HIM WEEKLY WEDNESDAY - Possible ICD-10 Delay - 3/27/14

It was a crazy day for AHIMA and the HIM profession yestereday.  It was discovered that some language about delaying ICD-10 for another year was "sneeked in" to a bill that is going to be voted on today.  This would be devastating to most healthcare organizations, colleges, software vendors, etc. who have already spend countless hours and dollars preparing and training for ICD-10 to be ready for the transition this October 1.

 

AHIMA found out about this at the last hour and jumped into action.  They made calls to congress and asked the membership to all make calls to their state senators to ask them to please vote no for the bill as written.

 

Please read this short article and be informed! http://journal.ahima.org/2014/03/26/congress-voting-tomorrow-on-icd-10-delay-ahima-calls-on-members-to-take-action/

HIM Weekly Wednesday - Happy Health Information Professionals Week!

Hello HIM Students! I know it’s Tuesday and I am a day early, but I will be in-flight tomorrow and I want to be sure you get this message before the week is half over!

Health Information Professionals Week Focuses on “Transforming Healthcare with Information” During 25th Annual Celebration

The American Health Information Management Association honors and celebrates health information professionals this week for Health Information Professionals (HIP) Week, March 16-22, 2014. This year's theme is “Transforming Healthcare with Information.”

“The work health information management (HIM) professionals do to ensure the integrity of health information is imperative to clinical and administrative decision making. Access to accurate information helps all of us make important decisions and leads to a healthy society,” said AHIMA CEO Lynne Thomas Gordon, MBA, RHIA, CAE, FACHE, FAHIMA. “AHIMA’s Health Information Professionals Week spotlights the important role HIM professionals play in our healthcare system.”

HIP Week 2014 coincides with AHIMA’s Hill Day, an event where AHIMA members visit Capitol Hill and share the importance of advancing HIM. Information governance, privacy and security, and fraud and abuse concerns continue to be key issues for HIM professionals, and AHIMA is ready to provide guidance to the healthcare industry and government leaders seeking counsel.

“AHIMA's vision is a world in which healthcare decisions are informed by instant access to intelligence,” said Thomas Gordon. “In this vision, data is a critical asset. This year's theme, ‘Transforming Healthcare with Information,’ describes the future we want to see and reminds us that HIM professionals' work is supporting quality of care and population health today.”

As the focus in healthcare shifts from the ability to collect data to using information effectively, healthcare organizations will continue to depend on HIM professionals as leaders in this area. With their expertise in management of information, as well as data integrity and analytics, health information professionals are well positioned to move the healthcare industry into a transformed future.

I am looking forward to celebrating HIP week with many of you at our HIM Open House Thursday evening! If you need more information about the Open House please let me know!

Cindy Glewwe, M.Ed., RHIA
Director, Health Information Management Program
Charter Oak State College
55 Paul J. Manafort Drive
New Britain, CT 06053
(Ph.) 860-515-3833

cglewwe@charteroak.edu

HIM WEEKLY WEDNESDAY - AHIMA Testimony on ICD-10 Transition

Hello everyone, forgive me for being a day late! Sometimes the days just fly by and I can’t keep up with my to-do list!

I am going to be quick today and leave you with a link for some good bedtime reading.

1. This is a great example of how AHIMA works for its members and acts as the expert in HIM matters throughout the healthcare industry
2. This is a presentation/testimonial given that describes how healthcare facilities are doing with the ICD-10 transition
3. You will learn a lot of history plus get a better understanding of the huge undertaking it has been, and will continue to be, to transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10 coding on October 1 of this year

Happy Reading!

Cindy Glewwe, M.Ed., RHIA
Director, Health Information Management Program
Charter Oak State College
55 Paul J. Manafort Drive
New Britain, CT 06053
(Ph.) 860-515-3833

cglewwe@charteroak.edu

HIM Weekly Wednesday - Advance for Health Information Professionals / Job Searches

Hello HIM Students and Happy Wednesday! I hope Term 1 went well and as you gear up for Term 2 I think we will be seeing spring very soon!
Today I would like to share with you another excellent resource. There is a publication that I have been reading for as long as I can remember (probably 20 years) that has really good articles and other resources. I learn a lot from the publications that cross my desk. This one is called Advance for Health Information Professionals. I was reading some information on their site and noticed that they have a special section for students and recent graduates and I knew right away what I would share with you today!
Take a look and save this link in your favorites. It has great information about the job search, networking, resume writing, and more. While you are there, be sure to also click on the Salary tab on the top of the page to look at Part I of a 3 part study on HIM professionals salaries. Also notice a box with some job postings. It is a good idea to start looking at job postings to get an idea of what types of job titles and job descriptions you will be qualified for once you graduate. You can also do an expanded search using a dropdown box to specify the type of job you are interested in. It is never too early to start looking!
Have a great day!
Cindy Glewwe, M.Ed., RHIA
Director, Health Information Management Program
Charter Oak State College
55 Paul J. Manafort Drive
New Britain, CT 06053
(Ph.) 860-515-3833
cglewwe@charteroak.edu