Author: Hughes, Gwen

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2002

Privacy rule implementation teams have a dilemma.


The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently proposed amendments to the HIPAA privacy rule aimed at correcting problems related to its implementation. HHS gave the public until April 26 to provide comments. Based....

Author: Butler, Mary

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2016

By Mary Butler


As the old canard goes, "if all you have is a hammer then everything looks like a nail." Which is to say that specialists in a given area tend to only consider their specialty and miss the big picture. To personally disprove the idiom, one ideally has multiple too....

Author: Dougherty, Michelle; Washington, Lydia

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2010

Electronic health records are edging into the mainstream, but they still have one foot outside the law. Many EHR systems struggle to create credible and compliant business records, and with major initiatives like the ARRA incentive program pushing their adoption, now is the time to get the ele....

Author: Prophet, Sue

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: March 1998

The term "erythema multiforme" was first used by von Hebra in 1866 to describe a disease characterized by symmetrically distributed, pleomorphic, evolving cutaneous lesions, located primarily on the extremities, and by a proclivity for recurrence. In 1922, Stevens and Johnson....

Author:

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2000

In April, the Subcommittee on Government Management, Information and Technology of the House Government Reform Committee held a hearing to review the merits of establishing the Commission for the Comprehensive Study of Privacy Protection. The focus of the hearing was the Hutchinson/Moran....

Author: Zeisset, Ann M.; Scichilone, Rita A

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: October 1999

Physician offices face the challenge of submitting correct coding information through the billing process. Ensuring timely reimbursement at the highest level for which services were provided, correct coding also proves there are no fraudulent activities occurring at the facility. Performing a....

Author: Lach, Jane

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 1997

Author: Pickard, Bryon

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2007

The cost of healthcare is forcing most everyone to pay higher premiums, deductibles, and copayments. At the same time, many health plans, individual employers, and government entities are championing incentive programs to encourage healthy living.

It is no secret that un....

Author: Cassidy, Bonnie S.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2011

The migration to EHRs changes the design and operations of traditional HIM departments. Every HIM function performed to support the paper health record today must be re-engineered.

HIM professionals must assume a leadership role in transforming these functions. The time is now to an....

Author: Campbell, Robert James

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2013

Imagine having a friend who can identify the name of a song after hearing one or two notes, or an acquaintance who can identify a film from a single "still" frame taken from the movie. If this sounds familiar, maybe it's because of the way it reminds you of how a physician thinks about the....

Author: Schoenfelt, Suzanne

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2000

"Quality" is a multi-industry buzzword, but what does it really mean in today's healthcare climate? We asked the experts for their views on the state of quality improvement in healthcare and what lies in store for HIM professionals as QI evolves.
For decades, healthcare has concerned its....

Author: Kawles, Terrance L.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2003

As the leading edge of digital portability advances, the protections afforded the “portability” portion of HIPAA become strained. Under the final security standards, covered entities (CEs) must establish procedures and mechanisms to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availab....

Author: Davis, Nadinia A.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2003

Time not only flies when we’re having fun, but also when we’re filing paperwork, checking e-mail, and looking for our car keys. But you can add hours to your day by managing yourself rather than time. Here’s how.

As a nonrenewable resource, time is precious. There neve....

Author: AHIMA

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2012

Fifty-seven percent of office-based physicians used some sort of EHR system in 2011, according to preliminary survey results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That share is up from approximately 51 percent in 2010 and 18 percent 10 years earlier.
Top States for EHRs, 20....

Author: Endicott, Melanie

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: December 10, 2014

It’s been 24 years since Kevin McCallister was accidentally left at home while the rest of his family went on vacation in the movie Home Alone. Poor little Kevin has to defend his family home when two con men try to rob it on Christmas Eve. Kevin outsmarts the idiotic burglars with bo....

Author: Dennis, Jill Callahan

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 2006

AHIMA’s Convention Offers Great Networking, Educational Opportunities, But There Are Many More Ways to Stay Connected
This month thousands of members will gather in Denver, CO, for AHIMA’s 78th Convention and Exhibit. Attending the annual conference is a great way for members....

Author: Kostick, Karen M.

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: May 2011

The field of sleep medicine is rapidly expanding, and its coding and reimbursement are attracting more attention from federal and state governments, public health organizations, scientists, payers, auditors, the transportation industry, and healthcare consumers. Emerging topics in the area of....

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: McWay, Dana C; Smith, Jody

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2014

Now that physicians are offering medical advice over e-mail and social media, HIM must reexamine processes for a complete and accurate health record

Author: Brodnik, Melanie S.; Bean, Betty; Hickey, Christie; Massey, Olivia; Ritchie, Carissa

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 1998

The growing complexity of information needs in the delivery of quality healthcare at low cost has contributed to educational reform in health information management (HIM) and the need for advanced professional preparation of HIM practitioners. In 1997, AHIMA published curriculum mode....

Author: Wiggs Harris, Wylecia

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2019

By Wylecia Wiggs Harris, PhD, CAE, chief executive officer


The Journal’s clinical documentation improvement (CDI) issue gives me an opportunity to provide an update on some of the important work AHIMA has been doing in 2019.


As you know, we’ve been undertaking what w....

Author: Wiedemann, Lou Ann

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2017

According to the Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR), from January 2016 to November 2016 approximately 169,013,996 people were affected by 1,737 healthcare breaches. The Ponemon Institute estimates that data breaches could cost the healthcare industry as m....

Author: Love, Denise

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2001

Statewide data systems are the mainstay of many state and federal data systems and of many quality assessment, research, and policy initiatives. The author gives an overview of the different kinds of systems available and looks at opportunities for growth in the future, as well as for....

Author: Kloss, Linda L

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2008

States are often described as “laboratories of democracy.” Today they are also serving as laboratories for e-health. Virtually every US state is pursuing IT initiatives to improve the safety, quality, and affordability of healthcare. Leadership is coming from governors’ offic....

Author: Amatayakul, Margret

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 1998

Value, experiments, promises, disappointments, hype, compromises, and change all characterize the status of the computer-based patient record (CPR). An industry expert offers some perspective on where the CPR has been and where it's going.

In 1873, Florence Nightingale lamented her....