|  | Vicky Wolf, Editor
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Hello and all WHIMA Members and Partners!
Happy New Year!
I know it is a bit late….but this is our first issue for 2009 and what a year it will be for HIM!!
Our field of HIM is being called upon by President Obama to make great strides in health care reform. Sally Hensel fills us in on the expectations in her article on the topic and it looks like the stimulus package is on its way to being passed and signed. In addition, Michelle Magedanz takes a look at ICD-10 implementation dates, I share CMS’s new star rating program for nursing facilities, Barb Savagian gives an update on WHIMA Board activities and you will not want to miss the 2009 Annual Conference.
I hope that HIM is still one of your passions! We will need all of you to come together as a team and make these changes a reality. I challenge each of you to step up, get involved and “climb the mountain” to HIM success.
Remember….Passion is the enthusiasm that prompts great works and the driving force behind grand plans.
Enjoy!
Vicky Wolf, RHIT, CPHQ
Editor
In This Issue:
 Invitation to Annual Business Meeting
Never Events
From the WHIMA President
Digital Health Records
ICD-10 Final Rule
Do You Have the Winter Blues??
Legal Resource Manual Update
Star Ratings for Nursing Facilities
Register Now! Release of Information Workshop
Attention Students!
President's Message
Barbara Savagian, RHIA
| | Barbara Savagian
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It is very early in the morning – still dark out, in fact. I was sitting here trying to put my thoughts together when it struck me how quiet the house was. Then I would hear the furnace kick in, or the refrigerator start to run, or the newspaper hit the front porch. All things that I take for granted, but each of them startled me a little bit when they broke into my quiet time. They were like mini wake-up calls.
Many things I have seen and heard this year through WHIMA were also like mini wake-up calls. Your current Board members heard them, too! We realized that we had made many positive strides in getting what we do and the caliber of our expertise recognized externally over the past few years. But in doing so, some of the internal workings of WHIMA needed attention. So, though you may not have heard a lot of “noise” from the Board this year, there are a lot of things in the works that we hope will jump start our membership into wanting to take an active role in keeping WHIMA moving forward. Since the external recognition has started some positive momentum for WHIMA, and it is more important than ever that we have coordinated efforts to achieve the goals set forth in our strategic plan. To do this, we agreed we need an engaged Board that provides timely information and direction to team leaders, and that together they can work effectively with the volunteer team members. Our hope is that when others see the good things happening as a result of the efforts of the teams, more members and business partners will want to become active. We all have a responsibility to help keep the momentum going
Much of the work of the Board will be brought to life in the upcoming year. Read on for more about the action steps the Board has approved to change the infrastructure of WHIMA...
Changing the HIM Curriculum
Sally Hensel, RHIT
A CNN Money article entitled “Obama’s big idea: Digital health records” CNN Health Care Stimulus Article prompted the question, what are we doing in HIM to address the changing skills needed to adopt an EHR in the foreseeable future. Two paragraphs in particular seemed quite alarming.
“But highly skilled health information technology professionals are as rare as they come, and many IT workers will need to be trained as health technology experts.
Early government estimates showed about 212,000 jobs could be created from this program, but Brailer said there simply aren't that many Americans who are qualified.”
Catherine Hansen, RHIA is a member of Governor Doyle’s eHealth Board, which is in the process of addressing Health Information Technology and Health Information Exchange in Wisconsin. Progress is currently being hampered by the state budget crisis, while the Department of Health and Family Services anxiously awaits the content of the stimulus package. The stimulus package will likely impact other activity but it is premature to be speculating on the direction of that spending at this time. In the meantime, the focus is on policy to address privacy and security issues.
Angela Lee, RHIA is the HIT Program Coordinator at Waukesha County Technical College. She envisions the HIT degree being the stepping stone into the HIM profession, adding specialties as experience is gained in the field. She plans on promoting HIM as a career to high school graduates to attract a new generation into the profession as opportunities expand for those with an HIM background.
An October 2008 white paper “Health Information Management and Informatics Core Competencies for Individuals Working with Electronic Health Records” is collaboration between AHIMA and the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) which addresses:
1. Health information literacy and skills
2. Health informatics skills using the EHR
3. Privacy and confidentiality of health information
4. Health information / data technical security
5. Basic computer literacy skills
Margie Konik, RHIA, HIT Program Director at Chippewa Valley Technical College is incorporating hands-on experience with EHRs by subscribing to AHIMA’s Virtual Lab. This allows students hands-on experience using vendor software and databases supplied and maintained by AHIMA. Oct 2008 Journal of AHIMA Virtual Lab article . The HIT program curriculum has been enhanced with more emphasis on computers, databases, and information systems. Ms. Konik also started an eight credit certificate program in Health Informatics for Health Professionals approximately five years ago which can be obtained concurrently with an associate degree or following the HIT curriculum. CVTC Informatics Certificate.
HIM professionals are critical voices in establishing how information is used, shared, and protected within and across healthcare organizations. HIM professionals increasingly need to pursue advanced degrees to remain valued participants in the evolving adoption of the EHR.
ICD-10 is Coming! Final Rule Issued
Michelle Magedanz, RHIT
On January 15, 2009, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued the final rule on ICD-10 code sets. This release will help facilitate the nation’s ongoing transition to an electronic healthcare environment by adopting a much more detailed system of diagnosis and procedures codes. There is a compliance date of October 1, 2013 for replacing the current outdated ICD-9 code sets with the highly expanded ICD-10 code sets, which also corresponds with the effective date for annual changes to Medicare payment systems. HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt says, “The greatly expanded ICD-10 code sets will fully support quality reporting, pay-for-performance, bio-surveillance and other critical activities.”
