News

January PEHIMA e-Blast

Congratulations to our new 2021 PEHIMA Board Members:

  • Courtney Simmons, President
  • Jennifer Buch, President-Elect
  • Melody Brown, Past President
  • Sandra Martin, Secretary
  • Brittany Robbins, Treasurer
  • Kelly Fast, Director of Education

We would like to thank our 2020 PEHIMA Board Members for their time:

  • Melody Brown, President
  • Darlisa Finney, Past President
  • Leameana Davis, Secretary
  • Kelly Fast, Treasurer

January Monthly Meeting

PEHIMA – Monthly Meeting
Thursday, January 21, 2021
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM

Our first PEHIMA meeting of 2021 will feature Christopher Smiley, Financial Advisor. Get 2021 started with some advice on financial health!

January 21 at 5:30 PM.

Christopher Smiley, MA AIG Financial Health

Register here for our Zoom meeting.

Register now to become a 2021 member! Join now and you get access to Melody Brown’s Evaluation and Management Presentation on 2021 Evaluation and Management new guidelines and earn 1.5 CEUs. Membership is $25.

MoHIMA Call for Nominations

MoHIMA Members,

It is that time of year again and we need your assistance.

This is the call for Nominations for the 2021 MoHIMA Board of Director Elections.

We have the following positions that we are opening nominations for this election period:

President-Elect 
(3-year term) 2021-2024

  • 2021-2022: President-Elect
  • 2022-2023: President
  • 2023-2024: Past-President

Delegate 
(2-year term) 2021-2023

Director, Education 
(2-year term) 2021-2023

Director, Professional Development   
(2-year term) 2021-2023 

Director, Public Relations    
(2-year term) 2021-2023 

The term will begin on July 1, 2021.

If you would like to nominate or self-nominate, please learn more.

The deadline for submission is January 25, 2021.

Thank you.

Mary Lee Harlan-Newberry
MoHIMA President-Elect
Nominating Committee Chairperson, 2021

View the Job Descriptions

Complete the Nomination Form

Take the Next Step in Leadership – Apply for an Elected Volunteer Position with AHIMA

Take the Next Step in Leadership – Apply for an Elected Volunteer Position with AHIMA

AHIMA is looking for strategic, innovative, dedicated members to be considered for one of our five elected roles in 2022. View the opportunities for the AHIMA President/Chair-elect, Board of Directors, CEE member, CCHIIM Commissioners, and Speaker-elect of the House of Delegates on the AHIMA website. The online application will be available in mid-January.  Please contact profession.governance@ahima.org  with any questions and to indicate your interest in applying.  The application link will be sent to you once it is available.

New HIPAA Proposed Rules

On December 10, 2020, Health and Human Services released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would change HIPAA regulations to expand individuals’ right to access, affect what can be charged for ROI fees, and make changes to Notices of Privacy Practices. At this time, this is only a proposed rule and does not require any changes yet.

Click on the video below where Richelle Marting outlines the details of the proposal.

 

Patient ID Day Is Today, November 18th!

Patient ID Day Is Today, November 18th!

ACT NOW! Tell Congress It’s Time to Repeal the Ban Around Patient Identification 

Action Alert 

 

It’s Patient ID Day! 

We need your help reaching out to the U.S. Senate today as they work to pass the Fiscal Year 2021 budget bills that still include a ban that stifles innovation around patient identification! 

In July, the US House of Representatives adopted an amendment striking language in the House FY21 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education (Labor-HHS) Appropriations bill that prohibits the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from using federal funds to promote or adopt a unique patient identifier. Striking this language will give HHS the ability to evaluate a range of patient identification solutions that protect patient privacy and are cost-effective, scalable, and secure. 

As Congress continues to consider the fiscal year 2021 spending bills, we encourage you to contact your Senator to encourage them to remove this archaic ban from the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2021. 

 

Act Now!

PEHIMA November Meeting

 

November Monthly Meeting

PEHIMA – Monthly Meeting
Thursday, November 19, 2020
5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Earn Two CEUs

 

Description:

Student “Open House” – Join us for discussions on key points students and HIM professionals need to know about job searching, professionalism, and Professional Practice Experience (PPE). Even if you attended last year’s meeting, get updated on changes to PPE! Learn about AHIMA’s Professional Enhancement Campaign. 2 CEUs available.

