Author: Dimick, Chris

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: September 01, 2009

“No” is a common word heard by PPE coordinators.


Getting busy HIM professionals to host an HIM student for a professional practice experience can be a challenge. As important as the internships are in giving students real-world experience, PPE coordin....

Author: Dimick, Chris

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: November 17, 2008

Healthcare is badly in need of some cost-savings. A new study suggests that a change in the way we keep health records could save billions. Last week the industry got a look at a cost-benefit model for personal health records. According to the report, widespre....

Author: Dimick, Chris

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: January 12, 2009

Physicians seeking to transform their primary-care practices are seeing increasing support for the patient-centered medical home model. Growing recognition from payers and new help with the transition are advancing the model as a viable future for primary care.

Author: Dimick, Chris

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: March 30, 2009

Washington State’s experiment in consumer-controlled health records has moved into a pilot phase, transforming the health record banking model from theory to testing. Earlier this month the Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) announced the launch of three....

Author: Dimick, Chris

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: July 22, 2008

Clinical documentation improvement programs can enhance the clinical record and capture lost reimbursement. But they can be a challenge. Getting physician buy-in, avoiding turf wars between documentation specialists, coders, and nurses, and measuring program succes....

Author: Dimick, Chris

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: December 18, 2008

PCASSO—the Patient Centered Access to Secure Systems Online project—was an early trailblazer in using the Internet to give patients and providers instant access to medical records. The project started in 1996, a time when most people considered the Internet an unse....

Author: Dimick, Chris

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2018

New AHIMA CEO Excited to Foster HIM Reimagined Implementation, Focus on Member Priorities


Transformational change in an industry can be scary—and cause many professionals to shy away from the challenge. But it’s the transformational cha....

Author: Dimick, Chris

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2018

By Chris Dimick


Cybercrime may seem like a rare, unlikely risk to some healthcare providers. But the threat is real—and rising—whether a healthcare facility is small or large, rural or urban. According to a January 2018 report comm....

Author: Dimick, Chris; Sheber, Sarah

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: March 01, 2017

Editor’s Note: This post was updated on March 1, 2017 to reflect changes in laws and regulations that have taken place since this content was originally posted on March 1, for.


If you’ve never requested your medical records from your doctor or hospital before, the....

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: Dingman, Barbara

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2000

When I was given the responsibility of developing a compliance plan for my hospital two years ago, I was initially overwhelmed. My background was in medical records and I did not have a book on my shelf to guide me. Fortunately, I soon found numerous agencies and associations, colleagues, and....

Author: Dinh, Angela K.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2011

The electronic health record's promise of a paperless environment has been around for decades, but it has proven difficult to keep. Regardless of how an EHR is implemented or the phase of implementation, paper remains a staple of the health record for quite some time after conversion and, in m....

Author: Dinh, Angela K.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: August 2009

Editor's note: This article updates the February 2006 Journal of AHIMA column "Resources to Assist Physician Office EHR Selection and Implementation."


[Note: The links in this article were accurate at the time of publication.]




EHR Public and Priva....

Author: Dinh, Angela K.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2008

Although the HIPAA security rule went into effect in April 2005, the first security audit of a facility’s compliance with the HIPAA security rule did not take place until just last year. That audit was heard around the country, awakening every network, firewall, and security plan in exis....

Author: Dinh, Angela K.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2009

In 2008 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) conducted 10 HIPAA security assessments in covered entities (CEs) nationwide. CMS’s stated purpose was not to identify flaws but to gain a true understanding of industry compliance with the HIPAA security rule.

CMS co....

Author: Dinh, Angela K.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2008

Radio frequency identification (RFID) systems are becoming more prevalent in healthcare. HIM professionals who serve as privacy or security officials within their organizations should be familiar with these systems and their role in obtaining and tracking patient information.
This articl....

