Author: AHIMA

Source: AHIMA

Publication Date: 2017

Author: AHIMA

Source: AHIMA

Publication Date: 2017

Author: AHIMA

Source: AHIMA

Publication Date: 2017

Author: AHIMA

Source: AHIMA

Publication Date: 2017

Author: AHIMA

Source: AHIMA

Publication Date: 2017

Author: AHIMA

Source: AHIMA

Publication Date: 2017

Author: AHIMA

Source: AHIMA

Publication Date: 2017

Author: Doupnik, Anita; Lusk, Katherine

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2017

Editor’s Note: This is the eighth installment in an ongoing series highlighting information governance case studies.


Auditing in healthcare is an internal and/or external process intended to assess, evaluate, and improve quality of care and services while also ensuring....

Author: Stambaugh, Robyn

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: August 17, 2017

In the era before computers and search engines, libraries would use the card catalog—a paper database ordered by the Dewey Decimal System—to find a book or information. The Dewey Decimal System, a hierarchical scheme, is the means with which to identify, classify, and retrieve....

Author: Meehan, Ann M.

Source: External - used with permission

Publication Date: August 2017

Article from the Health Care Compliance Association's Compliance Today.

Author: Paulson, Dawn

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: July 21, 2017

Patient safety is an organizational responsibility. But concern over the astonishing rate of development and adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) in recent years has also provided potential for risk and safety issues. This rapid growth in EHR development has in large part been....

Author: Taylor, Christine; Fahy, Kristi

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2017

Editor’s Note: This is the seventh installment in an ongoing series highlighting information governance case studies.


Consistency in any enterprise-wide initiative is a key for success. To achieve this, it is often as simple as policy and procedure updates and education....

Author: Fahy, Kristi

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: June 22, 2017

The Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Health Care Industry Cybersecurity Task Force released their long-awaited “Report on Improving Cybersecurity in the Health Care Industry” on June 2. The report addresses information governance (IG) as a concept that will....

Author: Miller, Nicole

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: June 15, 2017

When information governance (IG) first became the buzz word in healthcare it seemed like it was not very well understood and there was much to be learned. The healthcare industry has moved past that initial reaction and is ready to embrace this new reality of information governance. I....

Author: Fahy, Kristi; Hermann, Michelle

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2017

Editor’s Note: This article is the sixth installment in an ongoing series highlighting information governance case studies.


AHIMA defines information governance (IG) as “an organization-wide framework for managing information throughout its life cycle and for supp....

Author: Bryson, Casey

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: May 22, 2017

You can’t throw a rock in healthcare today without hitting someone claiming to solve “the problem of interoperability.” Those claims come from interface engines, private or public collaboratives like the Sequoia Project and Commonwell, government entities like the Office of the Nation....

Author: Fahy, Kristi

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: May 19, 2017

A chord of fear has been struck in many organizations—both healthcare and others—after the ransomware attacks that occurred last week that infected more than 200,000 computers across 150 different countries. The ransomware attacks known as “WannaCry” have left many organizations questionin....

Author: Rudolph, Barbara A

Source: AHIMA testimony and comments

Publication Date: May 03, 2017

Testimony before the National Committee for Vital and Health Statistics Subcommittee on Standards hearing on health plan identifier

Author: Carey, Susan

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2017

So far 2017 is shaping up to be the year of fear in the realm of healthcare cybersecurity. There was a 61 percent increase in healthcare cyberattacks in 2016. This followed two years of steadily increasing cyberthreats in healthcare, including 93 major cyberattacks in 2016 resulting in com....

Author: O'Hagan, Dorothy; Meehan, Ann M.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2017

Editor’s Note: This article is the fifth installment in an ongoing series highlighting information governance case studies.


Information governance (IG) can be overwhelming, especially as an organization looks to implement a program that addresses all types of informatio....

