Author: Bacik, Sandy

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2010

ARRA's modifications to the HIPAA privacy and security rules are setting off a new round of training in facilities large and small. Trainers must fit the new training into existing schedules that already include organizational policies and procedures, HIPAA, and other regulations such as the R....

Author:

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2003

Your first supervisory position can be both terrific and terrifying. You may be new to the facility, managing former colleagues, younger than your subordinates, or performing a midlife career switch. In all cases, a few simple strategies can help ensure your success. Here, two HIM educators sha....

Author: Younkin, Jim

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2010

A study authored by the Center for Information Technology Leadership found a completely interoperable healthcare system (that is, each organization could share every piece of its healthcare information with another organization as discrete and normalized data) could yield annual savings of $77....

Author: Columbus, Suzanne

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2006

A thorough plan and a structured approach keep your criteria on target, your progress on track, and your vendor list manageable.
Purchasing an electronic health record (EHR) system is probably one of the most important decisions a small physician practice will make. The systems require m....

Author: Rockendorf, Betty

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: March 10, 2016

Ministry Door County Medical Center (MDCMC) is a 25-bed critical access hospital in Sturgeon Bay, WI that offers many services, from inpatient and outpatient care to rehabilitation services, emergency department and urgent care, six clinics, and a skilled nursing facility. So, how doe....

Author: Cinquegrani, Kelly

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2013

In order to take full advantage of health information technology, data, and analysis, an organization needs a standardization of protocols and its health IT systems must be built to support specific processes. FirstLight Health System (FLHS) has learned this first-hand over the last severa....

Author: Dimick, Chris

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 2014

Majority of Healthcare Organizations Lack Vital Information Governance Strategy


AHIMA has fired the starting pistol heralding in the urgent race to implement information governance (IG) practices within the healthcare industry. While some organizations were quick off the bloc....

Author: Fenton, Susan H.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2006

Preparing for e-HIM® will likely require education and training, as HIM professionals may encounter concepts and applications they may not have studied in their HIM programs. The following chart lists some skills and technologies used in e-HIM and lists outlets where training may be found.

Author: Kloss, Linda L

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2008

This is a demanding time for coders. MS-DRGs and present on admission requirements would have been challenging on their own; however, both came at virtually the same time, straining coders already stretched to meet their job requirements.

Recruitment and retention of coding staff is....

Author: Rollins, Gina

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2002

NCQA’s performance measurement system is well established in the industry. But is it really addressing the questions that matter? In this article, industry experts discuss how HEDIS has made its mark.
The managed care industry and large employers have embraced the Health Plan Employ....

Author: Olenik, Keith

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2019

By Keith Olenik, MA, RHIA, CHP


As healthcare services migrate toward outpatient settings, hospitals and health systems are struggling to ensure coding accuracy and quality for owned practices and clinics. With the steady increase in outpatient services, revenue integrity chal....

Author: Neville, Deborah; Katz, Francine

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2001

Developing a compliance plan for a small physician practice can be easier than you’d think. The author offers six things HIM professionals can do to ensure a practice’s compliance.
Developing a compliance plan can be a considerable task for a hospital that has significant resour....

Author: Burrington-Brown, Jill

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2002

Is the Six Sigma business management system the “new kid on the block” in terms of quality initiatives? It may be new to healthcare, but it has been in place at various manufacturers, most notably Motorola, since the 1980s.


This article examines how Six Sigma is bein....

Author: DeVault, Kathryn

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

Publication Date: April 2015

With just six months until the implementation of ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS, now is the time for HIM professionals to re-evaluate the state of their facility’s implementation plan and make any necessary adjustments to ensure a successful transition. Previous delays may have slowed down....

Author: Strauss, Jeff

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: May 15, 2013

Implementation of the new ICD-10-CM/PCS (ICD-10) codes has proved an enormous tactical and strategic effort for healthcare payers and providers alike. Many organizations are searching for a strategy that will allow them to implement the new codes with the least disrupti....

Author: Tabisula, Braden

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2018

By Braden Tabisula, MBA, RHIA, CHDA


Editor’s Note: This is the first installment of the new Advancing Analytics department, which will feature articles that provide best practices and practical resources for HIM professionals who are involved i....

Author: Grzybowski, Darice

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2000

By taking full advantage of new technology and adopting an innovative approach to processing deficiencies, this hospital saved money and time. (FORE Best Practice, AHIMA Foundation)

Author: Amatayakul, Margret; Blair, Jeffrey S.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2000

Until now, the section of HIPAA calling for recommendations on uniform data standards for patient medical record information has not received much attention. However, these recommendations have important implications for HIM professionals. Here’s an overview of the history and significance of....

Author: Dimick, Chris

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2012

The HIPAA transaction standards-meant to streamline financial and administrative transactions-have instead devolved into a kind of free-for-all. Now the first operating rules are in hand to standardize use of the standards and gain the efficiencies originally intended.

When it....

Author: Hughes, Gwen

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2002

The many exceptions to the HIPAA privacy rule’s accounting of disclosures standard make it difficult to determine what must be tracked. Although the rule gives patients the right to receive an accounting of disclosures of their health information, it lists several exceptions. This article....

Author: Bryson, Casey

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: May 22, 2017

You can’t throw a rock in healthcare today without hitting someone claiming to solve “the problem of interoperability.” Those claims come from interface engines, private or public collaboratives like the Sequoia Project and Commonwell, government entities like the Office of the Nation....

Author: Mallett, Sherri; Smith, Gail I.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 1999

This year brought with it 686 changes to CPT. While this is a moderate number in comparison to previous years, several of the changes have significant impact on code assignment. The purpose of this article is to highlight some of the areas of significant change. (See "1999 CPT Revisions" in t....

Author: Taylor, Lisa Brooks

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2013

With the establishment of the National Quality Forum's National Quality Strategy, which sets the direction for achieving better, affordable care and healthier people and communities, providers, payers, and patients are seeing a shift in payment methodologies from volume-based to value-base....

Author: Butler, Mary

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2018

Untitled Document





By Mary Butler


Meet Maria, a fictional emergency department (ED) registration clerk who’s been on the job at a big city trauma center for six months. When Maria starts her shift she gets an alert that the patient p....

Author: Brandt, Mary D.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 1996

Most of us are familiar with surveys by the Joint Commission on Ac-creditation of Health-care Organizations. Many of us have had the pleasure of other surveys, as well-by Medicare, state licensure agencies, and the Food and Drug Administration, to name a few. In conducting their reviews, many....