Author: Mendoza, Maria C.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2010

HIM professionals have a lot to offer genomics research. Those interested in developing their skills in the sciences can dig deeper into this fast-emerging field.

Successful mapping OF the human genome, completed in 2003, ushered science into what is called the “post-genom....

Author: Ulmer, Stephen E.; Fuller, Jan C.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2010

The vocabulary standards adopted in the meaningful use final rule provide the language to capture primary health data required for the meaningful use objectives. It is through these standards that health information will be captured and transmitted. Knowing the vocabulary standards and underst....

Author: Warner, Diana

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2010

Many organizations still struggle with ongoing and timely clinical communication among physicians and between physicians and their patients. Physician-to-physician communication for ongoing patient care is especially complex. It requires identifying all physicians involved in the care of a pat....

Author: Alschuler, Liora

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2010

The meaningful use final rule is spurring many organizations to implement electronic health records (EHRs). However, integrating clinical notes into EHRs continues to be a problem for many organizations.

The Health Story Project aims to streamline this process by supporting the deve....

Author: Crawford, Mark

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2010

Migrating their patient records to an EHR system is not the only challenge physician practices must manage when they are acquired by a larger organization. Good communication is the foundation of all success.

An increasing number of small physician practices are being acquired....

Author: Kallem, Crystal

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2010

One of the top health policy outcome priorities associated with meaningful use is to improve the quality and efficiency of care for Medicare and Medicaid populations. Eligible hospitals and providers that seek to apply for stage 1 meaningful use incentives will be required to capture and repor....

Author: Bowen, Rita K.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2010

Two years ago I made a career move to enterprise director of HIM so that I could focus on privacy and engage in my organization’s EHR implementation. I saw this as a time to think creatively and work with open-minded people committed to bringing something new and extraordinary into our w....

Author: Nelson, Tanai S

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: November 2010

In August the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services established a new prospective payment system (PPS) for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) facilities. The ESRD PPS will provide a single payment to ESRD facilities for renal dialysis services and other items and services related to home dial....

Author: Dunn, Rose T

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2010

Release of information will get easier as health IT advances. But for now, it can be a labor-intensive effort requiring more expenses than many outside the process may realize.

Healthcare organizations may perform their release of information function internally with employed st....

Author: AHIMA

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2010

AHIMA held its 82nd Annual Convention and Exhibit September 25–29 in Orlando, FL. Attendance this year reached a high water mark that matches the best-attended conventions from previous years such as Seattle and Philadelphia. More than 5,000 practitioners, educators, students, and exhibit....

Author: DeVault, Kathryn

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: November 2010

The final rule for the FY 2011 Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System was released July 30, 2010. Changes in the rule went into effect with October 1, 2010, inpatient discharges.

The changes to MS-DRGs and the complication and comorbidity (CC) and major complication and comorb....

Author: Glunt, Joanne; Palmer, Edna

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: November 01, 2010

HITECH changes to the HIPAA privacy and security rules put new responsibilities on both providers who outsource medical transcription and the companies that provide services for them.



When President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) in Februa....

Author: Baldwin-Stried, Kimberly A.

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: October 21, 2010

She also presents a scenario that led to discovery and recommends that organizations prepare for the changing world of discovery by developing similar use cases. Scenarios such as this, she writes, help organizations identify the types of data and systems that may require legal holds in re....

Author: Dimick, Chris

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: October 12, 2010

In a cancer patient’s darkest hour, patient navigator Mary Nespor, RHIA, is there to help.


Piloting the complex healthcare system—doctor appointments, medications, insurance forms—can be a daunting task for a patient, especially those facing serious i....

Author: Wiedemann, Lou Ann

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 2010

Hospitals and healthcare providers acknowledge that computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems effectively address patient safety issues such as medication errors and document legibility. Built-in clinical decision support alerts can help identify drug-to-drug interactions or dosage err....

Author: Hyde, Linda A.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 2010

In October 2008 a Journal article titled "HIM Jobs of Tomorrow" profiled 11 new and revised jobs representing changes in HIM.1 One of the jobs highlighted was health data analyst.

Data analysis is not a new role in HIM, but it has been evolving appreciably. In the two years since th....

