Author: Averill, Richard F.; Bowman, Sue E

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2012

Abstract: On April 17, 2012, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a rule proposing postponement of the implementation date for the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition diagnosis codes (ICD-10-CM) and procedure codes (ICD-10-PCS) by one year to October 1, 2014. An article in Health Affairs titled "There Are Important Reasons For Delaying the Implementation Of The New ICD-10 Coding System" asserts that the ICD-10-CM conversion will be "expensive, arduous, disruptive, and of limited direct clinical benefit." Contrary to the conclusions in this article, implementation of the ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS code sets will provide major advantages over the existing ICD-9-CM code set. Implementation is long overdue and will provide significant cost benefits. Any further implementation delay will increase the cost of the transition as well as perpetuate the costs and negative consequences associated with continued reliance on imprecise diagnosis and procedure information.

Author: Bowen, Rita K.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2010

Apprehension in the healthcare industry is growing as the ICD-10 implementation deadline approaches. However, the fear of the transition doesn't match its legend or lore.

Apprehension can crystallize into anxiety if you're not careful. It's like an old pair of shoes you love. You kn....

Author: Bronnert, June

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

Publication Date: September 2006

Patients or residents are admitted to long-term care (LTC) facilities for a variety of reasons. While there, many receive some type of therapy, from physical to speech, during their stay. This article reviews the various procedures that may be provided to a resident at an LTC facility as well....

Author: Wise, Lee A; Miller, Nicole

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2019

By Nicole Miller, MS, RHIA, and Lee Wise, MS, RHIA, CHCO


We live in an era where we can order groceries online and have them delivered right to our kitchen. We are able to do nearly all banking online, making it possible to never set foot in a brick-and-mortar bank branch. It can....

Author: Holmes, Casey

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2011

The meaningful use program requires that problem lists in the EHR use a common dictionary through coding. It is a good first step in boosting the usefulness of problem lists, but getting to the next level will be a harder challenge-agreeing on standardized content and use.

Last mont....

Author: Holmes, Casey

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2011

Yesterday's problem lists aren't suited for tomorrow's electronic systems. Standardizing the content and use of problem lists will help leverage new tools, and new tools can help improve problem list accuracy.

The problem list, that cheat sheet to patient health, originated with Law....

Author: Derlink, Amy L; Schembari, Elaine

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2012

Responding to an audit can be hectic and stressful, but HIM professionals must remember to hold external record reviewers accountable to good privacy and security practices.

When you visit the hair salon, take an exercise class, or sit across from a financial planner, you expect them....

Author: Gordon, Lynne Thomas

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2013

THIS YEAR MARKS the 10th anniversary of the implementation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule.


As I write, the industry is currently deciphering the implications of a new law-the changes to the rule wrought by the Health Informati....

Author: AHIMA

Source: AHIMA practice brief | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2013

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) defines an “occupational medical record” as an occupation-related, chronological, cumulative record, regardless of the form or process by which it is maintained (i.e., paper document, microfiche, microfilm, or automatic data processing me....

Author: Dunn, Rose T; Odia, Godwin

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2013

The AHIMA Practice Brief The Privacy and Security of Occupational Health Records focuses on the privacy and security related responsibilities of a healthcare provider that offers occupational health services for other employers in its community. This article supplements that practice brief and focuses on those entities that are not healthcare providers, in the traditional sense of the term.

Author: Kennedy, Angela

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 2013

Since AHIMA’s inception 85 years ago, access to complete and accurate health information has been a core tenet of health information management (HIM) practice.


As this practice continues to evolve, HIM professionals stand in a unique position with the ability to impact....

Author: Sheridan, Patty Thierry

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2012

The recent US Supreme Court decision to uphold the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been controversial. Whether for, against, or somewhere in between, HIM practitioners and educators need to take part in the dialogue within their organizations. Regardless of what happens wi....

