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Happy Autumn!
Julie Wolter, MA, RHIA
President, MHIMA
 The
AMIA 2007 Nursing Informatics Symposium this year will be held in Chicago on
November 10. The topic is "The Nurse-Consumer Partnership: Advocating for an
Effective PHR." Consumer demand and national initiatives are prompting the
development of personal health records. Speaking at this symposium are Julie
Wolter, MA, RHIA, assistant professor at Saint Louis University, and Jill
Burrington-Brown, MS, RHIA, FAHIMA, practice resource manager at AHIMA.
AHIMA is pleased to be a corporate sponsor
of this event. To learn more about this all-day symposium, go to
www.amia.org.
 In
a new report of preliminary research findings, the State Level Health
Information Exchange Consensus Project continues to bring forward valuable
lessons about how states are approaching HIE. “State Level Health
Information Exchange: Roles in Ensuring Governance and Advancing
Interoperability” is a preliminary report that outlines recommendations
regarding the distinct state-level functions that need to be part of the
organized HIE landscape. The consensus project is an initiative of the
Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology,
Department of Health and Human Services, through the Foundation of Research
and Education of AHIMA. The report is available at
www.staterhio.org.
 AHIMA's
Education Strategy Committee has released a white paper, “Vision 2016:
Blueprint for Quality Education in Health Information Management,” which
explores the state of HIM education today, outlines the benefits,
opportunities, and challenges, and suggests how three key priorities might
be achieved by 2016. Previous versions of this report have been posted to
some Communities of Practice; the final version has been edited for
readability and includes an appendix of comments from educators who reviewed
an earlier draft during the 2007 Assembly on Education Summer Symposium.
The three key priorities of the blueprint
are:
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Transformation of health information
management to a graduate-level profession by 2016
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Realign the health information
management associate degree with work force needs by 2016
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Prepare an effective, qualified pool of
health information management faculty by 2016
The resolution to begin research into the
potential models as to how education will have to change to meet the market
demand in 2016 was passed by the House of Delegates in Philadelphia last
week. MHIMA has formed a task force that will keep current with this topic
and offer the AHIMA Board suggestions and recommendations as this process
proceeds. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Julie
Wolter at
president@mhima.org.
To read the report, go to
http://www.ahima.org/emerging_issues/
Vision2016BlueprintforEduc.pdf.
 The
House Science and Technology Committee passed HR 2406 by voice vote on
October 24. HR 2406 is a bill that authorizes the National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST) to increase its efforts in support of the
integration of the healthcare information enterprise in the United States.
AHIMA has been working closely with the chairman on this legislation to
insure that the bill properly recognizes the current standards development,
adoption, and certification environment. AHIMA also provided draft language
to the chairman to address the recommendations in the recent AHIMA/AMIA
report, “Healthcare Terminologies and Classifications: Essential Keys to
Interoperability.” Congressman Baron Hill (D-IN) offered the healthcare
terminologies and classifications amendment that directs NIST to establish a
task force to develop a strategic plan and develop recommendations for:
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the development, adoption and
maintenance of terminologies and classifications
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gaining commitment of terminology and
classification stakeholders to principles and guidelines for open and
transparent processes to enable cost-effective interoperability and
complete and accurate information
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the design of a centralized authority or
governance model, including principles for its operation and funding
scenarios
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US participation in the International
Health Terminology and Standards Development Organization, and
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any other issues developed by the task
force
The approved amendment names AHIMA and AMIA
as industry groups to be members of the NIST task force.
A recent report from the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation entitled, “Designing PHRs for Living” documents the results of
several grant teams tasked to design new approaches to personal health
records. Early results from the teams indicate additional uses for PHRs such
as recording sleep, diet, and mood patterns may be beneficial in managing a
patient’s care.
The complete report is available at:
http://www.projecthealthdesign.org/media/file/Designing_PHRs_for_Living.pdf
 Consulting
firm BearingPoint recently released a report, “Essential but Not Sufficient:
Information Technology in Long-term Care as an Enabler of Consumer
Independence and Quality Improvement.” The report was prepared for the
National Commission for Long-term Quality Care and reveals that health
information technology can improve long term care but needs to be
implemented with other healthcare segments to ensure success. The report
reveals that technology in long term care is more fragmented due to issues
such as slower technology adoption and the need to address a wider spectrum
of more complex health issues.
The complete report is available at
http://www.ncqltc.org/pdf/
BearingPoint_Report_for_NCQLTC.pdf. (Please note that this is a large
file and may take a few moments to open.)
The In Case of Emergency Prescription
history service is activated and updated for those affected by the
California wildfires. Pharmacy chains and SureScripts developed
icerx.org earlier this year, and originally created it for patients
affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/html/news/NewsStory.cfm?articleId=15951
 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.
For more information, visit
http://www.ahima.org/fore/contribute/giftsmemorial.asp.
 The
2008 MHIMA Annual Meeting team has posted the "Call
for Speakers" on the Missouri HIMA website. Please consider sharing your
expertise with the rest of us by submitting your name and topic.
We are also looking for three HIPAA privacy experts who are
willing to be panelists. Please contact Marsha Dolan,
dolan@missouriwestern.edu if
you willing to help.
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