The East Region is happy to present this workshop that is designed to provide individuals in their FINAL stages of preparing to take either the RHIA or RHIT exam with the knowledge needed to better prepare for their examination.
Please click here for more information and to register.
October 25, 2018
No registration is needed, just come ready to connect, collaborate, and learn from women in the growing, innovative community of healthcare IT.
Inside This Issue:
Click here to view our latest Newsletter.
As Hurricane Florence makes landfall, the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and its federal partners remain in close coordination as part of disaster response. As part of his declaration of a Public Health Emergency (PHE), HHS Secretary Alex Azar has waived sanctions and penalties under certain provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule that may otherwise apply to covered hospitals, such as the provisions that generally require covered entities to give patients the opportunity to agree or object to sharing information with family members or friends involved in the patient’s care. This waiver applies only to the emergency area and for the emergency period identified in the PHE declaration and only to hospitals that have instituted a disaster protocol. Qualifying hospitals can take advantage of the waiver for up to 72 hours from the time the hospital implements its disaster protocol unless the PHE declaration terminates first.
As explained in OCR’s Bulletin on Hurricane Florence, even without an emergency waiver, the Privacy Rule has several provisions that allow patient information to be shared to assist patients in receiving the care they need including during disasters. For example, the Privacy Rule permits covered entities to share information with loved ones for treatment purposes, for public health activities, and to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety. The Privacy Rule also allows the sharing of information with individuals’ family, friends, and others involved in their care in emergency situations to ensure proper care and treatment.
In addition, when a health care provider is sharing information with disaster relief organizations that are authorized by law or by their charters to assist in disaster relief efforts, such as government relief agencies or entities like the American Red Cross, it is unnecessary to obtain a patient’s permission to share health information if doing so would interfere with the organization’s ability to respond to the emergency.
For information about how the HIPAA Privacy Rule applies in an emergency, visit OCR’S HIPAA Emergency Preparedness, Planning, and Response page or you may use the HIPAA Disclosures for Emergency Preparedness Decision Tool.
For information about emergency requirements for long-term care facilities, visit the CMS Emergency Preparedness Rule page.
DISCLAIMER: These guidance documents are not final agency actions, do not legally bind persons or entities outside the Federal government, and may be rescinded or modified in the Department’s discretion. Noncompliance with any voluntary standards (e.g., recommended practices) contained in these documents will not, in itself, result in any enforcement action.
NCHIMA Members,
Through the generosity of AHIMA members the AHIMA Foundation can provide material relief to those whose professional practice has been thrust above and beyond the call of duty through the Health Information Relief Operation (HIRO) Fund. The HIRO fund is an ongoing disaster recovery fund to assist HIM professionals whose life and communities have been shattered by natural or man-made events.
Click here to find out how the HIRO fund can help.
As HIM professionals, we are bound to the overall management of data, its confidentiality, privacy, and security. It is important to stay abreast of proper disaster planning protocols and take advantage of the available tools. Refresh your knowledge and skills regarding how to appropriately respond to external requests for health information from victims’ family, the media, and law enforcement in a disaster situation.
Click here for the AHIMA Disaster Planning and Recovery toolkit – free to members.
Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 2 (often referred to as 42 CFR Part 2, or simply “Part 2”) regulates the sharing of substance use disorder (SUD) records. Protecting patients’ confidentiality is of the utmost importance but the outdated nature of Part 2 has created barriers for providing the best care possible to individuals with SUD, often leaving clinicians unaware of risks from multiple drug interactions and co-existing medical problems.
In June, the House of Representatives passed HR 6082, the HR 6082, the Overdose Prevention and Patient Safety Act by a vote of 357 to 57. The OPPS Act enables appropriate sharing of substance use disorder records by aligning Part 2 with HIPAA for purposes of treatment, payment, and operations. The bill also includes criminal, civil, and administrative protections for patients during legal proceedings and applies HIPAA penalties to the Part 2 program to ensure that patients can seek treatment without fear their information will be inappropriately shared.
The Senate is putting the finishing touches on its opioid legislation this week. We need you to take action and urge your US Senator to support Part 2 reform as part of the opioid package.
Call your US Senator to ask him or her to support Part 2 reform as part of the opioid package. AHIMA’s Advocacy Action Center has everything you need to take action.
Your assistance is critical to getting Part 2 reform passed out of the US Senate!
