Author: Reeves, Mary G

Source: AHIMA practice brief | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 0001

Editor’s Note: This practice brief has been updated. See the latest version here. This version is made available for historical purposes only.


Securing the support of senior leaders for information governance (IG) requires demonstrating how the initiative enables the organization....

Author: Payne, Betty K.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 1983

Author: Kuyper, Lynda A.; Shanks, Corrine K.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 1988

Author:

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 1991

Setting the pace for health information management for the next century, the House of Delegates (HOD) of the American Health Information Management Association chose the 1991 Annual Meeting as the forum to adopt two dramatic changes in the organization's bylaws. The changes reflect AHIMA's dyna....

Author: Layman, Elizabeth J.; Heaps, Thomas; Bell, Brenda

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: August 1992

Author: Grzybowski, Darice

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 1994

Paper to paperless, and the paper in-between. This title may sound like an oxymoron, but it is, in fact, a reflection of reality. Any facility making the transition to an automated point-of-care documentation system, is most likely struggling with intense paper processing, key indexing or sca....

Author: Brandt, Mary D.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 1994

Just how optical storage-based document imaging systems fit with the vision of the computer-based patient record (CPR) is the subject of some debate. To help AHIMA members better understand the issues involved, a workgroup was formed to address this issue. Included were representatives from A....

Author: Layman, Elizabeth J.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 1995

Author: Probyn, Susan L.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 1996

It is common knowledge in the healthcare industry that every few years most hospitals undergo rigorous review to become accredited. Less well known is the fact that many managed care organizations are following suit and undergoing an accreditation process of their own. Several organizations h....

Author: Rhodes, Harry B.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 1996

Shortly after I accepted my first position as director of medical records, I began to develop time management skills and created a "to do" list. One item on my list that got very little attention was my department's disaster plan. Working in a 55-bed hospital in a peaceful eastern Texas commu....

Author: Curtis, Clayton; Fenton, Susan H.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 1996

Introduction

Clinical data repositories (CDRs) are becoming the patient records of today and the foreseeable future. It is already clear that all clinical information, regardless of its origin (provider, patient, or even the computer itself), will someday be stored in a data repository (....

Author: Brandt, Mary D.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 1996

Since January, AHIMA has cosponsored Management of Information (IM) seminars with the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health-care Organizations. Taught by a Joint Commission surveyor and an HIM professional, these lively, interactive sessions have raised a number of questions about the p....

Author: Prophet, Sue

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 1996

Carcinoma

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women. Risk factors include a personal or family history of breast cancer, delayed childbearing, and personal history of benign breast disease.
A tumor may be identified by mammogram or self-examination. Many tumors are d....

Author: Drazen, Erica

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 1996

In 1991 the Institute of Medicine produced a report that came to the unequivocal conclusion that to make advances in the quality of care, efficiency of process, and containment of costs, we needed to adopt computer-based patient records. They even subtitled the report "An Essential Technology....

Author: Hoben, John

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 1996

Editor's note: This article is an adaptation from The 1996 Guide to Health Care Resources on the Internet, edited by John Hoben and published by Faulkner & Gray's Healthcare Information Center. Internet Background and Value Analysis

History
Long familiar to scientists and aca....

Author: Prophet, Sue

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 1996

Myocardial Infarctions

Many coders still have questions regarding the correct coding and sequencing of myocardial infarctions (MI), particularly in relation to the use of the fifth digits, transfers, underlying diagnosis, and performance of procedures. The following information is provide....

Author: Kuehn, Lynn

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 1996

Author: Miller, Dale W.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 1996

As experts in the authorized release and protection of patient information, health information managers are continually faced with new challenges as their organizations implement computer-based patient record systems, participate in health information networks, and embrace other new technolog....

Author: AHIMA Coding Policy and Strategy Committee

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: September 1996

The ICD-9-CM Coordination and Maintenance Committee, cosponsored by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), met on June 6, 1996, in Washington, DC. NCHS’s Donna Pickett, RRA, and HCFA’s Patricia Brooks, RRA, cochaired the meeting.

Author: AHIMA Coding Policy and Strategy Committee

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: September 1996

As the computer-based patient record slowly becomes a reality, the need has never been greater for a national cooperative effort to recognize and apply uniform terminology and coding guidelines for both the clinical community and fiscal intermediaries. AHIMA’s Coding Policy and Strategy Commit....

Author: Prophet, Sue

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 1996

The revisions to ICD-9-CM became effective with discharges occurring on or after October 1, 1996. Highlights of the changes are summarized below. Since not every revision is described in this article, it is important to review the official authorized addendum published in a special edition of....

