Author: Rode, Dan

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2004

In November 2003 the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) agreed to recommend that the secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) adopt the ICD-10-CM and the ICD-10-PCS classification standards as replacement for the ICD-9-CM classification currently used in the US.

Author: Zender, Anne

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2004

From CE requirements to membership dues to the future of education and ethical practices, participants in the October 2003 House of Delegates meeting discussed issues that affect all members. This article looks at the highlights of the day’s work.
New Standards for CE Maintenance

Author: Hull, Susan

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: January 2004

Changes for CPT 2004 affect all chapters, and it’s important to stay up to speed. This article presents a summary of CPT changes for 2004. Because a number of the procedures may be unfamiliar to some coding professionals, AHIMA has provided online links to descriptive articles on these s....

Author: Zender, Anne

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2004

In 2010 will HIM professionals be working in a paperless environment in the context of a robust national health information infrastructure? According to a panel of experts, public and private entities are taking steps to move closer to this goal. Leading decision makers and public policy exper....

Author: Burrington-Brown, Jill

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2004

Q: Can you explain the difference between the terms “addressable” and “required” as they are used in the final security rule?

Q: Our organization is building an electronic health record. What do we need to consider as we develop a printing policy?

J....

Author: Nutten, Sandra; Mansueti, Chris

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2004

HIPAA security standards require your organization to have a contingency plan. Here’s the how-to for a plan that measures up.

The final rule for HIPAA security standards, published in the Federal Register on February 20, 2003, clearly states that a covered entity must protect....

Author: Roth, Julie A.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2004

Although HIPAA currently enjoys the privacy spotlight, it is only one of several federal laws aimed at privacy protection. We have federal protections for everything from our medical and financial information to what videos we rent. When you add the various state privacy laws and accrediting....

Author: Wheatley, Victoria

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2004

Whatever happened to the unique health identifier for individuals (UHI)? The UHI was one of four identifiers included in HIPAA. In July 1998 the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the former Health Care Financing Administration (now the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services....

Author: Dougherty, Michelle

Source: AHIMA practice brief | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2004

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

Author: Mon, Donald T.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2004

As articulated in “A Vision of the e-HIM Future,” health information in 2010 will be “electronic, patient-centered, comprehensive, longitudinal, accessible, and credible.”1 As we transform from a paper to an electronic health information infrastructure over the next few....

Author: Kostick, Karen M.

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: February 2004

V codes, described in the ICD-9-CM chapter “Supplementary Classification of Factors Influencing Health Status and Contact with Health Services,” are often misunderstood in reporting healthcare services. These codes are designed for occasions when circumstances other than a disease....

Author: Keough, Tim

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2004

Remote coding offers big benefits and unique security challenges. Here’s how one organization moves patient data securely across the Internet.

"Whatever, in connection with my professional practice, or not in connection with it, I see or hear, in the life of men, which ought....

Author: Brodnik, Melanie S.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2004

One of the strategic initiatives set by the AHIMA Board of Directors for 2004 focuses on HIM outreach; that is, engaging in activities designed to increase consumer and industry awareness of HIM professionals and practices at home and abroad. My message this month focuses on the “abroad&....

Author: Rode, Dan

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2004

When we pursue our profession in an ever-changing environment, success is a fleeting reward. The pursuit of our goals is a process that spans more than any one calendar year. This column summarizes the Association’s 2003 achievements in our four key advocacy issues and looks at plans for....

Author: Zender, Anne

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2004

As an information security manager, Karen Czirr, MS, RHIA, CHP, learns by doing. She also learns by teaching.

Czirr, who works at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, welcomes the chance to improve her knowledge, and she says teaching others is a great way....

Author: Kloss, Linda L

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2004

One of the most useful lessons I learned while working in healthcare quality improvement was the Pareto Principle, often referred to as the 80/20 rule. The concept is that in any endeavor, 20 percent of something is always responsible for 80 percent of the results.

This phenomenon i....

Author: Stanfill, Mary H

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: February 2004

The physician section of the 2004 OIG work plan includes a focus on appropriate use of modifiers used to bypass National Correct Coding Initiative edits and modifier 25 (Significant, separately identifiable evaluation and management service by the same physician on the same day of the procedur....

Author: Hagland, Mark

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2004

New technologies are enhancing the ability to protect patient information. But there’s more to successful implementation than just what’s inside the box.

Melanie Schattauer, RHIA, Jack Obert, and their colleagues at Mercy St. John’s Health System in Springfield, M....

Author: Walsh, Tom

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2004

Proving security compliance later requires establishing documentation now. HIM professionals have a valuable role to play.

HIM professionals played central roles in their organization’s privacy efforts, ensuring that appropriate policies, procedures, and documents were in plac....

