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

Source: Journal of AHIMA | AHIMA practice brief

Publication Date: November 2016

Despite the many advancements in health information technology (HIT) that the industry has seen in recent years, the interoperability of HIT applications continues to present a challenge. Implementing standards—a definition, set of rules or guidelines, example format, or other document th....

Author: Dooling, Julie A; Profitt, Karen

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: October 26, 2016

Searching for the quickest path to establish and access data “sources of truth” in your healthcare organization?


In the past, health information management (HIM) professionals were taught to maintain a patient’s health information in a central repository. The paper healt....

Author: Ryznar, Barbara

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: October 12, 2016

Understanding the cost of prescription drugs can be challenging. The recently introduced Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare Spending Dashboard, an example of the principle of collecting healthcare data once and reusing it to serve the needs of multiple stakehold....

Author: Kadlec, Lesley; Kirby, Annessa

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: October 06, 2016

We hear so much about the amount of data available in healthcare today. But we are just beginning to understand the importance of analyzing that data to make decisions. As buzzwords like “information governance” and “data analytics” are becoming more mainstream, the analysis of data i....

Author: Burke, Lauralyn K; Brown, C. Perry; Johnson, Tammie M

Source: Perspectives in Health Information Management

Publication Date: October 2016

Abstract


Interrupted time-series analysis (ITSA) can be used to identify, quantify, and evaluate the magnitude and direction of an event on the basis of time-series data. This study evaluates the impact of the bioterrorist anthrax attacks (“Amerithrax”) on hospital inpatient disch....

Author: Lail, Pamela J; Laird, Sarah S; McCall, Kris; Naretto, Joe; York, April

Source: Perspectives in Health Information Management

Publication Date: October 2016

Abstract


This article examines the current state of affairs of the health information management role in facility closure as well as the impact on revenue cycle operations. Health information management professionals are uniquely positioned to assist an organization in closure eff....

Author: Lee, Wei-Chen; Veeranki, Sreenivas P; Serag, Hani; Eschbach, Karl; Smith, Kenneth D

Source: Perspectives in Health Information Management

Publication Date: October 2016

Abstract


Well-designed electronic health records (EHRs) must integrate a variety of accurate information to support efforts to improve quality of care, particularly equity-in-care initiatives. This case study provides insight into the challenges those initiatives may face in colle....

Author: Butler, Mary

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 2016

Shawn Wells, RHIT, CHDA, manager of HIM data integrity at the University of Utah Healthcare, put himself on the health information management (HIM) career trajectory that HIM educators dream of using as an example.


Wells, who was also the first person in the state of Utah....

Author: Delahoussaye, Elizabeth A

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 2016

Health information management (HIM) professionals can pull meaningful information from privacy and security breach data to evaluate release of information (ROI) processes, uncover workflow risks, and implement corrective measures. While large scale breaches impacting millions of patients m....

Author: Bradley, Paul

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 2016

A year in and ICD-10 is almost approaching the point of old news.


Of course—I’m kidding! Nothing could be further from the truth. From a data analytics perspective, the impact of ICD-10 is only beginning to be realized and understood.


For one, this first year....

Author: Orlova, Anna

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 2016

Data quality management has always been an area of focus for AHIMA. But the need for quality and integrity of data and information is greater than ever in all healthcare settings—especially with the growing adoption of health information technology (HIT), including electronic health....

Author: Wiedemann, Lou Ann

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: September 21, 2016

Big data. Data explosion. Predictive analytics. Population health. Data management. Chronic disease monitoring. Natural language processing. As though healthcare was not struggling enough to keep up with acronyms, synonyms, abbreviations, and poorly defined buzzwords, we have entered the e....

Author: Hedges, Ron

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: September 20, 2016

In my last post of 2015 I tried to predict what types of challenges health information management (HIM) professionals might have to deal with in 2016 and beyond. One prediction involved technological innovation, as I surmised that we could “expect to see more and more ‘apps’ being off....

Author: Washington, Lydia

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: September 08, 2016

As we talk with healthcare organizations around the country about information governance (IG), many tell us they have embarked on a data governance (DG) program. Most of these data governance programs seem to be emanating from the IT area and are driven by the need to improve data quality....

Author: Orlova, Anna; Salyards, Kenneth

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2016

Today, both clinicians and health information management (HIM) professionals have been experiencing overwhelming challenges with the usability of electronic health record (EHR) systems due to shortcomings in supporting user needs.1,2,3,4 A five-year study recently published by the US Nati....

