Practice Management Institute® is pleased to introduce a new program for medical office professionals seeking to become certified. The J. H. O'Dell Memorial Scholarship Program will award one of PMI's Self Study certification programs and exam each month, beginning in February 2008. Applicants must have at least one year of experience working in a medical office, have a valid email address and access to the Internet to complete the scholarship application, below. A new scholarship recipient will be selected at random on the last business day of each month in 2008 and contacted by phone. One scholarship application per member please. Scholarship recipient can choose the Certified Medical Coder or Certified Medical Office Manager packages. The Certified Medical Insurance Specialist (CMIS) is currently under revision but should be available later in the year. Only one Self Study package will be awarded per household. Recipients will be announced on the NetworkPMI Web site each month through December of 2008.

PMI is the training, networking and credentialing source for medical office professionals in the U.S. PMI awards certification by exam to accomplished medical office coding, reimbursement, and practice management professionals. More than 12,000 medical office professionals have earned their credentials through PMI.

For more than 25 years, physicians and their staff have looked to PMI for skills that contribute to a more efficient, profitable and compliant office. Classes are hosted in 300 of the nation's leading hospitals, medical societies and colleges. Today, more than 50,000 medical office professionals attend PMI live training events each year to improve their skills and get the latest information for running a more efficient and compliant practice. Visit www.pmiMD.com for more information.

Jimmy H. O'Dell
September 27, 1933- November 10, 2004

The J.H. O'Dell Scholarship program was established in tribute to Practice Management Institute Co-founder Jimmy O'Dell. Mr. O'Dell's professional life is personified by his many accomplishments in hospital finance and business management.

Mr. O'Dell had a passion for numbers and a high degree of integrity. He studied accounting at Samford University and later earned an MBA from Georgia College. After graduation and only a few years working for one of the earliest publicly traded health care companies, Charter Medical Corporation, he was appointed their Secretary-Treasurer. He went on to work for Valley View Hospital and Humana before moving in to the health care training arena.

His aptitude in health care finance primed him for the initiation and growth of PMI, which he and his son, Douglas, founded in 1984. Douglas is now President and CEO, holding true to his father's vision. The continued success of PMI can be attributed to Mr. O'Dell's contributions and seeds he planted many years ago – dedicated staff, some of whom have been with PMI for two decades.

The scholarship exemplifies Mr. O'Dell's hard work, compassion, and dedication to helping people realize their potential for professional success and personal growth.