Author: Dinh, Angela K.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2009

The electronic health record (EHR) has been a work in progress for decades. According to a 2007 American Hospital Association information technology survey, 68 percent of hospitals have a partially or fully implemented EHR.1

Today’s health information environment is made up of....

Author: Dinh, Angela K.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2011

In the past several years cloud computing has gained substantial recognition. However, it is still a relatively new concept for those in the healthcare industry.

Before adopting cloud-based services or applications, organizations need to understand how cloud computing works, the typ....

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: Dinh, Angela K.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2007

Communications technologies such as mobile devices and e-mail have taken healthcare and its practice into uncharted territory. Now organizations can add to this list instant messaging, or IM. More and more businesses are using IM in their daily operations.

According to Ame....

Author: Dinh, Angela K.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2009

Reports of data breaches involving portable devices last year ran the gamut from oversight to theft: a college of medicine professor gave away a personal computer containing protected health information, including photos of his patients, to friends; a flash drive containing Social Security num....

Author: Diop, Karen

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2016

We studied. We practiced. We prepared. We had extensions—first a year, then two. More time to practice. Then, at long last, October 1, 2015 arrived, bringing with it the much-anticipated new code sets ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS. Despite much hand wringing and nay saying, the implementation....

Author: Diop, Karen

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2015

Change has become a constant in healthcare. With the introduction of electronic health record (EHR) systems, core measures, the “meaningful use” EHR Incentive Program, value-based purchasing, and the ICD-10-CM/PCS code sets, the healthcare industry has been bombarded by wave after wave in....

Author: Dixon, Anne

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2012

The healthcare industry is on the cusp of changing the way providers communicate with their patients. Technology holds great promise in empowering patients to manage their health.


Patient portals are one way organizations can engage patients in their healthcare. They enable....

Author: Dixon-Lee, Claire

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2006

Healthcare’s successful transition to an electronic health record will depend upon a work force capable of innovating, implementing, and using health communications and information technology. A planned approach is needed to train clinicians and existing health information specialist....

Author: Dixon-Lee, Claire

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 1999

In October, the 1999 AHIMA House of Delegates will consider a proposal to officially change the name of two AHIMA credentials. The proposal is the result of several years of analysis, member input, and review of more than 1000 potential certification titles, as well as the work of cons....

Author: Dixon-Lee, Claire

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 1999

As I travel the country meeting many of you, I am very curious about the diversity of jobs, skills, and settings in which you work. The creativity, independence, and resourcefulness that come with career redefinition fascinate me. All of us working under the umbrella of health informat....

Author: Dixon-Lee, Claire

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 1999

It's hard to imagine that we are approaching the close of the twentieth century. As I examine my reaction to the start of this year, perhaps I speak for many of you in that I have mixed emotions. On one hand, I am filled with nostalgia for all of the events that affected my life growin....

Author: Dixon-Lee, Claire

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 1999

The healthcare consumer is emerging as a strong force in today's healthcare industry. On a national level, current efforts for new and improved patients' rights legislation in the wake of complaints about access and rising costs, is placing the patient in a position of strength unlike....

Author: Dixon-Lee, Claire

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 1999

On a trip to Dublin this spring, I met with several officers of the Healthcare Informatics Society of Ireland. During this visit, we talked about health information management, finding common ground on topics like:
Year 2000 compliance
the need for clinical vocabulary....

Author: Dixon-Lee, Claire

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 1999

This time of year may find us longing for a chair by a cozy fireplace or lounging on a sunny beach. When we find time for reflection, it's good to periodically reflect on ourselves and the image that we project as HIM professionals.

Authority Robert Camp defines benchmarki....

Author: Dixon-Lee, Claire

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 1999

This is the final Journal of AHIMA issue of the 20th century! That a year can pass so quickly marks not just the passing of time, but the significance of how much we can pack into 365 days. It reflects how much knowledge we acquire and how many activities we take on, results we reap,....

