Author: Wiedemann, Lou Ann; Dooling, Julie A

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2013

The Nationwide Health Information Network (NwHIN) was originally defined as a “set of standards, services, and policies” by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) in 2007. Further changes were established in February 2009 as a part of the Health Information....

Author: Romeo, Jim

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2013

Establishing a health information exchange (HIE) and building an infrastructure to support it internally and externally is a daunting task. Whether funded by federal and state grants or launched as a private sector initiative, launching a HIE often means blazing new territory and making de....

Author: Robb, Deborah; Owens, Lori

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: March 2013

According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, evaluation and management (E/M) services accounted for $28 billion in Medicare Part B payments during a one-year period.1 And of these, 8.4 percent were billed at the wrong level-either too high or too low. Chasing these potentia....

Author: Coleman, Johnathan

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2013

Not all protected health information (PHI) is created equally. Some health data requires special handling according to law, organizational policies, or patient preferences. For appropriate sharing of health information to occur, a patient must trust that a provider organization will proper....

Author: Derr, John F.; O’Malley, Terrence A

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: February 2013

Editor’s note: This is the third and final installment of a series reviewing the current and desired state of longitudinal care, as well as the steps healthcare stakeholders need to take to embrace this emerging quality measurement process.



E-quality measures....

Author: Galterio, Louis

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2013

Healthcare facilities are cutting out the middle man-the post office-by sending audit-requested medical records directly to the federal government using the Electronic Submission of Medical Documentation (esMD) program.



The esMD program has been growing at a fast ra....

Author: Dooling, Julie A

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2013

In October 2012, AHIMA's Grace Whiting Myers Award was presented to the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics in recognition of excellence in health information management (HIM). This inaugural award focused on organizations who have demonstrated effective and innovative approaches....

Author: Rollins, Genna

Source: Journal of AHIMA

Publication Date: January 2013

The preparation for any great journey usually begins with reflection on lessons learned and research on just how those lessons can be utilized down the unpredictable road. The paradigm shift of electronic health records has caused HIM professionals to steer their work and career into promi....

Author: Ruhl, Jennifer L; Zumar, Wendy

Source: Journal of AHIMA - Coding Notes

Publication Date: January 2013

When ICD-10-CM is officially implemented, its code set will not only be used for primary care purposes but also as an invaluable secondary data source used by many types of healthcare registries in the US. A registry can be defined as “an organized system that uses observational stud....

Author: Zender, Anne

Source: Journal of AHIMA - website

Publication Date: November 2012

Today, healthcare organizations are investing in information technology (IT) at unprecedented rates. And IT is generating more data-of all kinds-than ever before. What’s needed now, says Linda Kloss, RHIA, FAHIMA, is for healthcare organizations to invest in ways to manage, control, and under....