Speaker 1:

5:30 PM
Missy Kessler, Senior Vice President, Randstad USA
Topic: Professional Preparation
1 CE

Speaker 2:

6:30 PM
Mechel McKinney, MBA, RHIA, Assistant Professor, MWSU HIM
Topic: Professional Practice Experience
1 CE

Zoom Registration:

Click here to register in advance for this meeting.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

October PEHIMA Meeting

October Monthly Meeting

PEHIMA – Monthly Meeting
Thursday, October 22, 2020
5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Earn Two CEUs

 

FY 2021 Updates Part 1:
ICD-10-CM Codes & Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting

Duration:
60 minutes

Speakers:

  • Denene Harper, RHIA
    Senior Coding Consultant, AHA
  • Nelly Leon-Chisen, RHIA
    Director of Coding & Classification, AHA
  • Anita Rapier, RHIT, CCS
    Managing Editor, Senior Coding Consultant, AHA
  • Gretchen Young-Charles, RHIA
    Senior Coding Consultant, AHA

 

FY 2021 Updates Part 2: ICD-10-PCS Codes and Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting

Duration:
60 minutes

Speakers:

  • Denene Harper, RHIA
    Senior Coding Consultant, AHA
  • Nelly Leon-Chisen, RHIA
    Director of Coding & Classification, AHA
  • Anita Rapier, RHIT, CCS
    Managing Editor, Senior Coding Consultant, AHA
  • Gretchen Young-Charles, RHIA
    Senior Coding Consultant, AHA

Click Here to Register

It is not too late to become a 2020 PEHMA member for $25 to have access to October, November, and December CEUs. Or you can pay $10 for October, November, and December each.

Coming Up In November:
Student Open House with Speaker Leslie Stokes
Topic:
Professional Enhancement

Introducing ‘Tune In Tuesdays’ with MoHIMA!

Tune on on Tuesdays to view videos promoting the Health Information Management field. Hear from specialists, leaders, and schools as we showcase and celebrate our unique profession! A new video will be featured on MoHIMA’s social media pages (Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn) every Tuesday.

In order to showcase the breadth and depth of our profession we want to hear from YOU! We are seeking volunteers to participate in this promotional series in one (or more) of the following video categories:

  • “My HIM Story” — tell us how you found and chose the HIM profession
  • “Faces of HIM” — tell us about your specific role within HIM and share the day-to-day of your job
  • “Proud Member Profile” — tell us why you enjoy being a member of AHIMA member and what it means to you
  • “The Value of Volunteering” — tell us about your volunteer roles and why you want to volunteer to give back to the profession

If you are interested in being featured in our series contact Veronica Richardson, RHIA, Director of Public Relations at communications@mohima.org.

Please follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube to see past and future Tune In Tuesday videos.

2021 Annual Meeting – Short Survey

The MoHIMA Board of Directors is considering a variety of formats for the 2021 Annual Meeting. Please take a moment to share your feedback regarding the format of the 2021 Annual Meeting. Click below to take the 3-question survey. 

Complete the Survey

President’s Message

MoHIMA Members!

I cannot believe that fall is upon us already!  We are definitely experiencing very busy times in healthcare and in our lives in general. The Pandemic has truly changed our lives in all spectrums and the HIM profession is definitely changing as well.

The MoHIMA Board of Directors are working hard to provide you with education during this Pandemic and working with the Regional Associations as well to strengthen our relationships. The MoHIMA Board of Directors met in June 2020 to review the current Strategic Plan and we discussed our plans for 2020-2021 at the Annual Business Meeting that was recorded and available to the membership on August 27, 2020. A link to the recording is available on Facebook, the MoHIMA webpage, and LinkedIn.