Author: Dixon-Lee, Claire

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 1999

The integration of various clinical services into larger healthcare alliances or enterprises challenges the very basic managerial foundations of our healthcare industry. While senior managers and clinicians struggle to run their respective organizations or divisions following tradition....

Author: Dixon-Lee, Claire

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2003

Bioterrorism has become a real threat in the US and around the world. Is our public health system robust enough to handle the surveillance and reporting activities needed to protect citizens? Today, the answer is no. But efforts already in progress at local and national levels may be able to....

Author: Dixon-Lee, Claire; Tesch, Linde

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: August 2012

CAHIIM Accreditation brings accountability to the Broad Realm of Health Information Education

The United States has set a goal to increase the number of college degree recipients by 2018 and has challenged academic institutions to ensure sustained attention to the quality of stude....

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: Dolan, Thomas G.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2006

By sweating the IT, ASPs offer providers an easier way to go digital. But providers should ensure they can get their data back when and how they want.
Say you've outsourced mission-critical applications to an application service provider (ASP). Everything goes well, but then something hap....

Author: Dolezel, Diane

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2015

Database metadata provides a valuable roadmap for locating the structured data stored in healthcare databases. However, many electronic health information management (e-HIM) professionals do not possess the necessary basic understandings of where to find the metadata and how to use it afte....

Author: Dolezel, Diane

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2015

The ability to generate timely, accurate reports is essential to quality management and clinical documentation improvement (CDI) efforts.1,2 Health information management (HIM) professionals’ knowledge of health record content is vital to CDI efforts to ensure the availability of acc....

Author: Dolezel, Diane

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2019

By Diane Dolezel, EdD, RHIA, CHDA


Healthcare organizations are at risk for data breaches as the number of healthcare data breaches continues to rise annually despite efforts to slow the upward trend. Since 2009, there were over 2,000 data breaches reported to the Department of Hea....

Author: Dolezel, Diane

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2015

The digital era of Big Data has generated a growing need for more electronic health information management (e-HIM) professionals who can assume the emerging role of data analyst.1 This new role requires learning how to analyze data and perform statistical calculations to support informed d....

Author: Dolin, Robert H

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2010

SNOMED CT is a comprehensive clinical healthcare terminology developed in part for use within electronic health records (EHRs) to enable a more complete record of care. According to the International Health Terminology Standards Development Organisation (IHTSDO), the organization responsible f....

Author: Dolin, Robert H; Goodrich, Kate; Kallem, Crystal; Alschuler, Liora; Holtz, Patrice

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2014

Federal quality reporting initiatives are expected to improve our ability to measure the quality of care provided to patients. As Scottish mathematician and physicist Lord Kelvin said more than 100 years ago, “If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it.” Measurement, in tu....

Author: Doll, Barbara A.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2005

This month we complete our series by examining the Project Management Institute’s knowledge areas of human resource, communications, risk, and procurement management.
Leading Effective Teams

Human resource management involves making the most effective use of resources to m....

Author: Doll, Barbara A.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2005

In last month’s column we defined and described projects, portfolios, and project management. We identified the project manager’s role and the concept of a project life cycle. This month we will begin to discuss the nine project management knowledge areas. First we will look at how....

Author: Doll, Barbara A.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2005

Part 1 of 4


As new technology spreads through healthcare organizations, traditional walls that divided departments are coming down. HIM professionals increasingly find themselves collaborating with IT and clinical colleagues to select, design, implement, test, and train staff on new....

Author: Doll, Barbara A.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2005

In previous columns we described early project steps, from developing the charter to creating the scope statement and work breakdown structure. This month we will look at the Project Management Institute’s knowledge areas of time, cost, and quality.
Time Management

Managin....

Author: Donham, Greg W.; Mallia, Tony

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2006

An ambitious project offers lessons for the NHIN and illustrates core HIM issues in data exchange.
In response to the reported illnesses of Gulf War veterans, the Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) undertook an initiative to create comprehensive, lifelong....