Author: White, Jim

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: April 20, 2017

One of the more significant healthcare trends we see today is the consolidation (mergers and acquisitions) of hospitals, physician groups, and insurance companies into larger integrated systems. The goal of this activity have been focused on: increased market share, increased financia....

Author: AHIMA; et al.

Source: AHIMA testimony and comments

Publication Date: April 05, 2017

A letter of support from a number of health organizations concerning the inclusion of patient matching report language in the FY18 budget.

Author: Williams, Patricia A.H

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2017

Information sharing between healthcare organizations increasingly includes the use of electronic health records (EHRs) as well as data from medical devices that have been integrated into existing networks. When exchanging such data, providers should be mindful not only of the interoperabil....

Author: Fahy, Kristi

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2017

Many healthcare organizations that implement an information governance (IG) program have difficulties deciding which projects to prioritize first. Often, organizations will target the “low hanging fruit” projects, such as establishing an IG committee or advisory group or the pr....

Author: Burton, Ben; Downing, Katherine

Source: AHIMA practice brief | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2017

Editor’s Note: This Practice Brief update supplants part of the 2013 Practice Brief “Patient Access and Amendment to Health Records.”


Before April 2003, a patient’s legal right to amend his or her health records was limited to those patients treated at hea....

Author: Butler, Mary

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2017

A Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, let’s call him Dr. Hollywood, has a thriving business—an impeccable office, gracious and welcoming staff, and top of the line equipment and devices. His clientele is primarily celebrities and other wealthy socialites who can afford to pay out of....

Author: Gordon, Lynne Thomas

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2017

In 1941, author Edna Huffman, writing about the management and storage of medical records, introduced readers to “the newest development in storage methods and the method that will conserve the greatest amount of space, known as microphotography.” She described how medical reco....

Author: Arvin, Marti

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2017

One might ask why a privacy officer even needs to worry about defending against a cyberattack—isn’t that the role of the chief information security officer and the chief information officer? The answer is no. Cyberattacks are not always about technology. The privacy officer is not generall....

Author: Palkie, Brooke

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: March 16, 2017

As I begin digging into the intricacies of long-term digital preservation (LTDP) of electronic healthcare data, I am realizing how little I knew. The ever-changing formats and standards for accessing personal health information (PHI) come to mind. Once obsolete, how will this information b....

Author: Eramo, Lisa A

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2017

As an independent contractor and data analytics subject matter expert (SME), Lisa Brooks Taylor, RHIA, spends most of her time working with professional associations and large insurers developing machine-computable algorithms to analyze healthcare data. She works closely with data scientis....

Author: Meehan, Ann M.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2017

The term “Big Data” is everywhere, but what is it and what do health information management (HIM) professionals need to know about it? Understanding Big Data in healthcare, ensuring its accuracy, and harnessing it for patient care and business decisions are critical to a succes....

Author: Wiedemann, Lou Ann

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2017

According to the Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR), from January 2016 to November 2016 approximately 169,013,996 people were affected by 1,737 healthcare breaches. The Ponemon Institute estimates that data breaches could cost the healthcare industry as m....

Author: Lusk, Katherine; Manahan, Jennifer

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2017

THERE ARE SEVEN billion people in the world, with more than three billion using the Internet. And of the North American population of 565 million, 320 million are using the Internet. There are also 6.8 billion cellphone subscriptions across the world, with two-thirds of Americans owning a....

Author: Meehan, Ann M.; James, Jaime; Laufenberg, Mary Jo

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2017

In the quest to either start an information governance (IG) program or to move an existing program along a progressive path of maturity, having a formalized IG structure in alignment with the organization’s strategic goals is key to the success of the program. These competencies will enabl....

Author: Journal of AHIMA Staff

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2017

Crumbling, decaying, and abandoned hospitals aren’t just physically dangerous examples of urban decrepitude—they also could be prime targets for medical identity thieves who know what they’re doing.


Take the case of Chicago, IL’s Edgewater Medical Center, a....

