Touch Choices
The THIMA 2009 Annual Meeting offers four education tracks that will challenge meeting attendees to decide which great session to attend!
-
If you are interested in coding, the hottest topics in coding will be discussed including coding guidelines for sepsis, excisional debridement, and infusion/injections.
-
Let’s say e-HIM is your area of interest, the e-HIM tract offers presentations that address copy and paste functionality in EHRs, practice standards, MPI integrity, and workflow analysis. We are very excited to welcome Dr. Dan Brewer to this education track as well. Dr. Brewer is a Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of TN, Knoxville. He has long had an interest in the use of electronic medical records in physician offices. You will want to hear his discussion of the many paths to EHR implementation and how to lead physicians into a paperless environment.
-
Do you work in a long term care setting? You are in luck! Debbie Johnson, Director HIM and Privacy Officer for Life Care Centers of America will discuss: The State of Current Affairs . This will include updates on the new automated survey process (QIS), MDS 3.0, government audit programs, electronic record certification, HIPAA, compliance programs and more.
-
Interested in HIM in Behavioral Health settings? Shari Kitzmiller – HIM Director at Parkridge Valley Hospital, will discuss managing PHI in behavioral health records – a challenging and complex issue at best.
-
Just starting out or looking for a change? You’ll want to attend the Career Path Development tract.
This is merely a sample of the many fantastic educational opportunities that await you at the 2009 THIMA Annual Meeting. For more information about the Annual Meeting, go to
http://www.thima.org/AnnualMeetingHome.htm
top
Giant Retailer Makes News
Wal-Mart announced this week that Sam’s Club plans to partner with eClinicalWorks and Dell Computers to offer health information technology products with installation, maintenance, and training packages to physician practices – should be on the market this spring.
top
Education News
RODP - The Online Option for HIT Education in Tennessee
The five Tennessee community colleges offering A.A.S degrees in Health Information Technology are pleased to announce the new online option for obtaining this degree. This option is available through a collaborative effort between Chattanooga State Community College, Dyersburg State Community College, Roane State Community College, Volunteer State Community College and Walters State Community College. Graduates will be eligible to sit for the RHIT exam upon successful completion of the degree program.
Information about the curriculum can be found on the Regents Online Degree Program website at
http://www.rodp.org/aasn/hit.htm. Prospective students should contact one of the following program directors for more information.
top
UTHSC
Many of you have asked about the state budget crisis and the continuing financial difficulties for higher education, including the possible discontinuance of several programs at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center including the bachelor's program in health informatics and information management. I wish I had more information to provide to you but there is much that remains unresolved. We will keep you informed as we learn more about the state and university budget
reductions and the impact on our program. This will continue to evolve until the end of the current fiscal year which is June 30th.
We will continue to offer the bachelor's program this fall; however, it will be delivered in a primarily on-line format. We anticipate this will expand the pool of potential applicants and allow us to focus on our statewide mission by attracting students from across Tennessee, and improve the quality of the applicants.
Students can choose to attend either part-time or full-time. This should also expand the pool of potential applicants since students may continue to work and attending classes during this difficult economic time.
In the future, we are planning to merge the entry-level bachelor's program into the existing graduate program to create an additional track for an entry-level masters program to allow students to sit for the RHIA exam with a master's degree instead of the current bachelor's degree. This track will be in addition to the current master's program which serves experienced RHIAs and other health care professional.
We have had great success with our existing online master's program and are confident in the quality of online delivery of academic programs, and the research shows that the quality of such programs is equal to traditional face-to-face classroom delivery. We will maintain the academic rigor of our program in the online format.
Using technology we will be able to continue activities such as class presentations and discussions. The directed experience requirements will be the same but will be carried out where the student is located.
This will greatly expand the clinical experience opportunities for our students.
We are committed to maintaining a focus on quality graduates and we continue to rely heavily on the local HIM community to support our program. We would appreciate your expressing your support for the need for our program at your facility and in the community to continue to provide the HIM workforce for the State of Tennessee.
As you know, the economic stimulus bill mentions the need for electronic health records and the training of the health informatics workforce. It is extremely important that we share the good news that UTHSC has the curriculum and the faculty to train the needed workforce.
Thank for your interest and continued support of the UT HIIM program.