Author: Don, Hardwick

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2018

Untitled Document




How to Ensure Proper PHI Disclosure Management Across an Enterprise


By Don Hardwick


Seawalls are built to both protect and sustain. The sea side of the wall withstands a constant barrage of ocean waves and....

Author: Don, Hardwick; Twiggs, Mariela; Braden, James H

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2015

A mere two decades ago, healthcare providers didn’t face significant penalties for improperly disclosing protected health information (PHI). Since then, regulations surrounding the privacy and security of PHI have evolved to include strict requirements and corresponding steep financial pe....

Author: Dooling, Julie A

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2013

HIM professionals have a rich and proud history serving as custodians of the health record, with solid experience and knowledge in process, policy, and procedure surrounding the management and disclosure of health information. In the recent past, this information was confined to the inside....

Author: Dooling, Julie A

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2012

For many years transcription and coding departments have been two separate and independent structures within health information management (HIM).


While these areas have always been interdependent regarding their need to share documentation, their technology platforms have op....

Author: Dooling, Julie A

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2013

In October 2012, AHIMA's Grace Whiting Myers Award was presented to the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics in recognition of excellence in health information management (HIM). This inaugural award focused on organizations who have demonstrated effective and innovative approaches....

Author: Dooling, Julie A

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2011

Transcription has always played an important role in HIM, but today it is taking on a new role in supporting the meaningful use program. Organizations are looking to leverage their transcription technology to capture structured data within their electronic health records (EHRs), a requirement....

Author: Dooling, Julie A

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 2013

Many hospitals and physician practices in the Oklahoma City area have been actively involved in adopting and building an electronic health record (EHR) infrastructure to qualify and attest to the “meaningful use” EHR Incentive Program. Moore Medical Center (MMC), a 45-bed commu....

Author: Dooling, Julie A

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2014

Data are the assets that healthcare relies upon to provide needed information for making decisions and ultimately, hopefully, improving patient care. The volume of data collected today is staggering and continues to grow with the advent of electronic health records (EHRs). The healthcare d....

Author: Dooling, Julie A

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2011

Every organization approaches the transition to an electronic health record (EHR) differently, and completing the endeavor successfully hinges on multiple factors that include evaluating the organization's existing IT systems and planning for those components to become fully integrated.
....

Author: Dooling, Julie A

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2013

Health information exchange (HIE) continues to evolve and change, thanks in part to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC), which has been encouraging new ways of exchanging and sharing health information that foster trust, drive efficiencies, and ultimately place the i....

Author: Dooling, Julie A

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2012

The meaningful use program is well under way, helping providers and organizations adopt EHRs to capture complete and comprehensive documentation. To qualify for incentives in stage 1, organizations have adjusted their documentation processes to meet certain objectives and measures and will con....

Author: Dooling, Julie A

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: April 21, 2016

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

Author: Dooling, Julie A

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: March 18, 2015

When “Data Revolution” was suggested for the title of this monthly column, I instantly thought of The Beatles (some of my favorite musicians) and their song “Revolution.”


You say you want a revolution

Well, you know

We all want to change the world
<....

Author: Dooling, Julie A

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: April 15, 2015

This monthly column will highlight and discuss emerging trends and challenges related to healthcare data and its ever changing life cycle.



Identifying patients correctly the first time is where data quality begins. Think of yourself as a patient for a moment.....

Author: Dooling, Julie A

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: June 17, 2015

In my April post “Quality Data Starts With Us” I discussed the importance of identifying patients correctly the first time. I think of this as Step #1 in capturing quality healthcare data for our patients.


Step #2 is in a race with Step #1, and which comes out ahe....

Author: Dooling, Julie A; Downing, Katherine

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2014

Positively identifying patients in myriad healthcare registration systems is no easy task. The process of capturing patient demographics and the structure behind data fields varies depending upon the technology, care setting, and organization’s preferences. Until standardized and uniform....

