Karen Baird, CPC, CPMA has joined the Tennessee Medical Association as Director of Insurance Affairs. Baird will serve as TMA's in-house expert on federal and state health insurance policies and reform. She will be responsible for commercial and government health insurance plan relations, provide informational and policy assistance to advocacy and education staff and help TMA member physicians resolve payer-related administrative and reimbursement hassles.

Additionally, Baird will serve as the TMA staff point person to assist members with health plan questions, administrative hassles and reimbursement problems. She will monitor health plan payment policies, and support TMA members with their coding (billing and diagnostic), documentation, claims adjudication and other insurance-related questions.

Baird brings more than 30 years of healthcare administrative experience to TMA, most recently as office manager with Midtown Primary Care Clinic in Nashville. She is a certified professional coder and medical auditor, and is a member of numerous professional organizations including the American Academy of Professional Coders, National Alliance of Medical Auditing Specialists and others.