Author: Dolan, Marsha; Wolter, Julie; Heet, Rachel

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 2010

More facilities are offering patients support in navigating the healthcare system, helping manage care in difficult times and assisting when low health literacy could present barriers to care.

Health information management professionals have long been involved in consumer....

Author: Rollins, Genna

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 2010

Everyone in healthcare can feel the ground shifting. The changes are driving demand for information management, and HIM professionals can find new opportunities by keeping engaged and acquiring new skills.

Health information management may be one of the hottest healthcare....

Author: Zeisset, Ann M.

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: October 2010

Root Operations That Always Involve a Device, Involve Examination Only, or Define Other Objectives

The medical and surgical procedure section of ICD-10-PCS contains most (but not all) procedures typically coded and reported in the hospital inpatient setting. There are 31 root operatio....

Author: Miller, Amy; Ridpath, Debra

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: October 2010

Remote coding is helping organizations attract and retain experienced coding professionals at a time when highly skilled coding professionals are in short supply. Successfully implementing a remote coding program requires that facilities have their entire clinical documentation online and qual....

Author: Rode, Dan

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 2010

The healthcare industry and HIM profession have spent much of 2010 engaged in proposed regulations, comments, and final regulations related to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and HITECH Act. There will be more to come. We have adapted to new Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) requi....

Author: Viola, Allison F.; Rode, Dan

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 2010

CMS will pay meaningful use bonuses through three programs: Medicare Fee for Service (FFS), Medicare Advantage (MA), and Medicaid programs.
FFS Payments to Providers

For eligible professionals (EPs), understanding the payment system is especially important, because they must ch....

Author: Bowen, Rita K.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 2010

Your AHIMA Board and CSA leaders have spent much of the year working to ensure that HIM professionals have a leading role in these changing times. We are working collectively to design a world-class association that can be a home to all who work in the health information field.

Our....

Author: Rudman, William J.; Hart-Hester, Susan; Jones, Warren A.; Caputo, Nadine; Madison, Mary

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 2010

Integrating records of systemic and oral health would improve patient care. It would also open up a new frontier in health information management.

A fully integrated patient record and care model for both systemic health (medical) and oral health (dental) is needed for health informa....

Author: Reich, Kimberly A. Baldwin-Stried

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 2010

While healthcare facilities are familiar with the process of discovery-often in the form of subpoenas-many are just seeing their first e-discovery requests. Do e-discovery requests differ from subpoenas, and do they require different responses?

The answer is not a simple yes or no. I....

Author: Eramo, Lisa A

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 2010

The federal government has put $70 million toward training programs to boost the health IT workforce. Colleges got to work without knowing who would enroll, who would teach, and who would offer the jobs. This month, the first students are in the seats.

This fall, more than 80 commun....

Author: Dimick, Chris

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: October 2010

Recent changes to the enforcement of the HIPAA security rule have left many and HIM professionals wondering what, if anything, they need to change in order to stay compliant.


Federal regulation last year introduced the potential for additional random....

Author:

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2010

The Triumph Awards honor leadership in the HIM field, reward contributions that build our knowledge base, recognize excellence in preparing future HIM professionals, and encourage fresh talent and new leadership. Profiled are the 2010 winners.

Author: Dimick, Chris

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: September 2010

Sep 24, 2010

The EHR is a valuable clinical tool for streamlining and improving patient care. But it is complicating and confusing the courts.

As the first cases involving electronic health records make their way into legal proceedings, everyone involved is discovering th....

Author: AHIMA

Source: AHIMA report | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: September 2010

Author: AHIMA

Source: AHIMA report | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: September 2010

Author: AHIMA

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: September 2010

Author: Schraffenberger, Lou Ann

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: September 2010

The new ICD-9-CM procedure codes go into effect October 1, 2010, for fiscal year 2011. This article highlights the new and revised codes for inpatient procedures performed in healthcare facilities across the United States.

The 2011 addenda with the all the changes to the ICD-9-CM pr....

Author: DeVault, Kathryn

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: September 2010

Root Operations That Alter the Diameter/Route of a Tubular Body Part and That Define Other Repairs


The medical and surgical procedure section of ICD-10-PCS contains most, but not all, procedures typically coded and reported in the hospital inpatient setting. This article is the th....

Author: Thorp, Jeremy

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2010

The European Union (EU) provides a common framework for policies and services across its 27 member states. There are common policies in many areas, but healthcare remains a national prerogative.

