Author: Rhodes, Harry B.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2001

We live in the so-called Information Age, but we should actually refer to it as the Data Age. As a nation, we are data rich and information poor.

The dilemma of holding large amounts of valuable data but little useful information is not unique to healthcare. The inability....

Author: Larson, Allan B.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2001

"Cost accounting" has always been an ominous term within long-term care circles-but it doesn't have to be. Many different approaches and uses for cost accounting exist, and in many cases the process is easily integrated into monthly financial reporting.

This articl....

Author: Foltz, Darline A.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2001

Further, federal regulations and guidelines continue to be issued by Congress, the Health Care Financing Administration, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), and state survey and Medicare agencies. One of the biggest challenges facing HIM professionals in LTC is keeping up with these cha....

Author: Murphy, Gretchen; Brandt, Mary D.

Source: AHIMA practice brief | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2001

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

Author:

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2001

A recently released report written for the California HealthCare Foundation, Health e-People: The Online Consumer Experience, is the second five-year forecast to map the landscape of Internet healthcare. The recent forecast more specifically maps one aspect of Internet healthcare by looki....

Author: Elliott, Chris

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2001

In today's world, there is no such thing as permanent stability. Change is the norm.

Like performance improvement, change can be thought of as a process to be understood and managed. Although definitions vary, change management can be defined as a group of techniques used to....

Author: Zarybnicky, Rosalie; Coltrin, Kaelyn; Colwell, Holly; Lam, Donna

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2001

Best practices are the result of professionals developing practical ways to improve processes and quality. Medicare peer review organization and state Payment Error Prevention Program (PEPP) organizer PRO-West recognized this when it looked to state hospitals for methods to improve do....

Author: Kloss, Linda L

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2001

While all regulations under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) directly affect how we manage health information, the privacy regulations are central for HIM professionals. It has always been our privilege to serve as patient advocates for information priv....

Author: Youmans, Karen; Scichilone, Rita A; Dougherty, Michelle

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: February 2001

In the October 2000 Journal of AHIMA, we outlined the new home health care prospective payment system (PPS).1 Coding professionals working with home health providers have learned new terms and additional guidelines for reporting. However, confusion remains concerning code assignments, because s....

Author: Dennis, Jill Callahan

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2001

The HIPAA-mandated privacy officer role offers a new opportunity for HIM professionals. What skills are required, and what needs to be done first? This article answers these questions.
As healthcare organizations roll out their plans for HIPAA implementation, many HIM profession....

Author: Austin, Steven

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2001

HIM professionals know they need to prepare for HIPAA, but where should they begin? Take a lesson from your peers at two of the nation's leading healthcare facilities.


HIM professionals know that the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) i....

Author: Shearer, Jennifer

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2001

For staff at one hospital, coding at home had long been an unattainable goal. A new approach to the project, coupled with the support of an ASP, helped make it a reality and success. (FORE Best Practice, AHIMA Foundation)

Author: Dougherty, Michelle

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2001

Public key infrastructure (PKI) has been called the only technology currently available that will comply with the HIPAA proposed security rules. If you have heard of PKI but have yet to understand it, keep reading. This article will give you a nuts-and-bolts look at the technology a....

Author: Asmonga, Donald D.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2001

The 106th Congress dragged more than two months beyond its targeted adjournment date, wrangling about fiscal year 2001 budget matters.

Congress finally adjourned on December 15, after passing a massive $384 billion omnibus spending package (HR 4577) that included a five-year....

Author: Lazarus, Steven S.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2001

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and its accompanying regulations present opportunities and concerns for physician practices. Many of the HIPAA requirements and issues are the same for physician practices as they are hospitals and other providers. Howe....

Author: Averill, Richard F.; Grant, Thelma M.; Bonazelli, Janice A.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2001

The January 1, 2001, update to the Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) contained significant changes. These changes fall into three categories:  modifications to the definition of the APCs
policy changes that affect the claims adjudication process or payment....

Author: Rode, Dan

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2001

Amid much fanfare that included a ceremony with AHIMA representatives as invited guests, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the HIPAA standards for privacy of individually identifiable health information on December 20, 2000. The rule was published in the Feder....

Author: Hagland, Mark

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2001

Healthcare leaders say there’s no time to waste on serious compliance work, and HIM professionals will be at the heart of the action in this area.
Eunice Little isn’t nervous about HIPAA. After all, she and her colleagues at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles are in the small m....

Author:

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2001

The Department of Labor published two final rules in November 2000 that will affect the information received and the appeals available to those receiving healthcare benefits under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA).

The two final rules are "Amend....

