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 Happy
New Year! 2008 has already begun with a bang. There is so much going on
and so much to look forward to as the year progresses. Watch your email in
February for the annual meeting
registration packet. Marsha Dolan and her team are diligently working to
make this an exciting event.
Nominations
for the 2008-2009 Board of Directors is underway. Mary Lee Harlan-Newberry
will be sending out the call for nominations, so please consider nominating
someone or maybe even yourself for the open positions. Check our
website for qualifications.
There will
be
coding roundtable audio-conference in February you won’t want to miss.
See the article below for all the details. Also, keep an eye out for
further educational opportunities on-line or via audio-conference within the
next few months.
Your
delegates will be voting on a change to CAHIIM in February. If you have any
questions or would just like to talk about it, please feel free to contact
any of the
delegates. We are here to serve you.
Thanks for
your support and I look forward to the next few months. Hope to see you in
St. Charles at the annual meeting.
Julie Wolter, MA, RHIA
President, MHIMA
 The
updated personal health record (PHR) Consumer Awareness Campaign is
scheduled to launch on January 28 and is already creating a buzz among AHIMA
members. With news of a celebrity spokesperson supporting the campaign and a
newly renovated Web site that includes videos of personal health stories,
consumers will be attracted to and easily engaged in information on how a
health record is used and how to create their own PHR. Consumers are a
powerful voice in influencing healthcare industry legislation and business
practices and, therefore, can be strong allies and advocates for the HIM
profession. As consumer awareness rapidly increases throughout this
campaign, HIM professionals should be prepared for an increase in requests
to assist with education of the PHR. The 2008 campaign includes many new
components. Look for a revamped www.myPHR.com, a corporate documentary, a
PSA featuring our celebrity spokesperson, new materials for local PR and
marketing initiatives, community presentations, and more later this month.
 Dear
HIM Professional,
MHIMA
would like to honor the excellence, dedication and service of professionals
whose efforts better the Health Information Management field in the state of
Missouri.
Think of
people who have made an impact on your HIM career. What better time than
NOW to honor extraordinary colleagues, educators, students, volunteers, and
boosters with a nomination to the state recognition they deserve.
The 2008 Award
categories are:
-
Distinguished Service Award: This is MHIMA’s highest
honor. It is awarded to an individual whose record of contributions to
the HIM field over many years is truly exceptional.
-
Rising Star: This award honors a gifted new
professional (practicing in the HIM field for less then 3 years)
who embodies great hope as we look to the future of the HIM profession.
-
Outstanding HIM Educator: This award honors those who
demonstrate excellence in preparing the next generation of professionals
for their HIM careers.
-
Outstanding HIM Student: This award recognizes the best
of the new talent being trained in our 6 HIT/HIA programs in the state.
-
Outstanding MHIMA Booster: This award recognizes a
vendor that has shown continued support of MHIMA and the HIM profession.
-
Outstanding MHIMA Volunteer: This award recognizes an
individual that has devoted extraordinary time to the HIM profession
through volunteering at the state and local levels in Missouri.
No one can
win unless they are nominated. So, please take the time to show your
appreciation for contributions made by a remarkable individual by nominating
someone for a 2008 MHIMA Award. Forms can be found on the MHIMA web site –
www.mohima.org/MHIMAAwards.html
Thank you,
Jeff McGraw,
RHIT
Project Team Leader
2008 MHIMA Awards Committee
 It
is that time of year when the Missouri Health Information Management
Association (MHIMA) will be accepting applications for the 2008 student
scholarships. Requirements and application information can be found at
www.mohima.org/scholarshipforms.html
Please note the deadline for
submission to the Project Team is Friday, February 15, 2008. We look
forward to receiving your application. If you have any questions please
feel free to contact me at
awards@mohima.org or 660-827-9591.
Jeff McGraw, RHIT
Project Team Leader
MHIMA 2008 Scholarship Project Team
 As
MHIMA prepares for annual elections, let’s review membership types and
membership benefits.
AHIMA in 2006 revised membership categories. They now
include:
Active – Individuals interested in the AHIMA purpose
and willing to abide by the Code of Ethics. Active members in good standing
are entitled to all membership privileges including the right to vote.
Student – Students who do not have an AHIMA
credential and have not previously been Active members of AHIMA are eligible
to apply for student membership if at least one of the following is met:
1)
currently enrolled in an accredited CAHIIM HIM program, or
2)
currently enrolled in an approved AHIMA medical coding program.
New Graduate – Is for AHIMA Student members only.
After graduation from an AHIMA accredited HIT, HIA or approved Coding or
Masters program, AHIMA Student members may join at a reduced annual dues
rate for a period of one year.
Senior – In recognition of service to the profession,
current AHIMA members 65 of age and over are eligible for this membership
type.
If anyone has an affiliation with AHIMA for
‘Credentials Only’, this is not considered an AHIMA “membership” for the
purposes of voting and other membership privileges.
What are those membership privileges? They
are too numerous to mention all of them here, but some major ones will be
covered. For a full description of all privileges, please refer to
www.ahima.org/membership/member_benefits.asp.
A major benefit is the use of the
Communities of Practice. This is a chat and e-mail sharing of problems and
potential solutions to a myriad of issues in every HIM practice area. Many
state HIM associations have their own CoP, as Communities of Practice are
known. Missouri is one of the states that has its own CoP under the
Geographic category.
The FORE library, known as the HIM Body of
Knowledge (BoK), is a resource of articles from the Journal of AHIMA, AHIMA
Practice Briefs, position statements, job descriptions, among other items.