Author: Amatayakul, Margret

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2004

Many information privacy officials (IPOs) and information security officials (ISOs) may be facing what seems like an uphill battle to gain support for security measures believed to be necessary to comply with the HIPAA security rule. There are a number of converging factors that can influence....

Author: Scichilone, Rita A

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: March 2004

Some people might believe that selecting the right clinical code number is roughly equivalent to the process of finding a phone number to order a pizza.
You can use a book with an index, or its electronic equivalent, to locate the numbers required, then push some buttons and the “s....

Author: AHIMA Coding Products and Services Team

Source: AHIMA practice brief | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2004

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

Author: Davino, Margaret

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2004

Healthcare providers can outsource transcription, but they can’t outsource their obligation to safeguard privacy. Here’s how to minimize risk.
Healthcare providers are faced with multiple pressures, many of them financial. The need for management to meet financial constraints....

Author: Brodnik, Melanie S.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2004

As I think about all that the HIM profession aims to accomplish, I realize that we are faced with the challenge of reinventing ourselves. This seems daunting, but ours is not the only profession faced with this challenge.
Change Can Make Us Stronger

Consider the challenges fac....

Author: Brandt, Mary D.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2004

The bottom line is calling. Here’s how to decide if your HIM department has the right number of supervisors.
Down-sizing, right-sizing, streamlining. It doesn’t really matter what you call it, but it has had a significant impact on healthcare operations and staffing. Organizat....

Author: Quinsey, Carol Ann

Source: AHIMA Q and A | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2004

Q: What is meant by the term “system life cycle?”

A: The term “system life cycle” generally comes up in conversations about software development with our IT colleagues. However, it may also be used when assessing your organizational needs for computer systems.....

Author: Zeisset, Ann M.

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: March 2004

Transvenous intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) is a relatively new procedure used to treat complications of severe liver disease such as bleeding esophageal varices. This extensive procedure is typically performed by interventional radiologists and involves the placement of a stent in the....

Author: Roth, Julie A.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2004

The HIPAA privacy rule is just one of several federal laws that protect the privacy of non-public information. But privacy is not a new concept in healthcare. Healthcare workers have long protected medical information under a varety of state and federal laws, accreditation standards, and rules....

Author: Kloss, Linda L

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2004

Many were caught by surprise last October when the San Francisco Chronicle ran a story about a disgruntled medical transcriber from Pakistan who threatened to release confidential patient data if she did not get paid.1 When the full story was revealed, we learned that the University of Califor....

Author: Dougherty, Michelle

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2004

In January 2004 the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) launched a new initiative to improve the accuracy and reliability of Minimum Data Set (MDS) data in long-term care. The Data Assessment and Verification program (DAVE) is a collaborative effort between multiple CMS program ar....

Author: Hicks, Jewelle E

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2004

“I believe the position of privacy officer will emerge as a top management position....It behooves all of us in the field to be credentialed, as it demonstrates competency and knowledge.”
—Linda Walker       


Last April the privacy ru....

Author: Asmonga, Donald D.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2004

The French playwright Molière once said, “Long is the road from conception to completion.” This could also describe the first session of the 108th Congress. In 2003, Congress, and those of us who worked with it, took a long and tumultuous ride filled with notable success....

Author: Heubusch, Kevin

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2004

In HIM, the universe is expanding. The key to expanding with it, says Mechel McKinney, BSB/A, RHIA, is education: educating yourself to do bigger and better HIM work and educating upper management about HIM’s important role throughout an organization.

McKinney began her HIM car....

Author: Youmans, Karen

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2004

HIM plays an integral role in an organization’s revenue cycle. That means health information managers have a role to play in revenue cycle management.
Is the following scenario familiar? The CEO is complaining about accounts receivable (AR) climbing to $10 million. The coders a....

Author: Mon, Donald T.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2004

The electronic health record (EHR) standard has been receiving widespread attention since the spring of 2003, when the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Department of Health and Human Services asked the Institute of Medicine for guidance on care delivery functions and H....

Author: Bowman, Sue E

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2004

After years of doubt as to whether ICD-10 was ever going to be implemented in the United States, the journey toward replacement of ICD-9-CM has finally gotten under way. The historic decision of the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) to send a letter to the Secretar....

Author: Amatayakul, Margret

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2004

The lack of specificity in HIPAA’s transmission security standard for “guarding against unauthorized access to electronic protected health information (EPHI) that is being transmitted over an electronic communications nework” may leave you a bit cold, especially the portion....

Author: Walls, Laura Lane

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2004

In the new world of remote work forces, old management principles still apply. The trick is to apply them in entirely new ways.
Many health information management professionals don’t work anywhere near their “place” of employment.
They are remote workers, performin....

