News

2017 AHIMA Foundation Veterans Scholarship Program

Deadline: September 30 2017 at 11:59 PM CDT (Midnight)

The Walter Reed Society has provided funding to the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) Foundation to provide scholarships aimed at developing the next generation of Health Information Management (HIM) professionals.

These scholarships are designed to provide financial assistance for Veteran Military Service Members from the U.S. Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Reserves and National Guard, and spouses of Active or Veteran Service Members, including surviving spouses.

Applicants must be accepted into a Health Information Management (HIM) or Informatics program and enrolled as a full-time student at the time of the award.

Selection Preference will be given to:

  • Physically wounded or disabled veterans
  • Surviving spouses
  • Those who served in a combat tour of duty

For information on eligibility, application award timelines, submission requirements and required documents please refer to: http://www.ahimafoundation.org/education/VeteransScholarship.aspx

Call for Nominations – 2017 RACE Awards!

RACE – Roundtable Achievement in Coding Excellence

 
Coding Roundtable Recognition at the 2017 Clinical Coding Community Meeting October 8, 2017– Los Angeles, Ca.
 
In conjunction with the AHIMA Convention and Exhibit, the RACE recognition will be given to those who have met and/or exceeded the Coding Roundtable goals for 2016-2017. The winners will be recognized in Los Angeles at the annual Clinical Coding Community Meeting.
 
 
 

New ROI Model form from AHIMA

The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) is pleased to provide a model Patient Request for Health Information form to assist patients and providers in understanding and complying with patients “individual right of access” to their information as required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This model form is written at an 8th grade reading level to assist patients and can be used and customized by providers and organizations to capture patient request information.

The “Explanation for Use of AHIMA Patient Request for Health Information Model Form” – the reverse side of the model form – contains additional information, including links to related HIPAA specific requirements and resources to assist in a better understanding by patients and providers.

AHIMA hopes you find this model form to be helpful in connecting patients with their health information.

For more information regarding AHIMA, its mission, vision and work, or to become a member of AHIMA, please visit, www.ahima.org.

Link to Patient ROI Model Form & Instructions

New Maryland Law: Effective October 1, 2017

Medical Records – Disclosure of Directory Information and Medical Records

The new law was sponsored by: Delegates Valentino-Smith, Kelly, West and Morales

New Maryland Health Care Law: House Bill (HB) 1468/ Senate Bill (SB) 584 Effective October 1, 2017
The Maryland General Assembly recently unanimously passed through both the Senate Finance and Health/Government Operation Committee a new law which will rectify the restrictive nature of protected health information in Maryland where the current practice was more restrictive than HIPAA. This new law will allow Maryland to be more HIPAA compliant.

The new bill also expresses the intent of the Maryland General Assembly that provision in the State law relating to the confidentiality of medial records (1) may not be interpreted to be more restrictive than the federal privacy regulations adopted under the Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability ACT (HIPAA ; (2) are not intended to be in conflict with HIPAA; and (3) are to be interpreted in away that is consistent with any federal regulation, policy guidance, and judicial decision relating to HIPAA.

The change in the law occurred in part due to anecdotal testimony from a gentleman concerning his son who is an adult and has a medical condition of psychosis. A hospital where the son was initially admitted would not disclose any directory information to the parents when the adult son was transferred to a different hospital. The parents spent three months searching for their son through the various hospitals in Maryland. The parents would have been able to find their son if this law had been in place.

Summary of Provision of the New Health Care Law:

A health care provider may disclose a medical record without the authorization of a person in interest to immediate family members of the patient or any other individual with whom the patient is known to have a close personal relationship, if the disclosure is limited to information that is directly relevant to the individual’s involvement in the patient’s health care and other conditions are met. Specifically, if the patient is available before the disclosure and has the capacity to make health care decisions, the patient must have been provided with an opportunity to object and either not done so or the health care provider must be able to reasonably infer that the patient does not object. Alternatively, if the patient is not available before the disclosure is made, or objection is not practicable because the patient is incapacitated or in need of emergency care, the provider must determine, based on the provider’s professional judgment, that the disclosure is in the patient best interest.

