the time, and she stated to me, “It’s gonna be hard for you to get a job within a month.” Well, she could not have been more incorrect or failed to realize I was highly motivated. I secured my first civilian job as an EMS dispatcher. After a few calls, I realized, “I am not cut out for this!” You’d think being in the military would have prepared me for the level of pressure I would encounter. Somehow, this was different.
I knew I wanted to remain in healthcare! I enrolled in Georgia State University with Nursing as my chosen program. After my second year, my advisor confirmed it was not recommended to have full-time employment during “clinicals.” As a single mother, not working was not an option for me. Therefore, I reconsidered my career path. During my regrouping, I worked for several local physician practices. The one physician practice that changed my career path was an orthopedic practice. My “go above and beyond” attitude was quickly recognized and I was promoted from front-office check-in to practice coordinator. The physician I worked for encouraged me to go with him to Tennessee for a coding course specific to spine surgeries. This was my “ah-ha” moment. I received a specialty spine coder certificate of completion, which was a pivotal point in my career.
Fast forward a few years, in 2002, I was hired as a temp-to-hire with a hiring contingency to receive my certified coder credential. Once I received this certification, I was hired as an abstract coder at Emory. Having the Emory name on my resume opened up more opportunities than can be counted. The next pivotal moment was in 2009. I have always been rather good at leading, training, and educating. My employer at the time, requested I provide training to our internal staff in preparation of them sitting for their certification exam. I attended the boot camp and passed my certification to become a certified coding instructor. My employer provided a separate contract as to not conflict with my day-to-day job functions. Well, my wheels started spinning and I launched The Coding Educators, LLC. Under this umbrella, I have trained many non-clinical, nurses, and physicians to be prepared for their coding certification exam. I have held many roles in corporate and made the transition to being a consultant to becoming a full-time entrepreneur.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Smooth road?!!! Is there even such a thing?!!! Absolutely not!!! I have encountered many pitfalls! Some of them were self-created… go figure! However, there was knowledge gained from each experience. Oftentimes, we miss the lesson in the hardship. I grew personally and professionally from each bump in the road.
In being transparent, my first struggle was my attitude! I am a very strong-willed person. As positive as this can be, it can also have a negative connotation. Allow me to elaborate! My specific issue was the ability to properly communicate in a corporate tone. In the military, communication is more, “do as I say because I outrank you.” Military communication is very authoritative! Developing a new way of communicating was the beginning of learning “soft skills.”
The second struggle was owning my career and creating opportunities. As a novice, I knew what I wanted to do and where I wanted to be but didn’t know how to get there. I know… I know… that was a run-on statement. My point is… there were leaders placed in my path to guide me. I would accept their guidance as I saw fit versus as it made logical sense. This caused me to take several steps back and walk different paths to get back to my destiny driven path.
Please tell us about Earshler Taylor Consulting, LLC.
My company is a small, woman-owned business. I launched Earshler Taylor Consulting, LLC this year. Under its umbrella is The Coding Educators, which was launched in 2009. My company now has two different segments: consultative and educational services.
Under the consultative services, our primary focus is on the revenue cycle and mitigating revenue leakage. Additional services include: 1) business process re-engineering (BPR), which is an analytical process of evaluating an organization’s workflow design and processes, 2) coding audits, which are designed to assist in determining compliance to the guidelines, rules, state and federal regulations and 3) clinical documentation improvement (CDI), which identifies gaps in the integrity of the patient’s medical record.
Under educational services, we provide a plethora of education to healthcare professionals, nurses, and physicians via webinars or on-site training.
Because we do not believe in “cookie-cutter” services, we customize our services according to the client’s specific needs and desired outcomes.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Oooooh… sooooo, you really wanna get to know me?!!!
My favorite memory from childhood is from the summer months. We would pile onto the back of one of my uncles’ or grandfather’s truck to the swimming hole referred to as “The Creek.” This is the place we learned to swim or drown. There were no, formal swimming, techniques taught. You were tossed in the water!! Oh, and let’s not forget, we swam with the water moccasins! Yikes!!! Some of the best fun!
Contact Info:
- Address: 303 Perimeter Center North
Suite 323
Atlanta, Georgia 30346 - Website: www.earshlertaylorconsulting.com
- Phone: 866-400-7171
- Email: info@earshlertaylorconsulting.com
- Instagram: @earshlertaylor
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Earshler-Taylor-Consulting-2315112271880390
- Twitter: @earshler
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