Author: Hogan, Michele

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 2000

Increasingly, HIM professionals are taking unique roads in their professional lives—into other care settings and into boardrooms, classrooms, and more. How have their work lives changed? Four who chose less traveled roads tell their stories here.

When poet Robert Fr....

Author: Hofman, Judi

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2013

Due to new HIPAA rules, HIM must strike an appropriate privacy balance when releasing decedent records

Author: Hofman, Judi

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2017

When the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) starts to demand evidence of compliance months or years after a privacy or security event, do you ever feel like the evidence of your own investigation is inadequate? Does your evidence now look like some....

Author: Hofman, Judi

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2009

Hospitals and other healthcare organizations are expecting greater scrutiny of their HIPAA compliance programs in 2009. Last year the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced plans to ramp up its HIPAA enforcement efforts even before an Office of Inspector General report chid....

Author: Hofler, Linda D.; Hardee, Joy; Dildy, Kenneth; Burleson, Deeanna; Grady, Jamie

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2005

The privacy and security rules require audits and system activity reviews. Here is one health system's process, a systematic approach that focuses on areas of greatest risk.
Ensuring the privacy and confidentiality of patient information is fundamental to HIM, but it has taken on a new le....

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: Hoag, Patience J.

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

Publication Date: January 2007

These days, cost control, efficiency of care, and quality outcomes are hot topics in every healthcare setting. One way to achieve quality outcomes and cost-efficient healthcare is through performance measures. This article provides a brief overview of HEDIS® and other performance measures....

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

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2010

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

Author: Hjort, Beth M.; Hughes, Gwen

Source: AHIMA practice brief | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2003

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

Author: Hjort, Beth M.; Brandt, Mary D.; Carpenter, Jennifer E.

Source: AHIMA practice brief | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2001

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

Author: Hjort, Beth M.

Source: AHIMA practice brief | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2005

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

Author: Hjort, Beth M.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2003

Q: Under the privacy rule, how should a physician’s office handle a request from parents for a written statement recommending limitation of their child’s activities at school?

Q: What are a covered entity’s legal responsibilities when a former employee breaches confiden....

Author: Hjort, Beth M.

Source: AHIMA practice brief | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2001

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

Author: Hjort, Beth M.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 2001

Q: The nursing department has asked the HIM department for assistance in creating an organized process for thinning inpatient charts. Is there a standardized method that I could suggest?



Q: Are there standards for establishing chart document order either during or....

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: Hjort, Beth M.

Source: AHIMA Q and A | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 2002

Q: When are history and physical (H&P) requirements for outpatients necessary?


A: The scarcity of specific resources on this topic contributes to the difficulty of guidelines development. However, a number of standards and requirements, taken collectively, offer guidance.
....

Author: Hjort, Beth M.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2003

How can you ensure your resume and interview attract the most attention for a coveted HIM position? Susan Parker, MEd, RHIA, helped students and recent graduates to discover some secrets to job-hunting success in “How to Have Them at ‘Hello.’” Parker, president of Seagate C....

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: Hjort, Beth M.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2005

Sheila Zweifel, RHIT, has worked in college HIM for more than 25 years. “I love my job. It’s the variety,” Zweifel says of college HIM. However, she remembers a time, years ago, when few credentialed HIM professionals chose that career path. “Networking was difficult in....

Author: Hjort, Beth M.

Source: AHIMA practice brief | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2003

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

Author: Hjort, Beth M.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2004

Convention speaker Leslie Ann Fox, MA, RHIA, encouraged her listeners to look inward and explore a new leadership style. In her session “Systems-based Leadership for Transition to the Electronic Health Record (EHR),” Fox, president and CEO of Care Communications, described the systems-based le....

Author: Hjort, Beth M.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2000

Employer economies, staffing shortages, and advances in technology lead to the demand for outsourced functions, and there are a plethora of vendors happy to meet your facility's needs. Yet negotiating an outsourcing contract can be an intimidating proposition. Managers spearhead change interna....

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: Hjort, Beth M.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2001

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) reinforces what HIM professionals have known for a long time: security training is a prudent and valuable mission for an organization to support. Besides the obvious need for compliance with this new federal mandate, it’s....

