By: Kat King, AHDI-F, Delegate
What was the significance of February 17?
Susan Lucci, CMT, RHIT, AHDI-F, AHDI President, reminded us it’s the one-year anniversary of the HITECH Act and the new HIPAA rules are now in effect.
The HITECH Act does several things:

Extends the reach of HIPAA privacy and security rules
Imposes breach notification requirements on covered entities and business associates (that’s you!)
Limits many uses at disclosure of PHI
Increases individual’s rights related to PHI
Increases enforcement and penalties for privacy and security violations

Get prepared, don’t be left behind, or be the weak target!
Many companies …

By: Terry Wakefield, CMT (Delegate)
AHDI’s Executive Director, Peter Preziosi, PhD encouraged us to stay externally focused and be an ambassador for the association and its mission.
As the “keepers” of document integrity, this association needs to develop an atmosphere of trust so that our members can believe in and trust their association to provide them with the appropriate answers and opportunities. The most successful organizations provide a wide range of opportunities that will develop and enhance our members’ professional growth.
We need to be the knowledge brokers for all aspects of …

By: Barb Marques, CMT, AHDI-F
AHDI President Elect
What is 2010 going to bring for MTs?  More EMRs and more HIPAA.
That may be an over simplification of the issues, but those are probably the two most significant driving factors affecting those of us in the healthcare documentation field. Certainly one of my challenges is to be able to speak to this future as the incoming AHDI president.
Where do we turn? What can we say about the future of our profession? It is simply past the point of ignoring what is happening around …

  House of Delegates Agenda 2-17-10 (13.3 KiB)
The AHDI-West Delegates will be reporting on today’s House of Delegates Meeting and tomorrow’s Legislative Issues Group.
See full reports in next week’s CONNECTIONS.

HOUSE OF DELEGATES MEETING AND VOTE
DECEMBER 21, 2009
NATIONAL BOD TERMS OF OFFICE
Bylaws changes submitted by the BOD changing terms of office for the national Board of Directors from January 1 to December 31 of each year to terms starting and ending at each annual convention have been ratified by the HOD with 30 votes yes, 2 votes no. This affects ONLY the national Board of Directors, does not affect components or HOD at all.  There will be no need to fill 3 new positions on the BOD by the end …

The AHDI Board of Directors would like to change the term of office from the calendar year (January to December) to it beginning and ending at ACE each year. This would mean the current board of directors will remain in office until ACE 2010 in Austin, Texas, except for Betty Honkonen, whose will be “retiring” from the Board as of December 31, 2009.
This new cycle will provide the opportunity for those attending ACE to witness the “changing of the guard” with installation of new officers and recognition of …

Our 3 delegates, Jacque Taylor, AHDI-F, Deborah Nolan, CMT, and Connie DeCoe-Munier, CMT, in addition to our 2 alternates, Carrie Boatman, CMT, AHDI-F, and Kathleen King, AHDI-F, all attended the House of Delegates meeting held in Nashville on July 28, 2009. There were many delegates in attendance with Speaker of the House, Brenda Hurley, CMT, AHDI-F presiding. The following amendment to the bylaws was voted on and passed:
A local chapter within a state/regional association’s geographical boundaries shall have one representative from the local chapter as a voting member of the …