Author: Monga, Kapila

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: August 17, 2016

“It’s a beautiful day to save lives. Let’s have some fun,” so says Dr. Derek Shepherd (of “Grey’s Anatomy” fame) and with a smile on his face, gets on with his day’s activities—to help patients heal. I haven’t seen many doctors work, except in “Grey’s Anatomy,” but I have interacted w....

Author: AHIMA Advocacy and Policy Team; Gordon, Lynne Thomas

Source: AHIMA testimony and comments

Publication Date: August 15, 2016

Comments to Andy Slavitt, Acting Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Author: Wall, Kathleen E.

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: July 25, 2016

By now, we’ve all had practice assigning 7th characters for injuries. And, by now, we all know that in theory the guidance seems very clear—but the application of this new concept is not clear at all. Why is there so much confusion and why does it matter? What are the short- and long-term....

Author: Pitsikoulis, John; Doty, Laura

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: July 15, 2016

“Productivity” is defined as the effectiveness of productive effort, measured in terms of the rate of output per unit of input, easily defined and applicable in many manufacturing scenarios. For the line worker in a manufacturing plant, output is basically the number of widgets or com....

Author: National Library of Medicine

Source: Government (U.S.)

Publication Date: July 2016

The purpose of the SNOMED CT to ICD-10-CM map is to support semi-automated generation of ICD-10-CM codes from clinical data encoded in SNOMED CT for reimbursement and statistical purposes.

Author: Alakrawi, Zahraa M

Source: Perspectives in Health Information Management

Publication Date: July 2016

Abstract


Clinical coding constitutes one of the fundamental functions in the field of health information management. Clinical classification systems and clinical terminologies represent two distinct sets of coding schemes that are used in healthcare. In this context, it is critica....

Author: Nandigam, Hari; Topaz, Maxim

Source: Perspectives in Health Information Management

Publication Date: July 2016

Abstract


The Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine–Clinical Terms (SNOMED CT) and the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) are two commonly used standardized health terminologies in the United States. In fall 2015, healt....

Author: Alakrawi, Zahraa M; Watzlaf, Valerie J.M.; Aborde, Jon; Johnson, Carey; Johnson, Timothy

Source: Educational Perspectives in Health Informatics and Information Management

Publication Date: July 2016

Abstract


The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) Council for Excellence in Education acknowledges the importance of improving the data analytics skills of health information management (HIM) students at the baccalaureate level. This importance is especially....

Author: Warzel, Denise B; Reeves, Dianne M

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2016

Key challenges in clinical and translational biomedical research and personalized medicine include the need to integrate multidisciplinary, heterogeneous data sets. This requires both reusable data elements and content standards that unambiguously describe data within and across diverse da....

Author: Meehan, Ann M.

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: June 23, 2016

In this world of growing health-related data, information governance is not only needed but is crucial to ensure that healthcare organizations can quickly and efficiently manage the data being produced, resulting in information being used effectively for patient care. The latest numbers on....

Author: James, Wendy

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: June 15, 2016

The technological advances that have taken place over the past 25 years have been nothing short of phenomenal. When I reflect on the things I have experienced, not only in my professional career, but the technological advances I have seen over the course of my life  across the board i....

Author: Kadlec, Lesley

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2016

In today’s healthcare environment, data abounds. From the time of admission through the patient care episode, discharge, and aftercare, the volume of clinical data in healthcare continues to grow and expand. Regardless of whether the data results from a patient office visit, the lab,....

Author: Ewing, Crystal

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2016

The reality of the ICD-10-CM/PCS implementation and the fact that it was, by all measures, a success, is the payoff of years of hard work. It’s the product of lessons learned from the implementation of 5010 and the outcome of diligence on the part of healthcare professionals, providers, a....

Author: Downing, Kathy

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: May 26, 2016

Data governance (DG) is the sub-domain of information governance (IG) that provides for the design and execution of data needs planning and data quality assurance in concert with the strategic information needs of the organization. Data governance includes data modeling, data mapping, data....

Author: Monga, Kapila

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: May 19, 2016

Hospital readmissions cost significant money to our healthcare system every year. According to a report from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the total cost of the 3.3 million adult 30-day all-cause readmissions in the US was $41.3....

Author: Lee, Mee Jeong; Kim, Yeaeun; Kim, Ok-nam

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2016

Maintaining the privacy of personal health information (PHI) is important whenever information is gathered, be it for the primary purpose of delivering healthcare, or secondary uses such as clinical research and population health. According to the International Organization for Standardiza....

Author: Dooling, Julie A

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: April 21, 2016

The cleanliness, integrity, and trustworthiness of our provider data is essential to remember at all times, even as focus shifts toward other important initiatives, such as working toward a better method of matching and identifying our patients.  When it comes to managing and governin....

