Thank you, elected leaders and candidates, for your commitment to excellence and support of the Association through advocacy, standards-setting, and education. Thank you also to the AHDI members who took the time to cast your votes and help to shape the future of the association and industry. On behalf of AHDI members, board of directors, and staff, we congratulate you!

Recently I attended the California Health Information Association (CHIA) annual meeting at the Town & Country Resort and Convention Center here in San Diego. I spoke at the convention and CHIA graciously waived my registration fees ($375 early bird value) in exchange for speaking at their convention. This gave me a wonderful opportunity to not only address HIM-related professionals in a focused education session but also gave me time to meet HIM folks from all over the world. The convention brought just over 500 attendees and roughly 80 vendors and was the largest convention ever, and they have been trending up for about the last 3 years. The convention program title was “Make the Connection,” and the connection theme was interwoven through all aspects of the convention experience.

Fox Session: There were about 100 people who showed up for my session, Documentation Integrity, What’s At Stake? I was very nervous about presenting to such a large group of HIM professionals. I had a lot of information to cover, and there are certainly some things I’d change if I had it to do over again. I did get a big thank you from a gal who used to be a transcriptionist, and there was one HIM manager who is in a place with her system she is able to make some course corrections so I was able to give her a consultation referral. I found it very compelling that over half the room had EHR systems that included some component of transcription either on-site or through an outside service. It became very apparent to me that we still have a big gap between the two professions in how to address documentation errors and completeness (and at what point in the workflow process), and we need to further our collaboration with AHIMA at all levels to address the questions raised around completeness of the documentation, for what purposes and when, at the genesis of the record or forensically much later in the workflow stream from both sides of the aisle. Of great concern to the audience (in my session and throughout the conference) was discussion around how to address “cut and paste” in the EHR. This came up as concern for accurate information and reimbursement issues. Also, all of us need to fully understand the changes currently in front of the physicians as far as transition to ICD-10, pay for performance, present on admission conditions, computerized physician order entry (CPOE), and how those changes affect the complexity of documentation and how we can be a part of the contribution solution.

Outreach made: As many of you know, I love the one-on-one conversations you can have at face-to-face meetings. This convention was no different, and I did my best to represent the healthcare documentation community and AHDI well. I met Bonnie Cassidy, AHIMA 2011 President; Wanda T. Ziemba, 1^st year CHIA director; Dr Paul Tang, Chair of the Meaningful Use committee for ONC; and Aaron Seib, Policy and Program Director of Cal eConnect.

Ms. Cassidy and I discussed the AHDI board coming to Salt Lake City during the AHIMA convention and our desire to connect with their board and our CDIA partners while at the AHIMA convention (October 2 through 5, 2011). For those within reach of Salt Lake City, AHDI-West is going to have a regional event on Saturday, October 1, 2011, and the AHDI board will be in attendance so save the date!

Wanda and I had multiple conversations about the integrity of the content of documentation, and she is a huge supporter of learning ways to give presentations to folks who do not want to hear the information, and I attended her session titled “Guiding the Reluctant – Bringing Physicians on Board with ICD-10” which was a fantastic presentation and highlighted her professional speaking skills and she spoke eloquently about how to incorporate the “what’s in it for them” conversation, and she highlighted how to become a choreographer of change and how to stage the process to achieve goals. I was very impressed with her knowledge, her willingness to collaborate, and her offer to help others learn the skills. Another topic we covered was considering a collaborative research project on obtaining date about pre-EHR implementation revenue versus post-EHR implementation revenue streams, something the Sherry Doggett, AHDI President-Elect, spoke about during our last AHDI board meeting. Talk about being thrilled to find a sweet spot for collaborative efforts!

Paul Tang, MD, referenced that the MU committee had just sent its recommendations to the ONC (open comment period for this topic should be in August or September), and he confirmed that dictation/transcription will be in the report his committee has submitted as part of phase 2 of the MU criteria – this is just a first draft so there’s no solid guarantee; however, this is proof that our advocacy efforts are working, and we need to celebrate our due diligence in nudging the needle of change.

Of equal excitement for me was the chance to meet Mr. Aaron Seib of Cal eConnect. This group is the next iteration of what was once CalRHIO, and Cal eConnect is the designated California health information exchange (HIE) and has received $38 million in grant funding from the ONC/HITECH act to create health care system interoperability in our state. As some of you may remember, 2005 to 2007, connecting and collaborating with CalRHIO was high on the goals list the years I was in leadership in California, and some of you attended the CalRHIO meeting in Los Angeles with me. This connection has remained a strategic goal as I have transitioned to national director and as part of aligning ourselves with the advocacy and alliance strategic implementation. That said, Mr Seib was thrilled to meet representation from an organization that is willing to provide input, and I am following up by connecting him with Steve Gaus and David Owen, directors on the CDIA board, as subject-matter experts in the medical data exchange. I will also work toward how we can bring the AHDI voice to the table regarding some of the more granular concepts of accuracy, complexity and completeness of patient health information, not just health data.