Thank you for everything you do for the HIM profession and AHIMA.
Best,
AHIMA Policy and Government Relations Team
NCHIMA announces our Midyear Workshop in Concord on November 9, 2018.
The NCHIMA Education Committee has designed a powerhouse agenda with speakers covering the spectrum of facility and professional coding.
Please follow this link to learn more about the agenda, the many CEUs you may earn and the great registration rates for this event.
The 2019 Quad-State Annual Meeting & Exhibit will be held at the Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort and Convention Center, 10000 Beach Club Drive, Myrtle Beach, SC 29572, on May 5 – 8, 2019. The Quad-State Program Committee is soliciting speaker abstracts for 1 or 2-hour education sessions. Our theme for the 2019 Quad-State Annual Meeting is “Creating Connections for a Stronger Tomorrow.” The message here being we are 4 neighboring component state associations of AHIMA coming together to share knowledge and to network.
Specific topics requested for our program include:
Only speakers selected for our 2019 Quad-State Annual Meeting by the Program Committee will be contacted by email to confirm the speaking engagement.
Please follow the links below for additional information about our meeting and to complete the Speaker Bureau online.
2019 Quad-State Annual Meeting & Exhibit
NC-SC-GA-AL Health Information Management Associations
Please click here to complete the online speaker application and agreement.
Email or paper submissions will not be accepted.
Inside This Issue:
Click here to view our latest Newsletter.
Active NCHIMA members will receive two notices between June 22nd and June 30th informing them of their old region and new region they will move to effective July 1, 2018. Please watch this video for detailed information.
P42 CFR Part 2 (Part 2) is a law that regulates the sharing of substance use disorder (SUD) records. Protecting patients’ confidentiality is of the utmost importance but the outdated nature of Part 2 has created barriers for providing the best care possible to individuals with SUD. H.R. 5795, the Opioid Prevention and Patient Safety Act (OPPS) Act will align Part 2 with HIPAA for purposes of treatment, payment and operations. H.R. 5795 will be considered on the House floor the week of June 11th when many other bills addressing the opioid crisis will also be brought up for a vote.
We need you to call Congress this week and urge your U.S. Representative to cosponsor H.R. 5795 and vote yes when it comes to the House floor for a vote. Head to AHIMA’s Action Center where you can take action and find additional details.
NCHIMA Members,
NCHIMA utilized a third party for our job postings and career center for the past few years. We monitored a number of postings and employer/job seeker satisfaction over the past few years. Based on feedback we are bringing back our in-house job board.
Benefits for employers are greatly reduced pricing to post jobs for 90 days.
Benefits for members and job seekers are continued access to the career center benefits by continuing to use AHIMA’s website and access to our internal job board.
Please consider posting any HIM job openings and sending this link to your human resources or career counselors within out great state.
For more information on pricing and to post a position, Click here to complete the online job board submission form.
Pricing: $100 per 90-day posting
Inside This Issue:
Click here to view our latest Newsletter.
If you missed our live webinar on March 16th, you may access the recording and handout to learn about upcoming NCHIMA activities and about resources for HIP Week.
Click here to learn more
We are pleased to announce the results of the 2018-2019 NCHIMA election. We had a 9% voter turnout which is down 2% from last year.
Congratulations to the following:
President-Elect
Sallie Bissette, MHA, MBA, RHIA, CHC
Secretary
Bobbie Murphy, RHIA
Legal Advocacy Delegate
Natalie Raper, MHS
The results are in from our latest Salary Snapshot.
Greetings Program Directors/Coordinators and NCHIMA Students,
NCHIMA is pleased to announce the 2018 Scholarship Award! Potentially, there will be two (2) scholarships awarded, one for a RHIT student and one for a RHIA student. Both scholarships will be in the amount of $500. Also, NCHIMA is offering a potential $1,000 scholarship to an HIM graduate student or educator teaching at a CAHIIM program with a campus in NC pursuing a graduate degree.
In order to be eligible for any scholarship the following criteria must be met:
The deadline to apply for the scholarship will be March 31, 2018. Should you have any questions or concerns regarding the scholarship application process, please feel free to email Sherry King at SNKing@wakemed.org . Best of luck to all of the applicants!