Current Law:

Health care providers may disclose specified directory information about a patient, without the authorization of a person in interest, unless the patient has instructed the health care provider in writing not to do so or the information was developed primarily in connection with mental health services. Additionally, unless the patient instructs otherwise or the records were developed primarily in connection with the provision of mental health services, health care providers may disclose medical records without the authorization of the person in interest to immediate family members of the patient or any other individual with whom the patient is known to have a close personal relationship, if made in accordance with good medical or other professional practice.

New Law – HB 1468/ SB 584 – Effective October 1st

A health care provider must inform a patient of the health care information that the provider may include in a directory and the persons to whom such information may be disclosed, and as soon as practicable, provide the patient with the opportunity to restrict or prohibit disclosure of directory information. If an opportunity to restrict or prohibit disclosure is not practicable because the patient is incapacitated or in need of emergency care or treatment, the health care provider may still disclose directory information if the disclosure is consistent with a prior expressed preference of the patient that is known to the provider and is determined to be in the patient’s best interest.

BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, Article – Health – General Section 4–301(a) and 4–302(c) Annotated Code of Maryland (2015 Replacement Volume and 2016 Supplement)

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, Article – Health – General Section 4–301(b), 4–302(c), and 4–305(b)(7) Annotated Code of Maryland (2015 Replacement Volume and 2016 Supplement

References:

Website: General Assembly of Maryland 2017 Regular Session Health & Government Operations Session Legislative

Alexander & Cleaver
Attorneys At Law
Professional Association
Annapolis, Maryland

Respectfully submitted by:

Vicki N. Reynolds, RHIT
Advocacy Chairman MdHIMA

Linda Metro, RHIA
MdHIMA President

Joshua Howe, Legislative Aide
Government Relations Division
Alexander & Cleaver

Where Are We Now? HIM Reimagined Transformation Starts with You!

AHIMA Council for Excellence in Education (CEE) and its volunteers has completed its Executive Summary and recommendations. These recommendations are focused around 4 main areas of HIM: Education, Research, Specialization and Credentials. These efforts will be phased over a period of time and will advance the HIM profession and professionals. Please take this opportunity to view the video link below and read about the future of HIM in the whitepaper attachment.

HIM Reimagined Update, 5.19.17

Archived Recording Link – HIM Reimagined – Transformation Starts with You

Submitted by:

Vicki Reynolds, RHIT
Advocacy Chairman
2nd year delegate

Linda Metro, RHIA
President MdHIMA

HIM Reimagined Transformation starts with you: Whitepaper and video

AHIMA Council for Excellence in Education (CEE) has completed its Executive Summary and recommendations. These recommendations are focused around 4 main areas of HIM: Education, Research, Specialization and Credentials. These efforts will be phased over a period of time and will advance the HIM profession and professionals. Please take this opportunity to view the video link below and read about the future of HIM in the whitepaper attachment.

HIM Reimagined Video

HIM Reimagined Whitepaper

Submitted by:

Linda Metro, RHIA
President MdHIMA

Vicki Reynolds, RHIT
Advocacy Chairman 2nd year delegate

The American Health Care Act (AHCA) Of 2017

On Friday, May 5, 2017 the American Health Care Act passed in the US House of Representatives. In light of this passage AHIMA’s Senior Director of Federal Relations, Lauren Riplinger, JD has crafted a summary of the bill H.R. 1628.

As we know Senate Republicans are not intending to take up the House bill and are in the process of drafting their own version. It has been stated by the media that the Republicans do not have the votes in the Senate to pass the American Health Care Act. Lauren has advised that we probably will not expect a vote in the Senate until June at the earliest.

For those of you with an interest in the provision made in this bill we have attached a summary of the policy proposal for your review.