The Delegates will be meeting in the AHIMA House of Delegates virtually on Saturday, October 17, 2020. I want to give each of you, as Members, the opportunity to review the Proposed Bylaw amendments that your elected House of Delegates will be voting on next month. More details about the proposed amendments can be found below and by clicking here. Please feel free to contact any of the Delegates listed below if you need clarification or have questions on the Proposed Bylaw Amendments.
Bylaw Amendments Brief Description:

Article III-3.1: Article V-5.1: Article VII: 7.2, 7.7

  • AHIMA updated its mission in March 2019 and we need to update the Bylaws to reflect those changes.
  • In addition, update the name of the AHIMA’s conference name that changed in 2019, and we need to update Bylaws to reflect that as well.

Article IV Members, 4.8-4.12

  • The AHIMA Bylaws reviewed in spring 2020 and we have need to conduct business via virtual meetings, and we need to have this language in the Bylaws.

Article VII House of Delegates, 7.1-7.2

  • The Governance Task Force was created in 2019 and requesting the language in the Bylaws to reflect the House of Delegates purpose.

Article IV Members, 4.2-4.5

  • AHIMA would like to change the membership model from 5 types to 2 types.
    • Currently:
      • Active
      • Student
      • Honorary
      • Emeritus
      • Global
    • Future:
      • Professional (Active, Honorary, Emeritus and Global)
      • Student

MoHIMA 2020-2021 Delegates:
In closing, I look forward to serving as your 2020-2021 President. It is truly an honor to serve the MoHIMA membership. Please be safe out there and remember we are all in this together.  If there is anything that the MoHIMA Board of Directors can assist with, please reach out to us.

Yours in Service,

Clark Chaffin, MBA, RHIA, CCS
MoHIMA President, 2020-2021 

2021 Call for Nominations for the eMHIMA Board of Directors

Dear eMHIMA Members,

It is the time of year that we, the Board, ask you to become involved in our Component State Association (CSA). It is especially important now, due to COVID-19 that we stay connected and support each other in our profession – your input is valuable to the group! Please consider nominating yourself or another member to serve on the eMHIMA Board. Becoming a Board member is a rewarding experience – this is one way you can help promote our mission, meet your own professional goals and network! It is a win-win opportunity!

The eMHIMA Mission: To promote the art and science of the health information management profession, to improve the public’s welfare through the promotion of high-quality, comprehensive health information services, and to promote continuing education and interdisciplinary communication between health information professionals, physicians, and allied health professionals.

Thank you for your consideration, we look forward to working with you!

The eMHIMA Board

Complete the Call for Nominations Form

PEHIMA July Monthly Meeting

 

PEHIMA – Monthly Meeting
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Thursday, July 16, 2020

Virtual Meeting via Zoom
Zoom virtual room will be open @ 5:15,
Please join us at 5:15 to check your connectivity with Zoom.
Click here for the link for the Zoom session.

This month’s webinar will be on:
Coding – Beyond – Mortality – Data – Vs – Clinical – Quality
1 CE will be offered

As always, if you have any ideas for upcoming topics, get in touch with a Board Member.

Encourage your Health Information Colleagues to become a part of PEHIMA.

Hope to see everyone online July 16th.

2020 KCHIMA Scholarship Winners

KCHIMA is pleased to announce the Scholarship Winners for 2020! The awards ceremony slated for the KHIMA/MoHIMA Conference has been cancelled, so each recipient is receiving their $500 scholarship at this time. Congratulations to all our outstanding awardees!

Scholarship applications and awards occur each Spring. Members are encouraged to apply. Award categories include: HIT Associate, HIM Bachelor, Masters/PhD, and AHIMA Certification.

Kristi Jezowski

RHIT Scholarship
MCC Penn Valley

 

Carson Wapp,
RHIA

RHIA Scholarship
Kansas University

 

Karen Reynolds,
MBA, RHIA, CHPS

CHPS Certification
AHIMA

PEHIMA May Monthly Meeting

PEHIMA – Monthly Meeting
5:00pm – 6:00pm
Thursday, May 21, 2020

Zoom Meeting

PEHIMA Presents:
 “AHA Coding Clinic for ICD-10-CM/PCS
First Quarter 2020 Review”

1 CEU will be given

Here’s the Zoom meeting information:

Hi there,
You are invited to a Zoom meeting.