Author: Hjort, Beth M.

Source: AHIMA Q and A | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2003

Q: When is it appropriate to separate files for select types of medical records? What practice guidelines are available?


A: Circumstances, reasons, and applicable laws affect decisions to create separate medical record files within varying types of healthcare organizations. Org....

Author: Hjort, Beth M.

Source: AHIMA Q and A | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 2004

Q: We are concerned about listing reported abuse cases on the accounting of disclosures (AoD) due to potential retaliation against an alleged victim or one who accompanies a victim for treatment. Is it acceptable to exclude abuse cases from the AoD?

A: Abuse cases pose special HIPAA....

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: Hjort, Beth M.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2002

Q: Is there a standard or recommended source for abbreviations used in medical records?
Q: In light of HIPAA restrictions on protected health information, I’m concerned about our HIM department’s practice of accepting HIM students for professional practice experience. What shoul....

Author: Hjort, Beth M.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2001

Q: It's difficult to research and write organizational policies because of the myriad external forces governing the same healthcare issues. Do you have guidelines to help ensure we don't miss any mandates?

Q: How does a healthcare organization deal with conflicting directives betwee....

Author: Hjort, Beth M.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2010

This month covered entities are subject to penalties for noncompliance with new federal privacy and security breach notification laws issued by the Department of Health and Human Services.

HHS issued an interim final rule titled “Breach Notification for Unsecured Protected Health Info....

Author: Hjort, Beth M.

Source: AHIMA practice brief | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2002

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

Author: Hirsch, Ronald

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2006

Medical record completion compliance has always been a problem at Sherman Hospital, a medium-sized community hospital in Elgin, IL. The number of incomplete charts often exceeded the standard set by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, risking a type I violation.....

Author: Hinkle-Azzara, Barbara; Carr, Kimberly J

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2014

Increased clinical specificity is one of the greatest advantages of moving to ICD-10-CM/PCS. With specificity comes the ability to perform granular research that can help uncover significant trends and statistics to identify causes of diseases, links between diseases, and more. While heal....

Author: Hinkle-Azzara, Barbara; Carr, Kimberly J

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2015

At a US House of Representatives subcommittee hearing on February 11, lawmakers and stakeholders agreed that the implementation of the ICD-10-CM/PCS code sets should not be further delayed. Moreover, in March the House passed legislation that provides a permanent replacement to the Sustain....

Author: Hilterbrand, Cynthia

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2001

Ensuring compliance to the Joint Commission IM standards across a multi-facility system requires more than a handbook-it takes a team effort, communication, and education for all staff. Here's how one system has tackled this task.
For HIM professionals preparing for a Joint Com....

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: Hill, Emily

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2000

From physician assistants to nurse practitioners, the number of healthcare professionals offering patient care services has increased dramatically in recent years. With this increase comes a challenge to coders—accurately reporting the services provided by these prof....

Author: Hill, Emily

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: November 2000

Few non-clinical issues have inspired as much discussion, revision, and anxiety as the evaluation and management (E/M) services and their accompanying documentation guidelines. E/M services have produced a cottage industry focused on ensuring that medical records contain necessary docu....

Author: Hidalgo, Stevan

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2017

Just as a child’s body differs from an adult’s body both physically and physiologically, privacy practices and challenges in a pediatric facility differ from those in an adult facility. As the minor approaches the age of majority, confidentiality and privacy rights of the minor....

Author: Hicks, Joan; Waldrum, Mike; Valeria, Wilson; Marwill, Jeffrey

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2000

To integrate patient data, this clinic considered upgrading its transcription services, but then opted to overhaul the entire clinical access information system, with successful results. (FORE Best Practice, AHIMA Foundation)

Author: Hicks, Jewelle E

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2003

Plans for the Future


Adkison’s day-to-day responsibilities require a wide range of strengths and skill sets. By staying current on her computer skills and performance-improvement techniques, as well as honing her organizational and communication expertise, Adkison has been able....

Author: Hicks, Jewelle E

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2003

The 1980s was a decade of solid growth for AMRA. Externally, topics such as DRGs and PPS took center stage, while internally, the Association focused on strategic planning and streamlining its governance processes. The first specialty groups were formed.

