MHIMA Uplink

Welcome to the November 2009 issue of our MHIMA member e-newsletter, Uplink, now a monthly publication.

We're always interested in articles that are of interest to our broad MHIMA membership. Your article should be no longer than 500 words, and you receive two (2) CEU credits for your work. Contact Executive Director.

Current and past issues of our e-newsletter are available under the UPLINK E-NEWSLETTER button on our website.

If you would like to unsubscribe to our Uplink e-newsletter, please contact Executive Director

Lunch & Learn Webinars
MHIMA New Audioconference/Webinar Education

MHIMA announces its audioconference/webinar series! Dial directly into these live presentations from your work environment. No travel required! Fit as many colleagues as you can into a room with a speaker phone and an internet connection. Your call is a toll-free number.

All sessions are from 12 noon to 1 pm and earn one (1) CEU for each attendee at each connection location. The registration fee of $49 for MHIMA/AHIMA members ($89 non-members) covers all the staff you can invite on one phone line/internet connection. Multiple phone lines require a separate registration for each line.

The next webinar topic and date:
ARRA: Update on Privacy Provisions. Friday, December 4, 2009. Presenter is LaVonne Wieland, RHIA, CHP, Information Privacy Director, Healtheast Care System.

Registration Deadline: All registrations must be received in our office by 5 pm on Friday, November 27, 2009. Once the deadline is passed, we will no longer accept registrations.

Four days prior to the program, you'll receive an email containing instructions on how to download the presentation material for the conference, including the codes to access the website and the conference call.

Cancellation: Registration fees, less a $15 cancellation fee, are refundable if notice is received five (5) working days before the program date.

To download a copy of the Registration Form or to register securely online from our website for the December 4th webinar, Click Here

Be sure to visit our website often to see the schedule for additional webinars coming in 2010. You'll find the information under the EDUCATION button, On-Line Learning Site.

Call for MHIMA Nominations for 2010-2011

The MHIMA Nominating Committee requests nominations for the following positions for the 2010-2011 MHIMA Board of Directors and Audit Committee ballot by January 31, 2010.

President-Elect

Secretary

Treasurer

Delegate Director (2)

Audit Committee (2)

Qualifications of Nominees:

All candidates must be active AHIMA/MHIMA members and hold an AHIMA-approved credential.

President-Elect candidates shall have been a MHIMA Board member or Regional President within the last five years, or an MHIMA Committee Chair within the last three years.

Delegate Directors shall have been an MHIMA Committee Chair, shall have held another MHIMA elected office, or have been a Regional officer within the last five years.

Terms of Office: All terms begin July 1, 2010.

The President-Elect serves for a term of one year, serves as President for the following year, and Past President following the term as President. Total term: 3 years.

Secretary and Treasurer serve a one year term.

Delegate Directors serve a two year term.

Audit Committee serves a two year term.

You may download the folllowing nomination information as well as a 2010-2011 Candidate Nomination form by Clicking Here

General Description of Offices:

Each Board member and the Audit Committee is expected to attend the 5-6 board meetings held during the year and to carry out activities/assignments between meetings. Board meetings held in June, September and November generally last five hours. The winter conference call meeting and the meeting held the evening prior to the MHIMA annual meeting are generally two to three hour meetings. The Bylaws describe the powers and duties of the Board to provide for representation of the membership of MHIMA on all matters internal and external, establish and modify the policies and procedures of MHIMA, develop and oversee the implementation of MHIMA's strategic plan, approve the annual operating budget, establish, oversee and act on the recommendations of all committees and specialty groups, serve as custodian over all funds and property of MHIMA, render a full report on the financial status and activities of MHIMA to the membership at the annual meeting, and oversee the coordination of the MHIMA Central Office. The Bylaws also describe the responsibility of the Audit Committee.

Description of Offices:
President-Elect:

The President-Elect assists the President and carries out other duties as requested.

The President-Elect selects KFA leads and committee chairs.

The President-Elect attends AHIMA-sponsored Team Talks/Leadership Conference during terms as President-Elect and President (two days in mid-July and choice of several dates in March).

The President-Elect attends the House of Delegates meeting of the AHIMA national convention during terms as President-Elect and President (late September or early October).

The President-Elect prepares to assume the responsiblity of the office as President the following year.

As President, becomes familiar with the procedures for Component State Associations (CSAs) established by AHIMA in directing the activities of Officers, Delegate Directors and Committee Chairpersons.

As President, presides at all business meetings of MHIMA and at Board of Directors' meetings.

As President, reviews, plans, organizes and directs the activities of MHIMA.

As President, communicates activities with the Board and the membership at large.