Author: Slaughter, James; Willner, Sue

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 1996

Overview

Consensus is growing in the healthcare industry that organizations with fully integrated clinical information systems will become the leaders in a fiercely competitive environment. Kaiser Permanente's Northern California Region (KPNCR) believes that such a system can support the....

Author: Grzybowski, Darice; Fox, Leslie Ann

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 1996

Project Rationale and History

We dream of a world where all medical record forms are complete and legible, neatly and proportionately designed, easily converted into electronic format, and efficient for those who document in them; contain clear identification data; and meet all legal, ac....

Author: Brandt, Mary D.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 1996

Most of us are familiar with surveys by the Joint Commission on Ac-creditation of Health-care Organizations. Many of us have had the pleasure of other surveys, as well-by Medicare, state licensure agencies, and the Food and Drug Administration, to name a few. In conducting their reviews, many....

Author: Lach, Jane

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 1997

Author: Bennett-Woods, Deb

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 1997

Corporate downsizing and restructuring continue to reduce the number of managers and increase their scopes of authority. As a result of organizational flattening, healthcare organizations increasingly turn to self-directed teams (teams within a department) and cross-functional teams (teams ac....

Author: Prophet, Sue

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: January 1997

Under DRGs, coding enjoys considerable status and prestige due to its direct impact on an acute care facility’s financial success. In an era of major changes in our healthcare delivery system and reimbursement methodologies, will the limelight gradually shift away from coding to something else....

Author: Ellie, Perry E.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 1997

Does your resume work for you?


As the owner of a recruiting firm specializing in health information management, I critique hundreds of resumes each year. By employing the common sense ideas in this article you can enhance your resume, find the work of your dreams, and ch....

Author: Colburn, Charlotte

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 1997

Background

Documentation of patient encounters through dictation and transcription processing has advanced dramatically over the past century, and current technology offers still greater opportunities for efficiency, timeliness, and completeness. Sixty years ago, the "transcriptionist" o....

Author: Duffy, Philip G.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 1997

Healthcare is one of the most information-intensive industries in the economy but less automated than other industries such as banking and insurance. Modern healthcare delivery is governed by ad hoc teams of professionals assembled to address each case, which further complicates information a....

Author: Cohn, Simon P.; Chute, Christopher G.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 1997

Introduction


Words, terms, and codes have had clearly understood functions within patient records for well over a century. Historically, caregivers would describe patient conditions and findings in prose transcriptions, using technical terms for precision and concise communic....

Author: Greenberg, Marjorie S.; Jones, Judith Miller

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 1997

Although health data standardization has become highly visible in the US during 1996, the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) has been working toward greater standardization of health information since its inception nearly 50 years ago. Established in 1949 in response to....

Author: Golden, Robert F.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 1997

Open Systems and Healthcare
by Robert F. Golden



The language of healthcare computer systems has a Top 40 list of phrases that elicit positive nods from decision makers everywhere. As a result of their popularity, these terms become muddled from overuse (and abuse), confus....

Author: Murphy, Gretchen

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 1997

Standards mark the progress of and contribute to strategies for achieving computer-based patient records (CPR) in the 1990s. The ASTM E1384 Standard Guide for Content and Structure of the Computer-based Patient Record illustrates this fact. Not only is this standard central to characterizing t....

Author: Prophet, Sue

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 1997

Healthcare Fraud and Abuse Legislation

On August 21, 1996, President Clinton signed into law the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. This law addresses several issues including the creation of a Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program. This program is intended to com....

Author: Mahoney, Mary Ellen

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 1997

Document imaging and workflow systems: vendor benchmark data

Author: Mahoney, Mary Ellen

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 1997

What Is Document Imaging Technology?
Document imaging systems (DIS) are information systems that typically capture information stored on paper documents and provide immediate, simultaneous access to the information contained in the patient or business record. Data stored on paper document....

Author: Zakoworotny, Cindy; Rutz, Cheryl; Zwingman-Bagley, Cheryl

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 1997

In 1994, Hartford Hospital began to prepare for a 1995 survey by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. In reviewing the hospital's policies, it was clear that they addressed the assignment of user IDs and passwords for a mainframe environment rather than a network....

Author: Nelson, Doug

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 1997

Introduction
Information security concerns increase with expanded healthcare data access across wide area networks, increased storage on network devices, and greater use outside an organization's electronic borders. Today's information systems network architectures are changing rapidly,....

Author: Graham, Judith

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 1997

Introduction
The Foundation for Accountability (FACCT) is an independent, not-for-profit organization representing major consumer groups and large purchasers of healthcare. Its mission is to help consumers make healthcare choices based on quality. FACCT's core work consists of (1) creat....