Author:

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2004

Respondents to a study measuring industry awareness and use of the minimum content recommended in the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards for electronic health records (EHR) believe that the minimum data elements outlined in the standards should be included in all system....

Author: Mon, Donald T.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2004

In the March 2004 issue of the Journal of AHIMA, this column described how the second version of the EHR functional outline and draft standard currently being developed by the Health Level 7 (HL7) EHR Special Interest Group appeared to be dramatically improved over the first version, which was....

Author: Rode, Dan

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2004

It hardly seems possible, but this month marks a year since the implementation of the HIPAA privacy rule—as marked by AHIMA’s celebration of National Health Information Privacy and Security Week this month. Interestingly, few disasters have occurred on the scale many predicted. Inst....

Author: Carol, Ruth

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2004

The HIPAA privacy rule implementation is a year in the past. So what are privacy officers doing with all their spare time?
In the long, hectic months leading up to April 2003, privacy officers were preparing their organizations for the implementation of the HIPAA privacy rule. Not only w....

Author: Hull, Susan

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: April 2004

The coding of vascular access procedures has been problematic for some time. New codes were added to CPT as new techniques developed, but the organization of the subsection was vague and the coding of some types of devices unclear. With CPT 2004, an entire new subsection, Central Venous Acces....

Author: Rhodes, Harry B.; Dennis, Jill Callahan; Roach, Michael C.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2004

In today’s complex transcription environment, outsourcing is a standard business practice that requires managing some privacy risk.
Contract medical transcription has increased dramatically in recent years, and the issues surrounding it are becoming more complex, but the industry it....

Author: Grocela, Joseph; Stanfill, Mary H

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: April 2004

Fewer than five years ago, ICD-9-CM contained just one code for classifying hyperplasia of the prostate. Today, there are nine ICD-9-CM codes in category 600, Hyperplasia of prostate. What is hyperplasia, and why have so many changes been made to this code category in recent years?

....

Author: Hjort, Beth M.

Source: AHIMA Q and A | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2004

Q: Please explain the new Joint Commission requirement for “do not use” abbreviations, acronyms, and symbols. Does this mean that the abbreviation list requirement is being reinstated?

A: Standards have not required an approved list since 1991. IM.3 does require standard....

Author: Burrington-Brown, Jill

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2004

Even with increasingly automated systems, the dictation of discharge summaries in a timely manner is still an issue. Some managers report that physicians are requesting hospitals provide them relief by allowing them to hire nurses, physician assistants, or HIM professionals to dictate the disc....

Author: Kloss, Linda L

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2004

The past year has been a remarkable one for highly public challenges to privacy of personal health information. Access to records has been sought for presidential candidates and in high-profile cases such as Michael Jackson, Rush Limbaugh, and Kobe Bryant. The Department of Justice is attempti....

Author: Lee, Frances Wickham; Wager, Karen A.; White, Andrea Weatherby; Ward, David M

Source: AHIMA Foundation | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2004

Conducting a study in a clinical setting is a study in itself. Here, researchers share four important lessons learned.
When research moves from the laboratory to the field, it faces unique challenges. A research team that included the authors discovered the challenges of a busy clinic fi....

Author: Brodnik, Melanie S.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2004

In April we look back at AHIMA’s own form of college basketball’s “March Madness”—Team Talks. The communication, collaboration, and networking of these meetings make all who attended national champs. The information shared at Team Talks is essential for achieving the A....

Author: Amatayakul, Margret

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2004

How many of you have warned your e-mail users about “phishers”—e-mail that appears to come from a trusted source asking the recipient to click on a link to update personal details? But the site is really a fake, and the e-mail is a scam to steal personal information.

Author: Amatayakul, Margret

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2004

Every project needs a team. In this book excerpt, a veteran HIM consultant describes the organization of the EHR implementation team.
Among the early steps in the EHR planning process is the need to construct an organizational structure for the project. Most healthcare organizations are....

Author: Ortquist, Steve; Vacca, Sheryl

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2004

Editor’s note: This is the second of two articles on measurement of compliance program effectiveness (see part 1 in the January 2004 Journal of AHIMA). The authors were members of a Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA) task force that developed a resource guide on compliance program....

Author: Quinsey, Carol Ann

Source: AHIMA practice brief | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2004

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

Author: Haines, Pamela T.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2004

If you are writing business associate agreements for a healthcare provider these days, you have probably discovered there are often no magic words or formulas that will produce an agreement. Although sample forms available from various sources may be helpful, generally no two business associat....

Author: Thomason, Mary

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2004

Yesterday’s privacy compliance preparations can contribute to meeting tomorrow’s security mandates. One organization is tackling risk analysis with both matrix and memories.
The 2003 HIPAA privacy rule implementation is still fresh in many minds throughout healthcare organiza....

