HFMA Empire New York Chapter leverages CRCR crash course to promote pedal tour

When planning its second annual pedal tour, the HFMA Empire New York Chapter also was identifying ways to engage enterprise member Kaleida Health, which joined HFMA in 2024 and brought 233 new members to the Chapter, increasing its membership by more than 20%.

To encourage pedal tour attendance and involve its new members, Chapter leaders began the day by hosting a five-hour Certified Revenue Cycle Representative (CRCR) crash course for about 15 Kaleida team members, according to Joseph Favata, global chief marketing officer with ADEC Innovations and president of the HFMA Empire New York Chapter 2025–2026.

Three Region 2 members led the CRCR crash course: Katie Taylor, immediate past regional executive of HFMA Region 2; Sarah Beaman, president-elect of HFMA Empire New York; and Suzanne Jordan-Williams, education chair for HFMA Empire New York.

As of Oct. 20, two members had taken and passed the exam after completing the course.

The chapter’s strategy includes hosting monthly networking events highlighting local culture. The pedal tour via multi-person e-bike included visiting several Buffalo landmarks.

“We wanted to pay homage to all of our legacy geographies,” said Favata.

New member Kristen Cudahy, managed care contracting specialist at Kaleida Health, led the planning efforts. The event began in Buffalo’s Cobblestone District, followed by visits to the Old First Ward District and landmarks such as Silo City, Buffalo RiverWorks and the Buffalo Transportation Pierce-Arrow Museum.

“You’re proud of the venues that you take people to,” Cudahy said of the pedal tour, which took place Sept. 12 and drew about 22 Chapter members.

Instead of partnering with a third-party vendor, Empire New York Chapter members managed event planning in-house. To distribute responsibilities across the event committee, individual members are assigned ownership of specific events.

Cudahy relied on Chapter leadership for event materials, guidance and feedback. Email marketing and word-of-mouth outreach to past participants helped generate interest. The event was promoted during Chapter meetings and leveraged a biweekly networking, communications and sponsorship call to plan and track event progress.