While there are substantial variations between the United States and European national h....

Author: Sullivan, Tori E.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2010

Breaking down costs by category helps tackle a complex task. Different expenses will peak in different years, and not all costs will be obvious.


Implementing ICD-10-CM/PCS will be one of the most expensive endeavors the healthcare industry has faced in recent history. Cost....

Author: Wiedemann, Lou Ann

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2010

Many types of documentation errors can occur in electronic health records (EHRs), such as incorrectly recording the sex of a patient, documenting in the wrong patient record, and incorrectly identifying the ordering physician on a laboratory report.


It is important to addres....

Author: Rode, Dan

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2010

In July the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ended the waiting game for the HITECH privacy and security regulations, the meaningful use final rule, and the final rule on standards and certification.

HIM professionals and their organizations, anxious to familiarize thems....

Author: Schraffenberger, Lou Ann

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: September 2010

The new ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes go into effect October 1, 2010. This article highlights new codes for fiscal year 2011.


The complete 2010 addenda with the changes to the ICD-9-CM tabular list and alphabetic index (volumes 1 and 2) are located on the National Center for Heal....

Author: Dimick, Chris

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2010

The calendar is marching steadily toward October 2013, when all healthcare organizations must begin submitting claims using the ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS code sets. Much needs to be done in making the transition, and healthcare organizations should have taken major steps in their preparation al....

Author: Dowling, Alan F.; Wisdom, Theresa A

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2010

As the ICD-10 conversion deadline approaches, its implementation is likely to become a healthcare facility's most significant objective. It presents HIM professionals with an opportunity to demonstrate their expertise and assume a leadership role within their institutions as they lead this....

Author: Bowen, Rita K.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2010

Apprehension in the healthcare industry is growing as the ICD-10 implementation deadline approaches. However, the fear of the transition doesn't match its legend or lore.

Apprehension can crystallize into anxiety if you're not careful. It's like an old pair of shoes you love. You kn....

Author: Fera, William A

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2010

Healthcare has made significant progress on capturing data electronically, but it still struggles to leverage it fully. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is making inroads by harmonizing data from different settings and systems into a single view.

Since well before the turn....

Author: Heubusch, Kevin

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2010

The HIPAA privacy rule generally conveys to individuals the same rights in death that they held in life. Two current proposals would change that, reducing the protections that covered entities currently must afford a deceased patient's record and easing access to decedent records by family....

Author: Younkin, Jim

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2010

A study authored by the Center for Information Technology Leadership found a completely interoperable healthcare system (that is, each organization could share every piece of its healthcare information with another organization as discrete and normalized data) could yield annual savings of $77....

Author: Dimick, Chris

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2010

Meaningful use and pay-for-performance are shining a spotlight on quality measures. There are hundreds of measures in use, but most fall within three broad categories.

Just performing a healthcare service may not be enough to receive payment anymore. Increasingly, payers are ty....

Author: Bielby, Judy A; Williams, Margaret

Source: AHIMA practice brief | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: August 2010

This practice brief has been retired. It is made available for historical purposes only.

Author:

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: August 2010

Author: Featheringham, Meg

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: August 2010

Through the winter and spring healthcare waited for the next round of ARRA-related regulations. Now they are here, and organizations are tagged with implementing compliant programs.
How do you get started when it seems that everything needs doing at once?

Over the past year and....

Author: Costa, Kerry F

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: August 2010

This month providers will begin seeing the first EHR products approved for use in the "meaningful use" incentive program. Another piece of the ARRA puzzle is falling into place.

In March 2010 the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) proposed two programs to test and approve EHR p....

Author: Bowen, Rita K.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: August 2010

When I think of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and what it means for HIM professionals, I am reminded of the Queen song "Time to Shine."

AHIMA members' diverse backgrounds will be key to the HIM professional's evolution into the pillars of strength that support and promo....

Author: AHIMA

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: August 2010

The final rule on the EHR incentive plan offers more "flexibility and choice" than the daunting proposed rule, adjusting the objectives and scaling back some of the measures. Now interested providers just need to figure out how to get with the program.

After perhaps the longest six m....

Author: AHIMA

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: August 2010

Most of the 60 regional extension centers have officially launched operations and begun helping providers implement health IT.