Author: Dooling, Julie A; Fernandes, Lorraine M.; Kirby, Annessa; Kadlec, Lesley; Landsbach, Grant; Lusk, Katherine; Munns, Megan; Noreen, Neysa; O'Connor, Michele

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 2016

In healthcare, matching patients accurately to their medical history across multiple care sites and among various sources of data has become increasingly important as healthcare data is shared across platforms. Additionally, as clinicians need to interact with third parties and provide car....

Author: Dooling, Julie A; Fernandes, Lorraine M.; Kirby, Annessa; Landsbach, Grant; Lusk, Katherine; Munns, Megan; Noreen, Neysa; O'Connor, Michele; Patten, Melinda

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: January 06, 2016

A recent survey with AHIMA members revealed that over half of HIM professionals routinely work on mitigating possible patient record duplicates at their facility, and of those 72 percent work on mitigating duplicate records weekly. Contributing to the issue, less than half (47 percent) of....

Author: Dooling, Julie A; Houser, Shannon H.; Mikaelian, Raymound; Smith, Clarice Pittillo

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 2016

Are you a data-driven individual? Is your health information management (HIM) department focused on becoming data-driven or informatics-oriented?


Today’s data analytics and informatics-oriented organizations are the centerpiece of operations and strategic visioning&mda....

Author: Dooling, Julie A; Kadlec, Lesley; Pruente, Megan; Ward, Maria; Woebkenberg, Jami; Butler-Henderson, Kerryn CHIA, FAHIMA; Ginn, Dustin MA, MHA, RHIA; Retallack, Donna RHIT; Young III, John RHIA, CHPS, CPHIMS, HCISPP

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2018

By Kerryn Butler-Henderson, CHIA, FAHIMA; Julie Dooling, MSHI, RHIA, CHDA, FAHIMA; Dustin Ginn, MA, MHA, RHIA; Lesley Kadlec, MA, RHIA, CHDA; Megan Pruente, RHIA; Donna Retallack, RHIT; Maria Ward, MEd, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P; Jami Woebkenberg, MHIM, RHIA, CPHI; and....

Author: Dooling, Julie A; Overgaard, Shauna M

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: September 23, 2015

We can picture it now. Sitting at the desk, gazing at the computer screen as our minds are drawn into that special kind of bliss that can only be achieved through data of the highest integrity, relational consistency, and internal and external harmony. Yes, in those sweet moments all of th....

Author: Dooling, Julie A; Profitt, Karen

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: October 26, 2016

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


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

Author: Dooling, Julie A; Pruente, Megan

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: March 16, 2017

The LGBT patient population have identification and documentation needs that are not being addressed in today’s mainstream healthcare workflows. Capturing sexual orientation and gender identity (SO/GI) is a relatively new concept and the need for this standardized, private, and secure....

Author: Dooling, Julie A; Warner, Diana

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2014

Continuity of care is front and center in healthcare today as a mechanism for reducing costs and improving patient care. The ability for information to seamlessly flow from one care setting to another is a critical component to the success of healthcare. The new standard in healthcare is t....

Author: Dooling, Julie A; Wiedemann, Lou Ann

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2012

Innovative approaches in health information management (HIM) led to the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics (UWHC) being selected as the winner of the first AHIMA Grace Award. The award was presented to UWHC leadership on October 2 before thousands of HIM professionals at AHIMA’s 84t....

Author: Dorrel, Linda; Fernandes, Lorraine M.; Laskoski, Jeff

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 2004

Electronic health records operate on a basic but crucial requirement: accurately identifying the patient and linking to his or her complete medical data. Canada aims for a nationwide solution to a universal challenge.
Public and private organizations worldwide are navigating the transiti....

Author: Dougherty, Michelle

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2002

In the past 10 years, the number of new long-term care hospitals (LTCHs) in the United States has tripled. Because of this growth, LTCHs are the newest post-acute settings to face a change in the reimbursement system.


While there are only about 270 LTCHs in the United States, t....