Author: Uppena, Mary

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: February 2001

Change has been a constant factor in coding and reimbursement with the intensified focus on billing, compliance, and cost control. Out of necessity, coding professionals in physician settings have learned to be organized, adaptable, and armed with the latest information. The mandates....

Author: Smith, Cheryl M.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2001

Q: Where can I find information on the interpretation of Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization standards?

Q: How does the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) define health information in the final rule for healthcare elec....

Author: Fuller, Sandra R.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2001

As children, most of us stood against a door frame while our parents recorded our height and the date on the wall. These marks climbed each year as reminders of the changes we were experiencing. When relatives visited, we proudly showed off our progress to adulthood.

These....

Author: Hjort, Beth M.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2001

Cost containment and reduced employee benefits in the healthcare industry, combined with sustained low unemployment rates, make retaining star employees a bigger challenge than ever. Estimated turnover costs can be between $10,000 and $40,000 per individual. And then there's the rippl....

Author: Fuller, Barbara P.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2001

This month, I want to draw your attention to our HIM education programs. Those of us who are not intimately involved in HIM education are sometimes under the false impression that these essential programs are functioning well enough and do not need our care and support. Yet nothing co....

Author: Ryan, Betty; Poole-Rice, Katherine; Asbury, Teri

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2001

Improved relations between physicians and HIM professionals, a shorter and faster chart completion process, and decreased chart deficiencies are just a few of the benefits Zale Lipshy University Hospital has enjoyed by implementing an electronic signature system. A partner of the U....

Author: Jeffries, Jane

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2001

Marilyn Houston, RHIA, had an advantage in getting her current job: she recognized the need for it. While serving on an information security task force as a representative for the Palm Beach County Health Department (PBCHD), Houston wrote the medical records portion of the State of Fl....

Author: Dougherty, Michelle

Source: AHIMA practice brief | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2001

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

Author: Roach, Michael C.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2001

If your organization is covered by HIPAA, do you know what’s expected of you-and of your vendors-with regard to privacy of health information? To make sure your organization is in compliance, contracts with business partners will need careful review. The author offers an overview of....

Author: Asmonga, Donald D.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2001

Our closely divided government reflects a closely divided nation. Governing and legislating in this atmosphere will be an interesting and unpredictable undertaking. As a result of the lengthy election process, Congress's organization and the presidential transition have taken an inord....

Author: Hammen, Cheryl

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2001

In today’s competitive market, physician profiling has become a way to provide consumers with a "snapshot" of a physician. It is also used in determining physician participation in various managed care contracts through identification of variations in physician practice pa....

Author: Dougherty, Michelle

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2001

It's time to take a look at HCFA's published proposed rules for a new prospective payment system (PPS) for inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs).1,2 This new payment system applies to both rehabilitation hospitals and hospital-based rehab units for cost report periods beginning o....

Author: Austin, Peg; Stanfill, Mary H

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: March 2001

Data quality has never been more scrutinized than it is today. Health Care Financing Administration rules and contractual obligations from various insurance companies complicate the notion of correct coding. At the same time, numerous trade associations publish coding guidelines that....

Author: Rode, Dan

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2001

One of the mysteries of the administrative simplification section of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is determining who is covered or comes under the requirements of the act. This article will examine HIPAA to unravel some of the mystery of &quo....

Author: Zender, Anne

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2001

HIM professionals need to know the correct and legal way to do things to keep their departments and organizations running smoothly. Jan Van Dyne, JD, RHIA, needs to know the correct and legal way to do things to advise clients-healthcare organizations of all types and sizes-to keep th....

Author: Hughes, Gwen

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2001

From biometrics to password recovery, data transmission to surveillance software, technology is advancing on every front. Below is a roundup of some of the latest technological advances likely to benefit healthcare.

Fiber-optic Networks Without the Fiber

To speed da....

Author: Hjort, Beth M.

Source: AHIMA Q and A | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2001

Q: Extenuating circumstances occasionally make physician record completion impossible. What is the recommended practice for retiring incomplete medical records?

A: Unfortunately, there are circumstances such as physician death, physical/mental disability or indefinite protrac....

Author: Friedman, Emily

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2001

How can HIM professionals balance the data demands of outside parties with the patient’s assumption that health information will be kept private? The author examines this question through the lens of ethics.
And yet, and yet, one thing I keep from you...."
<....

Author: Fuller, Barbara P.; Jeffries, Jane

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2001

Genetic research is revolutionizing healthcare by predicting diseases and revealing cures. At the same time, the information presents new challenges to HIM professionals charged with keeping this vital data from the wrong hands. Here's a look at the role genetic information is playin....