If you are interested in any of the above topics, I’d love to have more of our members connect to these purpose-driven initiatives and so please email me and let’s talk.

The sessions I found intriguing included topics on training coders in anatomy and physiology in preparation for ICD-10 (opportunity for our school programs), application of natural language processing in computer-assisted coding but we also talked about NLP relevance in codifying narrative text (can you say Health Story Project), the session above on guiding the reluctant, RAC updates and actual cases on how HIM professionals are dealing increase in number of records requested and how facilities have reversed some of the original RAC audits initial decisions. Another was on workflow for HIM and how facilities need to ensure they have a workflow model that is functional before they implement an EHR technology solution. There was an excellent session on privacy laws and release of information. There were also multiple sessions on computer assisted coding, clinical documentation improvement and analysis and ICD-10 transition, with comments that if only MDs were documenting correctly now the move to ICD-10 would be a piece of cake (note the opportunity for us in this transition).

The general sessions covered everything from Release your Brilliance by keynote Simon T. Bailey to Dr. Paul Tang discussing transformative public policy in the application of meaningful use criteria. One of the highlights for me out of Dr. Tang’s presentation was how meaningful use is intended to bring the public into their healthcare, to become meaningful users of their own health information and this deliberate inclusion of the patient in MU is a huge opportunity for us and aligns well with the advocacy voice around patient safety and the broader health of United States citizens that Dewey Square helped us envision as we grow our AHDI/CDIA public awareness campaign in 2012. Lorraine Fernandes spoke on health care trends and HIM challenges worldwide, CHIA recognized their many volunteers and scholarship award winners, and Bonnie Cassidy, AHIMA President, thoroughly covered Leadership in Action, HIM’s Role in Health Care Transformation and how AHIMA plays a role in that process. She spoke of data governance/data stewardship and AHIMA providing evidence-based research. She went over the top-10 list for HIM teams in ICD-10 implementation, and I see some huge roles for our profession to engage in this process. On the governance side, AHIMA is looking at trends in association business and becoming a “world class organization,” and their delegates will be addressing the continuity and relevance of their bylaws; asking the question, “what exactly does the House do?”, with all HOD and state leaders considering these goals, “the board governs the association (fiduciary responsibility) and the House governs the HIM profession.” Sound familiar?

Overall, I found many parallels with what AHIMA professionals and members are being faced with as far as technology conversion, overwhelmed by so many changes in such a short period of time, preserving relevant patient information and maintaining patient privacy and security, expanding into the worldwide marketplace, and how to keep education and association membership in the forefront as the vehicle for transformation. The three biggest reasons why I think CHIA has seen an increase in convention attendance are because they have ICD-10 implementation, meaningful use criteria obligations, privacy and security breach enforcement penalties, RAC audits, as well as technology and workflow changes occurring at every turn and inclusion in learning about these relevant topics is invigorating and imperative for their members to experience.

Let’s see if we cannot get a team of AHDI-West members to attend the next CHIA meeting to be held in Santa Clara June 10 to 13, 2012. I’ll see you there!

Karen L. Fox-Acosta, CMT, AHDI-F

It is a very thoughtful discussion regarding so many areas of our profession.  Please take the time to listen and ask any additional questions you may have.

You can send Jay your questions or join the discussion at the AHDI Lounge where all the AHDI Board candidates are responding to various topics.

WE NEED YOUR VOTE!!!

Polls open Monday, June 13

Watch for a link to vote or go directly to the AHDI website.  We need EVERY eligible member to vote.

If you have never taken the opportunity to vote before,

please do so this time.

We must have at least a 10% voter turn-out in order for

any candidate to be elected to the National Leadership Board.

If you have any questions, please contact us.

Polls open to all AHDI voting members!

Carrie Boatman, AHDI-West Immediate Past President writes:

ARGHHH, ANOTHER CHANGE!  How can it be?  That’s my usual response nowadays to change.  But this one is exciting! So much of our profession has moved into the 21st Century but our association structure has stayed the same as it was when we developed it in 1979-1980.  We need to streamline our governance so we have time, money and people to invest in developing our future! The AHDI House of Delegates and Strategic Committees have come up with a great plan to allow us to do this.  We are combining our House of Delegates and our Board of Directors into a National Leadership Board.  This will allow us to combine the committees we have duplicated and cut the cost of governance.  That money, time and energy can then be reinvested in developing programs that explain the relevance of medical documentation to government officials, regulatory agencies, legislators and the public.  Please take the time to vote on these bylaws that will allow our association to tackle the difficult issues that face our profession as we move forward!

EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE ~ EVERY VOTE COUNTS!

Click here for detailed information on the items you are voting on.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact anyone on the AHDI-West Board or your delegates, Jacque Taylor, Kat King or Carrie Boatman. You may also reach the AHDI Member Relations Department by tel: 1-800-982-2182 or 1-209-527-9620, or email: ahdi@ahdionline.org.

CLICK TO VOTE

Cast your vote on proposed revisions to AHDI bylaws by February 28, 2011, 11:59:59 p.m. PST.

Members who cast their vote by the deadline will automatically be entered in a drawing for the new Amazon Kindle with built-in Wi-Fi!

Wow, has time been flying by since our face-to-face meeting at ACE!  Hard to believe it has actually been 4 months!

During the face-to-face meeting at ACE there were 2 subcommittees put together to help map out the new direction and governance of AHDI, the Bylaws, P&Ps, Timeline, Transition Steering Committee…and the Strategic Initiatives Committee.Terri Wakefield, CMT, Secretary/Delegate of AHDI-West, volunteered to serve on the Bylaws committee and Jacque Taylor, AHDI-F, President-Elect of AHDI-West volunteered to serve on the Strategic Initiatives Committee, so we have great representation on both sides.

Both committees have been very busy, meeting at the very least every other week since ACE (sometimes once a week or more) to get their work done. We encourage you to check out the work of these committees on their Wiki pages:

Please contact us if you have any questions, comments or suggestions for our delegates.

• Jacque Taylor, AHDI-F, President/Delegate*
• Kat King, AHDI-F, President-Elect/Delegate*
• Carrie Boatman, CMT, AHDI-F Immediate Past President
• Kris Porter, Director of Communications
• Sandy Shumaker, CMT, AHDI-F, Director of Finance
• Maggie Armbruster, CMT, AHDI-F, Co-Director of Strategic Initiatives (Education/Credentialing)
• Terry Naleway, CMT, AHDI-F, Co-Director of Strategic Initiatives (Advocacy/Membership)

* Third Delegate and Alternate Delegate to be appointed in January 2011.

4th Quarter

Online Meeting

Wednesday, Nov 10, 2010

3:00-5:00 PM PDT

AHDI HOD Agenda 11-10-2010

By Jacque Taylor, AHDI-F

Just 2 weeks ago I was in beautiful Phoenix (and Buckeye), Arizona, visiting my friend and fellow AHDI-WEST board member, Terri Wakefield. I was lucky enough to partake of her hospitality in her beautiful home and meet her awesome husband, dog (Princess), and ride around in her cute car! It was also great to have Karen Fox-Acosta there with us!

Although I was only there a short time, I felt right at home, both at Terri’s house and also the gathering of healthcare documentation professionals at the Gateway Community College. As an informal get-together, I was extremely impressed by how much could be done sitting at a round-table (without the table) with no agenda, no credits offered, no speakers presenting, and no refreshments except what you brought yourself. The group expressed our opinions about the profession, and offered suggestions and possible solutions. We were only there for a few hours, but the participation we had felt as though we could have stayed for a few more hours at the very least! A few of us went to lunch afterward where I was served the biggest glass of ice tea I have ever seen and continued with some discussion and fantastic camaraderie!

Congratulations and MANY thanks to Crystal DeVelis and all those who attended for making this a wonderful gathering.  I hope to copy this format in 2011, holding this same type of gathering all over the AHDI-West region. So, if you would like to help us host one in your area by inviting both members and non-members of AHDI (all those in the healthcare documentation profession), please let me know! I will be very interested in hearing from you! ]]> http://www.ahdi-west.org/misc/phoenix-gathering/feed/ 0 http://www.ahdi-west.org/misc/ahdi-annual-convention-and-expo-ace/ http://www.ahdi-west.org/misc/ahdi-annual-convention-and-expo-ace/#comments Sat, 25 Sep 2010 21:49:19 +0000 katking http://www.ahdi-west.org/?p=733 2010 – Austin, Texas – August 3-7, 2010

By Jacque Taylor, AHDI-F

I wish you all could have been there to experience ACE 2010 in person, but I’ll do my best to sum it up for you!

TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2010

·         AHDI Board of Directors Meeting - If you’ve never gone to a meeting of the AHDI national board of directors, I hope you will make a point of it either next year in Phoenix or at one of their quarterly FTF meetings.  The AHDI board met on Tuesday and it was a very spirited and informative meeting.  This was the official first meeting of our new president, Barb Marques, and it was very exciting!  I don’t think I’ve ever seen a gallery so full… they had to keep bringing in extra chairs.  Thanks to all those who attended this board meeting and were able to participate!

·         House of Delegates Meeting – The HOD met for the first time on a Tuesday night because of the importance of the resolution that had been put forward.  There was one resolution that was passed that night regarding the promotion of mandatory credentialing. It was a wonderful step forward for our association and profession in the quest to have our profession recognized for the importance we play in healthcare documentation.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2010

·         Leadership Summit – Day 2 of the House of Delegates Meeting, and what a meeting it was!  This leadership summit was available electronically for our members who were unable to attend face to face, and gave everyone a chance to participate in the discussion of some revolutionary and historic changes to be made within our association.  At the end of the day, the HOD had passed a resolution that will change the look of the national board of directors and the House of Delegates, and a new National Leadership Board to begin after ACE 2011.  You can read about it in Jay Vance’s blog on the AHDI Lounge. (see My Archive)  One important point that was not mentioned in his blog is the fact that we, as an association, are committed to being very purpose driven, relevant, and supportive of our ambassadors and marketers of this profession through 4 distinct initiatives; credentialing, education, member development, and advocacy.

·         First-Time Attendee and New Member Orientation - I believe there were over 150 first-timers at this convention, and they were celebrated and shown how important they are to us at this orientation!  We were given the opportunity to do “speed networking” and fun was had by all! Go to ACE365 for details!

·         Life Is a Highway Welcome Reception and opening of Exhibit Hall – A wonderful event to welcome in the attendees, presenters, and exhibitors at our convention!  Many attendees dressed up as their favorite singer and had such “celebrities” as Wynonna Judd (aka Kat King), Carrie Underwood (aka Kristin Hagen), Stevie Nicks (aka Linda Fox-Acosta), Tina Turner (aka Linda Giles), Janice Joplin (Harriet Stewart), etc.It gave us all the opportunity to visit with old friends and make new networking acquaintances, and also to visit our exhibitors’ booths.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 2010

·         Presidential Address and Welcome – All attendees were given a warm welcome by incoming AHDI President Barb Marques, who begins her term as president at this meeting, which extend to ACE 2011 in Phoenix, AZ.

·         Opening Keynote: Connie Merritt, RN, PHN – a presentation given by Connie Merritt, RN, PHN, on Too Busy for Your Own Good. She just had her book published with the same title. I would highly recommend it! She gave many great examples as to why we need to slow down and enjoy life to the fullest.

·         Continuing Education Sessions - There were three tracks this year, one for Clinical Medicine, one for Industry Trends and Technology, and one for Workforce Development. One of the highlights of the day was a Grammar Workshop with Richard Lederer, PhD. Dr. Lederer is familiar to our association and literally “speaks our language,” also contributing to many AHDI publications.  He is the author of more than 30 books (I am the proud owner of about 15), and just purchased 2 more, “A Treasury for Cat Lovers” and “The Gift of Age,” his newest.

·         Exhibit Hall Grand Opening - The Exhibit Hall had its formal grand opening at 10 a.m., and what a fantastic array of exhibitors we had! Everything pertaining to our education and profession, and even included new this year was the “AHDI Lounge.”  This was manned by Jay Vance, who interviewed attendees and helped with all technology aspects.  A great place to just go and relax!  Jay is also taking charge of the “AHDI Lounge” virtually, so please visit there often.  A fun and informative place to go!

FRIDAY, AUGUST 6, 2010

·         Industry Update and Annual Business Meeting – This was a general session for all attendees, and the industry update was given by Dr. Peter Preziosi, CEO of AHDI/MTIA.  It was also broadcast live for anyone who could not attend ACE.  A few portions of this session were recorded and are available through the AHDI Lounge.

·         Continuing Education Sessions - The educational tracks continued as the day before, and there were so many great presenters and topics it was hard to choose! Thank goodness these were recorded so I can listen to the ones I missed!  Interesting topics such as “Grow or go? Selling vs. Expanding Your Business,” “Life in a Level 1 Trauma Center,” etc.  For information regarding session recordings contact AHDI.

·         AHDI Fun Night Out - This year AHDI attendees were given the opportunity to enjoy “Esther’s Follies,” an Austin “must-see” tourist attraction, located directly across the street from our hotel! “Part magic show, part vaudeville review, part satire tour-de-force, Esther’s Follies takes no prisoners, offering biting, hilarious satire on all the news makers and events fit to parody.”If you are ever in Austin, be sure to take time to see this hilarious show!