As Past President (third year of term), serves as a resource to the President and the Board and as the Nominating Committee Chairperson.

Secretary:

Keeps a permanent record of all meetings of the Board of Directors and the membership, as well as completes official correspondence for MHIMA.

Maintains a record of attendance of all Officers and Board Members at Board meetings and notifies the President when a member of the Board has absences resulting in attendance at less than 75% of the Board meetings.

Treasurer:

Oversees the financial accounts and investments.

Oversees and monitors the income and expense practices and procedures to assure conformance with MHIMA policy and procedure

Presents the annual financial report to the membership.

Chairs the Finance Committee.

Assists the Board in selecting an accounting firm.

Delegate Directors:

Commit to attend AHIMA Team Talks (July and March) in preparation for representation as MHIMA delegates to the AHIMA House of Delegates held in late September/early October.

Assume responsibilities as defined in the MHIMA policy and procedure manual and as assigned by the President, including involvement in either the Bylaw or Scholarship Committee, or in preparing summaries of issues to communicate to the regional membership.

Represent MHIMA's Board as a liaison to assigned regions and attend regional meetings to present AHIMA/MHIMA updates.

Audit Committee:

Receives the financial records from the Executive Director at the conclusion of each fiscal year.

Assures the completion of annual audit procedures in conformance with MHIMA Bylaws and policy and procedure.

Reports the results of the annual audit procedures to the MHIMA Board of Directors at the conclusion of the audit.

We need your help! If you have ideas for nominations for any or all of the above ballot positions, or if YOU are interested, please contact Diane Larson, Chair of the MHIMA Nominating Committee.

The PPE Dilemma
Professional Practice Experiences (PPE)
Carolyn Gaarder, RHIA, MLA

The PPE Dilemma Continues!

I am truly lucky to be able to provide appropriate Professional Practice Experiences (PPE) sites for my students. My thanks to many dedicated colleagues. Since we have a distance program, arranging PPE sites in distance locales can be more challenging. I have only encountered one situation where another state refused to provide a PPE site for one of their state residents who was enrolled in our distance program. I was curtly told, “We only take students from our local programs.”

I have come to the conclusion that any time is the ideal time to take a student, especially if the medical facility is in the midst of EHR conversion, has a work backlog, is moving the whole department, etc., etc. These real life experiences are ideal learning situations for the student. The students will find out quickly that HIMs must be versatile and adaptable plus the facility will gain a short term extra pair of hands.

Never provided a PPE site? Well, let me tell you briefly how this all works. Without doubt you were a student yourself, but now you are on the other side of the desk. First, a facility- to-facility agreement must be executed. The terms are usual standard administrative items, such as liabilities, practice insurance, compensation/no compensation etc. No actual planning for the PPE can begin until a contract is in place. From experience, I know that this can take anywhere from 1 to 180 days.

After the administrative contract execution, topics that now need to be addressed include HIPAA training, background checks, immunizations, TB testing, and health insurance coverage. While hepatitis immunizations are normally required for allied health interns, HIT students are often exempt as our students usually have little or no patient contact.

In regard to the actual PPE, here are some very basic items to consider.
Before the student arrives:

Review the student’s work experience/education at this point. Is this a first or second year student? The PPE expectations will be different.

Prepare a schedule of student activities. Consider building in regular meeting times with the student to review progress, answer questions, etc.

Prepare a list of projects if appropriate

Arrange for facility identification, parking instructions, employee orientation if applicable, information systems access and any other facility requirement

Early on:

Provide organizational charts for both the department and facility

Arrange access to the department policies and procedures

Arrange tours of the HIM department and the facility

Introduce student to all department employees

Review expectations. This would be a good time to review the evaluation form received from the program.

Provide and discuss the proposed schedule

During the PPE:

Maintain contact with the student and those working directly with the student during the PPE.

Maintain contact with the program director or PPE coordinator.

Maintain contact with the employees who are working with the student.

After:

Schedule the final evaluation and share this with the student and arrange to have it returned to the program.

PPE coordinators tell me that having students is like a breath of spring air as they bring new insight into the department. My greatest reward is seeing the student’s enthusiasm for the profession after the PPEs. For most, this is the first exposure to the professional world and they like what they see. Many students have told me that before the PPE, they were not sure if HIM was the right career choice for them and the PPE confirmed a right decision.

I hope that this bit of information will help you to say “yes” when a colleague calls and asks you about providing a PPE site.