Author: Navran, Frank J.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2001

Resolving ethical dilemmas is never an easy process, but you can take certain steps to simplify it. The author provides a framework for addressing ethical issues that is useful to both organizations and individuals responsible for dealing with ethical challenges.
We read and....

Author: Byrd, Katherine

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2001

Suppose you were asked to do something unethical on the job. What if you were asked by your supervisor to hide delinquent charts just prior to a Joint Commission survey? What would you do?

As a profession, HIM professionals understand our moral obligation to the patient to p....

Author: Fuller, Barbara P.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2001

What an exciting time for our profession! As the leaders in HIM, we are being recognized as valuable resources in analyzing and assessing the recently published standards for privacy of individually identifiable health information. When these regulations were announced by President Cl....

Author:

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2001

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) released "Informing the Future: Critical Issues in Health." The report covers many issues, including medical errors. Recommendations related to reducing medical errors include:
establish a center for patient safety within the Agency fo....

Author: Kloss, Linda L

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2001

When was the last time you had to decide the right thing to do? Recall a time when an employee asked your advice about what action would be right or wrong. What words would you would use to describe how you made the decisions? Words like "judgement," "intuition," a....

Author: Smothers, Gerri; Stelter, Alexandra

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2001

Managing a diverse work group offers many challenges-especially when it comes to communication. As the HIM work force becomes more diverse, managers need to address this issue. The authors offer some strategies for better communication.
As many HIM managers already know, facilit....

Author: Smith, Cheryl M.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2001

In today's healthcare environment, the HIM manager must tackle an endless stream of projects, daily and long-term system and process issues, and the ongoing challenge of employee motivation, all of which demand effective and flexible strategies. One strategy that HIM managers in any h....

Author: Johnson, Deborah A.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2001

Often, when HIM professionals attempt to uphold standards of practice in their facility, they are asked, "where does it say that I can't do this?" or "show me where it says...". A report recently issued by a task force of HIM professionals is meant to provide that....

Author: Prophet, Sue

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: March 2001

by Sue Prophet, RHIA, CCS



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 November 17, 2000, in Baltimore, MD. Donna Pickett, RHIA, from NCHS, and Patri....

Author: Smith, Cheryl M.

Source: AHIMA practice brief | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2001

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

Author: Hughes, Gwen

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2001

Have you read the new HIPAA final privacy rules yet? Are you overwhelmed? I've been spending a lot of time poring over the privacy rules and I've seen many similarities between the new privacy rules and the Uniform Health Information Act (UHIA) passed in Washington and Montana about....

Author: Amatayakul, Margret

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2001

The qualifying "perhaps" recognizes that today, more than ever before, information flows through our organizations at lightning speed. More people within an organization can easily print healthcare documents, automatically send a fax, and e-mail attachments. The risk of even well-int....

Author: Zender, Anne

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2001

In recent years, the healthcare industry has seen a smorgasbord of accreditation options develop in all care settings. This list offers a sampling of the many accreditation organizations existing today.



Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC)-accredits am....

Author: Dingman, Barbara

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2001

The Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) attention to fraud and abuse has certainly changed the way hospitals and their vendors conduct business. For many years, it has been common practice for vendors to court their clients with gifts and outings to get their product purchased, and....

Author: Edelstein, Myra Ellen

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2001

How will you approach the next quality management initiative? This article offers an introduction to the ISO 9001:2000 quality management system standards that can be applied to the HIM industry and how these standards can improve your department’s policies and procedures. <....

Author: Poole, Laurie

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2001

By collecting and analyzing information about Medicare payment errors, PEPP initiatives are making a contribution to healthcare quality efforts nationwide. Here's how one organization takes a collaborative approach to improving quality.
State Payment Error Prevention Programs (....

Author: Russell, Lynda A.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2001

When was the last time you talked about using an "icebox," a "horseless carriage," or a "ditto machine"? Just as time and innovation have changed our ideas about familiar objects, they have also changed the definition of our profession. HIM professionals have come a long way since the organiza....

Author: Fuller, Barbara P.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2001

Distance is dead," declares Tom Peters in his 1997 book, The Circle of Innovation.1 He is referring to the effect of technological advances enabling real-time communication, information transmission, business transaction, movement of money, and endless other activities. Peters contin....

Author: Rode, Dan

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2001

Beyond the endless speculation about how the recent federal election will affect Congress' lawmaking abilities, the narrow margins of victory illustrated an important point: individual votes have power. The 436 elected officials in Washington, DC, recognize this. This is AHIMA's-and y....