Author: Rulon, Vera; Sica, JoAnn

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 1997

History of HEDIS
Employer Issues Leading to HEDIS
The Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS) is a set of standard performance measures designed to provide purchasers and consumers with the information they need to compare the performance of managed healthcare plans.....

Author: Zeglen, Margaret

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 1997

Exhibit 1: Steps to Selecting a Performance Measurement System

Measurement goals. The first step towards selecting a performance measurement system is to consider your organization's mission and strategic plan for improving performance. Determine your organization's priorities for measurem....

Author: Zeglen, Margaret

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 1997

Introduction


In January 1997, the Board of Commissioners of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations approved new requirements for participation in the accreditation process for hospitals and long term care facilities. The requirements apply to performanc....

Author: Watkins, Sue

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 1997

Introduction
The American Cancer Society estimates that about 1.38 million new cancer cases will be diagnosed, and about 560,000 Americans will die of cancer, in 1997.1 These estimates do not include carcinoma in situ or basal and squamous cell skin cancer. To monitor trends in cancer i....

Author: Rhodes, Harry B.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 1997

The ability to provide timely, relevant, and accurate in-formation to the healthcare decision maker at the point of care is a critical success factor for any provider. For enterprises that operate in extremely competitive healthcare markets, the ability to meet this challenge could mean the d....

Author: Garthe, Elizabeth

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 1997

Overview of Trauma Registries

How many trauma registries are there in the US? This is a tough question to answer. According to a survey conducted by members of the Emergency Nurses' Association (ENA), the number of clients reported by trauma registry software companies exceed 1850 organi....

Author: Fletcher, Donna M.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 1997

On March 10, 1997, the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) published a proposal that would require the use of the Outcome Assessment Information Set (OASIS) in its revision to the Medicare home health Conditions of Participation. The proposal is designed so that home care quality moni....

Author: Prophet, Sue

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: September 1997

The ICD-9-CM Coordination and Maintenance Committee, cosponsored by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), met on June 5, 1997, in Baltimore, MD. NCHS's Donna Pickett, RRA, and HCFA's Patricia Brooks, RRA, cochaired the meeting. <....

Author: Prophet, Sue

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 1997

Hypertension complicates at least 10 percent of all pregnancies. The hypertensive disorder of pregnancy most likely to result in significant adverse clinical outcomes is preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia
Preeclampsia is unique to pregnancy and is characterized by elevated blood press....

Author: Malone, Sue M.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 1997

Author: Eisenhauer, Sue

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 1997

Physician offices try to adhere to the coding and billing guidelines as defined by Medicare. However, claims to commercial insurance carriers frequently are not handled as precisely. The passage of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) has brought to our atte....

Author: Dalander, Geoffrey; Willner, Sue; Brasch, Sam

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 1997

Imagine: It has been a productive day. Although it is only Wednesday, you have accomplished all the items on your weekly to-do list. All the hospital and SNF records are coded and analyzed. The discharges from this past Monday have been billed. Ongoing audits of the medical records are now com....

Author: Jones-Burns, Marleeta

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 1997

Integrated healthcare delivery systems are rapidly becoming the environment of the future. This trend will make managing healthcare information even more of a challenge than it has been during previous decades. As with the shift of focus on coding accuracy for appropriate reimbursement in 198....

Author: Brodnik, Melanie S.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 1997

Author: Marienau, Catherine; Fiddler, Morry

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 1997

Career development includes various elements, such as capitalizing on preferences, gaining competencies, deepening knowledge, pursuing opportunities, and exercising patience -- all of which lead to experiences that can form a wellspring for advancing careers and professional identity. If we d....

Author: Prophet, Sue

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 1997

The revisions to ICD-9-CM became effective with discharges occurring on or after October 1, 1997. Highlights of the changes are summarized below. Since every revision is not described in this article, it is important to review the Official Authorized Addendum. The complete addendum is publish....

Author: Hilterbrand, Cynthia

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 1997

What is project management? One usually thinks of a project as a group of milestones or phases, activities, or tasks that support an effort to accomplish something. And one usually thinks of management as the process of planning, organizing, controlling and measuring something.
What does....

Author: Ervin, Johnna M.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 1998

Home health care is not a new concept, but it is definitely an evolving one. The roots of the home care industry go back to the Visiting Nurse Associations, which appeared in the US in the late 1880s. The early Visiting Nurse Associations were charitable organizations that primarily se....