MHIMA 2010 Distinguished Member Nominations

The MHIMA Nominating Committee seeks your input for nominees for our 2010 Distinguished Member. This is MHIMA's highest award of honor and is not an elected award. The MHIMA Nominating Committee receives names of nominees and recommends selection of the Distinguished Member to the MHIMA Board.

This award celebrates and honors outstanding members of MHIMA for their loyal service to our state association and their contributions to our profession. Candidates must have been an active member of MHIMA for five (5) years or longer and have made an outstanding contribution to the profession in more than one of the following:

Volunteer service to our association as an officer, director, committee chair or member, project or task force chair or member, CoP facilitator, or representative of the HIM field at governmental or state health care associations

Outstanding achievement in professional practice through leadership in a specialty area or innovate approaches to methods improvement

Leadership in education through regular presentations at HIM conferences or other eduational events, respected instructor in academic HIM programs, or development of teaching strategies

Contributions in research or published materials such as authoriship, editing, or service on editorial boards for journals, books and other publications that advance the HIM profession

You can review the Criteria for Nominations and a list of prior MHIMA Distinguished Members by Clicking Here

Please email the name(s) of MHIMA members you wish to be considered to Diane Larson before February 16, 2010.

MHIMA Member In The News
Andrea Jaeckels: CSS Young Alum Award

MHIMA congratulates Andrea Jaeckels, a 2005 graduate of The College of St. Scholastica. Andrea recently received the Young Alum Award from CSS. According to the CSS announcement, the Young Alum award was established in 2008 to honor a graduate of CSS under 40 years of age who has demonstrated a high level of achievement early in his or her career or profession, shown support of the College and substantial commitment to the service of others in living out the Benedictine values.

Andrea accepted a position at Cuyuna District Hospital as the manager/director of Health Information Services after graduating from the HIM program at CSS. She's been instrumental in moving her department forward with the implementation of electronic health records and scanning. Andrea has also co-chaired MHIMA's Annual Meeting Committee in 2007 and 2008. She continues to give back to the College by hosting HIM students and providing complete and energized experiences for them.

Here's more about what the College recognized in their Young Alum recognition of Andrea: "As a young alum, Andrea has accepted great responsibility and has successfully demonstrated her ability as a knowledgeable professional. Her love of life, ability to communicate effectively and touch other people's lives are remarkable and she is most deserving of this honor."

Congratulations from MHIMA, Andrea!

MHIMA Volunteer Opportunities
Vendor Relations Committee Volunteering
MHIMA's Vendor Relations Committee is looking for interested volunteers. To help you decide if this is the opportunity for you, read on:

What are your goals for the year?

We need to Update the vendor list so we once again have a good list.

We want to recruit 4-6 corporate vendors this year.

What have you accomplished so far?

We have some volunteers to start contacting the vendor list for our 2010 Annual Meeting.

We will have a first committee meeting soon.

What project(s)are you working on in the immediate future?

The vendor list is our top priority.

Short Term, Task Related Assistance Needed November 1 to December 19:

Make vendor calls and update the vendor list

Number of people needed – 5 to 10 volunteers

If interested in helping with this short-term project, please contact Ranelle Bauer or call 612-863-7143.

You can find information about other areas for volunteer opportunities from the 2009-2010 MHIMA Strategic Work Plan on our website under our MEMBERS ONLY button. Click Here

2009 AHIMA National Convention


2009 MHIMA HOD Delegates

The AHIMA House of Delegates (HOD) passed the proposed resolution on Volunteer and Leadership Development. You can review this proposal in our September 2009 Uplink.

The HOD also passed the proposed resolution for professional guidelines/best practices for electronic documentation. See the September 2009 Uplink for details on the resolution.

The proposed Bylaws Amendment to change the delegate apportionment (the number of delegates that represent each state association at the AHIMA HOD) was tabled for futher discussion. The September 2009 Uplink includes details on why this delegate apportionment came forward. The potential impact on MHIMA is neutral at the current time. Minnesota currently has 5 delegates. Because our membership comprises less than 4% of the total AHIMA membership, we would stay at 5 delegates if the proposed Amendment eventually passes. At that time, and only if our MHIMA membership were to grow to represent 4% of AHIMA membership would we move to 6 delegates, the maximum number any state association could have. Currently, we have 3.24% of the total AHIMA membership.

Megan O'Neill Receives AHIMA "Rising Star" Triumph Award

MHIMA member, Megan O'Neill, received the 2009 AHIMA Rising Star Triumph award at the AHIMA national convention in Grapevine, TX. She's shown here with Sue Jensen and Steph Luthi-Terry. Megan was nominated for the Rising Star award because she represents the HIM professional of the future. Technologically savvy, Megan has demonstrated a keen understanding of future trends and views challenges as opportunities.

