Author: Hedges, Ron

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: March 12, 2015

Legal consequences flow from the use or abuse of EHR. This monthly column presents examples of what those consequences can be.



Healthcare providers receive and respond to subpoenas on a regular basis. Providers routinely produce personal health information (PHI) when doing so....

Author: Dooling, Julie A

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: March 18, 2015

When “Data Revolution” was suggested for the title of this monthly column, I instantly thought of The Beatles (some of my favorite musicians) and their song “Revolution.”


You say you want a revolution

Well, you know

We all want to change the world
<....

Author: Skurka, Margaret A.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2000

Newspaper columnists spend plenty of time writing about problems in our society, trying to understand who's responsible for social ills and how they can be fixed. How does this relate to AHIMA? I believe that we can ask the same type of questions about some of the problems our professi....

Author: Ellie, Perry E.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 1997

Does your resume work for you?


As the owner of a recruiting firm specializing in health information management, I critique hundreds of resumes each year. By employing the common sense ideas in this article you can enhance your resume, find the work of your dreams, and ch....

Author: AHIMA E-Health Task Force

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2002

Are you ready to work in the e-health era? This excerpt from “Report on the Roles and Functions of E-health Information Management,” a recent white paper by AHIMA’s E-health Task Force, describes the many skills HIM professionals already have that can easily translate to....

Author: AHIMA e-HIM Task Force

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2004

AHIMA member work groups took a vision of the e-HIM future and wrote the user’s guide, chapters 1–6. Here are the highlights.
In 2003 AHIMA appointed a task force of experts to develop a vision of the e-HIM future. To advance the recommendations of the task force, AHIMA create....

Author: Butler, Mary

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2018

By Mary Butler


Healthcare providers and health information management (HIM) departments have been learning the hard way—for some time—that no good deed goes unpunished.


Case in point is how providers embraced cli....

Author: Harford, Joseph P.; Rizzo, Karen

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2006

One of the many challenges of the HIPAA age is handling the millions of outdated computers and associated peripheral devices. Once a back-burner issue, computer disposal is now front and center in the healthcare industry. The need to secure a health organization’s network goes well beyon....

Author: Downing, Kathy

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: February 04, 2016

Every health information management (HIM) leader has their hands full these days. All of us are working hard just to keep up. Despite the ever increasing pace at which the healthcare industry—and HIM—is moving forward, through AHIMA’s information governance (IG) pilot program, we also see....

Author: Barnhouse, Torrey; Rudman, William J.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2013

Those who think their hospital is way behind in preparing for ICD-10-CM/PCS (ICD-10) should take note of the following. Several industry surveys reveal the same thing: most of the nation’s 4,000-plus hospitals have only just begun implementation efforts.


That concernin....

Author: Washington, Lydia

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: September 08, 2016

As we talk with healthcare organizations around the country about information governance (IG), many tell us they have embarked on a data governance (DG) program. Most of these data governance programs seem to be emanating from the IT area and are driven by the need to improve data quality....

Author: Goodell, Suzanne

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: February 11, 2016

I am the director of meaningful use for a health system with 6 hospitals, 400-plus employed physicians, and a regional presence in my state. I suspect my healthcare system isn’t the only one using patient registration practices better suited to a bygone era. Recently I stumbled across one....

Author:

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 1998

1920s 1928 Association of Record Librarians of North America founded in Boston with 58 charter members 1929 First annual meeting held in Chicago. Constitution and bylaws adopted 1930s 1934 Curriculum and standards created for medical record librarian schools 1939 Cred....

Author: Dimick, Chris

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2010

The healthcare forecast for 2010 includes a strong chance of audit. HIM professionals in many organizations will be busy responding to a shower of external record requests and internal compliance checks.

Stormy systems of audit programs, compliance initiatives, and fraud preventi....

Author: Mangin, Wendy L

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 2008

We have much to celebrate as 2008 begins to wind down. AHIMA has achieved several milestones.