Author: Smith, Cheryl M.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2001

"Quality" is a buzzword in many industries, but it has particular resonance in healthcare. As a result, healthcare quality has its own certification, which overlaps many areas in which HIM professionals have expertise. Here's an overview of the credential and how HIM profess....

Author: Beebe, Michael

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: April 2001

Among the needs the CPT-5 Project addresses are changes to enhance the use of CPT by practicing physicians, managed care and other payer organizations, and researchers. The project has made recommendations for improvements in the structure and processes of the CPT codes with deliberate emphasi....

Author: Jeffries, Jane

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2001

When you think of places to expand your professional horizons, prison is probably not the first venue that comes to mind. But that's where Maryanne Perlmutter, MPH, RHIA, CPHQ, CCHP, found her ideal job.

As standards compliance coordinator at the Central California Women's....

Author: Holland, Julie A.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2001

What are some of the common and not-so-common errors regarding patient safety known to HIM departments? Here are some of the most frequently seen errors and ways HIM professionals can contribute to a downturn in the number of adverse incidents attributable to problems involving docu....

Author: Kloss, Linda L

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2001

At press time, the culminating report of the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) Committee on Quality of Health Care in America, "Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century," had just been released. The IOM's earlier report estimated that medical errors ....

Author: Dunn, Rose T

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: April 2001

Coder productivity has become a popular topic among coders and HIM department managers and is frequently discussed on bulletin boards and listservs. Unfortunately, during the last few years, especially with the advent of APCs, it has become more difficult to establish productivity m....

Author: Smith, Cheryl M.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2001

Q: What are the documentation requirements for the content of a discharge summary?

Q: Does the Joint Commission still conduct random unannounced surveys?
Cheryl Smith (cheryl.smith@ahima.org) is an HIM practice manager.Article citation:
Smith, Cheryl M. "On the....

Author: Jeffries, Jane

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2001

Prominent healthcare experts unveiled ethical guidelines calling on all participants in the healthcare system--from physicians, hospitals, and health plans to employee benefit managers, unions, and others--to rigorously protect the confidentiality of any medical records entrusted to them.
....

Author: Zangl-Milbrand, Evelyn

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2001

When I was hired as the assistant director of the HIM section with the Department of Veterans Affairs, Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (GLAHS), I faced a major challenge. Congress had recently required the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) to submit claims to third-party payer....

Author: Smith, Cheryl M.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2001

Office ergonomics are not new to the healthcare industry. Medical transcriptionists and data entry employees are just two groups of healthcare workers that are affected by ergonomics on a daily basis. With a growing number of healthcare organizations implementing the computerized pati....

Author: Brow, Julie A.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2001

Organization, preparedness, and quality are three familiar words to those managing hospital and clinic health information. At no time is it more important to be organized, prepared, and quality-minded than when surveyors from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organi....

Author: AHIMA Committee on Professional Definition (1999); AHIMA Committee on Professional Definition (2000)

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2001

Health information management improves the quality of healthcare by insuring that the best information is available to make any healthcare decision. Health information management professionals manage healthcare data and information resources. The profession encompasses services in pl....

Author: Hjort, Beth M.

Source: AHIMA practice brief | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2001

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

Author: Hapner, Peggy

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: May 2001

As HIM professionals already know, data quality-one of the basic tenets of compliance-depends on comprehensive documentation and accurate code assignments. Because coding plays a major role in payment, reporting data accurately, managing data flow and data collection, and training st....

Author: Dougherty, Michelle

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2001

Hospitals and Behavioral Healthcare Settings

The 2001 Joint Commission standards on restraint and seclusion (TX.7.1 through TX.7.1.16) apply to all accredited behavioral healthcare facilities such as psychiatric units in general hospitals, free-standing psychiatric hospitals, and re....

Author: Fuller, Barbara P.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2001

The time for change and refocus in an organization is when it is successful, advises Peter Drucker, author of Managing The Nonprofit Organization: Practices and Principles. If we look at AHIMA right now-with membership increasing, a sound budget in place, and exciting job opportuniti....

Author: Smith, Cheryl M.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2001

In today's healthcare environment, time is a vital resource. HIM department leaders work to develop skills and use tools to manage personnel, budgets, and projects, but few consider investing in the development of the skills needed to manage time. While time management may be a new c....

Author: Smith, Deborah A.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2001

In a landscape of regulation and consolidation, healthcare providers must find new, cost-effective ways to communicate sensitive data with partners. Observations, lab results, and admission-discharge-transfer data must be shared accurately, confidentially, and in a timely manner with....