The RECs were created under the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which provided $642 million in grants for the centers' first two....

Author: AHIMA

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: August 2010

ARRA arrived with a bang in February 2009, but the regulations enabling the law's healthcare provisions have inched forward since then. Much of the responsibility for drafting regulation fell to the Department of Health and Human Services, which had a tall order to fill within deadlines mandate....

Author: Dowling, Alan F.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: August 2010

Imagine yourself as a well-trained professional with an active role in the air travel industry in the early 1950s-the dawn of commercial jet travel. Until now, commercial air travel meant propellers and piston-powered engines. The technology that seemed so impressive just a few years before wa....

Author: Dimick, Chris

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: August 2010

Provisions within the HITECH Act require that covered entities notify individuals if their protected health information is breached. However, the current regulation allows an exemption if the risk of harm is slight. Assessing risk can be subjective, and privacy officers have been working to cr....

Author: AHIMA

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: August 2010

The office for Civil Rights got a late start on the HITECH privacy regulations (due last February), and it's clear from the draft rule it released in July that the office still has almost as many questions as answers on how to enact the HITECH provisions. However, the release does offer a good....

Author: Wang, Tiankai; Biedermann, Sue E.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: August 2010

Even with federal incentive payments, providers will be hesitant to adopt EHRs without understanding the return on investment. A cost-benefit analysis helps determine EHR profitability over time.

One of the major obstacles provider organizations face in EHR adoption is an unclear und....

Author: Finn, Zach; McNeill, Marjorie H; Cooper, Lontejuana S; Kaelin, Lawrence Dan; Byington, Allen

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: August 2010

An HIE model developed in Florida leverages local and regional networks and offers a flexible, scalable framework that aligns them with national health IT and exchange priorities.



By Zach Finn; Marjorie H. McNeill, PhD, RHIA, CCS; Lontejuana S. Cooper, MSHA, RHIA, CPM; L....

Author: AHIMA

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: August 2010

The Department of Health and Human Services received approximately $146 billion in funds through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. It was tasked with disbursing that money through programs or objectives specified within the act's healthcare-related provisions.

Over the year....

Author: Dimick, Chris

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: August 2010

Chris Dimick


Aug 01, 2010 07:15 am


The regional extension center program might have some people experiencing déjà vu.

Granted, the REC program is an unprecedented attempt by the federal government to transition American healthcare to electronic health record sy....

Author: Dowling, Alan F.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2010

In the Herakleion Museum, Crete, there are inscriptions on fragments of clay tablets that were written by early Cretans. The inscriptions, in "Linear A," have yet to be deciphered. However, there is general agreement that they are encoded information, probably dating back more than 3,600 years....

Author: Lopez, Barbara A

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: July 2010

Establishing a clinical documentation improvement (CDI) program is an organization-wide, transformational process that affects a hospital’s culture, reaching across all disciplines and touching every colleague and the way they perform their jobs. Many factors can lead healthcare organizations....

Author: Bacik, Sandy

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2010

ARRA's modifications to the HIPAA privacy and security rules are setting off a new round of training in facilities large and small. Trainers must fit the new training into existing schedules that already include organizational policies and procedures, HIPAA, and other regulations such as the R....

Author: Rollins, Genna

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2010

Facilities are turning to coding automation to help manage the volume of electronic documentation, streamlining workflow, boosting productivity, and increasing job satisfaction. As EHR adoption increases, computer-assisted coding may become a necessity, not an option.

The phrase "com....

Author: Dimick, Chris

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2010

Even small departments may never experience complete harmony in their assignment of codes, but they have good motivation for achieving as much consistency as they can. Training, communication, monitoring, and coding reviews help reach that goal, HIM experts say.

Coding manager Julie....

Author: Bowen, Rita K.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2010

The increasing complexity of the coding process and the pressure to reduce accounts on hold and accounts receivable days and improve cash flow are enough to have every good coding professional seeking solutions. Healthcare reform calls for us all to continually review areas for improvement, wh....

Author: AHIMA

Source: AHIMA practice brief | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2010

This practice brief has been updated. See the latest version here. This version is made available for historical purposes only.

Author: DeLoss, Gerald E.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2010

In a typical legal action, judges have a different perspective on the production of electronically stored information (ESI) than do HIM professionals. The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, case law, and past experiences with discovery disputes play an important role in how judges view e-discov....

