One of our well known members, Kay Gooding, received recognition by several key speakers for submitting a proposal to lead the work of establishing new ARRA certificate programs. Pitt Community College (PCC) in Greenville, NC, is a CAHIIM-accredited HIT program and has been named one of five institutions across the country to lead a regional consortium of community colleges to train thousands of new health IT professionals. The PCC-led consortium received a $10.9 million grant from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for the first year. Additional funding is available for a second year after successful completion of a mid-project evaluation.

The grant provides assistance for PCC to set up the consortium of 21 community colleges, including Central Piedmont Community College and Catawba Valley Community College, across a 13-state region that stretches from the southeast to New Mexico and includes almost one-third of the nation’s population. Each community college will create non-degree training programs designed to be completed in six months or less.

We are very proud of Kay for her tireless hours dedicated to this endeavor and it was great that leaders within North Carolina recognized her for this as well.

Vendors were available for one-on-one discussions and demonstrations of their products from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Door prizes were given at the end of the day. Overall, attendance was very good with approximately 100 people taking part in this very special event. Based on the evaluations by attendees, the first HILL DAY was a success. NCHIMA members assisting with this event were as follows:

The transformation from paper to electronic records is expected to pick up the pace for automated work flows. So, AHIMA felt the need to solicit advice from the CAC Summit expert panel to guide them towards a comprehensive list of roles and competencies required to thrive as a coding professional ready to meet the challenges.

Computer assisted coding software automates steps in the workflow that can be safely and efficiently processed by a system and provides new tools that allow the process to be monitored, measured and improved.

As coding professionals move toward hybrid and electronic record environments, they are exposed to new computer assisted coding technologies, including natural language processing, structured input, and common document types. These technologies can be integrated with coding decision support tools, such as logic-based encoders and robust electronic coding reference tools.

The traditional clinical coder’s role then is aligned with a clinical coding editor role. The accuracy of codes assigned by a computer-assisted coding tool must be validated. The coding professional as editor will recognize inappropriate application of official clinical coding rules and guidelines and verify the application of coding guidelines.

The transformation of a clinical coder to clinical coding editor will require the same critical thinking skills in using clinical decision support tools, but will also engage the coding professional to contribute to design of these support and provider documentation tools. Thus the clinical coding editor will continually improve the clinical coding process at all stages: development, implementation and evaluation. Coding professionals are needed to make sure automation will not adversely affect data integrity and reliability so competencies in data monitoring and analytics are important. It was mentioned during the Summit that the best jobs in 2015 are not yet developed, so it is clear that healthcare information management positions of today may not be the same five years from now.

It is natural to be fearful that advancements in technology will eliminate coding positions, but for every task that may be automated, there is another task needed to maintain, monitor and manage systems. Acceptance of change and a willingness to adapt to increasingly automated workflow will be a key factor in coding roles in the future.

Additional skills and competencies needed now for using and managing the technology environment supporting the coding process. Today’s coders will be transitioned into the new roles through technology training and orientation to automated workflows.

[Note: Kozie was one of 4 panelist participants at the Summit presenting: “Transitioning Coders into New Roles in a Computer-Assisted Coding (CAC) Environment”]

Dean’s list, Fall and/or Spring 2010 Congratulations to the following HIA students, who all made the Dean’s List. To qualify, students earn at least a 3.5 GPA of a possible 4.0 in a semester’s work (not less than 12 hours), excluding remedial courses, with no D or F grade.

HIA Seniors/Graduates: Amy Black, Candi Chandler, Megan Donaldson, Alyson Glenn, Amy Ledbetter, Bethany Lee, Julia Martinat, LaToya Petty, Mindy Ramsey, Krista Ray. HIA Juniors: Joshua Bristol, Kao Lo, Tracy McConnell, Maggie Ostwalt, Thomas Rospond, Allie Thompson Congratulations new RHIAs Brook Davey, Jessica Matthews, Ashly Stone THANKS! to the 2010 PPE Instructors Thanks to all the HIM professionals across the state that instructed and mentored our 2010 seniors (some accepted more than one student) during their Professional Practice Experiences (PPEs). These PPEs are essential elements of our educational program and we could not help new professionals enter Health Information Management without you.