First and foremost, this year marks AHIMA’s 80th anniversary. The association’s mission is as relevant today as it was eight decades ago: advancing the vision of quality health i....

Author: Viola, Allison F.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2009

The first several months of 2009 brought sweeping changes, some surprises, and a renewed support for healthcare reform. This article provides an overview of the latest HIM developments in Washington.



Jumpstarting Health IT Implementation




Just wee....

Author: Sheber, Sarah

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: December 2014

The Journal of AHIMA’s ongoing web series “HIM Frontlines,” explores pressing obstacles that health information management (HIM) professionals encounter in a rapidly changing healthcare environment. Major federal initiativs such as the “meaningful use” EHR Incentive Program, HITECH-HIPAA,....

Author: AHIMA Professional Practice Team

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2008

The healthcare industry enters 2008 with a score of hot topics related to health information management. Here are the issues to watch, picked by AHIMA’s professional practice and policy staff.
Presidential Election

Don Asmonga, MBA, director of government relatio....

Author: Sokolowski, Rachael

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 1999

The advent of managed care and shifting alliances between HMOs, hospitals, and providers has fragmented the industry into separate entities that are highly dependent upon each other for the exchange of patient information. But that information, in the form of a medical record, is on paper—....

Author: Pothen, Daniel J.; Parmanto, Bambang

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 2000

Many healthcare facilities have instituted Internet-based healthcare computing applications to better manage and communicate health information.1 Realizing the power and potential of the Internet, various health information system vendors are developing Web-based applications. The advent of th....

Author: Peters, Richard M. Jr.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2000

Storage, retrieval, and display of data are perpetual challenges for computer users who must also use paper. One answer to the challenge is XML, which can facilitate complex tasks for us. The author offers an overview of how XML can help us build better databases.
With each new trend in....

Author: Stein, Todd

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2006

Fledgling RHIOs get a head start with new model policies and technical guidelines from Connecting for Health.
When Chuck Fitch first began to promote a regional health information network for Memphis’s far-flung hospitals, medical centers, county clinics, and physician groups thre....

Author: Abdelhak, Mervat N.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2005

Earlier this year, AHIMA’s Board of Directors defined what success looks like for our profession, our preferred future, and the necessary actions we need to take. Here’s what we see in AHIMA’s future.

Framing the opportunities. The board foresees the e-HIMTM journey....

Author: Jeffries, Jane

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2001

What are the cornerstones of a thriving coding department? How can you ensure your coding team is built on a foundation of education, compliance, and satisfaction? We spoke with several coding managers to collect solutions and guidance for common coding challenges.

What’s the s....

Author: Chenoweth, Ann

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2017

I’ve always loved January! It is not only the freshly fallen snow and warm drinks by the fire that I cherish, it is the exhilaration that every new year brings with it the optimism that new beginnings are possible and the belief that our resolutions can create wonderful outcomes and suc....

Author: Austin, Steven

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2001

HIM professionals know they need to prepare for HIPAA, but where should they begin? Take a lesson from your peers at two of the nation's leading healthcare facilities.


HIM professionals know that the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) i....

Author: Hundal, Ripandeep K

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

Publication Date: April 2016

Wounds are injuries that break the skin or other body tissues. They include cuts, scrapes, scratches, and punctured skin. Wounds are typically due to accidental injury but may also result from surgery, stitches, or chronic disease processes.1


Wound care involves evaluation,....

Author: Holland, Julie A.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2000

How can healthcare organizations effectively use the Internet to support care delivery? And what can HIM professionals do to help? This article describes what you can do to help your employer enter the Internet era.
Make no mistake, the Internet is keeping us all racing to stay up to dat....

Author: Hughes, Gwen

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 1999

Twenty-five years ago, I worked at a 13-physician family practice clinic. My job entailed pulling and assembling charts for patient appointments and phone calls, inserting and maintaining the problem list and laboratory flow sheet, releasing requested health information t....

Author: Zender, Anne

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2001

In recent years, the healthcare industry has seen a smorgasbord of accreditation options develop in all care settings. This list offers a sampling of the many accreditation organizations existing today.



Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC)-accredits am....

Author: Martin, Melissa

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2016

Have you ever taken on a special project outside of your comfort zone? My special project this year has been building an outpatient surgery center (OSC) from the ground up. Leadership, Strategic/Organizational Management, Change Management, and Project Management are all curriculum domain....

Author: Dimick, Chris

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2008

There was no file room in this HIM department. Not a single paper record to be found.
Stepping into Saint Clare’s Hospital for the first time, Kaye Connor was walking into uncharted ground. Anticipation mingled with fear as the hospital’s new health information services director tried to....

Author: Dimick, Chris

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: November 07, 2011

The regional extension centers—created through federal grants to help small providers and hospitals select, implement, and use health IT—have several years remaining on their contracts. However, they are already considering business models that would make them self....

Author: McKnight, Wanda G; Madden, Angie

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: November 2012

Tennessee HIM professionals have worked for years to build positive relationships with physicians. ICD-10 offers another chance for collaboration.



Healthcare is inherently a stressful, fast-paced, and diverse industry. Naturally there will be times where different heal....

Author: Thoman, Deborah J.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2001

Are HIM professionals ready to make the most of APCs? This article suggests some strategies to improve the way we work with APCs, focus on complete and accurate coding, and improve our expertise.
Are HIM professionals ready for the next step in APCs? Are we ready to use APC data....

Author: Wager, Karen A.; Lee, Frances Wickham; Glorioso, Robert; Bergstrom, LuAnne

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 1999

When Spring Garden Family Practice (SGFP) in York, PA, converted from paper records to an electronic medical record (EMR) four years ago, the medical director wanted his staff to work smarter, not harder.

The staff's productivity was impaired by sorting through tons of paper....

Author: Burrington-Brown, Jill

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2005

HIM professionals know that as we move from paper to an electronic environment, our mission of privacy and security remains the same. As the medium changes, however, we must evaluate new threats to information.

The growth of the Internet has been proportionate to the growth of its at....

Author: Zender, Anne

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2006

Director of HIM and hospital privacy officer Cindy Pugliese, RHIA, has a number of roles in her job description. But her role goes beyond her job title. At her facility, Pugliese sees herself as an advocate for the legal health record.

Pugliese believes that as an HIM professional, sh....

Author: Dixon-Lee, Claire

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2006

Healthcare’s successful transition to an electronic health record will depend upon a work force capable of innovating, implementing, and using health communications and information technology. A planned approach is needed to train clinicians and existing health information specialist....

Author: Walsh, Tom

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2010

Federal regulations that took effect in September 2009 require HIPAA covered entities and their business associates to notify individuals if their protected health information (PHI) was accessed or disclosed in an unauthorized manner or by unauthorized individuals. Certain exemptions apply, su....

Author: Butler, Mary

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2015

Watch and learn. For clinical informaticist Nathan Patrick Taylor, MPH, MS, CHDA, and others like him, watching patient-physician encounters and learning from them is just as important as knowing how to query data in a health IT system. Because as technical as informatics can get, at its....

Author: AHIMA

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2006

This Software license agreement is entered into by and between Sample Software, Inc, a Delaware corporation with principal offices located at 100 Maple Lane, Chicago, Illinois 60601 ("Sample") and _________________, a corporation with principal offices located at ________________ ("Licensee") a....

Author: Whittle, Kelly

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2016

It’s no surprise that the volume of clinical documentation has multiplied exponentially with the advent of electronic health records (EHRs). Templates, shortcuts, drop-down menus, and copy-and-paste functions make it easier than ever to document copious amounts of data with just a few cli....

Author: Brow, Julie A.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: April 2001

Organization, preparedness, and quality are three familiar words to those managing hospital and clinic health information. At no time is it more important to be organized, prepared, and quality-minded than when surveyors from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organi....