Author: Shaw, Patrick

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2004

Canada Health Infoway has big plans. By 2010, it wants half the country using interoperable health record systems.
Health epidemics such as SARS have awakened countries around the world to the importance of interoperable health information management systems. In the past year Canada has....

Author: Hagland, Mark

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2004

Financial executives are reviewing IT proposals with keener eyes thanever before. Here’s what they’re looking for.
Ask financial executives Mike Vaci and Nina Hayes what things go through their minds when they’re approached with proposals to invest in capital projects s....

Author: Mon, Donald T.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2004

A number of health information infrastructure, electronic health record (EHR), personal health record (PHR), and health-care data exchange initiatives are happening all around the world. As is common in healthcare, these initiatives are being implemented independently of each other and are in....

Author: Retterer, John; Casto, Brian

Source: AHIMA practice brief | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2004

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

Author: Quinsey, Carol Ann

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2004

If you ever experience significant problems with—or the outright death of—your computer’s hard drive, you will most likely suddenly remember how much material you saved in assorted folders that you did not back up. With luck, friends in your information technology department....

Author: Amatayakul, Margret

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2004

Many information security officials are barraged with requests for the latest security tools. Such shopping lists often do not reflect a structured plan or a true risk analysis to justify their cost or human resource requirements. This column describes some of the latest tools, how you can ev....

Author: Kloss, Linda L

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2004

It took the US just 11 years from the time NASA was set up to put a man on the moon. It took 18 years from conception to a completed map of the human genome. Now, the US and other countries are embarking on national healthcare initiatives similar to space travel and genomics in their complexi....

Author: Rippen, Helga E.; Yasnoff, William A.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2004

Linking community-based health information sources into a national network would improve care and save money. A collection of public andprivate organizations have begun sketching the plans.
Some of the most serious challenges facing healthcare today—medical errors, inconsistent qu....

Author: Dougherty, Michelle

Source: AHIMA Q and A | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2004

Q: The October 2003 Journal of AHIMA published an article on cutting and pasting entries into the EHR. Our EHR does not allow entries to be cut and pasted. Is this functionality missing from our EHR?
A: No. The question you raise is not an issue of missing functionality but one of using....

Author: Featheringham, Meg

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2004

The news is spreading across the country about the need for a national healthcare information infrastructure (NHII). HIM professionals are crucial to getting the word out and moving this initiative forward. Gail Graham, RHIA, is at the forefront of the charge to implement an NHII. As director....

Author: Rode, Dan

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2004

In May 2002 the AHIMA Board of Directors declared a position on what, for most professionals in the industry, is only a dream: a national health information infrastructure. The statement read, “AHIMA believes that for the United States’ healthcare industry to meet the current and f....

Author: Blevins, Ida K.

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: May 2004

Home care coding has always been a challenge given the fact that codes are assigned upon admission or on the “front end” of care provision. The luxury of having a complete medical record filled with physician documentation to support diagnoses (e.g., in acute-care facilities) is a....

Author: Schrader, Michael

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2004

In Santa Barbara County, a regional data-sharing network offers a model for the future of HIM infrastructures.
Located north of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara County is a favorite destination, known for its beaches, resorts, and vineyards. Local homeowners include Oprah Winfrey, Martin Shee....

Author: Grzybowski, Darice

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: May 2004

For the past 20 years, licensed inpatient psychiatry units and free-standing inpatient psychiatric hospitals have been exempt from DRG-based prospective payment for Medicare patients. This year that’s changing.


Beginning in 2004, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid....

Author: Johnson, Robert J.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2004

Various types of insurance are vital to the healthcare industry to protect institutions, physicians, and patients. But what is the appropriate type of insurance to indemnify data destruction providers? This article will explain a misconception about insurance that may be putting both HIM prof....

Author: Brodnik, Melanie S.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2004

Where are the jobs? We hear this question in discussions about offshoring of jobs and in presidential debates on the future of the US economy and its work force. I am pleased to say we now know where the jobs are in HIM as a result of the AHIMA work force study initiated in 2002.
AHIMA....

Author:

Source: AHIMA practice brief | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2004

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

Author: Clark, Jean S.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2004

For years health information managers have coordinated ongoing record reviews. From the early days of “clinical pertinence” review to the most recent “19 items” review, the jury is still out as to whether the process really improved documentation. With the Joint Commis....

Author: Burrington-Brown, Jill

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2004

Q: Why shouldn’t we document incidents or incident reports in the patient’s health record? Isn’t it a part of the documentation of the patient’s care? Don’t incident reports become evidence if there is legal action?

A: First, we should define “i....