Author: AHIMA House of Delegates

Source: Journal of AHIMA | AHIMA HoD Resolution

Publication Date: January 1998

Background Information

The healthcare industry is undergoing extraordinary change. Technology is rapidly changing how health information is managed. The HIM profession, at the crossroads of healthcare and information management, is profoundly affected by all these changes. Consequ....

Author: Blumenthal, Jane E

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 1998

We are drowning in data and starving for knowledge," said J. Michael Hardin, PhD, during his "Data Mining" presentation during AHIMA's National Convention. Hardin, of the Departments of Health Services Administration, Biostatistics, and Computer Science at the University....

Author: Russo, Ruthann; Russo, Joseph J.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 1998

Recent developments indicate that government scrutiny of healthcare providers will continue well into the next century. This article sheds light on the Federal False Claims Act and its recent interpretation by the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Inspector General and th....

Author: AHIMA House of Delegates

Source: Journal of AHIMA | AHIMA HoD Resolution

Publication Date: January 1998

Resolution from the 1997 House of Delegates

Author: Frawley, Kathleen A.; Asmonga, Donald D.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 1998

On October 29, 1997, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published its semi-annual regulatory agenda. There are several notices of interest to health information management professionals.

Under the proposed rule stage, the Health Care Financing Administration ....

Author: Prophet, Sue

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 1998

During AHIMA's National Convention, HIM professionals convened to network and share practical ideas on issues pertaining to fraud and abuse. While most of the participants worked in hospitals, other work settings, including colleges, consulting firms, and government agencies were als....

Author: Blumenthal, Jane E

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 1998

I am the proverbial optimist—if you think that way, everything will come true,” says Ruthann Russo, JD, ART, about her successful Bethlehem, PA-based health information management consulting firm, Cabot Marsh Corporation.

And you wouldn’t expect to hear anythi....

Author: Prophet, Sue

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 1998

"Fraud," "abuse," "upcoding," "unbundling," and "compliance" have all become buzzwords in the news media. Eliminating healthcare fraud and abuse has become a top priority for the federal government. Government investigations are on the rise and providers everywhere tremble at the thought of b....

Author: AHIMA House of Delegates

Source: Journal of AHIMA | AHIMA HoD Resolution

Publication Date: January 1998

Background Information

Associations exist to serve the goals of its members who are its community of interest. Unlike the private sector, associations have no stockholders. Its customers are its owners and its owners are its customers. An association's strategic framework—its....

Author: Manning, Susan C.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 1998

The development and implementation of compliance programs offer HIM professionals perfect opportunities to provide leadership and expertise. HIM professionals should be involved in these processes because the documentation of patient services is an essential part of the investigation and enfo....

Author: AHIMA House of Delegates

Source: Journal of AHIMA | AHIMA HoD Resolution

Publication Date: January 1998

Background

In August 1996, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) [Public Law 104-191] established the infrastructure and funding for federal fraud and abuse efforts. This legislation authorizes the appropriation of $104 million in 1997, with increases in....

Author: AHIMA House of Delegates

Source: Journal of AHIMA | AHIMA HoD Resolution

Publication Date: January 1998

[Note: an updated House of Delegates resolution on lifelong learning was passed in 2004 and is available here.]
Background Information

In 1996, AHIMA's House of Delegates adopted Vision 2006 as the strategic direction for the profession:

"Resolved, That....

Author: AHIMA House of Delegates

Source: Journal of AHIMA | AHIMA HoD Resolution

Publication Date: January 1998

Resolution from the 1997 House of Delegates

Author: King, Ellen

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 1998

Healthcare fraud is a multibillion dollar problem costing every taxpayer significant amounts of money. Fraud also jeopardizes the health and safety of patients. It has been estimated that fraud accounts for about one-tenth of the $1 trillion spent annually on healthcare.

Author: AHIMA House of Delegates

Source: Journal of AHIMA | AHIMA HoD Resolution

Publication Date: January 1998

Background

In 1996, AHIMA's House of Delegates adopted Vision 2006 as its strategy for moving the health information management profession into the future:

"Resolved, That the American Health Information Management Association and its component organizations and....

Author: AHIMA House of Delegates

Source: Journal of AHIMA | AHIMA HoD Resolution

Publication Date: January 1998

Resolution from the 1997 House of Delegates:
Advocating for Unique Healthcare Identification
Background Information

During the past few decades, many technological advances in healthcare have occurred. Despite this, the typical health record has not changed significan....

Author: Vincze, L. Stephan

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 1998

The possibility of an investigation related to fraud and abuse is the last thing most people want to think about, but it's important to be prepared, just in case. The author gives some advice on how to react if your facility is the target of an investigation and points out some imp....