Respectfully Submitted:

Vicki Reynolds, RHIT
Advocacy Chairman

Lind Metro, RHIA
President of MdHIMA

Mona Calhoun, RHIA
Advocacy Committee Member

Updated: 5.5.17 H.R. 1628, the American Health Care Act (AHCA) of 2017

Registration Open MDHIMA 2017 Annual Meeting & Data Analytics Workshop

Maryland Health Information Management Association presents:

MdHIMA Annual Meeting; Evolving HIM: The Bridge to Advances in Healthcare
and
Data Systems and Data Analytics Workshop

May 11, 2017 – May 12, 2017

This two day event will help you gain knowledge from industry experts on various topics impacting healthcare and HIM. You will explore effective management of healthcare data and examine how data permeates all aspects of the healthcare industry.

At MDHIMA Annual Meeting on Thursday May 11, 2017 you will gain innovative best practices from real-world experiences on critical topics such as:

  • Cyber-security and Healthcare
  • Clinical Documentation Improvement
  • Patient safety/security and quality of care
  • Evidence based medicine pathways
  • Population Health and Reporting

6 CEU’s – on 5/11/2017 at the Sheraton in Columbia, Maryland 8:00am-5:00pm.

After the Annual Meeting enjoy the Presidential Jazz Networking Reception from 5:00PM-7:00PM
Network with your peers enjoy the beautiful view of the lake and stay over night.

On Friday May 12, 2017 attend the Data Analytics Workshop.
Do you work with healthcare data but need more in-depth knowledge and the ability to transform data into meaningful information? Do you have the skills to move into the future? Do you need to understand how the work you do contributes to data driven decisions and higher expectations? If you answered yes, then you need to stay an additional day, bring your laptop and learn from an AHIMA dynamic leader and trainer during the Data Analytics Workshop on Friday May 12, 2017. Attend the one-day, hands on workshop and learn the processes essential for examining your data to uncover hidden patterns, correlations,and other valuable information used to make better decisions. Become the “go-to” person in your organization for accurate, dependable information by knowing and understanding how to analyze, interpret and manage your data.

6 CEU’s – on 5/12/2017 at the Sheraton in Columbia, Maryland 8:00am-5:00pm.

Register Today!

MDHIMA Annual Meeting Exhibitor / Vendor Registration

Vendors/ Exhibitors,

Register today for the MDHIMA 2017 Annual Meeting – Evolving HIM: The Bridge to Advances in Healthcare and Data Analytics.

The Annual Meeting will be Thursday May 11, 2017 at the Sheraton Columbia Town Center,10207 Wincopin Cir, Columbia, MD 21044.

VENDOR/ EXHIBITORS Registration for Thursday May 11, 2017 ONLY

Includes: Table Chair, Power Cord, Free Wifi, Breakfast, Breaks, Lunch, and Jazz Networking Reception. (For One Person)

Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to network and meet industry leaders and professionals.

Early Registration Deadline April 7, 2017

Late Registration Deadline April 28, 2017

For More information on pricing, sponsorship and advertisement please click here or Contact Tiffany Edwards, MDHIMA Delegate & Vendor Coordinator. Tiffany.Edwards@AHSS.ORG, with additional questions.

MdHIMA Membership ONC Patient Access Feedback Survey

ONC’s Consumer eHealth and Engagement Division is seeking insight from AHIMA and its members to better understand how large health systems and institutions process individuals’ medical records requests, and where best practices and solutions might be identified to make the process more transparent, convenient, and ideally digital for consumers.

In particular, they are interested in hearing more about AHIMA’s efforts around consumers’ requests, to learn about best practices in the field, discuss challenges and solutions (pre and post OCR-patient access guidance from February 2016) and identify opportunities for alignment and collaboration.

Survey Questions:

1. How do large health systems and institutions generally process individual record requests? What makes the process different compared to a smaller institution? Is there a difference?

2. What are the biggest challenges in processing individual record requests?

a. Has there been a change in the ease in which these record requests are processed for individuals, post-February 2016 OCR guidance?

3. What have you found or seen to be best practices/solutions?

4. How can the process be made:

a. More transparent?
b. More convenient?
c. Ideally digital? What type of investment would this require?