Author: AHIMA Work Group

Source: AHIMA practice brief | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2017

One of the Healthy People 2020 objectives from the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion is to improve the health, safety, and well-being of individuals in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) population.1 This population faces health disparities with barriers to healt....

Author: Meehan, Ann M.

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: March 01, 2017

HIMSS17 took place February 19-23 in Orlando, Florida. Thousands made the journey for the event this year, where topics included payment reform, interoperability, analytics, and informatics. Speakers from AHIMA discussed the importance of ensuring trustworthy information via a formali....

Author: Downing, Kathy

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: February 23, 2017

With information governance (IG) emerging and gaining momentum in healthcare organizations, many questions arise. What are the goals of information governance? Why have some organizations decided they need formal information governance? How do healthcare organizations expect to benefi....

Author: Meehan, Ann M.

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: February 16, 2017

February is IG Month at AHIMA.  Whether your organization has an information governance (IG) program in place, underway in implementation, or yet to be fully conceived, health information management (HIM) professionals play a vital role in IG program success.  HIM profession....

Author: Rockendorf, Betty

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: February 09, 2017

Regarded as a landmark bill, the 21st Century Cures Act was passed into law in December of 2016. It’s aims are lofty and it covers a lot of ground, including transparency, breaking down silos in healthcare, interoperability, and an electronic health record (EHR) reporting program, as....

Author: Gordon, Lynne Thomas

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2017

As I write this column, a new federal administration is taking shape in Washington, DC, and its future impact on healthcare regulation is unclear. In uncertain times, it’s helpful to remember a bright spot: We are beginning to get a grip on the importance of data.


For....

Author: Downing, Kathy; Fahy, Kristi; Foster, MeShawn; Hermann, Michelle; Meehan, Ann M.; Washington, Lydia; Woebkenberg, Jami

Source: AHIMA practice brief | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2017

When an organization begins to implement an enterprise information governance (IG) program, one of the major initial tasks is to understand the scope and types of information in its possession. An inventory of an organization’s information is necessary in order to facilitate decision maki....

Author: Butler, Mary

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2017

Between 2015 and 2016, information governance (IG) went from being an esoteric concept to a new way of life for some healthcare professionals. In 2015, AHIMA recruited 11 healthcare organizations, including vendors, hospitals, physician practices, and regional health information organizat....

Author: Houser, Shannon H.; Meadows, Jean M

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2017

There are a number of recent factors driving changes to how healthcare quality is being measured. First, there’s the rapid adoption of healthcare information technology (HIT) due to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) “meaningful use” Electronic Health Re....

Author: Downing, Katherine; Taylor, Christine

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2017

Getting started with information governance (IG) requires research, documentation, and understanding what information and applications need to be included in the IG program. There are times when students can be used to help with this IG preparation, an act that benefits the healthcare faci....

Author: Chou, Edgar; Montroy, Tami

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2017

In most healthcare settings, health information management (HIM) initiatives are led by HIM professionals with collaboration from other organizational leaders. At Drexel University College of Medicine, it is no different. Representatives with expertise in risk management, privacy, complian....

Author: Downing, Katherine

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2017

Healthcare organizations are under constant attack from cybercriminals due to the richness of information they collect, store, and disseminate that can also be used for multiple types of fraud and identity theft. Stolen credit card information only lasts until the victim cancels the card,....

Author: Dunagan, Betty

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: January 19, 2017

We have arrived in the era of Big Data in healthcare, where digital transformation is a major driving factor. A variety of healthcare settings are currently using their electronic health record (EHR) systems to their full capacity, using databases that are just as large as their onsit....

Author: Rizer, Milisa K; Sieck, Cynthia J; Lehman, Jennifer S; Hefner, Jennifer L; Huerta, Timothy R; McAlearney, Ann Scheck

Source: Perspectives in Health Information Management

Publication Date: January 2017

Abstract


Objective: To assess patient perceptions of electronic medical record (EMR) intrusiveness during ambulatory visits to clinics associated with a large academic medical center.