Author: Hicks, Jewelle E

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2004

As the director of medical records at RML Specialty Hospital in Hinsdale, IL, Donna Hofer, RHIA, is essentially responsible for all the functions of an HIM department. Coding, transcription, release of information, and compliance auditing all fall under Hofer’s jurisdiction. But her org....

Author: Hicks, Jewelle E

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2003

Quality is defined as a degree of excellence. When the term quality management is applied to HIM, the definition expands to include the consistent and methodical improvement of data quality. As the director of quality management at Wilson Memorial Hospital in Sidney, OH, Elizabeth Custis, RHIT....

Author: Hicks, Jewelle E

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2006

As the chair of the HIM department at Chaparral College in Tucson, AZ, Mynilma D. Olivera-Vazquez, RHIA, has a great deal on her plate. Her responsibilities include overseeing all aspects of the HIM program, including teaching, hiring, mentoring students, and planning the curriculum. It’s no s....

Author: Hicks, Jewelle E

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2002

Debra Minzola, RHIA, knows quite a bit about privacy protection. As the director of information security and HIPAA compliance for MedQuist, she is responsible for designing, implementing, and monitoring all aspects of the organization’s privacy and security program. That alone may seem li....

Author: Hicks, Jewelle E

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2009

Carol F. Smith, MBA, RHIA, is enthusiastic about the year ahead. As director of health information management for the University of Texas Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX, Smith supervises 110 full-time employees and works on projects ranging from revenue cycle, data quality, medical reco....

Author: Hicks, Jewelle E

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 2002

"As HIM professionals, we always have the opportunity to tell others about our careers. You never realize the impact these 'marketing moments' can have on others." --Laurie Bach, RHIA, SNF administrator/manager of HIS,
McClellan Health System, Cambridge, NY
What is the key to managi....

Author: Hicks, Jewelle E

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2006

As program director for revenue cycle information systems at Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle, WA, Patrick Dolan, RHIA, uses technology to help his organization utilize its resources more efficiently and better serve patients. His current objectives include seeking ou....

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: Hicks, Jewelle E

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2005

As an associate professor and director of HIM programs at the College of Saint Mary in Omaha, NE, Ellen Jacobs, MEd, RHIA, is at the forefront of educating future HIM professionals. Jacobs is responsible for maintaining the program’s accreditation, hiring and supporting faculty members,....

Author: Hicks, Jewelle E

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2007

In addition to long-range planning, another large project on Webb’s radar is the upcoming rollout of the hospital’s new electronic document management system. The system is designed to ensure compliance while capturing and indexing patient information. It will also provide secure r....

Author: Hicks, Jewelle E

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2007

Melanie S. Loucks, MA, RHIT, is a terminology analyst for the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) in Salt Lake City, UT. In this role, she participates in developing the process for implementing standardized terminology for use in the VA’s electronic health record (EHR). As part of her rol....

Author: Hicks, Jewelle E

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2005

As vice president of quality and improvement for Child Health Corporation of America (CHCA) in Shawnee Mission, KS, Cheri Throop, RN, RHIT, MHSA, CPHQ, is part of a business alliance of the leading children’s hospitals in the country. Her role at CHCA allows Throop to work locally and na....

Author: Hicks, Jewelle E

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2008

As the manager of health information management for the NYU Clinical Cancer Center in New York, NY, Cindy M. Boester is accustomed to teamwork and problem solving. Boester, MS, RHIA, supervises a staff of 35 full-time employees at the outpatient facility, which has more than 600 visits a day.<....

Author: Hicks, Jewelle E

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2005

For coding consultant Bonnie C. Sher, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, CPC, her entrance into the world of HIM began with the desire to secure a future for herself and her family. In 1990 she was shocked when a friend’s husband suddenly died, leaving the family with no means of support. Sher knew that....

Author: Hicks, Jewelle E

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2003

Author: Hicks, Jewelle E

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2009

Pamela J. Beattie, RHIA, is systems analyst and information systems project manager at Grays Harbor Community Hospital in Aberdeen, WA. The facility is currently implementing phase 1 of its electronic health record implementation, and Beattie is excited to be playing a role.

Some of....