Author: Rode, Dan

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 2001

We have a privacy rule. After years of effort from AHIMA members, the first national privacy standards were allowed to go into effect by Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy G. Thompson, with pressure from the White House.

It's time for HIM professi....

Author: Rollins, Gina

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 2001

What does it mean for an organization's records to be "paperless"? In hospitals and clinics across the country, the paper shuffle may be winding down, but it's not quite over yet. In this article, HIM professionals in these organizations tell their stories.
The movement tow....

Author: Wiedemann, Lou Ann

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2014

Patient matching and identity management has been a critical component of health information management (HIM) since the beginning of the profession, when master patient indices (MPI) were kept on 3x5 inch index cards. HIM professionals don’t have to be told about the challenges with dupli....

Author: Washington, Lydia

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: December 28, 2015

I hear this question all the time from new as well as veteran HIM professionals. Especially now that the implementation of ICD-10-CM has come and gone (mostly with nothing more than a whimper, I might add, largely due to the exceptional planning and organization skills of great HIM profess....

Author: Jeffries, Jane; Zender, Anne

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2003

After a decade of stable spending, healthcare expenditures are on the rise, according to Gail Wilensky, PhD. If the industry doesn’t reexamine its course, we can expect healthcare spending to leap to 17 or 18 percent of the gross domestic product, an increase of up to 6 percent.

Author: Kloss, Linda L

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2009

Coding reminds me of the parable of three blind men describing an elephant. Each one touches just one part of the elephant.

The blind man who examined the elephant’s tail likened it to a straw fan swinging back and forth; the man who explored the legs described the elephant as....

Author: Sandefer, Ryan

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2019

By Ryan Sandefer, PhD, and Amy Watters, EdD, RHIA, FAHIMA


The May 2014 cover of Journal of AHIMA featured an image of a chameleon and the words “Adapt or Disappear.” This hyperbolic warning for health information management (HIM) professionals was delivered in the context of the r....

Author: Bowman, Sue E

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: April 05, 2012

HHS’s intended delay of ICD-10 implementation has led to suggestions that the US simply skip ICD-10 altogether and wait for the next revision. It is true that ICD-11 is under development, but it is not as close as many perceive and the US simply cannot wait any lon....

Author: Dunagan, Betty

Source: AHIMA blog post | Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: January 19, 2017

We have arrived in the era of Big Data in healthcare, where digital transformation is a major driving factor. A variety of healthcare settings are currently using their electronic health record (EHR) systems to their full capacity, using databases that are just as large as their onsit....

Author: Warner, Diana

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2014

Editor’s note: This article introduces Standards Strategies, a new Journal of AHIMA department that will provide guidance to HIM professionals on applying health data standards in areas including business, clinical care, and compliance.


AHIMA has always been committed t....

Author: BRG HIM and Healthcare Technology Staff

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: November 11, 2016

This article is published in sponsorship with Berkeley Research Group (BRG).



A physician approaches a health information management (HIM) staff member, upset because the location of a document in their office is not in the same location in the hospital record.....

Author: Meehan, Ann M.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2018

Editor’s Note: This Practice Brief supersedes the February 2016 Practice Brief “Why Information Governance Means Real Return on Investment.”

Securing the support of executive leaders for information governance (IG) requires demonstrating how the program enables the organiz....

Author: Reeves, Mary G

Source: AHIMA practice brief | Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 0001

Editor’s Note: This practice brief has been updated. See the latest version here. This version is made available for historical purposes only.


Securing the support of senior leaders for information governance (IG) requires demonstrating how the initiative enables the organization....

Author: Bowman, Sue E

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2008

Transitioning to ICD-10 is a major disruption that providers and payers may prefer to avoid. But it is an upgrade long overdue, and the benefits are far-reaching.

It has been nearly five years since the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics recommended to the secretary o....

Author: Rode, Dan

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 2008

In August the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published two notices of proposed rule making (NPRMs): one for the adoption of ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS and one for an upgrade to the HIPAA transaction standard. Comments on the proposed rules are due on October 21. Once the comment p....

