Gearing Up for the Future of Medical Coding

AHIMA Chief Member Relations and Service Officer Keith Olenik, MA, RHIA, CHP, spoke to the realities of HIPAA and the future of coding on a webinar sponsored by Nym Health, "Coding for the Future: Lessons Learned, Emerging Technologies & Future Opportunities."

Speaker’s Message on the 2022 AHIMA House of Delegates Meeting

“The Delegate journey and experience has been a priority for me as Speaker, and my hope is that collaboration continues,” writes Speaker of the House Jeannine Pugh Cain, MSHI, RHIA, CPHI, in a column discussing the 76th AHIMA House of Delegates meeting.

The House met in person for the first time in three years on October 9.

Solutions for Challenges in Telehealth Privacy and Security

Ensuring privacy and security builds trust between providers and patients, which opens the door for patients to make the decision to share personal and health information without concern. It is important to identify privacy and security challenges and issues related to telehealth visits in order to apply the appropriate solutions.

The Machine Learning Conundrum in the Care Delivery Ecosystem

Machine learning models are probabilistic by design, and while they aim for increasing accuracy with every training/retraining cycle, 100 percent accuracy isn’t a realistic goal in any situation.

What happens when the statistic that the machine learning model predicted wasn’t accurate, but it is the only measure of that medical condition?

Incoming President Aims to Ignite an Empowering Culture at AHIMA

For incoming AHIMA President/Chair Jennifer Mueller, MBA, RHIA, SHIMSS, FACHE, FAHIMA, nurturing the culture of an organization and understanding the importance of advocacy are equally as important.

Journal of AHIMA recently spoke with Mueller about her passion for healthcare, the important role of health information, and what’s on the horizon for AHIMA.

Bridging the Analytics Silos

Whether an organization’s analytics reporting is simple or complex, all analytics professionals ultimately want to ensure the right person has the right data at the right time.

The Time of the Empowered Health Consumer is Here

Healthcare has a secrecy problem. From health record access to pricing, reliable and clear information is hard to come by. How can we expect patients to manage their health if we keep hiding everything from them?

Join Me to Make Our Fresh Start at AHIMA22—We Deserve It!

It’s been three years since we’ve all been together—we have so much to catch up on! It’s time to see old friends, network with new ones, and strengthen our bonds with the health information community.

Cyber Threats in Healthcare? Yes, You Are at Risk!

Ransomware is the number-one threat that concerns cybersecurity professionals in the healthcare sector. And for good reason. Ryuk, just one ransomware variant, has been linked to more than 200 attacks impacting hundreds of thousands of patients and costing providers hundreds of millions of dollars.

As the Workforce Landscape Changes, We Look Ahead and Adapt

As the saying goes, the only thing certain is change. And the health information workforce has been through a lot of it lately. How do we prepare for the next disruption? How do we meet the needs of a high-demand industry?

Inside the AHIMA22 Exhibit Hall: Four Questions for Tyler Cowart

The AHIMA22 exhibit hall is a destination where you can meet and talk with product experts and industry innovators while experiencing the latest health information solutions. In the coming weeks, the AHIMA22 blog will be getting to know some of the faces of the exhibit hall.

What Does It Take to Become a Revenue Cycle Executive?

Health information professionals are prime candidates to lead in revenue cycle roles. Explore key components of the revenue cycle and obtain the tools to comfortably discuss financial terms and metrics at an AHIMA22 pre-conference workshop led by industry expert and Distinguished Member AHIMA Triumph Award recipient Rose Dunn.

How to Solve Problems the Google and Apple Way

The AHIMA22 workshop “Design Thinking for Innovation in Healthcare" introduces the design thinking process, a five-part problem-solving approach that you can apply in both your organization and your daily life. Led by an instructor from Johns Hopkins University, this hands-on learning experience is offered on Sunday, October 9.

How Do the New EHI Definition and Information Blocking Provisions Impact Your Organization?

By October 6, 2022, actors are expected to adhere to the full scope of EHI per the information blocking final rule, or else risk noncompliance. AHIMA22 attendees will hear directly from the policymakers and others working to implement information blocking and its related provisions at a session moderated by the AHIMA Policy and Government Affairs team.

AHIMA Sponsors Modern Healthcare Social Determinants of Health Symposium

AHIMA has announced the sponsorship of Modern Healthcare's Social Determinants of Health Symposium. The virtual all-day event, taking place August 11, 2022, will highlight how investments in the areas of public policy, action, community, and technology can ultimately help evolve social determinants of health initiatives to achieve health equity and a healthier bottom line.

Advancing Health Equity Requires Better Data

"One of the single greatest social determinants of health is where a patient lives," explain Carmen Smiley and Julie Pursley in their blog post discussing the latest developments for Project US@ ('USA'). The beneficial link between address standardization and patient matching was a driving force behind the project launch. Smiley and Pursley will be discussing the project at their AHIMA22 panel, “Connecting Technology, People, and Processes: Implementing ONC’s and AHIMA’s New Data Standards,” on Tuesday, October 11.

Enter AI: Panel Reports Impact on their CDI Programs, Organizations

AI has probably helped improve your life without you realizing it. For example, AI helps Netflix suggest your next movie or series, based on your ratings of what you’ve watched before. But did you know it can also help improve health? AHIMA and Iodine recently convened a panel of CDI leaders to discuss how AI has benefitted their work and organizations.

