MHIMA Uplink

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

MHIMA wishes each of you a very blessed holiday season!

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

President's Message
Steph Luthi-Terry

Happy Holidays!

This time of year always sneaks up on me! Every year as Thanksgiving passes, I find myself wondering how the Christmas holiday season came back so soon…didn’t I just take down my tree and remove the holiday lights from my house?

What does come to mind each year is the generosity of the many volunteers who help raise dollars or donations for local food shelves, ring bells, donate their time and energy to make shoebox gifts for the underprivileged kids across the oceans, knit scarves, adopt families, bake cookies to send to our brave military men and women around the world. The list is infinite in the good deeds that we all participate in during the holiday season.

But let’s not forget the “other” volunteer work that so many do for MHIMA and AHIMA. On Friday, December 4, MHIMA delivered our first lunch and learn webinar presented by LaVonne Wieland, RHIA, CHP. LaVonne presented on the topic “ARRA Updates on Privacy Provisions." My deepest appreciation to the volunteers who have worked so hard to bring these webinars to our MHIMA members and to LaVonne for sharing her very considerable knowledge and in-depth understanding of ARRA and important privacy implications to MHIMA members and healthcare organizations. There was a significant number of registrations and interest for this webinar. We look forward to receiving your feedback and impression on this important educational opportunity.

Please make sure you check out the MHIMA website at www.mnhima.org for the other upcoming webinars planned in January (ROI), February (Critical Access), March (ICD-10). Our annual meeting is just a little earlier this year, April 28-30, at the Northland Inn in Brooklyn Park, MN. The annual meeting committee has been working very hard on putting together a comprehensive meeting agenda – coding, regulatory, management skill building, EHR – this is an exciting time with so many changes and we are hopeful that you will all be there! Plus, it's our 75th year as a state association - a time to celebrate that legacy! This meeting also welcomes the Long Term Care folks from Minnesota as well as a national LTC audience to their Spring meeting.

In October, the MHIMA delegates attended the AHIMA House of Delegates (HOD) during the 70th Annual AHIMA National Convention in Grapevine, Texas. During the House business meeting:

The House Operations Team proposed a bylaws amendment on delegate apportionment. The House approved a motion to refer the issue to committee for further deliberation. The House Operations Team will continue its discussion. You may recall that MHIMA sent an email blast to members prior to the delegates leaving for Grapevine. This topic will continue under discussion this year, and will likely be addressed in the 2010 HOD business meeting.

The Tennessee HIMA proposed a vote on the Proposed Resolution for Professional Guidelines/Best Practices for Electronic Documentation. The resolution was approved.

The House Team on Volunteer Leadership and Development proposed a vote on the Resolution on Volunteer and Leadership Development. The resolution was approved.

As we begin to gear up for the 2010 Minnesota legislative session, we would anticipate the leadership of MHIMA and the HIM industry will be working closely with elected legislators. Healthcare reform affects all of us at federal and state levels as well as within our organizations. As healthcare funding and budgets are reduced, eliminated, or scrutinized, HIM professionals will be affected. We should anticipate greater challenges and paradigm shifts related to workforce, workflow and regulatory management. While many of us have been around through other “reform” initiatives, the current activity is bound to make this an interesting legislative year.

Reflection is a natural happening during this particular time of year as we look back on past accomplishments and consider the future opportunities. MHIMA has experienced an extraordinary strategic year in 2009. We have been recognized for our legislative activities by AHIMA, increased our educational offerings, have sustained an on-target, conservative, balanced budget while continuing to support scholarship awards and keeping our Board leaders available at the national level, and several individuals were nominated and recognized nationally. 2010 is on track to be another fast paced year in which we continue with our strategic plan and professional visibility.

During the next several weeks, many of us will find time to be with family and friends, volunteer more of our precious time, and invite others to share our spirit of hope, joy and faith. My wish is that each of you to take time to relax, laugh, reflect, debate, refresh and celebrate the important people and moments in your life.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a joyous holiday season.

Steph

Lunch & Learn Webinars
MHIMA New Audioconference/Webinar Education

MHIMA announces the continuation of 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:
Release of Information in the HITECH World, on Thursday, January 21, 2010, at 12 noon. Presenter is Lisa Kampa, MA, RHIA, CHP, Manager of Health Information Services/Privacy Manager at Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare in St. Paul.

Registration Deadline: All registrations must be received in our office by 5 pm on Thursday, January 14, 2010. 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, the codes to access the website and the conference call, and CEU information for everyone attending at your site.

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

To register securely online from our website for the January 21st 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.

Alan F. Dowling, PhD, new CEO of AHIMA
A Message from the 2009 AHIMA Board of Directors

The AHIMA Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Alan F. Dowling, PhD, is the chief executive officer of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), appointed January 13, 2010. With an illustrious career that spans more than 35 years in various phases of health informatics, Dr. Dowling’s diverse background includes global leadership experience in corporate and non-profit organizations, extensive strategic and governance expertise, as well as health care delivery, research and academic experience.

An AHIMA e-Alert was distributed with more information about Dr. Dowling's appointment.

