Alpha Coding Experts

10/26/2026

What should you do when opposing counsel is clearly trying to get under your skin?

Don’t give them the reaction they’re looking for.

When questioning becomes frustrating or intentionally provocative, getting defensive or argumentative can make it harder to listen carefully and respond clearly. An expert witness needs to stay focused on the question, take their time, and answer based on the facts and their expertise.

You can’t control how opposing counsel approaches the questioning. You can control how you respond. Staying calm and professional helps keep the focus on your opinions rather than your reaction.

10/22/2026

What do you do when the guidance doesn't give you an answer?

Auditors encounter gray areas every day. Published guidance may be limited or silent, but organizations still have to make consistent, defensible decisions.

At the 2026 NAMAS National Alliance of Medical Auditing Specialist Conference, Toni Elhoms, CCS, CPC, CPMA, CRC, CEMA, CPSA and Betty Hovey, BSHAM CCS-P CDIP CPC COC CPMA CPB CEMA will lead The Gray Area Workshop: Building Policies Auditors Can Defend.

Attendees will work through real-world auditing gray areas, develop organizational policies, defend their reasoning, and compare approaches.
Because “that’s the way we’ve always done it” isn't much of a compliance strategy.

👩‍🚀 Join us December 7–8 in Melbourne, Florida.

Use code TONI for $250 off your registration!

https://shop.namas.co/2026-NAMAS-InPerson-Conference-_p_929.html

10/20/2026

When the Educator Becomes the Liability: Teaching Without Overstepping

Join Toni Elhoms, CCS, CPC, CPMA, CRC, CEMA, CPSA, for a webinar on navigating compliance boundaries in physician education and keeping your practices effective, appropriate, and defensible.

📅 Date: November 3, 2026
🕑 Time: 2:00 PM EST

👉 Register here: https://namas.member365.com/public/event/details/9adf5118f52ff18c1a4b8c398ee94caf23d14a54/1

10/13/2026

ACE Blog Breakdown: Audit Your Time Like You Audit Claims

You audit claims for accuracy, but have you ever audited your time? 👀

A time audit can help healthcare compliance auditors and educators identify where their hours are going, uncover workflow inefficiencies, and find opportunities to work smarter.

📋 Track your tasks for a typical workweek.�🔎 Look for patterns, interruptions, and time-consuming activities.�✅ Make intentional changes to improve your workflow.�🔁 Audit again to see if those changes are making a difference.

Your time is one of your most valuable resources. Why not audit it like you audit claims?

Read the full blog from Alpha Coding Experts to learn more!

💬 Worked with ACE? Tell us what you think!
⭐️ Leave us a Google review

10/12/2026

Hot off the press 📥 - Read this week’s ACE Pro-Tips Chronicle all about how "The Best Experts Know When to Pivot!" Don't miss out on our weekly newsletter posts by subscribing now at the link below! Show some love and hit🎯 the like👍button!

https://www.alphacodingexperts.com/blog/

The Best Experts Know When to Pivot There is a strange pressure that comes with being the subject matter expert in the room.  Once people look to you for answers, changing an Read More »

10/08/2026

What do you do when opposing counsel starts clowning you in front of the judge or jury?

Don’t take the bait.

An expert witness isn’t there to trade jabs with an attorney or come up with the perfect comeback. Even when questioning gets uncomfortable or an attorney tries to rattle you, the best response is to stay calm, answer the question, and stick to the facts and your area of expertise.

Your job is to clearly explain your opinions and the reasoning behind them. Staying professional and consistent keeps the focus where it belongs: on your expertise and the evidence.

10/06/2026

Would you defend your audit conclusion under oath?

That’s one of the questions attendees will be challenged to consider at this year’s NAMAS National Alliance of Medical Auditing Specialist Conference.

The 2026 agenda goes beyond traditional lectures with real-world documentation scenarios, interactive workshops, compliance discussions, and even a live courtroom experience examining what happens when documentation becomes evidence.

Alpha Coding Experts is proud to be part of this year's event, with ACE experts Toni Elhoms, CCS, CPC, CPMA, CRC, CEMA, CPA-SA and Betty Hovey, BSHAM CCS-P CDIP CPC COC CPMA CPB CEMA speaking on December 8.

If auditing and compliance are part of your world, this is one conference worth having on your calendar. 🗓️

💬 Worked with ACE? Tell us what you think!
⭐️ Leave us a Google review: https://share.google/k3a8WthIwKMyV4wNx

10/04/2026

Ask Toni Elhoms: What’s more dangerous for an expert witness: saying “I don’t know” or pretending you do?

An expert witness isn’t expected to know everything. In fact, knowing where your expertise ends is part of being a credible expert. Trying to answer a question that falls outside your knowledge or experience can create far more problems than simply acknowledging that you don’t know.

There’s nothing wrong with saying, “That’s outside my area of expertise.” Staying within the boundaries of your expertise protects your credibility and helps ensure that the opinions you do provide are well-supported and defensible.

10/03/2026

🚀 Toni Elhoms, CCS, CPC, CPMA, CRC, CEMA, CPSA is heading to the 2026 NAMAS Auditing & Compliance Conference!

We’re excited to share that Toni will be joining healthcare auditing, coding, compliance, and education professionals at the 18th Annual NAMAS Auditing & Compliance Conference, December 7–8 in Melbourne, Florida.

This year’s conference is built around something every experienced auditor encounters eventually: the situations where the answer isn't necessarily sitting neatly in a code book or regulation.

On December 8, Toni will join Betty Hovey, BSHAM CCS-P CDIP CPC COC CPMA CPB CEMA for two interactive sessions exploring defensible auditing policies and documentation that clearly supports medical necessity.

We’re looking forward to the conversations, the challenging scenarios, and connecting with colleagues from across the industry.

📍 Melbourne, Florida
📅 December 7–8, 2026

Learn more and register through NAMAS: https://shop.namas.co/2026-NAMAS-InPerson-Conference-_p_929.html

10/02/2026

Hot off the press 📥 - Read this week’s ACE Pro-Tips Chronicle all about how "ICD-10-CM Codes Put Exposure History in the Spotlight!" Don't miss out on our weekly newsletter posts by subscribing now at the link below! Show some love and hit🎯 the like👍button!

ICD-10-CM Codes Put Exposure History in the Spotlight The 2027 ICD-10-CM update is bringing much-needed specificity to environmental and military-related exposures that have historically been difficult to capture accurately.  Beginning October 1, ICD-10-CM Read More »