When: May 21, 2020 05:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Register in advance for this meeting.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Remember, PEHIMA will continue to have monthly meetings throughout the summer to provide education and camaraderie to our members.

OAHIMA 2020 Election Results

OAHIMA Membership,

I wanted to provide the 2020 Election Results for the OAHIMA Board of Directors for the 2020-2021 Board.

First I want to thank all the candidates that submitted their information and name to be placed on the Ballot.

We were filling two positions for 2020-2021:

President-Elect and Director, Education

Results of the Election:

Susan Barnes, RHIT, CCS: President-Elect (Employer: Freeman Health System-Joplin)

Donna Pritchard, RHIA, LPN: Director, Education (Employer: OTC-Springfield)

NOTEABLE: This year was our 2nd year for Online Voting.

First year online voting: 13% of our OAHIMA membership voted online.

This year online voting: 15% of our OAHIMA membership voted online. Good progress.

Congratulations to our newly elected Board of Directors that will take office on July 1, 2020.

Thank you

Clark Chaffin, MBA, RHIA, CCS
Past President, OAHIMA 2019-2020
Nominating Committee Chairperson, 2020

Advanced ICD-10-PCS Coding Course

Instructor: Kay Piper, RHIA, CDIP, CCS, MoHIMA Coding Roundtable Coordinator

Technical Assistant: Ann Nowlin, RHIT, MoHIMA Central Office Coordinator

Instructional Design Assistants: Dr. Susan Foster, RHIA, CHPS, Professor, MoHIMA Director of Education 1st Year, Jamie Addler, RHIT, CPB, COC, CPMA, CPCO, MoHIMA Director of Education 2nd Year.

Description: Lessons will discuss the common root operations for the body system as well as devices and qualifiers that are unique to this body system. Coding examples for the body system will also be included.

Objectives: Learners will be able to:

  • Evaluate an operative report, identify and select the appropriate ICD-10-PCS root operation(s).
  • Evaluate an operative report, identify and select the appropriate body parts.
  • Evaluate an operative report, identify and select the appropriate approach(es).
  • Evaluate an operative report, identify and select body system specific devices and qualifiers.
  • Evaluate an operative report and build the appropriate ICD-10-PCS code.

Course Format: Each lesson will require a reading assignment as well as an assessment to ensure understanding of material and provide you with documentation of your earned CEU. A prerecorded presentation will be provided to assist in clarifying the reading assignment. An interactive live session with a coding educator/professional will conclude each lesson for an additional CEU. Assignments are included in the book.

Lesson 1: Respiratory System
Lesson 2: Circulatory System
Lesson 3: Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary System
Lesson 4: Skeletal System: Bones and Joints
Lesson 5: Urinary System

Required Book: Kuehn, L. and Jorwic, T., ICD-10-PCS: An Applied Approach (2020). Chicago: AHIMA Press ICDN: 9781584267539, Product #: AC201119. This book can be ordered through AHIMA at https://my.ahima.org/store/.

Additional Required Resources: ICD-10-PCS 2020 Codebook or access to an online encoder.

Assessments: Each lesson will contain a reading assignment, a presentation video, a lesson assessment, and a 1-hour live session with on-hands coding activities.

Live Session Dates:
Lesson 1 – June 18 @ 7:00 pm (includes COVID-19 information)
Lesson 2 – July 16 @ 7:00 pm
Lesson 3 – August 20 @ 7:00 pm
Lesson 4 – September 17 @ 7:00 pm
Lesson 5 – October 15 @ 7:00 pm

Technical Requirements: Windows 7 or higher, Mac OS 10.7 or higher
Computer speakers or headset, camera (optional) and microphone.

Supported Browsers: Mozilla Firefox 2.0 or higher, Google Chrome 2.0 or higher, Apple Safari 2.0 or higher

Internet: DLS or better (Recommended Internet connection speed 500 or higher kbps)

Additional Software: Adobe Acrobat Reader, Adobe Flash Player, Current version of Java

Learn More and Register

Today Is AHIMA’s Virtual Hill Day

 

As you may know, today is AHIMA’s Virtual Hill Day–a day for all health information professionals to advocate on behalf of the profession. I encourage you to head over to AHIMA’s Action Center to contact your elected officials in Congress to tell them about the issues that matter to this profession.