Author: Rode, Dan

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2013

The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has published the long-awaited final omnibus rules covering many HITECH Act requirements in the January 25, 2013 Federal Register (78FR5566). The rule is officially titled “Modifications to the HIPAA Privacy, Security, Enforcement, and Breach Notific....

Author: Mills, Ronald E

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2013

The healthcare industry has spent millions of dollars implementing electronic health records (EHRs). Most EHR systems use concept dictionaries like SNOMED or a similar system for internally representing medical information. With the ICD-10-CM/PCS implementation making headlines, people hav....

Author: Cassidy, Bonnie S.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: August 2013

The unsustainable growth of health costs, the growing lack of access to healthcare, and increasing disparities in provided care have forced the US to change how healthcare is delivered. With multiple national initiatives facing the healthcare industry, it is a challenge for healthcare prof....

Author: Mogbo, Chinedum; Yuen, Anny Pang

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2019

By Chinedum Mogbo, MBBS, MsHIM, RHIA, CCDS, CDIP, CCS, and Anny Pang Yuen, RHIA, CCS, CCDS


Employees are requesting more flexibility and organizations are now finding that by offering remote capabilities, they are getting some of the best talent that may not reside in their same t....

Author: Gordon, Lynne Thomas

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 2013

It wasn't that long ago.


In 2009, when the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) was unveiled, healthcare industry observers knew it was big. And it included something the industry had never seen before in the form of a program that would soon become known as "meanin....

Author: Dimick, Chris

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2012

It has been a decade since the first privacy officers took their jobs in response to the HIPAA privacy rule. A slew of changes since then have added more responsibility, required more skills, and demanded more time of them than anyone could have imagined.

When Nancy Davis, R....

Author: Gordon, Lynne Thomas

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2013

Would you want to have a $250,000 physical? Of course not. But entrepreneur and futurist Michael Vassar is betting that some people will.


Vassar was featured in a recent New York magazine article where he described his new venture, MetaMed, which seeks to use data analysis t....

Author: DeVault, Kathryn

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: September 2011

The ICD-10-CM/PCS transition will provide coding professionals with the opportunity to enhance their coding skills. However, it will also require most coders brush up on their anatomy and physiology knowledge. Now is the perfect time to gain a better understanding of the differences between IC....

Author: AHIMA

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2011

As in life, change is a constant in the world of HIM. However, the concepts that define the medical record and the HIM profession's responsibilities remain unchanged from the early days of medical record librarians.

In the first edition of Manual for Medical Records Librarians in 194....

Author: Houser, Shannon H.; Houser, Howard W.; Puro, Neeraj

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2018

By Shannon H. Houser, PhD, MPH, RHIA, FAHIMA; Howard W. Houser, PhD; and Neeraj Puro, MHA

Popular consumer-focused monitoring devices such as Fitbits and smartphones with health data tracking applications are all part of mobile health technology (mHealth). mHealth is a rapidly developing te....

Author: Taylor, Nathan Patrick

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2015

Many people in healthcare tend to think simply about data “in” and data “out.” They see the process of data conversion as cost effective and expect it to be easy. It’s not easy.


Data conversions are commonplace in healthcare today, especially with constant improvements and....

Author: Bumgarner, Charlotte CDIP, CCS; Latva, Jennifer CCS, COC, CPC, CGSC

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

Publication Date: September 2018

By Charlotte M. Bumgarner, CDIP, CCS, and Jennifer C. Latva, CCS, COC, CPC, CGSC


CODERS OFTEN RELY on a neoplasm’s behavior and location for ICD-10-CM code assignment, rather than first referencing histological type. This oversight can lead....

Author: Dowling, Alan F.; Wisdom, Theresa A

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2010

As the ICD-10 conversion deadline approaches, its implementation is likely to become a healthcare facility's most significant objective. It presents HIM professionals with an opportunity to demonstrate their expertise and assume a leadership role within their institutions as they lead this....