MdHIMA President’s Message

Greetings All! It is hard to believe that we have just about completed the first full month of 2008! And the Super Bowl is just around the corner!

As many of you already know, I am a huge football fan and I attend almost every home Ravens game with my youngest son. While our beloved Ravens didn’t have a very good season this year, we will look to the possibilities of next year as we wait to see which players will move on to other teams and which ones will stay, who we will obtain in the draft and what changes the new coaching staff will bring. In the meantime, we will still be watching the New England Patriots and the New York Giants on Super Bowl Sunday.

The Super Bowl is a time for reflection. It always makes me think back over the season to the days of training camp in July, pre-season games in August and then the many weeks of the regular season – who could have predicted that the Ravens would end up with a record of 5 and 11, while the Patriots would make NFL history with 16 wins and 0 losses??? What did it take to get to that perfect record?

My guess is that it took a lot of hard work and dedication on the part of each and every player and member of the coaching staff and training staff. It took a lot of practice and watching of game film. And it took tremendous teamwork amongst the offense, the defense and the special teams. Every single person associated with the Patriots played an important role in the success of the team.

Can you see the similarities between a national football team and MdHIMA? We, too, begin our season in July of each year, each of our committees and officers works hard and works together throughout the year, we recruit new members to participate, we elect new leaders and we diligently plan for the grand finale, our Annual Meeting, at the end of each year. To that end, the current board is extremely dedicated to making this a very successful year for MdHIMA – just like the New England Patriots – we want to make history!

Hope you enjoy the Super Bowl and the rest of the MdHIMA year. Our Super Bowl (Annual Meeting) will be held on June 5th and 6th at the Baltimore Convention Center – Mark your calendars now!

Sincerely,

Lori

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2008 Annual Meeting

Baltimore Convention Center

June 5-6, 2008

Check out the agenda and mark your calendars for our Annual Meeting! We're planning for great speakers and topics! There will also be plenty of time to check out the products and services of many vendors who will be exhibiting and to network with your peers.

Additionally, there are several opportunities for vendors to support MdHIMA by purchasing an enhibit booth, placing an ad in our program, or sponsoring a break.

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AHIMA Dues

Your AHIMA dues begin and end with your anniversary date, not the calendar year, so you enjoy a full year of membership benefits, regardless of when you join. Unfortunately many MdHIMA members whose dues cycle ended in December did not receive an invoice from AHIMA at the end of the year. MdHIMA did notify AHIMA of this concern and AHIMA did send out 2nd notices to the affected members during the week of January 21st.

If you should have received a dues renewal notice, but did not, please contact AHIMA directly at (800) 335-5535.

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MdHIMA Awards

Each year MdHIMA honors outstanding members for service they have given to our Association and our profession. The awards for Distinguished Member and Volunteer Service will be presented at our Annual Meeting in June.

Please consider making a nomination to recognize the achievements and contributions of our deserving members.

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CCS-P Prep Course – March 1, 2008

This educational session will be held at Harbor Hospital on March 1, 2008 from 8:00 A.M. – 4:30 P.M. We are pleased to have Debbie Bell, MA, CPC, CPC-H, CCP, CMC as our instructor. Debbie has over 28 years of healthcare related experience as a Certified Medical Assistant, Medicare representative, Office Manager, Director of Reimbursement, Senior Consultant and Central Maryland Chapter of AAPC Founder and Past President. Her healthcare background gives her insight into the day to day of both the clinical and business office operations. She is a certified coder by numerous national organizations and has developed and taught numerous coding courses and seminars.

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Quarterly Business Meeting – March 7, 2008

The March 7th QBM (Quarterly Business meeting and education session) will be held at Charlestown Retirement Community. Charlestown is conveniently located just off the beltway (Exit 12b) at Wilkens Ave and Maiden Choice Lane. The education committee has scheduled a variety of pertinent topics with great speakers.