SATURDAY, AUGUST 7, 2010

Seems like we had just gotten started when it was time to say “so long” again to everyone at ACE.  What a wonderful whirlwind of events! The day went like this:

·         Continuing Education Sessions – More sessions including “Technology in Your Workplace,” “The Educator’s Workshop,” and “Regional Extension Centers – How They Relate to the Healthcare Documentation Sector.”  Lots of education right up to the end!

·         No Limits AHDI Integrity Awards Brunch - This year, instead of having a grand meeting in the evening, awards were given at the Brunch.  Awards and the winners were:

o   Educator of the Year - Kim Buchanan, CMT, AHDI-F

o   Employer of the Year - Webmedx, Inc.

o   Membership Impact - Capital City Chapter of AHDI (Austin, Texas)

o   Excellence in Credentialing - Cora Clement, CMT

o   Innovation through Technology - Sarah Steffes of TRS Institute and Melissa Longfellow of 3M.

o   Member of the Year - Kathy Dominguez, CMT, AHDI-F

o   Rising Star - Amanda Taylor, M-TEC

Congratulations to all the winners and all who were nominated, including AHDI-West members, Lisa Farragut and Amy Harper, who were nominated for Member of the Year, Shumaker Transcription Service for Employer of the Year, and AHDI-West for the Membership Impact Award.

·         Closing Keynote Event: Billy Riggs – If you have never seen or heard of Billy Riggs, it is an item to be added to your bucket list.  He has been called “The Dr. Phil of Magic.”   Billy uses an unusual blend of comedy, music, magic, and motivation to spread his positive attitude, and it really works!  There are other magicians, there are other attitude speakers, but there is only ONE that delivers “The Magic of Attitude!”  There are several attendees who were asked to participate with him in his presentation who are still scratching their heads as to how things were done… including me!

·         Presidential Wrap-Up – AHDI President Barb Marques gave the convention wrap-up, along with Ava George, AHDI President-Elect, inviting everyone to be sure and attend next year in Phoenix!

Well, there you have it!  A brief synopsis of 5 wonderful days in Austin.  Please be SURE to mark your calendar for ACE 2011, to be held at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Hotel in Phoenix, Arizona, from August 18 through August 21, 2011.  This will be the silver anniversary and final meeting of the House of Delegates as we now know it, as well as the beginning of an amazing new look for our association and the ability to put forth all of our attention on critical matters pertaining to our profession in a more relevant manner.  We look forward to seeing you there!

AHDI House of Delegates Online Meeting

Wednesday, April 21, 2010 – 6:00 – 8:00 pm EDT (3:00 – 5:00 pm PDT)

The 2^nd quarter House of Delegates Meeting was called to order by Bonnie Monico, CMT, AHDI-F, Speaker of the House 2009.  All attendees and gallery were welcomed.

Review of Medical Transcription Week Campaign

Lea Sims, CMT, AHDI-F, AHDI Director of Professional Programs, went over the plans for Medical Transcription Week Campaign.  There will be posters for download on the AHDI website and other information at the AHDI website.  We need to promote our profession and its concepts and be proactive in advocating for current and future values in advancing health care’s goals for EHR adoption.

In the months of April and May 2010 only, there will be a $100 discount given courtesy of AHDI and TRS Institute on a Speech Recognition Technology (SRT) Training Course.

Status of RMT/CMT Credentialing Program

Lea Sims also reported that the Credentialing Program will be undergoing some changes towards the end of the year and gave several examples of how the testing may be structured as well as the possibility of taking the exam online.  Further updates will be given as details are given.

Update on Leadership Summit and Evolving Good Governance Models

Barb Marques, CMT, AHDI-F, AHDI President-Elect, and Bonnie Monico gave updates on the Leadership Summit at the Advocacy Summit and evolving governance models being developed by the HOD Lead Team and the Blueprint for Great Governance Committee.  There will be several face-to-face and virtual Town Hall Meetings scheduled that members are strongly encouraged to attend so that all voices can be heard:

Face-to-Face meetings:

– Florida – May

– Oregon – June

– Colorado – June

Online Webinars:

–Tuesday, May 4

–Wednesday, May 26

–Monday, June 14

–Wednesday, July 14

Membership Recruitment and Retention Efforts – Survey in coordination with Membership Advisory Workgroup (MAW)

Linda Brady, CAE – Director of Member Relations, gave an update of survey(s) being developed through the assistance of members of the MAW that will be given to new members, retaining members, and members who have dropped their memberships.

The meeting was adjourned at 8 p.m. Eastern time