THIMA eNews
November 2010

Message from the President
Seth JohnsonThe seasons are changing but am I the only that is stuck in Summer? It seems as if the seasons change like a switch and one day it is incredibly hot then you turn around and you’re wearing shorts to a football game and freezing because winter showed up early. I guess the old adage of “time flies when you’re having fun” is true but have you noticed how fast things change?

Technology changes faster than the seasons. Look at your cell phone for example. Ten years ago we all carried this brick of a cell phone that made calls…and that was it. Now we are connected to the world through our phones by email, text, internet, Facebook, Twitter and oh yeah, it makes phone calls too. The world of Health Information Management is no different. One day we are buried in the paper files in the basement of our facility begging to get an order signed and the next day we look up and all the paper is gone! We are implementing document imaging systems, electronic documentation systems and so much more that is all working to eliminate the need for mounds of paper.

Where does that leave us? The days of the Medical Record Librarian have come and gone. The definition that sparked the name change to Health Information Management in 1991 have come and gone. We are now more Information Technology driven than ever before. This is where our skills to adapt and lead come into play. We are some of the most nimble professionals in healthcare today. We need to develop our IT skills so we can be seen as the experts in Informatics. We understand the workflow from door to bed to door in our facilities. It’s time now for us to show we can manage that workflow electronically.

A quick definition of Informatics is the intersection of information science, computer science and health care optimizing the acquisition, storage, retrieval and use of information. Guess what…that is us! Become the Informatics leader in your facility and let’s stand strong as THIMA as the leader in this transition and not be left behind by the changing season.

THIMA HIM/HIT Education Update

New Health Information Technology Online Training!

Kudos to three CAHIIM-Accredited Health Information Technology programs and their institutions who have been selected to participate in Community College Consortia for Health Information Technology Training funded by ARRA:   Chattanooga State Community College; Dyersburg State Community College; and Walters State Community College.  

These six-month online programs are designed to provide individuals with the basics needed for HIT positions and to increase the skill level of current healthcare and HIT workers in order to meet the goal of electronic health record utilization for all Americans by 2014.  

Take a look at these courses; if you need to maximize your HIT skills, this might be perfect for you!   Check it out and pass it on!

Walters State Community College offers six courses:  www.ws.edu/hit/

Dyersburg State Community College offers three courses: www.dscc.edu/content/default.asp?ppid=886

Chattanooga State Community College offers three courses:  contact Kay McMillan (kay.mcmillan@chattanoogastate.edu)

THIMA welcomes two new CAHIIM-Accredited programs to Tennessee!

National College - Madison
900 Madison Square
Madison, TN 37115
Degree Awarded: Accredited Associate (HIT) Program
Sandria Cotton, MEd, RHIA    
(615) 612-3015    
skcotton@national-college.edu

National College - Memphis
3545 Lamar Avenue Suite 1
Memphis, TN 38118
Degree Awarded: Accredited Associate (HIT) Program
Tina D. Mitchell, RHIA    
(901) 363-2028    
tdmitchell@national-college.edu

Congratulations to the 2010 Outstanding Students!
  • Caitlin Speicher- Chattanooga State Community College
  • Kathy Lowdermilk – Roane State Community College
  • Helen Jones– Volunteer State Community College
  • Dawn Dunsmore – Walters State Community College    
  • Alicia Simmons, Tennessee State University
  • Nakita Jones Neal, RHIA – University of TN Health Science Center
Career Confidence

New opportunities and career pathways abound for HIM professionals!  Do you have a career plan that will carry you into the future?  Self-assessment should be part of your plan.  AHIMA offers a series of 17 interactive online programs that will help you assess your proficiencies in specific roles.   Check it out.

Determining where your skills are strong and where you might need improvement will help you develop a plan to stay current in the evolving landscape of HIM and Health IT.  
 
ICD-10 Update

If you missed the ICD-10 Training Webinar on August 4, it is available on the THIMA web site www.thima.org/icd10.htm. 

Watch for an upcoming continuing education event on Clinical Documentation Improvement and the Impact of ICD-10. 

Test your basic ICD-10 knowledge with the following crossword puzzle! 

THIMA Members in the News

Congratulations to Mary “Mamel” McCain, MPA, RHIA and Rebecca Reynolds, EdD, RHIA who are winners of the 2010 AHIMA Legacy Award for their collaboration on the publication Fundamentals of Law for Health Informatics and Information Management.   Co-collaborators are Melanie Brodnik, PhD, RHIA and Laurie Rinehart-Thompson, JD, RHIA, CHP.   THIMA members are  proud of you!


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Upcoming Events

Audio Conference:  Impact of ARRA/Meaningful Use on HIM
November 18, 2010

Audio Conference: ARRA HITECH: A View from HIT Policy Committee Meaningful Use Workgroup
December 1, 2010

Save the Date!
2011 THIMA Annual Meeting
March 14-16, 2011
Murfreesboro, TN
Call for Speakers!

Available Jobs

To learn more, visit the THIMA Job Board

Director, Helath Informatics
Spartanburg Hospital for Restorative Care

Director of HIT      
National College of Business & Technology - Bartlett campus

Coding Compliance Consultant
Vanderbilt University Medical Center 

Coding Supervisor, HIM
Saint Francis Hospital Bartlett