NCHIMA awards scholarships each year to qualified students in associate, baccalaureate and graduate HIIM programs across the state of North Carolina. We are launching a fundraising campaign to assist in raising funds for this worthwhile effort to grow and support our future professionals.
By contributing, you are not only helping a future professional, but you may benefit too. If you donate directly to our NCHIMA Merit Scholarship Fund by going directly to the AHIMA Foundation website your donation is tax deductible for 2018. Please note this is not tax deductible for your 2017 tax return. Also, all contributions at the $50 level or higher received before 4:00 p.m., May 2, 2018, will be entered in a drawing for one free registration to attend the entire 2019 NCHIMA Annual Meeting & Exhibit in Myrtle Beach, SC.
To donate today to the NCHIMA Merit Scholarship Fund please follow this link.
Dear NCHIMA Member,
We are looking for qualified Active members to fill the roles of AHIMA President/Chair-elect, three Directors for the Board of Directors, three Commissioners on the Commission on Certification for Health Informatics and Information Management (CCHIIM), three CEE Council Members and one Speaker-elect for the House of Delegates Nominations for these positions are due March 31, 2018. The President/Chair-elect, Director, CCHIIM Commissioner, and CEE Council Member positions have three-year terms and the Speaker-elect has a two-year term beginning January 1, 2019.
Members must first login to Engage, select the Volunteer tab, then they are able to review descriptions, duties, and qualifications for each of these elected positions on the Volunteer Application Web page as well as submit their application. Select “Elected Positions” to submit an application before March 31, 2018.
I encourage you or any qualified members to join the many AHIMA volunteers who invest their time and reap the rewards. Should you or any of your fellow members have questions about this process, please do not hesitate to contact me via email.
Many thanks,
Ralph H. Morrison, RHIA, CPC
exdir@nchima.org
Member, 2018 AHIMA Nominating Committee
Click here for the Footprints Newsletter – January 2018
Looking for affordable and quality education and CEUs by year-end? Check out these options through NCHIMA.
If you couldn’t make our live event on November 29th, please follow this link to playback our recorded member update hosted by NCHIMA President Elect Mary Gregory. This was also our first abbreviated town hall meeting addressing our proposed region consolidation plan asking for member feedback.
Did you miss our webinar on December 15th reviewing our latest on the RCP?
The NCHIMA Board of Directors would like to share the latest information for our proposed region consolidation plan (RCP) we have published since spring of 2017. We solicited feedback from all active NCHIMA members and leaders to make this a plan that works for regions and members to maintain viable regions and NCHIMA.
You can view the recorded webinar below.
November 29, 2017
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM ET
Join your NCHIMA Board to hear the latest updates from AHIMA and NCHIMA. We will also allow time for your questions.
JOIN WEBEX MEETING
Meeting number (access code): 929 699 731 Meeting password: midyear
JOIN BY PHONE
1-650-479-3208 Call-in toll number (US/Canada)
Can’t join the meeting? Contact support here.
Don’t miss out on all the benefits of the NCHIMA Legal Portal. The subscription year runs October 1st – September 30th. Don’t let any additional months go by if you are interested in an annual subscription for our legal portal.
To learn about the portal and subscription rates for one or more users, please follow this link.
NCHIMA announces our Midyear Workshop in Raleigh on November 3, 2017. The NCHIMA Education Committee has designed a powerhouse agenda with speakers covering the spectrum of career advancement, clinical, coding and documentation improvement, IT, project management and more. Please follow this link to learn more about the agenda, the many CEUs you may earn and the great registration rates for this event.
To submit your application for a speaking engagement you may follow the link below and must submit your information by October 31, 2017.
Specific topics requested for our program include:
Please follow the links below for additional information about our meeting and to complete the Speaker Bureau online.
2018 NCHIMA Annual Meeting
May 1 – 4, 2018
Sheraton Imperial Hotel & Convention Center
Durham, NC
Durham – Do More While You’re Here
Email or paper submissions will not be accepted.
December 5, 2017
8:00 AM – 4:00 PM ET
This workshop will offer a hands-on experience analyzing healthcare data. Attendees will use MS Excel, the R statistical software package, and Tableau to prepare, describe, and visualize large healthcare datasets. Data will be analyzed in MS Excel using intermediate and advanced functionalities that will help improve the efficiency and accuracy of an analysis. The R statistical software package is an open source platform that utilizes a scripting language to analyze and visualize data. Tableau is data visualization software and attendees will learn how to create interactive summaries and dashboards. Ultimately, attendees will learn how to leverage cost-effective tools for preparing and visualizing data. At the conclusion of the workshop attendees will have greater confidence analyzing healthcare data with cost-effective tools to transition data into information for key stakeholders.