We’ve created two engagements that focus on the issues that are critical to the profession and that are active issues before the US Congress: patient identification and the modernization of health information laws to help stem the tide of opioid misuse. You can find direct links to these engagements and additional information about the issues here:

​
AHIMA’s social media manager will be posting and tweeting about AHIMA’s Virtual Hill Day throughout the day. I encourage you to share, post, and re-tweet these messages throughout the day to inspire others to let their voice be heard.

It doesn’t take more than a few moments. Even during these times of great uncertainty it is important to let your elected officials know about the issues that matter to you as a profession and can have an impact on your daily life.

Thank you for all that you do for the profession and AHIMA.

Best,

Lauren Riplinger, JD
Vice President, Policy & Government Affairs
AHIMA

MoHIMA/KHIMA Annual Meeting Postponed Until September 30th – October 2nd

Dear KHIMA and MoHIMA HIM Professionals:

Over the past several days, the KHIMA and MoHIMA Board of Directors have been monitoring the ever-changing COVID-19 situation.

Due to the World Health Organization (WHO) classifying COVID-19 as a global pandemic and it now being a state of emergency with large groups being banned, the Boards have decided to postpone the 2020 Joint Annual Meeting that was scheduled for April 22-24th. We have tentatively rescheduled the meeting to September 30th – October 2nd. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.

Below are important details you need to know.

1) Your registration will automatically be transferred to the rescheduled meeting.  However, a full refund will be given to those who registered, paid for the April 2020 meeting and who are not able to attend the rescheduled meeting in September/October. To receive a refund, click on the survey monkey link below to instruct us on how to refund your money.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/T22966N

2) Your hotel reservation will automatically be canceled by the Doubletree staff. The cancellation may not be completed until late next week due to hotel staff being furloughed.  You can reach out to the hotel to verify that it has been canceled by calling (913) 451-6100 at that time.

Again, we apologize for the inconvenience this may cause.  However, the health and well-being of our meeting attendees, exhibitors and presenters is important to us.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

MoHIMA 2020 Election Results

2020 Ballot:

President-Elect: Jamie Addler (Ozark)
Mary Lee Harlan-Newberry (Mid-MO)

Delegate: Emily Beets (Ozark)
Donna Caldwell-Chaffin (Ozark)
Kay Folck (Kansas City)

Director, Education: Tanisha Luckett (Eastern)
Donna Pritchard (Ozark)

Eligible Voting Membership: 1633
Total Votes Received: 197
Total Voter Percentage: 2020 12% voting turnout (Excellent Voting Turnout) (2019-10% voting rate)

2020 Ballot Results:

President-Elect: Mary Lee Harlan Newberry (Mid-MO)
Delegate: Donna Caldwell-Chaffin (Ozark)
Director, Education: Tanisha Luckett (Eastern)

Thank you for your participation in the elections this year and congratulations to our future new board members.

Thank you,

Clark Chaffin, MBA, RHIA, CCS
Nominating Committee Chairperson (2020)
President-Elect (2019-2020)

KCHIMA – March Meeting

Please join us on Tuesday, March 3rd at 4 pm for our March meeting.

Note the change in time!

Topic: Back to the Basics in Coding

Speaker: Judy Bielby, MBA, RHIA, CPHQ, CCS, FAHIMA

Location:

Saint Luke’s South Hospital
Horner Wellness Conference Room
12300 Metcalf Ave
Overland Park, KS 66213

Visit our website to stay current on all KCHIMA events!!

PEHIMA – February Monthly Meeting

Thursday, February 20, 2020
5:30pm – 6:30pm

Location

Missouri Western State University
Room: Murphy 304
4525 Downs Drive
St. Joseph, MO

Campus Map

PEHIMA Presents “Welcome Back”

We are back in our normal classroom on the Missouri Western University Campus
Murphy Hall – Room 304

1 CE will be awarded for tonight’s session

We will be presenting an interesting webinar:
“How Artificial Intelligence is Revolutionizing CDI”

Come join us and become a part of Northwest Missouri’s Professional Health Information Management Group.

