MHIMA Members,

I am honored to have the opportunity to serve as the President of MHIMA for 2007-2008. Our CSA strives to promote the goals of AHIMA and meet the specific needs of our state membership through education, communication and advocacy. As Health Information Management professionals, we strive to be a leader in all areas of Health Information Management.

It is an exciting time in the healthcare industry. Health Information Management professionals are playing a key role as we transition to an electronic record. We all can and should play a role in this endeavor. I challenge everyone to keep open to opportunities where you might be able to help drive change in your institution, city, or even in the state.

The Board is busy working on strategic initiatives that will encourage better communication, mentoring of students and members, education in a variety of modalities and advocacy for the changes occurring. We cannot do this alone. We need your help. Below is a list of our committees. Please consider where you might like to help and then volunteer.

Marketing Team: Karen Gambon – marketing@mohima.org

Bridging the Gap/ Recruitment Team: Donna Caldwell-Chaffin – recruitment@mohima.org

Advocacy Team: Michelle Kornfeld - advocacy@mohima.org

Education Team: Ruth Koch – education@mohima.org

Awards/Scholarship Team: Jeff McGraw- awards@mohima.org

PR/Communications Team: Jennifer Melvin - communications@mohima.org

Please feel free to contact me with your questions, thoughts or concerns. I can be reached at president@mohima.org or call me at 314-977-8704. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Julie Wolter, MA, RHIA

President, MHIMA

Description - Industry Update: Current issues surrounding the PHR

Date and Time - August 17, 2007 12:00-1:00 CST

Facilitators - Julie Wolter, MA, RHIA and Marsha Dolan, MBA, RHIA

Price - No Charge

Registration is limited to the first 40 registrants.

Multiple Participants Registering At Your Facility?

Each registrant will count as a registered phone line, however an unlimited number of registrants can share a phone line during the audio conference. If there are multiple participants that will share a phone line, then register each registrant below.

CEs - 1

Contact - Julie Wolter, MA, RHIA, wolterjl@slu.edu, 314-977-8704

Deadline - Wednesday, 8/15 at 5:00 CST

- MHIMA PHR Roundtable Audio Conference - August 17th (learn more below)

- EMHIMA Coding Roundtable - August 18th (learn more below)

- Mid-Missouri Meeting - Ocotber 5th (learn more below)

- AHIMA annual convention - October 8-10

- Health Information and Technology Week - November 4-10

- MHIMA Board of Directors Board Meeting - March meeting is a conference call from 9-10:30 am (not a face to face)

- Hill Day - Washington DC - April 7th

- Winter Team Talks, Washington DC - April 8th

- MHIMA Annual Meeting - April 30 - May 2, 2008

OPINIONS NEEDED...please review the following information and contact one of your House of Delegate representatives with your thoughts/comments.

Upcoming votes for House of Delegates Resolutions:

There are currently two resolutions being considered by the AHIMA House of Delegates. These resolutions are the “Proposed Resolution on Diversity” and the “Proposed Resolution on HIM Adoption of the Personal Health Record.”

The diversity resolution is intended to advance AHIMA's commitment to a culture that respects diversity throughout its organization, the federation, and the HIM profession at large. To achieve this end, this resolution calls upon AHIMA and its affiliates to:

Adopt meaningful, actionable, and durable diversity practices to expand the real opportunities available to all HIM professionals, including opportunities to fully participate in AHIMA

Engage the AHIMA community in advancing the goals of enhanced professional opportunities for all and improved value of the membership experience

Respect the individual sensibilities, personal beliefs, differences, and privacy and other rights of all HIM professionals and AHIMA members

Monitor the impact of these practices to improve and strengthen them over time

The PHR resolution charges HIM professionals with the responsibility of creating and maintaining their own personal health record. HIM professionals are ideally suited through their education and professional capabilities to inform consumers and healthcare providers about the benefits of the PHR.

Karen Gambon, RHIA, was selected to receive the Shooting STAR award for July by the MHIMA Board. Congratulations Karen!

AHIMA develops new program to identify leaders in the HIM profession

ACE, the Action Community for e-HIM Excellence is a new program from AHIMA. The ACE Challenge mobilizes a network of experts and change agents. It identifies, prepares, engages, mentors, and recognizes those working to transform HIM practice.

ACE members match their skills and interests with volunteer and career-building opportunities. They form a preferred pool of experts and a network of peers transforming HIM. It is through mentoring, writing, speaking, and testifying for AHIMA and the Component State Associations that ACE members share their e-HIM expertise and accelerate change. ACE members attain personal recognition and acknowledgment by peers, employers, and the healthcare industry.

8/18 - 8:00-12:00 pm

St. John's Mercy Medical Center

The professional practice is a component of an academic program (for credit) in which the student is assigned to work at a healthcare location with a set of objectives to fulfill. The intent is to incorporate classroom theory with real-world application. These experiences can last from a couple of days to a month.

The professional practice experience is a very important component of HIM education. The accredited programs in the state of Missouri are always looking for new sites.

Do you need affordable CEUs . . .

Make plans to attend the bi-annual meeting of the Mid-Missouri HIMA to be held on Friday, October 5th, at the Veteran's Administration Hospital, Columbia, MO. A portion of the meeting will include a presentation of electronic health records including electronic Release of Information and its tie-in with the record and a MyhealtheVet initiative that allows veteran patients to access portions of their records from their home computers.