Author: Sheridan, Patty Thierry

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 2012

An HIM colleague recently asked me why everyone seems to be talking about innovation lately. Innovation might seem like a buzzword, but it’s also important to the future of healthcare and health information. Innovation isn’t just about generating new ideas-its primary goal is to develop a diff....

Author:

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2018

In an article that likens the fax machine to “the cockroach of American medicine,” Vox explores why, in the midst of the tech revolution, healthcare organizations are still relying on the antiquated fax machine to exchange medical records. Their conclusion is clear—health record sy....

Author: Kloss, Linda L

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: October 1999

Author: Drazen, Erica

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: June 1996

In 1991 the Institute of Medicine produced a report that came to the unequivocal conclusion that to make advances in the quality of care, efficiency of process, and containment of costs, we needed to adopt computer-based patient records. They even subtitled the report "An Essential Technology....

Author: Butler, Mary

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: April 2015

The HIM Problem


As HIM becomes increasingly data-centric, knowledge of informatics is becoming an essential tool.


Today, it’s hard to identify even one aspect of health information management (HIM) as a profession that isn’t profoundly affected by the use,....

Author: Rode, Dan

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2010

The Department of Health and Human Services mandated that HIPAA-approved transaction standards be upgraded, tested, and in use no later than January 1, 2012. However, even though this requirement is less than two years away, few healthcare providers and plans have begun upgrading and testing t....

Author: Wing, Paul; Langelier, Margie; Continelli, Tracey; Armstrong, David

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: May 2003

What does AHIMA's membership look like as a whole--and how will it look in the future? Early findings from the Association's work force study paint a diverse and dynamic picture?
Health information management is a fascinating set of professional disciplines, roles, and functions that rev....

Author: Pritts, Joy

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2006

You receive a request for medical information from a third party. Generally HIPAA would prohibit releasing the information, but would allow disclosure when “required by law.” State law, however, generally requires disclosing the information, unless disclosure is prohibited by another law.

Author: Friedman, Emily

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2001

How can HIM professionals balance the data demands of outside parties with the patient’s assumption that health information will be kept private? The author examines this question through the lens of ethics.
And yet, and yet, one thing I keep from you...."
<....

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: Rode, Dan

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2001

One of the mysteries of the administrative simplification section of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is determining who is covered or comes under the requirements of the act. This article will examine HIPAA to unravel some of the mystery of &quo....

Author: Fenton, Susan H.; Gamm, Larry D.

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: July 2007

A survey of physician practices finds that most use multiple documentation and coding methods, few of them involving new technologies.

Author: Palkie, Brooke; Kerr, Katie MA, RHIA

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

Publication Date: October 2018

By Katie Kerr, MA, RHIA, and Brooke Palkie, EdD, RHIA


The World Health Organization (WHO) released ICD-11 in June 2018, 18 years after the launch of ICD-10. It has been hailed as a vast improvement and was released in a completely electronic format th....

Author: Klein, Jared W.; Jackson, Sara L.; Osteer, Natalia V.; Peacock, Sue; Delbanco, Tom; Walker, Jan; Elmore, Joann G

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2018

By Jared W. Klein, MD, MPH; Sara L. Jackson, MD, MPH; Natalia V. Oster, MPH; Sue Peacock, BS; Tom Delbanco, MD; Jan Walker, RN, MBA; and Joann G. Elmore, MD, MPH

Patients who use online portals to review their clinicians’ notes may become more actively involved in their healthcare, bu....

Author: Dimick, Chris

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: August 2009

August 4, 2009 @ 8:02 pm


A son calls the HIM department and requests his deceased father’s medical records. Shortly afterward, the man’s wife requests the records, also. Then a man calls identifying himself as the executor of the estate. Who is authorized to access th....

Author:

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: September 2014

For consumers in the United States, the answer to the question “Who are you?” is becoming increasingly important, especially in relation to one’s healthcare. Safe and secure access to a person’s health information hinges on how their online identity is established and used—especially as m....