Author: Dimick, Chris

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: July 2010

Jul 01, 2010 07:02 am

Coding professionals are not alone as they prepare for the sweeping changes that come with the ICD-10-CM/PCS implementation. They only need to look down the hospital hall to find another department grappling with a major shakeup in how it classifies clinical do....

Author: Anderson, Rhonda L.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2010

Long-term care skilled nursing facilities must transition to the new Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 by October 1, 2010. MDS 3.0 changes the assessment focus, using the resident’s voice to more thoroughly assess residents and link to the care plan that meets the resident’s needs. This change requir....

Author: Warner, Diana

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2010

Ensuring correct and complete patient health information is an ongoing challenge for healthcare organizations. Patient-provided health information can help organizations gain a more complete view of a patient's health, and electronic health records (EHRs) provide multiple tools that allow pati....

Author: Smith, Gail I.; Bronnert, June

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: July 2010

The coding world is not immune to technology advancements. Computer-assisted coding (CAC) technology is changing how the coding process is accomplished across all healthcare settings. CAC technology continues to integrate into a coding professional's daily life. This article focuses on the too....

Author: Peterson, Kathleen; Smith, Gail I.; Phibbs, Kozie V.; Eminger, Heather; Giustina, Elizabeth

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2010

Coding departments are in training for a triathlon. They are swimming in regulations, cycling through changes in source documents, and running at breakneck speed to ICD-10-CM/PCS implementation. Luckily, new workflow “gear” is emerging that can help them improve endurance and e....

Author: Rode, Dan

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2010

As this issue goes to press, healthcare remains unsettled, waiting on the publication of key rules related to ARRA and the HITECH Act.

Until these rules appear, providers cannot assess with any certainty their willingness and ability to apply for the meaningful use incentive program....

Author: AHIMA Physician Practice Council

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2010

Arguably, the greatest challenge for a medical practice implementing an electronic health record (EHR) system is change. Setting up new software and hardware is typically easier than disrupting and reconfiguring the practice’s processes and determining how to handle its existing paper records.....

Author: Dimick, Chris

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2010

The federal government is creating a stripped-down version of the nationwide health information network to aid the meaningful use program. What does it mean for HIEs?

Simple is not a word typically associated with electronic health information exchange. For years, the act of sending....

Author: Dinh, Angela K.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2010

Data errors are inevitable, and they happen every day. Various types of errors can occur in electronic health records (EHRs), including errors in dates of service (DOS). DOS errors happen for a number of reasons, such as a user choosing the wrong encounter or entering the wrong date.

Author: Frankel, Harris; Bass, Deb

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2010

Nebraska HIE offers light solution for robust data exchange

Depending upon your perspective, NeHII, the Nebraska Health Information Initiative, may have a name that evokes a soft drink popular in the early 20th century, or it may induce images of cornstalks waving in the v....

Author: Fernandes, Lorraine M.; O'Connor, Michele

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2010

Federal dollars are spurring efforts for health information exchange, but to say there is more than one approach is an understatement. Providers and payers are taking local, state, regional, and federal routes in search of connected healthcare.

The last year has seen tremendous excit....

Author: AHIMA

Source: AHIMA practice brief | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2010

The content in this practice brief has been retired. It is made available for historical purposes only. More recent information is available here.

Author: Spencer, Gregory

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2010

Healthcare organizations, just like individuals, can suffer from information overload. Increasingly tasked with linking quality data to reimbursement parameters, providers now attempt to capture every piece of possible data.

The problem is that data collection has a price tag. Someti....

Author: Giannangelo, Kathy; Hyde, Linda A.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2010

Plans and preparation for the October 2013 ICD-10-CM/PCS implementation center on educating the people who collect and store coded data. But equally important is educating the individuals and organizations that use these data for analysis and reporting on the quality of patient care.

Author: Lee, Lorraine; Whitcomb, Kathleen; Galbreth, Michael; Patterson, David

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2010

Backed with fresh ARRA funding, SCHIEx blends business models with a strong state role and a belief that HIE is a public good.

The field of health information exchange is littered with examples of failed or defunct efforts, such as those in Santa Barbara (CA), Seattle, Cle....