Please submit your comments directly to:

Lauren Riplinger, JD
Senior Director, Federal Relations
lauren.riplinger@ahima.org

Thank you,

Moses Y Asiedu, MS, RHIA President- MdHIMA 2016-2017

Vicki Reynolds, RHIT Advocacy Chairman MdHIMA
Second Year Delegate MdHIMA

MdHIMA Annual Meeting Silent Auction

MdHIMA will once again sponsor a Silent Auction at their 2017 Annual Meeting, on Thursday, May 11, 2017 at the Sheraton Columbia, MD. MdHIMA is a non-profit [Section 501C-6] and funds raised through the Silent Auction, will be specifically used for our scholarship fund in order to encourage and promote ongoing education and professional development for MdHIMA student members currently enrolled in a Health Information Management Program within Maryland.

Currently, we are requesting the support and participation from businesses and entertainment industries, like you, to donate items such as, but not limited to:

  • Free admission tickets for theaters, entertainment tours, plays, museums, sports events, etc.;
  • Gift certificates from your place of business (i.e. Spa treatments; Facial & Manicures; technology items; home good items; memorabilia), gym memberships, etc.;
  • Merchandise, such as appliances, i-pads, Kindles, work-out equipment or technology items (i.e. Fit Bits, watches, etc.) lamps, jewelry, bags, home decor, candles, etc.;.
  • Complimentary free dinners, promotional certificates and services from hotels, airlines, recreation, tours, etc.

Please remember, all donations are tax deductible. Your support is needed in order for us to continue providing scholarships, professional development workshops and training, which assist in the organizations goal of educating our students and members.

We appreciate any and all support that may have been given to us in previous years and look forward to your continuing to help us in this endeavor. If you have not supported us in the past, please know how appreciative we are to have you join us in this endeavor for 2017. It is important to note that all Donors will be mentioned in our Program Journal and/or other advertised literature.

We ask that you:

  • Please complete the attached form no later than Friday, April 28, 2017.
  • All items being donated for the Silent Auction be provided to us on and/or before Saturday, May 6, 2017, in order to display in the appropriate manner and to be able acknowledge all donors as indicated, either in the Program Journal and/or other advertising means (i.e. Web Site, Video, etc. Your adhering to these guidelines is imperative to the smooth process and ask that items are not given to us on day of the event.
Silent Auction Donations
If you have any questions, you may contact:

Dana Carcamo, RHIA, CCS
Telephone # (301) 728-3701
Email: ddcarcamo@aacc.edu

The Maryland General Assembly – Your Elected Legislators

Join your industry professionals in meeting and listening to our elected legislators share their knowledge of telemedicine and telehealth initiatives, all to improve patient care in our community. This is a first in the history for MdHIMA – BECOME A PART OF IT!!

February 24, 2017
7:30 AM – 2:00 PM

Location

The Maryland Inn
16 Church Street
Annapolis, MD 21401

Pricing

Full Day with Lunch

  • MDHIMA/AHIMA Member: $75.00
  • Non-Member – $85.00
  • Student/Senior – $55.00

Half Day with Lunch

  • MDHIMA/AHIMA Member: $50.00
  • Non-Member: $60.00
  • Student/Senior – $40.00

Half Day no Lunch

  • MDHIMA/AHIMA Member: $35.00
  • Non-Member: $40.00
  • Student/Senior: $30.00

Click here to register.

Online registration will close at midnight ET February 22, 2017. Onsite registration will NOT be available.

Important Webinar – Congressional Update 2017

Join us for a discussion on Jan. 12 from 1-2 pm ET about the new Administration and Congress. Attendees will learn about key aspects of the new Administration and 115th Congress including the Administration’s first 100 days agenda. Attendees will also discuss possible impacts on healthcare and the HIM profession.

Learning Objectives

Describe key aspects of the new Administration and 115th Congress. Explain the potential impact of the new Administration and Congress on healthcare and the HIM profession.

Speaker(s)

Pamela Lane, MS, RHIA
Vice President, Policy & Government Relations AHIMA

Lauren Riplinger, JD
Senior Director Federal Relations AHIMA

Date

Jan. 12, 2017
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm ET

Understanding the New Administration and Congress
Thursday, January 12, 2017
1:00 pm | Eastern Standard Time (New York, GMT-05:00) | 1 hr

Register

After your request has been approved, you’ll receive instructions for joining the meeting. If you already registered for this meeting, you do not need to register again.