Given the excellent foundation laid by Linda Kloss, all of you—the excellent AHIMA staff and past volunteer leaders—our Association is poised to move to the next level and to be an even more significant player in the national and global healthcare information industries. We believe that Alan embraces our history and culture, as well as the core principles of the HIM profession and is anxious to work with all of us in accelerating the advancement of the HIM profession
Thank you for your valued service and we encourage you to join us to welcoming Alan to AHIMA!

Your 2009 AHIMA Board of Directors

Professionalism
Carolyn Gaarder, MLA, RHIA

Recently I moved to a new office and it was time to sort through an almost 20 year accumulation of “stuff.” Copies of ancient paper health records - obsolete and to the destruction bin. Copies of assorted health record forms - obsolete and to the recycle bin. Copies of old CDs, videos, etc. - outdated and out, out, out. In a folder in the back of my resources file drawer was a copy of an article titled "Professionalism." Not obsolete and maybe just as relevant today as it was decades ago. Here is a abbreviated version of that ancient document and the accompanying quiz (ungraded). See if you agree.

A strong work ethic is one characteristic that employers seek in new employees. Work ethic means that an employee places their job in a high priority. They stay focused and leave their personal problems at home.

Employees with a strong work ethic apply themselves to the task at hand and make the best effort to get the job done right the first time. Self-discipline and self-control are important. Punctuality is a key item in a strong work ethic. It is very important to be there when people are counting on you and to be there on time. Arriving late could hold things up for everyone else. While everyone might be late on occasion, poor attendance or punctuality could become a performance issue and possible grounds for corrective action or dismissal.

Two more key factors in professionalism are reliability and accountability. Doing what you say you will do is a very important part of the team effort needed today. The same holds true for accepting responsibility and the consequences for your actions. A true professional will hold themselves accountable and will not try to shift the blame to others. Mistakes will happen. We are all human. The keys here are to admit to the mistake and to learn from the experience.

If you are assigned a task that you do not feel qualified for or lack the appropriate training for, it is your responsibility to discuss the situation with your supervisor. On one hand, simply refusing to complete a task could appear to be insubordination and could lead to dismissal. On the other hand, a professional worker does not attempt to perform a task that they are not properly trained for.

Nothing is more dreary than working with negative people. Don’t be one of them. Leave your troubles at home. Go for a sunny disposition. A friend had a co-worker who, when asked “How are you?”, went into great detail about their problems. Notice that negative people are quickly avoided as much as possible and may not be considered for promotion. A true professional will work hard to display enthusiasm and a positive attitude. You may not always be 100% happy with the organization that you work for but never make negative comments about your current or past employer. Those words could come back and damage your career.

No matter what your current job is, do it to the best of your ability. If a weak area is recognized, a professional seeks help. The key is to know what you don’t know and then fill in the gap. With health care moving at record speed, keeping current is practically a full time job. This means reading the technical journals, attending seminars and workshops, and networking with other professionals. No one can expect their employers to provide all the educational updates. Dedicated employees will shoulder some of the responsibility here.

I must add that technology has added a whole new avenue for networking. Log into the AHIMA and MHIMA websites and look for opportunities to network with national, state and regional colleagues.

Now for the test.
WHAT’S YOUR PROFESSIONALISM SCORE?
1. Are you stimulated by tough problems that tax your thinking?
2. Do you “go the extra mile” prn?
3. Do you encourage open discussion and respect all opinions given?
4. Do you read extensively to expand your own experiences and opinion?
5. Do you entertain new ideas with enthusiasm, rather than skepticism?
6. Do you ask numerous questions, never worrying about whether they reveal your ignorance?
7. Are you known for your integrity?
8. Are you ambitious and comfortable with power and powerful people?

A majority of “yes" answers means you're on the right track!

I think this little quiz goes a long way to defining professionalism. Would you agree?

Region B Meeting Summary
Kerri Mesia, RHIA

The Region B/Northeastern area meeting took place on November 19, 2009, at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, MN. This was another successful year for the Region B meeting with over 80 registrants! The senior class, along with the help of Pam Oachs, did an outstanding job preparing and hosting the annual conference. A big thanks to all of them!

Terri Balaich from SMDC Health Systems started off the morning with a presentation titled “Changes in Outpatient Coding and Medication Therapy Management”. She focused on the challenges they have experienced and the solutions they have come to at SMDC with the rollout of this new program, which focuses on the face-to-face patient assessment of medications.

Next was presenter Damian Entwhistle, BA, Dip HE, RNLD. Damian’s hour compared healthcare in the UK, USA, and Canada with respect to funding, infrastructure and human resources, and outcomes. He pointed out several statistics and ended his presentation with some very interesting conclusions.

Following Damian was Gina Sanvik, RHIA. Gina briefed us on the very relevant topic of ICD-10. She showed the group a few code comparisons and stressed the importance of solid training and education for those that will be affected by ICD-10.

During the NEMHIMA Business Meeting, Gina Sanvik, MHIMA Delegate Director, provided information on the AHIMA Academy for IDC-10 training and proposed resolutions at the AHIMA HOD in 2009. MHIMA annual meeting information for 2010 was also reviewed along with some key focus areas that are in need of volunteers. President Amy Watters looked for suggestions on sponsorship ideas throughout the region.

