Author: Paterno, Marilyn D.; Rynberg, Sally J.; Giannangelo, Kathy

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2009

It can be a challenge to keep straight the many terms used in events, concepts, or data in clinical records. The following table provides definitions for some of the many terms to help HIM professionals differentiate among them.

The difference between terminologies and vocabularies....

Author: Gordon, Lynne Thomas

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2014

Almost 10 years ago, President George W. Bush did something remarkable. He set out a grand plan for electronic health records (EHRs).


“Within 10 years, every American must have a personal electronic medical record. That’s a good goal for the country to achieve,&r....

Author: Drach, Maureen; Davies, Alethea; Sagrati, Carmen

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2001

Is your chargemaster current, compliant, and comprehensive? In the age of APCs, healthcare facilities would do well to answer these questions regularly. Here’s how an HIM professional can help.

On every front, healthcare is advancing by leaps and bounds. At the same time, providers a....

Author: Lofton, Sandra

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2000

On the road toward an electronic medical record, many organizations will need to evaluate and select document imaging systems. Because of the time and expense involved in these types of implementations, it is critical that the vendor selected be the right one for the organization. The process....

Author: Mancilla, Desla; Guyton-Ringbloom, Carolyn; Dougherty, Michelle

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2015

Jobs in the health information management (HIM) profession are becoming increasingly advanced in the need for both technical expertise and leadership skills. This shift is particularly important to recognize as HIM professionals navigate new career opportunities and changes ahead. Strong l....

Author: Dimick, Chris

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: July 2011

An increasing number of healthcare facilities are turning to computer-assisted coding (CAC) to streamline workflows and help reduce coding workloads. Others are giving the technology a close look for the first time.


“Interest in the technology has grown significantly ov....

Author: Gattadahalli, Satish

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: January 2013

Healthcare and health information technology (health IT) are undergoing transformative change at an unprecedented pace. Strategic planning has become a major discussion point among CIOs, CTOs, CMIOs, and IT Directors. Whether it is implementing enterprise-wide elec....

Author: Cassidy, Bonnie S.

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: March 2013

Today’s HIM and coding professionals are faced with multiple challenges to increase documentation accuracy and specificity due to new rules and regulations. They also face financial pressure to accelerate billing processes, which can lead to errors and fraudulent c....

Author: Innes, Kerry; Peasley, Karen; Roberts, Rosemary

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2000

Coders in Australia have already made the change to coding an Australian modification of ICD-10. What was the process of conversion like, and what lessons can we learn from it? Here's a step-by-step account of the change process.
While no definite date for making the change....

Author: Rode, Dan

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 2011

The term "meaningful use" is used freely within Washington and throughout the healthcare industry. For HIM professionals it is not a new concept, but the term has proliferated in the last few years with the creation of the ARRA-funded EHR incentive program.

At some point the talk wi....

Author: Fletcher, Donna M.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 1998

Telemedicine is the use of any electronic signal to transmit medical information from one site to another. This includes the transmission of medical information by video, e-mail, telephone, and satellite. Benefits of these transmissions include:
improved access to healthcare....

Author: Majerowicz, Anita; Tracy, Susan

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: May 2010

Traditionally, healthcare has been provided in the physician’s office, hospital, or outpatient clinic. Patient care has been based primarily on face-to-face contact, with the exchange of information via conversation.

However, technology is changing how and where care is delivered. M....

Author: Clack, Lesley

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2019

By Lesley Clack, ScD, MS, CPH


Telehealth, which refers to healthcare services facilitated remotely through electronic information and telecommunications technology, is on the rise. In 2010, 35 percent of hospitals had partially or fully implemented computerized telehealth systems,....

Author: AHIMA Staff

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2015

Health Information Management (HIM) professionals have a notoriously hard time getting folks in the C-suite to take on new health IT projects. But in one area, at least, that's beginning to change. Telehealth (or telemedicine) may have reached the tipping point in seeing a return on investment,....

Author: Watzlaf, Valerie J.M.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2019

By Valerie Watzlaf, PhD, MPH, RHIA, FAHIMA


While I have not yet had the opportunity to do so, I am looking forward to participating in my first telehealth visit. While telehealth is an exciting new avenue for healthcare delivery, the success with which providers have deployed tele....

Author: Martin, Melissa

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2016

In Back to the Future Part II, Marty McFly traveled from 1985 to 2015, and while there he used videoconferencing to communicate with his coworker Needles. Although the real 2015 might not be exactly the world that Marty McFly found in the movie, teleconferencing with a doctor and other te....

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: Welch, Julie J.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 1999

Telemedicine is "the use of medical information exchanged from one site to another via electronic communications for the health and education of the patient or healthcare provider and for the purpose of improving patient care."1 According to a recent report to Congress by the US Departments of....

Author: Asmonga, Donald D.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2000

German poet and playwright Bertolt Brecht once said, "Today, every invention is received with a cry of triumph which soon turns into a cry of fear." Brecht died in 1956, but his statement remains relevant. The emergence of the so-called information age can be attributed to th....

Author: Amatayakul, Margret

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2004

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

Author: Ruppersburg, Patricia L.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 1999

Compliance is an issue that has earned much respect from healthcare professionals. It has become imperative to all HIM professionals to focus on providing the best possible solution for compliance. The ultimate goal: to create a scenario in which compliance supports the existing heal....

Author: Fuller, Barbara P.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2001

This winter's Team Talks gave members a glimpse of an exciting new member benefit: Communities of Practice (CoP). When members saw a demonstration of CoP in action, there was a universally enthusiastic response about the opportunities this new feature will provide. Currently in beta....

Author: Bennett-Woods, Deb

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 1997

Corporate downsizing and restructuring continue to reduce the number of managers and increase their scopes of authority. As a result of organizational flattening, healthcare organizations increasingly turn to self-directed teams (teams within a department) and cross-functional teams (teams ac....

Author: Rode, Dan

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2003

Consistency of coding is an issue that will only advance through a team effort. This article will discuss consistency of coding, its importance as an advocacy effort for the Association, and how you can make a difference.

Coding: Two Main Issues

There are essentially two t....

Author: Hagland, Mark

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2003

What’s the best way to select a technology vendor? For HIM professionals, IS education and collaboration yield the best results.
The vendor evaluation and selection process starts with education, according to Tracy Hickey, MBA, RHIA, and relies on the input of a multidisciplinary te....