MdHIMA Annual Meeting/Data Analytics Workshop

Maryland Health Information Management Association presents the MdHIMA Annual Meeting; Evolving HIM: The Bridge to Advances in Healthcare and Data Systems and Data Analytics Workshop on May 11, 2017 – May 12, 2017.

This two day event will help you gain knowledge from industry experts on various topics impacting healthcare and HIM. You will explore effective management of healthcare data and examine how data permeates all aspects of the healthcare industry.

You will gain innovative best practices from real-world experiences on critical topics such as:

  • Cyber-security and Healthcare
  • Clinical Documentation Improvement
  • CPT-4/ICD-10
  • Patient Identification & Mapping
  • Revenue Cycle Management
  • Patient safety/security and quality of care
  • Evidence based medicine pathways
  • Pay for Performance
  • Hospital readmission Rates
  • Population Health and Reporting

6 CEU’s – on 5/11/2017 at the Sheraton in Columbia, Maryland 8:30am-5:00pm.

Do you work with healthcare data but need more in-depth knowledge and the ability to transform data into meaningful information? Do you have the skills to move into the future? Do you need to understand how the work you do contributes to data driven decisions and higher expectations? If you answered yes, then you need to attend the one-day, hands on workshop and learn the processes essential for examining your data to uncover hidden patterns, correlations,and other valuable information used to make better decisions. Become the “go-to” person in your organization for accurate, dependable information by knowing and understanding how to analyze, interpret and manage your data.

6 CEU’s – on 5/12/2017 at the Sheraton in Columbia, Maryland 8:30am-5:00pm.

Registration information coming soon!!

New! – 2017 ICD-10 Update Sessions

2017 ICD-10-CM Update Session 1

Wednesday, September 21, from 6:00 pm-8:00 pm
Presented by Karla Lovaasen, RHIA,CCS, CCS-P
CEUs: 2.0

2017 ICD-10-PCS Update Session 2

Wednesday, September 28, from 6:00 pm-8:00 pm
Presented by Karla Lovaasen, RHIA,CCS, CCS-P
CEUs: 2.0

Learn more and register

New! Apprenticeship Programs & Veteran Scholarships

Veterans Scholarships

The American Health Information Association (AHIMA) Foundation has provided scholarships for Veterans and Spouses to develop the next generation of Health Informatics and Health Information Management (HIM) professionals for:

  • Veteran Military Service Members from the U.S. Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Reserves and National Guard.
  • Spouses of Veteran Service Members, including active duty military, retirees, veterans, wounded warriors and surviving spouses
    • The HIM career field is well-suited for individuals with physical disabilities such as  Wounded Warriors

For information on eligibility, application award timelines, submission requirements and required documents please refer to: http://www.ahimafoundation.org/education/VeteransScholarship.aspx

HIM Apprenticeship Program for Job Seekers

The American Health Information Association (AHIMA) Foundation has developed four apprenticeship roles:

Individuals interested in applying for consideration as an apprentice candidate must meet the following requirements:

  • Depending on apprentice type and role, applicants may need to have passed a qualifying CCA, RHIT, or RHIA exam. Individuals may initiate application at any time.
  • Be available to commit to an apprenticeship opportunity lasting from one to two years.
  • Meet the apprentice qualifications as outlined in the application.
  • Encouraged to listen to the AHIMA Foundation – Apprenticeship Program webinar

For additional information please refer to: http://www.ahimafoundation.org/prodev/apprentice.aspx

HIM Registered Apprenticeship Program for Employers

The American Health Information Association (AHIMA) Foundation has developed a Registered Apprenticeship Program for Employers
This program seeks to assist employers with the training and development of employees.  Apprenticeships are paid positions that bridge education and employment.

Apprenticeships help sponsors:

  • Prepare the next generation of HIM professionals
  • Attract new talent with the right education, skills, and credentials
  • Develop associates for employers with skills to keep pace with advances in healthcare technology

For information please refer to: http://www.ahimafoundation.org/prodev/Registered_Apprenticeship.aspx