AHIMA, AMIA, EHRA Release Report on Operationalizing Definition of EHI

AHIMA, AMIA, and EHRA announced today the release of a final report that examines key issues related to operationalizing the definitions of “electronic health information” (EHI) and “designated record set” (DRS). The report is intended to serve as a resource to assist providers, health IT systems, health information exchanges, and health information networks in complying with the information blocking provisions of the Cures Act Final Rule.

Tips from an Expert Panel for Preventing Cyberattacks

If your organization is attacked, cyber insurance can cover ransomware demands and remediation. But coverage isn’t a given. AHIMA and Olive AI convened an expert panel to explore how organizations, vendors, and suppliers can be prepared.

AI Automates CDI, But Does it Improve Documentation?

Provider Role in Protecting Patient Confidentiality, Privacy, and Security Beyond HIPAA

This new list of resources from AHIMA will assist health information professionals with educating patients on how to protect the confidentiality, privacy, and security of their health information in environments not covered by HIPAA.

Meet Us in Columbus

AHIMA22 brings us to Columbus this year. The capital and heart of Ohio, Columbus is known for its riverfront downtown, restaurants ranked among Food & Wine's “32 Places to Go (And Eat)” in America, easy transportation, shopping, museums, and greenspace. Whatever you like to do, Columbus has something for you.

Understanding and Building a Skill Set for Machine Learning with Drug Dosing

Machine learning (ML) is a subset of artificial intelligence that uses reinforcement learning with human-like levels of intelligence to predict outcomes and improve task performance. This article discusses challenges in data management and analytics and the special skill sets needed when working with ML in drug dosing applications.

A National Patient ID is Essential for Patient Safety

Misidentifying patients can have tragic consequences. In their op ed published this week in STAT, Wylecia Wiggs Harris and Tom Cox discuss real-life consequences of patient identification mistakes and how we can make more meaningful steps toward addressing the issue.

Information Blocking Recommendations Sent to HHS

AHIMA and several other organizations urged the Secretary of Health and Human Services to direct the ONC, OIG, and CMS to work together to provide additional education to providers related to information blocking laws and requirements.

AHIMA Comments on FY 2023 Hospital IPPS Rule

AHIMA submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) proposed rule.

The Use of DMAIC to Improve Quality Vaccination Recommendations in Chain Community Pharmacies

This research, published in the Winter 2022 issue of Perspectives in Health Information Management, is a case study that utilizes the Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control (DMAIC) model of Lean Six Sigma and aims to use this quality improvement process to identify, measure, analyze, and implement a training program to facilitate pharmacists in high-quality vaccine recommendations to promote higher rates of pneumococcal vaccinations in community settings.

Interoperability: Best Practices in Patient Amendments to Protected Health Information

Since April 2003, patients have had the right to request amendments to protected health information contained within the designated record maintained by a covered entity or its business associates. As patients have become more engaged in their care, the number of requests for amendments has increased.

Field Notes: Transforming the Idaho Health Data Exchange’s HI Infrastructure

Idaho Health Data Exchange (IHDE), located in Boise, is Idaho’s statewide health information exchange. IHDE needed to find a way to match more than 5.1 million inbound clinical messages from multiple healthcare delivery settings to build comprehensive, accurate patient records that would enable better care coordination to improve patients’ health statewide.

AHIMA Responds to OCR RFI

AHIMA has submitted a response to a Request for Information (RFI) from the Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights (OCR), Considerations for Implementing the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, as Amended. Click here to read the comments and recommendations.

Claims Denials: A Step-by-Step Approach to Resolution

For hospitals, denial rates are on the rise, increasing more than 20 percent over the past five years. But a denial does not automatically relegate claims to the write-off bin. In fact, as many as two-thirds of rejected claims are recoverable.

CE quiz available.

Using Telehealth to Provide Behavioral Healthcare to Young Adults and College Students

This research, published in the Winter 2022 issue of Perspectives in Health Information Management, investigates the perception of students about the need and use of telehealth and virtual appointments to provide students additional opportunities to receive the care they need.

Field Notes: Tackling CDI Query Response Time

This article from Journal of AHIMA discusses how North Mississippi Health Services, a rural healthcare system with locations throughout north Mississippi and northwest Alabama, increased provider response time to clinical documentation integrity (CDI) queries.

Podcast: Safeguarding Against Cybersecurity Threats

On this episode of the HI Pitch podcast, we discuss the key role of health information professionals in a cybersecurity-inflicted downtime event, including preemptive preparation and post-event operations.

Building a Culture of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Healthcare

Simply acknowledging that diversity and bias exists is not enough. When implementing a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) program, it is essential that the program be embedded, and behaviors modeled, by leaders at every level in the organization.

HI Professionals Advocate for Patient Safety, Health Equity at Advocacy Summit

“The Advocacy Summit is a great opportunity for HI professionals to share their expertise, knowledge and personal stories with policymakers,” said Lauren Riplinger, AHIMA vice president of policy and government affairs. “We’re thrilled by the level of commitment and engagement from our members as they discussed the critical issues facing healthcare.”

Perspectives in Health Information Management Winter 2022 Issue

From healthcare fraud to telehealth documentation during COVID-19, the Winter 2022 issue of AHIMA's peer-reviewed research journal Perspectives in Health Information Management explores a range of issues facing the industry today.

New ICD-10-CM/PCS Codes Become Effective April 1

Sue Bowman, MJ, RHIA, CCS, FAHIMA, senior director of coding policy and compliance at AHIMA, discusses the three new ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes and nine new ICD-10-PCS procedure codes that will be effective April 1, 2022

AHIMA Comments on PREVENT Pandemics Act Legislation

AHIMA CEO Named to Top Women Leaders