Author: Rode, Dan

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2010

This spring, as the healthcare industry waited for the “meaningful use” regulations, AHIMA held its second ICD-10 Summit. During the meeting, presenters Deborah Kohn, MPH, RHIA, FACHE, CPHIMS, FHIMSS, and Elaine Lips, RHIA, noted that healthcare is in the midst of a perfect storm of new regula....

Author: Endicott, Melanie

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: June 2010

Hip fractures are most commonly seen in elderly patients. They are a serious concern for this population because they can lead to a decreased quality of life, extended hospitalizations, or admission to nursing facilities.

Two of the most common causes for fractures are falls and ost....

Author: Hjort, Beth M.; Rhodes, Harry B.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2010

When ARRA extended sections of the HIPAA privacy and security rules to cover business associates (BAs), it created a seismic shift in their contractual relationships with covered entities (CEs). Further, the changes became effective simultaneous with other ARRA amendments that require CEs and....

Author: Dowling, Alan F.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2010

The current debate over the form and function of a nationwide mechanism to exchange health information is the latest incarnation of an idea that has persisted for decades. Today it is the nationwide health information network (NHIN). In the ’90s, it was the community health information network....

Author: Barta, Ann

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: June 2010

ICD-10-CM/PCS will capture a greater level of specificity for obstetric coding. This article highlights some of the new features in coding obstetric cases with ICD-10-CM/PCS.
OB Diagnoses Coding with ICD-10-CM

Obstetric cases require diagnosis codes from chapter 15 of ICD-10-CM,....

Author: Bowen, Rita K.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2010

Recent developments have created a buzz in the healthcare industry around health information exchange (HIE), or the electronic sharing of health data across organizations within a region, community, or hospital system. HIEs facilitate access to clinical information to provide patient-centered....

Author: Dimick, Chris

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: June 01, 2010

Health information exchange (HIE) networks have always understood the importance of gaining patient and provider trust. However, beyond describing the privacy and security policies and procedures they establish to protect the information they exchange, they have largely had to ask pat....

Author: Dimick, Chris

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: June 2010

HIPAA gave consumers the right to request that covered entities restrict certain disclosures of their protected health information, but it did not require covered entities to comply. ARRA does—in certain situations. ARRA also expands patients’ rights to an accounti....

Author: Robertson, April D.

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: May 25, 2010

ARRA's modifications of HIPAA have shaken up many areas of HIM practice, including off-site records storage, where facilities often have indexed their inventory no further than by box.


Today’s HIM departments face a montage of mediums: electronic health records, paper health....

Author: Dowling, Alan F.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2010

Recently, while speaking with patients’ family members about their perception that healthcare is too fragmented, I was reminded of my earlier experiential research findings: that the proper scope for analyzing or designing work processes is macroergonomics-the integration of mission-based proc....

Author: Heubusch, Kevin

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2010

Improving the ability of patients to understand and apply health information goes hand in hand with designing systems that deliver it. Both are needed to improve outcomes and reduce disparities.

Recent federal initiatives to promote health IT, including the “meaningful use” EHR incen....

Author: Rode, Dan

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2010

There is an old saying that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb, but in Washington this year the lamb had to wait.

From start to finish March was a busy month in several areas of interest to HIM professionals.
Health Reform’s Impact on HIM

In March the....

Author: McLendon, Kelly

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2010

Hospitals and providers seeking to receive payments under ARRA’s “meaningful use” incentive program must prove their eligibility by meeting objectives and associated measures for the use of their EHR systems. Some of the requirements of most interest to HIM professionals are related to a provi....

Author: Washington, Lydia

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2010

For decades, HIM professionals have been called upon in court cases to enter the medical record into evidence under the business records exception to the hearsay rule. This typically required the “custodian” or keeper of the physical record to testify under oath that the records were made in t....

Author: Majerowicz, Anita; Tracy, Susan

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: May 2010

Traditionally, healthcare has been provided in the physician’s office, hospital, or outpatient clinic. Patient care has been based primarily on face-to-face contact, with the exchange of information via conversation.

However, technology is changing how and where care is delivered. M....

Author: Eramo, Lisa A

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2010

New technologies are enabling patients to capture and transmit health data from their homes. Managing this new data stream takes some planning.

Managing health information that flows into the organization from outside sources has always posed challenges. How will the information be i....