Be part of the Professional Group With the Answers.

See you on the 20th.

KHIMA/MoHIMA Joint Annual Meeting Silent Auction

Do you enjoy browsing the assortment of items available at KHIMA/MoHIMA Silent Auction? We invite you to participate in this year’s auction and help provide a variety of gifts! Donations of items are greatly appreciated to help meet our goal of $5,000.

Suggested items include themed baskets, jewelry, entertaining items, purses, handmade items, gift cards or certificates, food and beverage items, etc… We also accept monetary donations and will happily select an item to auction on a person or business’s behalf. Don’t miss this great opportunity to help raise funds for educational support and programs for our members and students!

Let us know if you would like to donate a basket or two. You can do this as an individual or as a group.  Please email tmcgannon@mrcohosp.com, mortonra@outlook.com, or Christine.dupee@comforcehealth.com for questions or sign up to donate to the silent auction.

2020 eMHIMA Save the Dates

Happy New Year everyone. We are looking forward to seeing you in 2020.

Below are the dates for the upcoming eMHIMA events.

Spring Fling
Date: Saturday, April 25, 2020
Location: Mercy Conference Center

Summer Meeting
Date: Wednesday, June 10th, 2020
Location: TBD

Coding Round Table
Date: Saturday September 12, 2020
Location: Mercy Conference Center

Annual Meeting
Date: Thursday, November 5, 2020
Location: TBD

Take the Next Step in Leadership – Apply for an Elected Volunteer Position with AHIMA

AHIMA is looking for strategic, innovative, dedicated members to be considered for one of our five elected roles in 2021.

View the opportunities for the AHIMA President/Chair-elect, Board of Directors, CEE members, CCHIIM Commissioners, and Speaker-elect of the House of Delegates on the AHIMA website.

Select the Elected Positions tab from the top toolbar to review each description. The application for each position is posted on Engage’s Volunteer Center.

Questions?  Feel free to contact profession.governance@ahima.org.

Assessing and Identifying Risk Webinar

Join us for this informative prerecorded webinar, Assessing and Identifying Risk, presented by Sallie Bissette, EdD, MHA/MBA, RHIA, CHC. Attendees will learn how to define risk, assess and identify risk within the organization and mitigate and prevent risk areas.

Pricing:
Members – $15
NonMembers – $25
AHIMA Student Members – $5

Speaker:
Sallie Bissette, EdD, MHA/MBA, RHIA, CHC

Dr. Sallie Bissette has been a champion in providing knowledge and understanding on how to navigate the maze of federal and state regulations. With over 15 years of compliance experience, Dr. Bissette has learned the importance of working with organization stakeholders to not only identify areas of potential risk, but to also develop process improvements that are not only compliant but beneficial for the organization. With a background in physician revenue cycle, Dr. Bissette is able to bring additional expertise to the compliance world. Her HIM experience provides her with the ability to approach compliance topics through a different lens.

Dr. Bissette has a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Information Management from East Carolina University. She holds a double Masters in Business Administration and Healthcare Administration from Pfeiffer University and a doctoral degree in Interdisciplinary Leadership from Creighton University. Dr. Bissette currently serves as the President of the North Carolina Health Information Management Association.

CE Hours: 1 CE – Performance Improvement

Learn More and Register

PEHIMA – October Monthly Meeting

Thursday, October 17, 2019
5:30pm – 7:30pm

Location

Leah Spratt Hall
Room 203
Missouri Western State University
Use the door where the Walter Cronkite memorial is located.
Take the stairs or the elevator to the second floor.

Meeting Agenda – Webinar

  • 2020 ICD-10 Update
  • 2020 ICD-10-CM Coding Update
  • 2020 ICD-10-PCS Coding Update

2CE’s

Please take note of the time for this meeting.
5:30PM – 7:30PM

Look forward to seeing you on the 17th!