This is the fourth installment of the 2017 NCHIMA Leadership Webinar Series, please continue to visit the NCHIMA online calendar for future installments in 2017.
This presentation is to help you understand effective communication and why it is important to a good leader, how it supports good leadership/employee satisfaction, and how to understand the ways we send messages to others through our verbal and nonverbal communication. We will also address barriers to effective communication and how to address those barriers in the workplace.
Learning Objectives:
Speaker: Jean T. Foster, RHIA, CHPS
Dr. Susie Harris of HSIM is now a Fellow of the American Health Information Management Association (FAHIMA). An official letter stating her recognition will arrive for Dr. Harris in the coming weeks. Ms. Bonnie Cassidy, Chair of FAHIMA, phoned Dr. Harris to deliver the news.
“Being recognized as a Fellow…is a phenomenal honor because Fellowship means that my contributions to the profession have been significant and sustained,” Dr. Harris shared. The Fellowship application process only reviews candidates with a minimum of 10 years of professional experience in Health Information Management (HIM). Prolonged AHIMA membership is also required, a minimum of 10 years.
Dr. Harris shared that she spent 15 years in the field, specifically “as a HIM manager and then a neurosurgical practice administrator.” She soon transitioned to teaching, choosing East Carolina, her alma mater. Dr. Harris participates in professional organizations, nationally with AHIMA and North Carolina Health Information Management Association (NCHIMA) at the state and regional level.
“The contributions of which I am most proud are: 1) Helping establish the MS in Health Informatics and Information Management (MS in HIIM) program at ECU with Dr. Robert Campbell, Director of the MS in HIIM program, Dr. Paul Bell, Assistant Director of the MS in HIIM program, and Dr. Xiaoming Zeng, Chair of the HSIM department; 2) serving as the BS in HIM program’s director; 3) seeing the HIM graduates go out and serve in our state and professional associations as president, vice-president, delegates, regional coordinators, special projects coordinator, education chair, and media chair, as well as other positions; and, 4) seeing the HIM graduates working and networking as educators, health information management directors, privacy and security officers, coders, clinical documentation improvement specialists, medical office administrators, compliance officers, and consultants, as well as other positions in the HIM field, to help improve the quality of care for patients.”
This is the third installment of the 2017 NCHIMA Leadership Webinar Series, please continue to visit the NCHIMA online calendar for future installments in 2017.
Would you like to have?
Join us as we talk about three “laws” of leadership – keys to influencing others.
You’ll walk away from this session with at least 3 actionable steps to help you get the support you need to be an effective information manager.
Speaker: Tom Cooper, PMP, Certified Speaker, Executive Coach and Trainer
CCS Certification Discount
Save 15 percent on the Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) Exam through June 30, with the code IPMON17!
List Price: $399 | Member Price: $299 | Premier Member Price: $284.08
Coding Education Discount
Save 10 percent on these inpatient coding online education and publication resources through June 30 with the code IPMON17!
Discount Applies to these resources:
Online Education
Coding Practice: Combined ICD-10-CM/PCS Cases
List Price: $195
Member Price: $179
Premier Member Price: $170.05
Product #: C10CMPCS23
Coding Practice:
ICD-10-CM/PCS Hospital Inpatient Cases
List Price: $99.95
Member Price: $89.95
Premier Member Price: $85.45
Product #: C10PRACINP
Coding Practice: ICD-10-PCS Surgical Cases
List Price: $99.95
Member Price: $89.95
Premier Member Price: $85.45
Product #: C10PCS22SR
Publication
Coding and Reimbursement for Hospital Inpatient Services, Fourth Edition
Product #: AC206214
Karen Scott, RHIA, CCS-P, MED, FAHIMA
List Price: $89.95
Member Price: $74.95
Premier Member Price: $71.95
On Demand: Part 2 NCHIMA Leadership Webinar Series: Resonant Leadership
NCHIMA is pleased to launch the second installment of our 2017 NCHIMA Leadership Webinar Series.
To learn more about this webinar, register online or view registration rates, please click here.
