Email woe's

In today’s world, everyone is communicating via email. People have their handheld devices, phones and iPads that make them accessible to email contact at any time. This is a wonderful and tragic thing- wonderful because you can be in contact with your employer 24/7 and tragic because you can be reached by your employer 24/7. I have my work email going directly to my cell phone and I often check it several times in the evening and weekends, so that I can be accessible for anyone needing my assistance. Because I am a salaried employee, it is not in violation of our policy to have me checking work email off company time, but I do not make a habit of being too available. Since the email is so readily available, should I ever use my work email for personal reasons? Could there be an instance when someone emails me from my work and the conversation NOT is about work, but be personal in nature?  Everyone communicates using email. If my grandmother were alive, she would have an email. You have to have an email to recite to retail stores to receive their ads and coupons. You even are asked now for an email address at physicians’ offices, health care clinics and hospitals for use in accessing their patient portals which are mandated by the federal government’s meaningful use found within the Hi-tech Act. Some would argue that with all those emails floating around, a company should regulate what is being said to clients and other employees. What have you been e-mailing today?

Nicole Thompson, RHIA

How will Health Information Management Change by the year 2020?

Interoperability solutions for exchanging patient information across healthcare settings are one particular technological development that will shape the future of all healthcare organizations.  By including post-acute care in interoperability strategies, healthcare organizations can ensure that critical patient information across all care settings will be connected, providing a more detailed patient picture for more specific treatment plans and improved patient care.  Health Information Management professionals will be needed to big data being imported into our EHRs.

Another technological development that will shape the future of healthcare in 2020 is the availability of innovative mobile technologies that break down the barriers between patients and providers. Patient monitoring devices are already in high demand. We use Fit Bit to track our activity and our sleep, and EKG Band-Aids to support heart monitoring. As we move into a world that is much more connected, we’ll see many more innovative developments to track our health, from Internet-enabled toothbrushes that tell us who is brushing their teeth and how frequently, to whole house monitors that notify remote caregivers of a person who did not move from their bedroom to their bathroom by a certain time as typically expected, alerting that action may be required.  All this big data will need to be managed by Health Information Management Professionals. 

By 2020, the days of patients waiting for their doctors to call with urgent test results will be behind us. Patients, instead, will consider it a necessity to access critical care information from patient portals and mobile devices. Clinicians will benefit as well from mobile technologies by having instant access to patient data at the point of care, no matter what the care setting is. Post-acute care providers, in particular, will leverage mobile technologies to access evidence-based content at the patient bedside, enabling them to more accurately provide the right care at the right moment while also capturing new problems and modifying the care plan immediately.  These are exciting times, not only for us as consumers but for us as Health Information Management Professionals.

Jane DeSpiegelaere-Wegner, MBA, RHIA, CCS, FAHIMA
Past President

Why Get Into HIM? MHA Interview with President-Elect Seth Katz

Social Media in Healthcare

 

A major trend in healthcare today is the use of social media.  Social Media is defined as computer-mediated tools that allow people to create, share or exchange information, ideas, and pictures/videos in virtual communities and networks.  Some of the most common social media sites are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. 

Some successful cases of using social media in healthcare include patient and physician blogs, physicians’ use of Twitter for education; patients sharing outcomes and supporting each other in health-specific communities; physicians discussing treatments with each other using communities and enterprise social media; and hospitals both educating the community and acquiring new patients online.

Some people discourage the use of social media stating it’s invasive and isn’t the same as the talking with your Physician in person.  Others feel it allows them to interact with Physicians/ healthcare professionals that they generally wouldn’t have access to.

In 2013 the Harris Poll EquiTrend Survey named the Mayo Clinic Website the top Health Information Website, ahead of WebMD.  Social Media has helped credible sources get important healthcare concerns out to many patients and is much cheaper from a business budgetary standpoint.

In conclusion, social media is a trend we will continue to see.  Healthcare professionals can utilize these platforms to educate patients, market their practices and interact with fellow peers.  The possibilities are endless and will most likely become an integral part of how health information is dispersed.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media

http://hitconsultant.net/2014/02/17/5-reasons-mayo-clinic-dominates-social-media-in-healthcare/2/

Niki Vogelsang, MBA, RHIA

Health informatics is an evolving specialization that links information technology, communications and healthcare to improve the quality and safety of patient care.  Health Informatics is "the interdisciplinary study of the design, development, adoption and application of IT-based innovations in healthcare services delivery, management and planning.

Though the concept of health IT includes the use of technology in the healthcare field, health informatics is not synonymous with health IT. Instead, informatics is “the science, the how and why, behind health IT,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Health informatics applies informatics concepts, theories, and practices to real-life situations to achieve better health outcomes. This includes collecting, storing, analyzing, and presenting data in a digital format.

The tremendous growth in the health informatics field was spurred in large part by the acceleration of electronic health record (EHR) adoption brought about by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ “meaningful use” incentive program.

As providers move quickly to embrace EHRs, which are designed to store and share information from all providers involved in a patient’s care, health informatics specialists will continue to be in high demand as healthcare facilities implement new systems, upgrade existing databases and work toward achieving the three stages of “meaningful use.”

CareerBuilder.com ranks health informatics as the No. 1 job opportunity in an emerging industry. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of health information specialists is projected to grow 22 percent through 2022, far faster than the average growth for all occupations in the U.S.

 

Job titles in this industry include medical records and health information technicians and health information clerk.

 

 

 

http://www.usfhealthonline.com/resources/healthcare/what-is-health-informatics/#.VDV3O8J0yM8

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hsrinfo/informatics.html

Will We See ICD-10 in 2015?

We all geared up for the ICD-10-CM/PCS implementation in October 2014.  Hospitals and others spent millions of dollars training staff and getting systems ready to handle the implementation of ICD-10-CM/PCS.  Coders spent hours training to become proficient in using ICD-10-CM/PCS and physicians attended education sessions to learn how ICD-10-CM/PCS would affect them and what was required of their documentation in medical records. Students were prepared to code ICD-10-CM/PCS and then struggled with learning ICD-9-CM/PCS. Most everyone was ready for the implementation and anxious to begin this new chapter in coding. 

To everyone’s surprise, word came earlier this year that congress had delayed the implementation of ICD-10-CM/PCS.  Immediately AHIMA went to work to get questions answered regarding the delay and began a campaign to pressure CMS to finalize a date for implementation of ICD-10 CM/PCS.  The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) did issue a rule finalizing October 1, 2015; the new compliance date for health care providers, health plans, and health care clearinghouses to transition to ICD-10-CM/PCS.  

What can you do to help see that ICD-10-CM/PCS is implemented October 1, 2015?  AHIMA has sent several emails encouraging members to write their Congressman or woman and express their support for the new ICD-10-CM/PCS date.  Additionally, let Congress know that the code sets must be implemented to improve patient care and reduce healthcare costs.  The more HIM professionals get involved and educate others on the importance of ICD-10-CM/PCS implementation, the stronger the message to CMS that we support ICD-10-CM/PCS implementation and that we believe there should be no more delays. 

Stephanie Selsor CCS, CCS-P

Congratulations to our 2014 RACE Awards recipients from Missouri!

AHIMA Coding Roundtable Coordinator Recognition for Excellence

2nd Place – Coding Roundtable Coordinator Recognition for Excellence – Kay Piper

AHIMA CSA Team Recognition for Coding Roundtable Activities

2nd Place – AHIMA CSA Team Recognition for Roundtable Activities