Melody L. Brown, RHIA
PEHIMA President

Tell Congress It’s Time to Repeal the Ban on a Unique Patient Identifier

GRASSROOTS ALERT

In June, the US House of Representatives adopted an amendment striking language in the House FY20 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education (Labor-HHS) Appropriations bill that prohibits the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from using federal funds to promulgate or adopt a unique patient identifier. Striking this language will give HHS the ability to evaluate a range of patient identification solutions that protect patient privacy and are cost-effective, scalable, and secure.

For nearly two decades, innovation and industry progress has been stifled due to broad interpretation of this language included in Labor-HHS bills since FY1999. More than that, without the ability of clinicians to correctly connect a patient with their medical record, lives have been lost and medical errors have needlessly occurred. These are situations that could have been entirely avoidable had patients been able to have been accurately identified and matched with their records. This problem is so dire that one of the nation’s leading patient safety organizations, the ECRI Institute, named patient identification among the top ten threats to patient safety.

The absence of a consistent approach to accurately identifying patients has also resulted in significant costs to hospitals, health systems, physician practices, long-term post-acute care (LTPAC) facilities, and other providers, as well as hindered efforts to facilitate health information exchange. According to a 2016 study of healthcare executives, misidentification costs the average healthcare facility $17.4 million per year in denied claims and potential lost revenue. More importantly, there are patient safety implications when data is matched to the wrong patient and when essential data is lacking from a patient’s record due to identity issues. The 2016 National Patient Misidentification Report cites that 86 percent of respondents said they have witnessed or know of a medical error that was the result of patient misidentification.

Contact Congress today and urge them to strike this archaic ban from the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2020.

Tell the US Senate It Is Time To Repeal The Ban On A Unique Patient Identifier

In June, the US House of Representatives adopted an amendment striking language in the House FY20 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education (Labor-HHS) Appropriations bill that prohibits the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from using federal funds to promulgate or adopt a unique patient identifier. Striking this language will give HHS the ability to evaluate a range of patient identification solutions that protect patient privacy and are cost-effective, scalable, and secure.

Now that a budget deal in Congress has materialized, we expect the US Senate to move quickly to consider the Senate FY20 Labor-HHS appropriations bill this fall. Before Congress returns in September, we ask that you contact your US Senators via AHIMA’s Advocacy Action Center to encourage them to remove this archaic ban.

PEHIMA – August Monthly Meeting

Saturday, August 17, 2019
2:00pm – 4:00pm

Location

Pizza Ranch
Back Room
3007 N Belt Highway
St. Joseph, MO

PEHIMA Presents: Coding Round Tables

We will having coding tables for:

  • Inpatient Coding
  • Outpatient Coding
  • Emergency Room Coding
  • Clinic Coding
  • Specialty Clinic Coding
  • Home Health/Hospice Coding
  • E&M Level Coding

Information about the Round Table:

  • We have tried to cover most of the coding areas of our members.
  • Come in pick the table as you will be working through actual coding scenarios.
  • Bring any coding tools that you have available i.e.: laptop, iPhone, tablet, Coding Manuals, etc.   If you have any extra Coding manuals please bring them.  Even if they are 2018, please bring them.
  • If you don’t have any Coding tools your iPhone will be your tool as there are many apps that you can use.
  • Inpatient Coders – you may have surgical procedures also, so you may need access to ICD-10-PCS assistance.
  • There will be Auditors available to help during the working time with any questions.
  • The Auditors will be going over each scenario at the end of the Round Table and sharing the “key” to the scenario.

Information about Pizza Ranch

We have been graciously allowed to use the large private banquet room which is a perfect place for PEHIMA to hold functions such as this.  The room is directly behind the drink station.

Please come early perhaps 1:30 or 1:45 and join us for Pizza Ranch’s delicious buffet.  This can be our way of showing our Thanks for allowing us to use their banquet room at no cost! (And the chicken is DELISH)
By coming early to dine, we can begin promptly at 2 pm for the Coding Round Tables

There will be CEU’s for the meeting.

Please encourage your fellow coders to attend.  This should be a fun-filled day and great camaraderie.
Come join us for the afternoon.

Hope to see you there!

Melody L. Brown, RHIA
PEHIMA President