We broke mid-day for a fabulous Italian lunch and returned for the annual session with Gerald Cizadlo, PhD. Dr. Cizadlo held our attention with his discussion surrounding the recent influenza pandemic affecting the country. The title of his presentation was “Clinical Update: H1N1”.

Next in line were Katie Kerr, MA, RHIA, and Mark Sandvick. They presented the events and roadmap that led Kanabec Hospital to EMRAM Stage 6. Due to the successful collaboration of many, including staff at SISU, the Kanabec Hospital became the first in the country to receive this designation. Congratulations, Kanabec Hospital!

Finishing the day was Mary Windsor, RHIA, from St. Luke’s. She presented information on the Red Flag Rule and Identity Theft. Mary shared examples of her experiences pertaining to the Red Flag Rule, including actions that should be taken and potential penalties.

Special thanks to all of the speakers and to the CSS Health Information Management students for another successful meeting.

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.

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 authorship, 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.

AHIMA Foundation Appreciation
Janice M. Mackovitch

This is the season of Thanksgiving, and the AHIMA Foundation sends a sincere thank you to all the CSAs for their support throughout this challenging year. We all have ways of expressing thanks to those we care about, and we’d like to offer some ideas about how AHIMA members can share thanks through the Foundation.

It’s a great time to give a donation in honor of a special manager, colleague or friend. Through an outright gift in their honor, or through the Shooting Star Program, the honoree will receive a special letter from the Foundation indicating they were chosen to be recognized during this special time. Acknowledgment will also appear on the Foundation Website and in the Annual Report.

Membership renewals are heavy at the end of the year. On the renewal form is a request for a $10 donation to the Foundation. Any amount the members wish to give is greatly appreciated, as every contribution when added to the others makes a significant difference.

This is the time to look over your giving history for 2009. A gift to the AHIMA Foundation is one way to help you reach the level at which you want to be when time arrives for income tax preparation. The AHIMA Foundation is the 501(c)3 charitable affiliate of AHIMA, and thus contributions to the AHIMA Foundation are tax deductible to the extent permitted the by law.

The Foundation continues to give thanks for all our CSA relationships. We thank you for being the conduit for information to and from your membership. We welcome your thoughts and ideas as we move forward and prepare for a successful 2010.

Janice M. Mackovitch
Manager of Annual Giving

Save-The-Date
MHIMA 2010 Annual Meeting

Mark Your Calendars! 2010 MHIMA Annual Meeting

Start making your plans to join your colleagues and friends at the 2010 MHIMA Annual Meeting. It's our 75th anniversary year, 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 national and local speakers on a wide variety of topics, sure to be of interest to you.

Coders: We're especially excited to have Dr. James Kennedy joining us for coding education on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning!

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 near completion. Great speakers have been secured.

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

2010 MHIMA Scholarship Program

Information about the 2010 MHIMA Scholarship Program will soon be in the hands of our MHIMA HIT/HIM program educators to share with their students.

We'll also be posting this information and the application materials on our website under the EDUCATION button.

Students and program instructors: Watch for the updated information!

ARRA Webinar Follow Up

Our first webinar on December 4th on ARRA: Update on Privacy Provisions, had more than 40 registration connections and more than 60 in attendance at the connection sites! Thanks to everyone who signed up.

To access the DHHS Privacy Breach Notification form discussed during the webinar: Click Here

ICD-10 Implementation Resource

If you haven't already reviewed this resource from AHIMA, it's highly recommended you do so. This model identifies key tasks or milestones that must be completed within specific timeframes by specific organizations and in some cases specific roles within organizations. It is organized first by healthcare entity, then by roles, enabling you to focus on your setting and role and then identify the important milestones and action items to help inform your planning. The model identifies not only what you need to do and by when, but also links to suggested resources to help you accomplish these steps. Click here:

Role-based Model for ICD-10 Implementation

PHR Presenters

Michelle Ingvalson and Carolyn Gaarder will be contacting the current PHR presenters soon to ask if they would like to continue work with the PHR initiative. Then, they'll put out a call for new presenters. A track for training PHR presenters is also being planned for the 2010 Annual Meeting.

During this process, they would like to identify a key contact person in each MHIMA region. Please consider continuing or joining the roster of presenters in your region.

AHIMA has rolled out a new PHR campaign which is even more user friendly. Also, there is a new PHR coordinator at AHIMA, Allison Vance, and she is reported to be very enthusiastic!

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!

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.

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.

Changes to Medical Record Access in Wisconsin

If you are working with facilities located in Wisconsin, you will want to review this information. The WI Health Information Management Association has provided this update to the changes in medical record access that were enacted with the 2009-2011 Wisconsin State Budget, 2009 WI Act 28. WHIMA plans to update their Legal Resource Manaul to reflect these changes as well as other changes regarding access and ROI in Wisconin during the second quarter of 2010.
Click Here to download

This updated link is also listed on our MHIMA website under the WHAT'S NEW button.