Methods: We conducted a survey of patients seen at any of 98 academic medical cente....

Author: Hewitt, Barbara; Dolezel, Diane; McLeod, Alexander

Source: Perspectives in Health Information Management

Publication Date: January 2017

Abstract


Healthcare data breaches on mobile devices continue to increase, yet the healthcare industry has not adopted mobile device security standards. This increase is disturbing because individuals are often accessing patients’ protected health information on personal mobi....

Author: Al-Hablani, Bader

Source: Perspectives in Health Information Management

Publication Date: January 2017

Abstract


Objective: The objective of this study is to discuss and analyze the use of automated SNOMED CT clinical coding in clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) for preventive care. The central question that this study seeks to answer is whether the utilization of SNOMED CT i....

Author: McFadden, Norman; Daniel, Bryan; Hoyt, Robert; Snider, Dallas

Source: Perspectives in Health Information Management

Publication Date: January 2017

Abstract


The United States has more than 1,000 free medical clinics. Because these clinics do not bill Medicare or Medicaid, they are not eligible for federal reimbursement for electronic health record (EHR) adoption. As a result, most do not have EHRs or electronic disease regist....

Author: Hemmat, Morteza; Ayatollahi, Haleh; Maleki, Mohammad Reza ; Saghafi, Fatemeh

Source: Perspectives in Health Information Management

Publication Date: January 2017

Abstract


Introduction: Currently, information technology is considered an important tool to improve healthcare services. To adopt the right technologies, policy makers should have adequate information about present and future advances. This study aimed to review and compare studie....

Author: Perez, Ken

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2017

“Strategy is about making choices, trade-offs. It’s about deliberately choosing to be different,” says Michael Porter, a Harvard Business School professor and expert on economics and business strategy.1


That advice certainly applies to the rising number of a....

Author: Clack, Crystal; Freeman, Rae; Lewis, Laquette

Source: AHIMA practice brief | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2017

A cyclone of regulatory requirements for providers has officially touched down in the United States. The Affordable Care Act (ACA), Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), patient-centered medical home (PCMH), and value-based purchasing (VBP) initiatives are contributing to dramat....

Author: Haugen, Mary Beth; Dascher, Paula; Manor, Barbara

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2017

Editor’s Note: This article is a follow-up to the piece “Bridging HIM’s Disconnect with IT” that appeared in the March 2016 Journal of AHIMA.


As healthcare organizations move toward value-based models, health information management (HIM) and informatio....

Author: Journal of AHIMA Staff

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2017

Predicting the future—particularly when it comes to technology—can be a fool’s errand. But it’s a pretty safe bet that one innovation those in the health IT world can expect to hear more about is “blockchain.”


If you’ve heard of blockchain....

Author: Washington, Lydia

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2017

If we step back to consider why a healthcare organization would find it beneficial to adopt information governance (IG), there is no more compelling reason than that it is one of the best ways to successfully drive organizational strategy. It is impossible to successfully execute the organ....

Author: Feldman, Sue; Houser, Shannon H.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2017

Editor’s Note: This article is the first installment of the new Working Smart department titled “Illuminating Informatics.” This department will explore all aspects of informatics and provide guidance to health information management professionals in the practical applica....

Author: Rhodes, Harry B.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2017

Research dating back to the 1970s has verified the dominant influence of social, economic, and environmental determinates in the maintenance of health and well-being. Working from a set of values that focus on overall health, quality of life, and well-being, population health management en....

Author: Robinson, Steven

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: December 29, 2016

Clinical documentation programs’ success is a result of the healthcare team keeping a constant vigil on communication while operationalizing outcomes and instilling provider support. Patient care is largely dependent on accurate communication among the healthcare provider team. In a....

Author: Monga, Kapila

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: December 22, 2016

The phrase “Longevity Revolution,” referring to the increase in human life expectancy by 30 years, isn’t new anymore. Various books have been written on this subject, and it is a widely discussed topic in conferences these days. It is a no-brainer that this increase in life expectancy warr....

