Joan Usher, BS, RHIA, ACE, AHIMA-approved ICD-10-CM trainer, is president of JLU Health Record Systems in Pembroke, Massachusetts. Usher has more than 27 years’ experience as a consultant and is a nationally recognized expert in the field of ICD-9 & ICD-10-CM coding and health information management (HIM). She has taught ICD coding in home health for 17 years and has educated more than 15,000 people nationwide. Usher is a past president of the Massachusetts Health Information Management Association. Under her leadership, Massachusetts received four national awards from AHIMA in continuing education programs, support for accredited HIM education, legislative advocacy, and electronic communications.

Usher is one of the Beacon Institute’s experts for our Ask-the-Expert membership benefits. She also provides a monthly ICD-10 coding column for our Homecare DIRECTION newsletter and speaks during many of HCPro's successful webcast series. She has contributed to numerous national publications and is the author of HCPro’s ICD-9 Coding for Home Health: A Guide to Medical Necessity and Payment, ICD-10 Coding for Home Health: A Guide to Medical Necessity and Payment, and ICD-10 Essentials for Homecare: Your Guide to Preparation and Implementation.