Congratulations, Megan!

Save-The-Date
MHIMA 2010 Annual Meeting

Mark Your Calendars! 2010 MHIMA Annual Meeting

Start making your plans to attend the 2010 MHIMA Annual Meeting. It's our 75th anniversary, and the theme is "Celebrate Our Past; Lead Into The Future." It is being held from April 28-30, 3010 at the Northland Inn in Brooklyn Park, MN. We are looking forward to hearing speakers focus on management through a consolidation, to ARRA, e-Discovery, and various coding topics!

Watch our MHIMA website in the coming weeks for the final agenda. The meeting registration is now available on line on our website. We look forward to seeing you all there!

2010 Long Term Care Spring Meeting

The AHIMA Long Term Care Practice Council will hold its 2010 Spring Meeting at the Northland Inn, April 28-29, 2010, in conjunction with our MHIMA Annual Meeting. This is a wonderful opportunity for everyone involved in LTC to experience an agenda packed full of timely topics. You don't need to be a member of the LTC Practice Council to attend. This meeting is open to all folks working in LTC, nationally and within Minnesota.

The registration information is posted on our website, separate from the the 2010 MHIMA Annual Meeting. Click Here

Check back frequently for updates as the Agenda is finalized. Great speakers are being considered.

MHIMA extends a hearty welcome to our LTC professionals in 2010!

National HIT Week Nov. 1-7
Articles and Quizzes
We hope you took time to celebrate National HIT Week with the theme Precision in Practice, Excellence in Care. Here are two articles from AHIMA to help you showcase yourself as an HIM professional:
Professionals Article and Quiz

Public Article and Quiz

Regional Meetings

Two more MHIMA Regional Meetings are coming up in the near future! Region B (Northeastern MN/NEMHIMA) will meet on Thursday, November 19, 2009, in Somer's Lounge at the College of St. Scholastica. Six CEUs have been approved for MHIMA and AAPC members.

Region G (Metro) will meet on Friday, November 20, 2009, at Fairview Home and Hospice in Minneapolis.

For more information on both meetings, see our , MHIMA Calendar of Events

2009 MHIMA Legal Resource Manual

The 2009 Legal Resource Manual is now available for purchase! The Manual is a complete update of the 2007 version and includes the laws and rules that address the majority of issues that may arise with respect to health information practice. There are many new updates in every chapter. As one member states, "This is truly a valuable resource for anyone that works with health care." It's a compilation of best practices and experience of HIM professionals and the facilities they represent in Minnesota and has had legal review.

There will not be an update to the Legal Manual in 2010. The next full update is planned for the Spring of 2011. In the interim, significant changes in topics in the Manual will be posted on our website under the Legislative Updates button.

All HIM Departments should have this Manual. It's available on CD only and can be purchased from the MHIMA website's main page. Order your manual today!

MHIMA Coding & Data Quality Coding Roundtable Tool Kits

The MHIMA Coding & Data Quality Committee has created several toolkits for use by MHIMA members to support coding education and discussion in your facilities and at your regional meetings. There is a "Do It Yourself" PowerPoint tool kit giving you the guidelines to set up a coding roundtable.

Additional tool kits on specific topics that have been developed to-date include Interventional Radiology, E&M, Heart Failure and the newly updated Present on Admission (POA).

All are available on the Coding and Data Quality button on the MHIMA website. Watch for additional toolkits as they are developed!

MHIMA Job Bank

Are you seeking a job? Are you an employer looking for a potential employee? Is your facility looking for someone with a skill set of MHIMA members? Be sure to check out the MHIMA Job Bank Network on our website. Here, you'll find information about registering as a "Job Seeker" or as an "Employer". New positions are posted frequently, so check us out often!

Job Seekers: There is no fee to register.

Employers: Job posting fees are very reasonable and reach all of our MHIMA membership.

Click Here to visit the MHIMA Job Bank.

AHIMA Coding Audioseminars Available

Looking for CEU opportunities at low cost before the end of 2009? Consider the MHIMA coding audioseminar rental library. We have several CDs available and each is worth 2 CEUs. Here are some of the comments from folks who have rented the CDs:

Coding Interventional Radiology Services: "excellent preentation"

Coding for Cardiovascular Procedures: "excellent discussion with pertinent, helpful Q&A"

Coding Kidney Disease & Treatment: "helpful; well presented"

Coding for Diabetes: "excellent presentation with great examples"; "great information"

Present on Admission Reporting: "presentation is well done; good use of examples"

For more information, visit our MHIMA Store on our website and scroll down to the ordering information on our audio CDs.