Author: Downing, Kathy

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: December 15, 2016

Involving patients in the management of their health (patient engagement) encourages greater patient participation in care. It also increases the integrity of the health information stored by our health systems—patients will be the first to tell you if the information is incorrect. P....

Author: Denton, Debra Beisel; Endicott, Melanie; Ericson, Cheryl E; Love, Tammy R.; McDonald, Lori; Willis, Daphne

Source: AHIMA practice brief

Publication Date: December 2016

One of the more challenging tasks for both coding and clinical documentation improvement (CDI) professionals is clinical validation. This is a relatively new responsibility that has evolved as CDI programs mature and CDI and coding professionals advance their knowledge and collaboration on clin....

Author: Davoudi, Sion; Flanigan, Jill; Houser, Shannon H.; Kadlec, Lesley; Kirby, Annessa; VanSlyke, Daniel; Wendicke, Annemarie

Source: AHIMA practice brief

Publication Date: December 2016

This update supplants the 2012 practice brief “Managing a Data Dictionary.”


As healthcare organizations move to the electronic environment, the large volume and complexity of data collected is growing at unprecedented rates. While access to data has the potential to en....

Author: Gelzer, Reed D.; Hall, Terri; Liette, Elizabeth; Warner, Diana; Wiedemann, Lou Ann

Source: AHIMA toolkit

Publication Date: 2016

A Practical Guide: Information Management and Governance for Copy Functions in Electronic Health Record Systems

Author: Goodell, Suzanne

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: November 21, 2016

Recently, I have been talking with our CMIO, working to gain her executive sponsorship for implementing system-wide policies for patient naming, matching, and identification. She was receptive to my suggestions, but her plate was already full, and she didn’t seem ready to lead a new system....

Author: VanOver, Jennifer; Lusk, Katherine

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: November 16, 2016

When health information management involved keeping paper records in file rooms, a rule of thumb was that after two years with infrequent activity, medical records were often moved to off-site storage. This reduced the cost of maintaining medical records onsite long term. The records often....

Author: BRG HIM and Healthcare Technology Staff

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: November 11, 2016

This article is published in sponsorship with Berkeley Research Group (BRG).



A physician approaches a health information management (HIM) staff member, upset because the location of a document in their office is not in the same location in the hospital record.....

Author: Butler, Mary

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2016

The new National Coordinator for Health IT, Dr. Vindell Washington, MD, plans to focus on some old issues for the healthcare industry—a lack of universal standards, limited interoperability, and the difficulty present for both providers and consumers trying to exchange and access hea....

Author: Eramo, Lisa A

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2016

AHIMA and other key stakeholders continue to drive national and global progress to achieve information systems interoperability in healthcare.


Like a complex puzzle, health information data and system interoperability takes time, effort, and collaboration to solve. And solvin....

Author: Neiman, Liz

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2016

The US Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration just released a staggering statistic. According to their latest research, up to 93 percent of global trade is impacted by standards and technical regulations.1


Feel free to trot that number out the next time....

Author: Houser, Shannon H.; Mikaelian, Raymound; Payton, Evita

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2016

The emergence of health informatics within health information management (HIM) has changed the ways of HIM practice and operations. This change has also created various opportunities for HIM professionals to further develop their careers and gain additional education and workforce training....

Author: Orlova, Anna; Warner, Diana; Rhodes, Harry B.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2016

The health information management (HIM) professional has a large role to play in ensuring health IT standardization and the health IT interoperability that comes from those standardization efforts.


The Practice Brief “Standardizing Data and HIM Practices for Interopera....

Author: Barrett, Charlotte S; Beidler, Aurae; Davis, Nancy; Glondys, Barbara

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2016

Developing policies and standard procedures when working with patient aliases is one way to both respect patient privacy but also ensure the accuracy and integrity of patient data.


As defined in AHIMA’s Pocket Glossary, an “alias” is “a name added to,....