Rebecca Harmon, Asst. Professor of HIM at the School of Health and Rehab Sciences in Pittsburgh will speak on “Emerging Workforce Issues: HIM and Beyond.” Vivian Miller from the Maryland Patient Safety Center will discuss the Center’s role and how Maryland facilities can make improvements to increase patient safety. One of the more unusual topics and speakers is Dana Kollman who is a forensic anthropologist and has worked as a Crime Scene CSI with the Baltimore County Police Department. Dr. Robert Rothstein will present the innovative use of Digital Pens and Paper to improve ED documentation. The day concludes with an update from Dan Rode at AHIMA on Personal Health Records and legislative concerns. Data Quality is also planning a two-hour break out session in the afternoon where a specific topic for the CCS prep exam will be covered.

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AHIMA Winter Team Talks – April 7

Join MdHIMA delegates along with colleagues and delegates from across the country for AHIMA’s semi-annual Team Talks.

Team Talks will be held in Washington, D.C. at the Renaissance M Street Hotel on Monday, April 7, 2008.

AHIMA Hill Day – April 8

Join fellow MdHIMA and AHIMA members for an exciting day on Capitol Hill. AHIMA will schedule meetings with your legislators’ offices from your home districts to discuss important issues our HIM profession is focusing on. AHIMA provides you with all necessary materials on key HIM-related legislation to discuss with congressional representatives.

It’s a great experience to participate in this dynamic day. Come join us “on The Hill”!

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MdHIMA to Award Scholarships to 2 HIM Students

MdHIMA awards two $1,000 scholarships each spring (at the annual meeting) to students who are pursuing a career in Health Information Management.

Eligibility     

1. Applicants must be enrolled in a formal educational program for Health Information Management professions in the State of Maryland.  The American Health Information  Management Association (AHIMA) must accredit this program.
    

2. Students must be entering their final year of study.
    

3. Applicants must have 35 hours with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) OR 30 hours with a 3.0 average now and by the end of the Spring semester will have 35 credits.

Application Process

1. Applicants must submit the prescribed online application form. 
    

2. Applicants must submit an official transcript with the application to the President of the Maryland Health Information Management Association (MdHIMA) no later than April 25th.  Incomplete or late submission will not be considered, but returned to the applicant.

   Mail to:

   Lori R. Brown, RHIA, CHC,
   7616 Ayrshire Ct.
   Severn, MD 21144

Judging

The scholarship recipients will be selected by a committee comprised of the President, President Elect, and the Immediate Past President of MdHIMA.  The awards will be based on the applicant’s grade point average, contribution to the Health Information Management profession, honors, awards, recognition, and potential for leadership.  MdHIMA reserves the right to verify all information submitted by the applicant, and the right to request additional references.

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Welcome New MdHIMA Members!

MdHIMA welcomes the new and transfer members into our state association! We look forward to seeing you at the upcoming events and welcome your active participation. Please feel free to contact any of the Board members if you are interested in joining a committee or if you have questions or need information. Again, welcome!

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Dates to Remember

March 1, 2008 – CCS-P Prep Course – Harbor Hospital

March 5, 2008 – Audioconference – Diagnosis List and Its Relationship to the MDS

March 7, 2008 – MdHIMA Quarterly Business Meeting – Erickson Retirement Communities, Catonsville, MD

April 7, 2008 – Winter Team Talks – Washington, DC

April 8, 2008 – AHIMA Hill Day – Washington, DC –

April 30, 2008 – Evening Educational Session – 4:00-8:00 - Rose Restaurant – Baltimore, MD – Speakers TBD

June 5-6, 2008 - MdHIMA Annual Meeting – Baltimore Convention Center

September 19, 2008 – MdHIMA Quarterly Business Meeting – Times and location TBD

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Submit Items for the e-Newsletter

Please remember that this e-Newsletter belongs to you and is an excellent source of communication! If you would like to submit information to be included in the next publication or if you would like to let the membership know what is going on with you or your facility and employees, please don’t hesitate to send a submission to Kathy Mulford, Chair of the e-Newsletter Committee, at the following email address: kmulford@medquist.com.

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Is Your AHIMA Member Profile Current?

Please keep your AHIMA profile updated so that our email information is always current and we can continue to keep in touch with our members.

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