Author: INTERFACEWARE

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: April 15, 2016

There’s no question that healthcare is in the middle of a data explosion. New sources of information like medical devices, wearables, and mobile apps are being introduced all the time.


While more information can do wonders for clinical decision making and improving operationa....

Author: Saharia, Devendra

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2016

Disruptive technology can turn any industry on its head—virtually overnight. Just five years ago, summoning a taxi was an inefficient, time-consuming effort that often involved dialing up a dispatcher, who contacted a driver, who would then make their way to your location, perhaps in an h....

Author: Sawatsky, Elaine; Warner, Diana

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2016

Interoperability standards and their continuing adoption by e-health programs expand the capacity of information systems to capture, use, and exchange clinical data. For exchange to occur, the majority of data processing decisions need to take place both computationally and automatically.....

Author: Butler, Mary

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: April 01, 2016

As predicted, 2016 is proving to be the year of ransomware, with multiple reported incidents making news as we approach April. As they become startlingly more common, it’s important that HIM professionals be aware of how preventable they are, says Tom Walsh, CISSP, founder and managing partner of tw-Security. Just as with other types of data breaches, ransomware attacks are the result of human intervention—that’s also where they end.

Author: Gordon, Lynne Thomas

Source: AHIMA testimony and comments

Publication Date: March 2016

Comment letter to Andy Slavitt, Acting Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Author: AHIMA Advocacy and Policy Team

Source: AHIMA testimony and comments | AHIMA Advocacy and Policy

Publication Date: March 2016

Autumn/Fall 2015 Public Stakeholder Consultation Guidance Questions

Author: Belanger, Mark

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2016

The world of health information exchange remains busy in Massachusetts as the Mass HIway, the statewide health information exchange (HIE), enters its fourth year of rolling out Direct messaging statewide. Overall, Mass HIway officials feel things are going very well, with more than 580 or....

Author: Selsky, Darren

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2016

Data integration is a costly activity, but one that is used by healthcare organizations on a daily basis to unite information from diverse sources, such as lab, pharmacy, and radiology. This data is typically centralized in electronic health records (EHRs) or other niche systems for clini....

Author: Wendicke, Annemarie

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2016

Healthcare is striving for meaningful health data—something well noted in many recent industry articles and presentations. But how will the cultivation of meaningful data be accomplished in the healthcare industry’s complex environment?


Healthcare data comes from....

Author: Martin, Melissa

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2016

MARCH IS A very busy month for AHIMA. We are kicking off our voluntary patient safety identifier campaign and preparing to showcase it at our Advocacy Symposium. Also, we will present the campaign to our legislators during Hill Day in early April.


This is the perfect time....

Author: AHIMA Work Group

Source: AHIMA practice brief | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2016

There is a significant amount of evidence that points to the existence of serious quality concerns for patients undergoing care transitions across multiple care settings. The 2001 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report “Crossing the Quality Chasm” famously described the US system as dec....

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

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2016

At the 2015 AHIMA Convention and Exhibit, members of AHIMA’s Standards Task Force reported on a ground-breaking white paper they developed called “Health IT Standards for Health Information Management Practices,” a first-of-its-kind white paper that serves as a guide for....

Author: Taylor, Nathan Patrick

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: January 25, 2016

If you are new to healthcare analytics, it can be quite expensive to get up and running with a statistical application. Between the cost of the software itself and the instructional courses—not to mention your investment of time—just getting started could run several thousand dollars. Than....

Author: Butler, Mary

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: January 2016

The HIM Problem


As providers and business associates bring themselves into compliance with the HITECH-HIPAA Final Rule, encrypting data in transmission and at rest can pose a challenge. Two ROI experts discuss encryption and the use of standards in privacy and security.....

Author: Maimone, Carol

Source: AHIMA practice brief

Publication Date: January 2016

This practice brief supersedes the November 2013 practice brief “Data Mapping Best Practices.”


The healthcare industry collects vast amounts of data from electronic sources. These data are captured in a wide variety of formats using various collection methods. Health d....

Author: Rhodes, Harry B.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2016

All of the current excitement about the potential of mobile technologies and patient engagement opportunities comes at a time when many providers are frustrated about their electronic health record (EHR) systems. Struggling against poor EHR system usability, a lack of interoperability, and....

Author: Campbell, Susan E

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2016

Information for general health information managers about the standards development framework and process—with a focus on mobile health For Patient and Self Care

Author: Cange, John R

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2016

To prevent a problem, however, requires that you understand the potential causes of the problem—and this understanding requires data. A complete understanding requires a complete dataset. In the case of HAIs, the ideal dataset would contain data concerning every type of HAI from ever....