Delta Best and Allison Spruill are shareholders in Best & Spruill, P.C.  The firm's concentration is on defense of health care providers, including all long-term care facilities, specialized clinics, and individual health care providers.  Ms. Best & Ms. Spruill have extensive experience in both liability litigation and administrative/regulatory matters.  They have represented various health care facilities and individuals before licensing boards, state and federal regulatory agencies, state administrative hearing forums, (SOAH), and state and federal courts.  The firm also has an appellate practice, which involves intermediate appellate courts and the Texas Supreme Court.

Ms. Best and Ms. Spruill have been guest speakers on legal and medical issues at numerous seminars involving risk management, administrative/regulatory matters, and litigation.

Ms. Best has a nursing background and is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin (1981) and Drake University College of Law (1984).   Ms. Spruill earned her Bachelor's degree from the University of Houston in 1990 and received her law degree from South Texas College of Law in 1993.  Each has numerous academic awards and both maintain membership in various legal and medical professional organizations.
 

Sue Biedermann is currently Program Chair and Associate Professor in the Health Information Management Program at Texas State University.  She has over twenty-five years of experience in the medical record/health information management profession with over twenty-one years in higher education.  Prior to joining the faculty at Texas State University, she was Director, Medical Record Department, at Citizens Memorial Hospital in Victoria, Texas.

Sue received her BSMRA from Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, Oklahoma, and the MSHP with a major in Health Administration from Southwest Texas State University.  She has served the Texas Health Information Management Association, TxHIMA, in various capacities, most recently as president, delegate to the national House of Delegates and as editor of the TxHIMA Journal.  She currently serves as a member of the Professional Conduct Committee, Accreditation Site Surveyor, and member of the Assembly of Education for the American Health Information Management Association, AHIMA.

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Dr. T. Richard Cheatham has served as Dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication at Texas State University since 1985. The College of Fine Arts and Communication includes the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the School of Music.  The College also includes the Departments of Art and Design, Communication Studies, and Theatre and Dance.  Before becoming College Dean, he chaired the Department of Speech Communication and Theatre Arts at SWT from 1978 to 1985.  He was Associate Chair of the Speech and Theatre Department at Texas Tech University from 1972 to 1975 and Chair of the Texas Tech Speech Communication Department from 1975 to 1978.

Dr. Cheatham holds both Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Purdue University and a Bachelor or Arts from Wayland College.

Dr. Cheatham has published more than thirty articles in professional journals and has co-authored two textbooks, COMMUNICATION IN BUSINESS, published by Prentice-Hall (now in its second edition), and THE POLICE OFFICER'S GUIDE TO BETTER COMMUNICATION, published by Scott-Foresman.  In addition, through his own consultant firm, Applied Communication Seminars, Dr. Cheatham serves business and industry in the areas of public speaking, team building, effective communication, and customer relations.

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Dr. Chiodo is a business educator at Texas State University.  Beverly earned her Ph.D. in Educational Curriculum and Instruction from Texas A&M University.  She is also a consultant and seminar speaker for professional organizations, community programs, and industry.  Dr. Chiodo has received state and national recognition for her teaching including National Business Teacher for 1997 by the National Business Education Association.  She has also been "Hero of the Day," on the CBS national TV program, This Morning.  Dr. Chiodo is an expert on "Character-Driven Success".

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Janene Jeffery is currently a Professor of Nursing at Austin Community College, Austin, TX.  She also has certification for Professional Death Education through the Association for Death Educators and Counseling.  Janene has a Master of Science degree in Nursing from the University of Texas at Austin.  Her publications include Fundamentals of Nursing:  Caring and Clinical Judgment (Chapter: Loss).  She has made numerous presentations on end of life issues or related topics to professional and community groups. 

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Jennifer Scott earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Recreational Administration from Southwest Texas University.  Jennifer is the Administrator of Barton House: Alzheimer's Personal Care Homes in Austin, TX and she currently supervises two homes.  She has been working in the health care field since 1984 when she began working with adolescent and pre-adolescent children who had mental illness.  Before joining Barton House, she worked for the Department of Human Services in the Home and Community Based Services Program and the Austin State School.  She has been a volunteer for the Alzheimer's Association, the South Central Texas  Chapter, for several years, serving on their speakers bureau.  She joined the organization as their first Director of Education and Programs.  She was responsible for the core programs provided by the Alzheimer's Association, Helpline, Safe Return, Quarterly Newsletter, Personal and Confidential Counseling, Support Groups, and the Lending Library.  In addition, she served as a trainer for the national Alzheimer's Association.  Jennifer returned to Barton House in 2003, where she serves as the current administrator. 

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Certification Program Features
 

Complete all State of Texas requirements with Level I in 3 days (24 hours). 

Participants from other states should check with their state authority to assure that the state accepts NAB approved CEUs.
 

All Program Hours approved by

National Association of Boards
of Examiners of Long Term Care Administrators