This can be invaluable for research into a specific problem to see what
others have done already to make your job easier!
Career Assist is a repository of available
positions in the medical coding and HIM field. Nonmembers pay to post on
it, but posting your resume or a position available is free to members.
Electronic newsletters such as the weekly
E-Alert and monthly AHIMA Resources, can keep members informed timely about
the latest news that affects the HIM profession.
Other privileges include:
Web-based training
AHIMA publications
AHIMA Logo Items
AHIMA On-Demand (order reprints or articles, order
customized textbooks)
Discounts to AHIMA-sponsored meetings
Coding Roundtables
Annual National Convention
Advocacy (make a difference in whether HIM-related
legislation passes!)
Online CE Quizzes
Mentor Program
PDA Verticals (handheld devices at special offer pricing
The list goes on and on!
If you are a current AHIMA and MHIMA member,
we hope you continue and take advantage of these wonderful benefits. If you
are not currently a member, please consider joining - we who are members
would love to learn from your experiences.
Janice Noller, RHIA,CCS,CPHQ
President-Elect
AHIMA is a growing and vibrant association
thanks to a high level of energetic and passionate volunteer involvement.
The nominating committee needs your help in identifying those members who
have extensive leadership skills and industry experience that is required
for service in 2009 and beyond. AHIMA represents leaders in the HIM
industry. With your help, we can continue the tradition by nominating highly
qualified and experienced members for service on the Board of Directors,
Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information
Management Education, and Council on Certification.
We encourage you to nominate yourself or a
colleague who will provide strong leadership for AHIMA in the years ahead
for one of the elected positions on the board, commission, and council
positions. Please carefully consider yourself and your colleagues who are
active members and who have made leadership contributions at the component
state association or national level or through their work with our
commission, committees, task forces, Communities of Practice, or other
organizations of a similar nature.
The timetable for the 2008 nomination
process is available at
http://library.ahima.org/xpedio/groups/public/documents/ahima/bok1_028963.doc.
To learn more about the available positions, please access the “Call to
Nomination Guide” and the “Call for Nomination Forms.” We look forward to
receiving your nomination electronically no later than close of business on
January 31. Please note that all nominations must be submitted
electronically. If you have questions, please contact Marilyn Render at
marilyn.render@ahima.org.
Thank you for your time and commitment to AHIMA.
(Commission on
Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education)
Frequently Asked
Questions About HIM Program Accreditation
Proposed Bylaw Amendment
The MHIMA Board of Directors wanted to
provide some information about this By-Laws change to you, our members, so
that there is greater understanding of the issues about this change.
In 2005 the AHIMA House of Delegates
established CAHIIM as an independent organization sponsored by AHIMA.
CAHIIM is responsible for accreditation of HIM academic programs at the
associate and baccalaureate degree levels.
In order to obtain national recognition for
the CAHIIM accreditation processes, pursuing CHEA (Council for Higher
Education Accreditation) is needed. There is also an increased government
interest in higher education student outcomes and oversight of regional and
specialized accreditors (as CAHIIM is). CHEA recognition would reaffirm the
quality of CAHIIM’s accreditation processes on a national and international
level, and also affirm accountability to the public such as students,
consumers and employers.
CHEA eligibility standards show that AHIMA by-laws are not
in compliance. CHEA Standard G states, “Demonstrates independence from any
parent entity, or sponsoring entity, for the conduct of accreditation
activities and determination of accreditation status.” Therefore, this is
the reason for this by-laws change.
There has been confusion about who would
then control the direction of the HIM program curriculums. According to
Claire Dixon-Lee, PhD, RHIA, FAHIMA, Executive Director of CAHIIM in a
discussion on the State Leaders and HOD Community of Practice on the AHIMA
website, “CAHIIM manages the requirements for college program standards, the
profession still directs the curriculum.” The curriculum direction will be
accomplished through the future development of House of Delegate Teams for
specific areas of our profession including curriculum content.
Your delegates to the AHIMA House of
Delegates will be voting on this change beginning mid-February. If
you have any questions or opinions concerning this AHIMA by-laws vote,
please contact any of the
delegates listed on the MHIMA website. We want to hear from you!
The 2006 Legal Manual for Management of Health Information in Missouri is
available for purchase. Please
click here
for more information.
Have a best practice in HIM Department management or coding
that you’d like to share with your colleagues?
Want a chance to win a MHIMA or AHIMA gift
certificate to be used toward a continuing education project or purchase of
HIM week products?
Through a grant funded by First Class
Solutions, the Innovation in Current HIM Practice Awards have been
developed. The Awards program is intended to facilitate the exchange of
ideas and solutions that have a positive impact on our practices, the
healthcare systems we work in and the patients we serve and to recognize
those innovative, proven practices applied to the traditional paper-based
and transitional settings.
Please
click
here for an application and more information.
Side-by-side comparison of the 2008 Presidential
Candidates' health care proposals.
Democrats
Republicans
If you are making a gift in honor of a
friend or colleague in HIM, a mentor, a co-worker, or a classmate, don't
forget to request your FORE Shooting Star pin when you make a gift. The gold
lapel pin is for you to present to your honoree in recognition of all they
contribute to the HIM profession. Each Shooting Star pin is $25 and can be
mailed directly to you to present to your honoree or (at your request) FORE
can mail it to the individual on your behalf.
Clark Chaffin, RHIA (December) and
Sharon Farley, RHIA & Ann Nowlin, RHIT (January) were selected to receive
the Shooting STAR awards by the MHIMA Board. Congratulations!
Click here for more information.
Learn more
and register online.
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