Rebecca B Reynolds, Ed.D., RHIA
Associate Professor/Privacy Coordinator
Program Director
Graduate Program in Health Informatics & Info. Management
UT Health Science Center
920 Madison Avenue, Suite 518
Memphis, Tennessee 38163
901-448-6486 (office)
901-448-1629 (fax)
www.utmem.edu/him
top
Guest Editorial
The First Steps to
Success - One
Student’s Perspective
by Shakine Hardaway, Tennessee State University
For one who hopes to become a leader in the Health Information Management world, there are many steps to success. A critical step is the professional internship that one must complete to gain the knowledge and experience for the future. The questions on every student’s mind are, “Where do I start? How do I become successful, and what do I want to be when I grow up?” Regardless of a person’s age these are some of the questions that a student faces as graduation day approaches.
I believe that professional internships are the most important parts of HIM education. It is easy to read a book and past a test, but to apply the information into a real world scenario is what counts. While attending Tennessee State University under the guidance and mentorship of Mrs. Elizabeth Kunnu, I was prepared from the beginning to think like a health information director and not like a student. This method of teaching prepares the student for the future. It reflects the ideology that if one trains as a professional in school, he or she will be prepared to be a professional at graduation.
To face the challenges of your internship or practicum the following values hold strong.
“Dress for where you want to be not where you are”
Upon receiving the assignment for my internship at Vanderbilt Medical Group, I proceeded to prepare my wardrobe for that first day of work. I went shopping for a new suit that empowered me, and stated to onlookers that I was meant to be there. I picked out a black suit with subdued pin stripes. I also included a crisp white shirt, matching tie, and black comfortable shoes to complete my ensemble. The day prior to the internship beginning, I had a manicure and haircut. These are some areas that are overlooked in preparation but can say a lot about a person when viewed. As a professional, ensure that you always have more than one pen or pencil in your possession as well as a tablet to jot down pertinent and useful information.
“The Number 1 tool is networking”
Networking is a simple process that can propel a career forward. Just simply obtain phone numbers and keep in touch with HIM professionals and you may have some good leads when you find yourself looking for a job. I take the opportunity to network any chance I can. This past year my classmates and I attended the AHIMA conference in Seattle, Washington. Before going we prepared our resumes as well as business cards that we passed out to prospective employers and HIM colleagues. Some would say that this action is presumptuous. I think, however, that it is better to be prepared than to need assistance and have no contacts. As a student, check your local university or school print shop for resume` or business card printing at a lower rate than going to a retail store.
“Remember to be on time and prepared; maintain a positive attitude.”
‘Failure is not an option’.
top
News Bites
AHIMA Posts ARRA Review
AHIMA has posted a
review of Public Law 101-5, the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.” At this location, you will find two reviews: the first on the general provisions of the legislation and the second specifically dedicated to the privacy provisions. If you have any questions, you can contact
Don Asmonga or
Dan Rode in the AHIMA Washington Office.
ARRA Privacy Analysis Now Available
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), known to some as the “stimulus bill,” contains significant additions to the privacy and security requirements of HIPAA as well as requirements for non-HIPAA entities. Over the course of the next two years this law will be put into effect and various regulations, guidance, and reports will be issued. AHIMA has completed an analysis of this new law which can now be found at
www.ahima.org/dc under Analyses. Look to the
e-Alert and other AHIMA media for future announcements of directives, proposed, final, and interim regulations, and guidance as they are issued by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Federal Trade Commission.
Health Planning in TN
The TN Division of Health Planning has launched a new web site:
http://www.state.tn.us/finance/HealthPlan/dhp.shtml
top
Meetings for You!
RACs Are Back on the
Road!
Are you ready for RAC audits in your facility?
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/rac/
THIMA and THA are offering three RACs workshops to help YOU get ready for these audits.
Click here for more information:
http://www.thima.org/calendar.htm
Focus on CPT Webinars 2009
-
Wednesday, March 18 Surgery: Integumentary System Coding
-
Tuesday, April 21 Surgery: Musculoskeletal System Coding
-
Wednesday, May 20 Surgery: Respiratory and Cardiothoracic Coding
-
Wednesday, June 17 Surgery: Digestive System Coding
-
Wednesday, July 15 Surgery: Neurological and Sense Organ System Coding
-
All sessions are from 12:00 noon – 1:15 p.m. (CST)
These sessions are led by our own Karen Scott – go to
http://www.tha.com/pdffiles/2009/focus-on-cpt-webinars.pdf for more information.
top