Author: Hicks, Jewelle E

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2008

Independent consultant Christina M. Benjamin, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, is constantly thinking about her next project. Her work involves auditing and coding as well as developing educational resources and clinical documentation improvement tools.

While researching potential career....

Author: Hicks, Andrew

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2014

Some healthcare business associates are still asking if HITECH-HIPAA impacts them. The answer is just as important to their affiliated healthcare providers.


Thousands of companies are now legally obligated to comply with the HITECH-HIPAA regulations because of their busines....

Author: Hewitt, Joseph B.; O'Connor, Michele

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2002

Behind every medical record is a patient whose care depends on a thorough understanding of current and past medical conditions. When that understanding is compromised due to an incomplete record, care suffers. Learn how an enterprise master patient index can be the foundation of medical record....

Author: Heustis, Kathryn D.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2000

Opportunities for HIM professionals are continually expanding into new and challenging care settings. Renal dialysis facilities are one of the more unusual settings offering HIM professionals a new role.
Renal Dialysis Basics

Medicare coverage for indiv....

Author: Heubusch, Kevin

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2005

Scan Michelle Wieczorek’s credentials—RN, RHIT, CPHQ, CPUR—and consider how she came to work at the center of the external and internal Web sites of a major health system.

The biggest reason doesn’t have to do with knowing how information becomes pixels on a s....

Author: Heubusch, Kevin

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2006

Data standards may seem like the work of IT specialists, but Nancy LeRoy knows that HIM can contribute valuable information about document flow and management. "The nuts and bolts of the HIM profession feed into standards work," she says.

LeRoy, BS, CCS, CCP, serves as cochair of th....

Author: Heubusch, Kevin

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: October 2009

Kevin Heubusch


Oct 12, 2009 12:05 pm

In one sense, the future is already here for those who manage health information. The skills HIM professionals need today are not very different from those they’ll need in 10 years, according to a new survey of practitioners, recruiters,....

Author: Heubusch, Kevin

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2008

The personal health record market looks like a blur, but organizing around common technical standards will help PHRs gain traction with providers, payers, and consumers.

In late April the National Alliance for Health Information Technology released a consensus definition for a person....

Author: Heubusch, Kevin

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2012

In March, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT published a proposed rule on EHR certification, a companion to the proposed rule on stage 2 of the meaningful use EHR incentive program that was published on the same day by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Author: Heubusch, Kevin

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2010

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

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

Author: Heubusch, Kevin

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2011

Perhaps one of the biggest jobs related to implementing the ARRA provisions right now is keeping track of the moving parts. Publication of the act in 2009 was a kind of Big Bang-an explosion of provisions that rocked the healthcare universe. Since then, however, the pieces have traveled at dif....

Author: Heubusch, Kevin

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: August 2008

Selecting, financing, and launching an EHR system is difficult. Product certification seeks to make the first step a little easier.

Somewhere on your toaster oven is a UL sticker. That’s your reasonable assurance that the appliance won’t burst into flames. Likewise, the t....

Author: Heubusch, Kevin

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 2011

The Office for Civil Rights has been publicly reporting incidents of large-scale health data breaches since early 2010, but last month it reported to Congress numbers that the industry has only guessed at to date-the reports it has received of breaches involving fewer than 500 individuals.

Author: Heubusch, Kevin

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2007

Providers, payers, and employers are excited about personal health records (PHRs), as are vendors, policy groups, and the federal government. But what about consumers, the half of the equation that will use them?

When asked, the general population typically says they are in....

Author: Heubusch, Kevin

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: August 2008

Health information management professionals offer contemporary physician practices a lot of expertise. In the coming era, they offer even more.

Sometimes overlooked in the talk about information technology is information management. For all the benefits that IT offers physician pract....

Author: Heubusch, Kevin

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2008

Margie White started out as a nursing assistant in acute care. A brochure for AHIMA’s independent study program introduced her to HIM. She completed the program and applied for a job as medical record clerk in a long-term care facility.

And she kept going. White earned her RHI....

Author: Heubusch, Kevin

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2007

What health information is most useful to consumers? That’s a question only consumers can answer, one by one.
The personal health record, or PHR, might lack a common definition, a common data set, a common format, and a short list of sponsors. But it has one thing i....