The 37th Annual NCHIMA Behavioral Health Section Conference will be June 14 – 16, 2017 at The Royal Banquet & Conference Center in Raleigh. Please click below for the agenda, registration and hotel information.
We are pleased to announce the results of the 2017-2018 NCHIMA election. We had a 11% voter turnout which is down 3% from last year.
Congratulations to the following:
President-Elect
Mary Gregory, RHIT, CCS, CDIP, CPC, CCS-P, CPC-I
Secretary
Esta Lynn Farmer, RHIA, CHPS, CCS, CCS-P
Treasurer
Joe Naretto, MHA, RHIA
Regional Liaison
Crystal Gooding, RHIA, CPMA
Please join us for this June 16th webinar.
The webinar will explore key areas of operating an effective and efficient clinical documentation program, key areas of focus, and proving return on investment from a quality and revenue perspective.
To learn more or to register and learn about registration rates, please click here.
NCHIMA awards scholarships each year to qualified students in associate, baccalaureate and graduate HIIM programs across the state of North Carolina. We are launching a fundraising campaign to assist in raising funds for this worthwhile effort to grow and support our future professionals.
By contributing, you are not only helping a future professional, but you may benefit too. If you donate directly to our NCHIMA Merit Scholarship Fund by going directly to the AHIMA Foundation website your donation is tax deductible for 2017. Please note this is not tax deductible for your 2016 tax return. Also, all contributions at the $50 level or higher received before 4:00 p.m., April 26, 2017, will be entered in a drawing for one free registration to attend the entire 2018 NCHIMA Annual Meeting & Exhibit in Durham.
To donate today to the NCHIMA Merit Scholarship Fund please follow this link.
Click here for more information
NCHIMA recognizes outstanding contributions made by its members every year. The process to nominate is very simple through NCHIMA’s website. The link will give a description of each individual award.
NCHIMA is soliciting nominations for the following categories:
Nominations will be accepted via the NCHIMA website.
Click here to read more
NCHIMA is pleased to launch the first installment of our 2017 NCHIMA Leadership Webinar Series.
To learn more about this first webinar, register online or view registration rates, please click here.
Please note the extension for membership renewal and credentials per AHIMA.
Please see important updates regarding CEU Reporting below.
Due to technical difficulties and increased demand on the AHIMA’s CEU Center and web store during this peak CEU earning and reporting period, AHIMA is extending the period where you can earn CEUs to January 31, 2017, from the original date of December 31, 2016 (for those whose cycle ended on 12/31/2016).
This means you can continue to earn CEUs through the first month of this year and continue to enter any CEUs earned prior to January 31, 2017, through the end of your grace period on March 31, 2017. Any CEUs earned prior to January 31, 2017 and self reviews (for coding credentials) completed by March 31, 2017, will count toward your recertification requirements.
If your recertification cycle ends on December 31, 2016, you have until March 31, 2017, to report your CEUs without incurring a late fee.
If you are attempting to reinstate a revoked credential prior to the December 31, 2016, deadline, we have extended the deadline for reinstatement to January 31, 2017.
If you are a holder of an AHIMA coding credential (CCA, CCS, CSS-P), the 2016 coding self-review is now available and you will have until March 31, 2017, to complete the self-review.
If your membership renewal is due on December 31, 2016, you may renew at any time.
If you need additional CEUs through January 31, 2017, don’t forget about the many archived webinars available for purchase through NCHIMA. Please follow this link to view all offerings: https://www.nchima.org/continuing-education/demand-education/
Four-Part Webinar Series
Healthcare is rapidly changing and we must be involved in ensuring our organizations are successful but most importantly ensure we can reach our ultimate goal for total population health management for our patients and communities. We have been on a quality journey for a number of years now but with the upcoming changes, the impact will be greater than ever. Attend this workshop to understand this structure, see how you fit in, and launch your organization to take ahold of the quality revenue cycle. Preparation pays off.
Webinar 1-3 will be pre-recorded and available by 12 PM, ET on the dates below.
Webinar 1: November 9, 2016
Webinar 2: November 16, 2016
Webinar 3: November 23, 2016
Webinar 4: December 7, 2016 – A live webinar Q&A to answer questions.
Speaker: Sharon Easterling, MHA, RHIA, CCS, CDIP
CEUs: 1.0 – Clinical Data Management (for each webinar)