The expectations of the ICD-10-codes set will support Medicare’s value-based purchasing initiative, as well as antifraud and abuse activities since ICD-10 will have specific diagnoses and treatment information. Claims processing and payment will be improved through ICD-10. More accurate payments for new procedures will be received, fewer rejected claims and improved disease management will occur with the adoption of ICD-10. Another benefit for the adoption of ICD-10 code set is that it will assist healthcare practitioners in making treatment decisions by more precisely matching diagnoses and procedures to the appropriate code. Currently ICD-9-CM contains only 17,000 and Volume 3 has been running out of space for numerous years, which means some procedure codes are placed outside of the clinical hierarchy in which they actually belong. On the other hand, ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS code sets contain more than 155,000 codes and has the room available for new diagnoses and procedures in the future.
There is strong support from the healthcare community for the adoption of ICD-10. As the next five years go on, the healthcare industry, along with the government has a lot on its plate to implement ICD-10 successfully throughout the nation. As HIM professionals, we must continue to bring awareness about the numerous benefits of ICD-10 offers and start informing others of the implementation and training needs involved with implementing ICD-10. The next five years shall prove to be interesting, but I think we can all agree when we say that the implementation of ICD-10 is long overdue.
"HIMQuest: Destinations with a Difference"
Do You Need a Get Away?
Then it is time to think spring….start packing your bags and gathering your friends for the trip of a lifetime! You and your friends are invited to attend the 2009 Annual Conference in Stevens Point.
Come join us as we embark on an exhilarating trek with Charlie Wittmack. Yes…that is right…Charlie Wittmack, the world-class adventurer and lawyer, who climbed Mt. Everest. It will truly be a once in a life time experience to enjoy his unique inspirational story and learn how you too can achieve your professional and personal dreams.
Your trip will continue with adventure as you go on the HIM quest; “Destinations with a Difference”. The tracks “New Summits”, “Management Voyages” and “Data Highways” offer a variety of educational opportunities from management challenges, leadership skills, coding, quality and emerging issues to help you “climb the mountains” and weather the storm to HIM success.
But that is not all…travel would not be complete without fun… games, food, and prizes will await you in the exhibit hall. So…pack your bags, gather your friends and join us. Time is running out, be sure and get your ticket today. For a sneak peak of the itinerary go to…2009 Annual Conference Program Itinerary
Are You Ready for the Trip? The Annual Conference Program Team invites you to make the trip to Stevens Point for the Annual Conference on May 6-8, 2009.
CMS Unfolds Star Rating Program for Nursing Facilities
Vicky Wolf, RHIT
I am sure all of you are familiar with the star ratings for
hotels and resorts and now the federal government has got into the act. On December 19, 2008 the federal government launched a simple five-star rating system as part of a quality effort to help consumers, their families and caregivers compare nursing facilities. The nursing home ratings are calculated from the following three sources of data; health inspections, staffing, and quality measures. Then, these ratings are combined to form an overall rating.
Why? The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has a two-fold reason. First, CMS wants consumers to be able to make an informed choice, but insists that consumers should not make their decision based on this rating alone. They continue to suggest that consumers visit the facility, use the quality rating to ask questions and also discuss the quality of care provided with their state ombudsman. They feel that it is more important to select a facility in close proximity to family members with a good rating then to drive a long distance to a five star. Government studies have shown that frequent family visits improve both the resident’s quality of life and quality of care.
What do the stars mean? If you are a facility with five stars your facility ranks “much above the average”, a four star; “above average”, a three star; “about average”, a two star; “below average and a one star; “much below average”.
CMS also reminds the public that even though the facility may have a one or two star rating, meaning “below average” the facility still meets the minimum quality standards set by the federal requirements.
Like any system, the rating program has its strengths and limitations. One is that it may not necessarily account for how that facility is performing today. CMS reflects it will update the quality rating on a monthly basis, with a notation that the three data sources are reported and updated on different time schedules. For example, the quality measure domain data (information crunched from the MDS) is calculated quarterly. This means that there may be a lag time of 5 months between the end of the quarter and when the latest scores will be available on the web site.
The second reason for the star rating is in the “shame factor”….CMS hopes that by making this data more accessible to the public that nursing facilities that have low ratings will work to improve the quality of care they provide.
How can a facility improve their rating?
Simply, by taking action…
• Make sure your data calculations are correct. For example, the staffing ratio, which is self-reported by the nursing facility, is a snap shot in time to reflect nursing care in a two-week period. Did you remember to include all of your nurses (DON, ADON, MDS Coordinator) in the calculation?
• Join the DHHS Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes campaign. This campaign sets out to improve quality by setting goals. It is currently working with eight key goal areas. One of which is reducing high risk pressure ulcers and another improving pain management. In addition, it is a great resource. It provides tools to use to analyze and implement change in these eight key goal areas.
• Involve all of your staff, including the HIM professional in the Quality Assessment & Assurance process. Make sure they are all aware of your rating and what the rating system is all about.
To check out how you’re nursing facility rates go to Nursing Facility Rates and to read more about the program “Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes” go to Excellence in America's Nursing Homes.
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This is your official notice and call the 2009 Annual Business Meeting on May 7, 2009 at the Holiday Inn in Stevens Point, WI. This is your opportunity to hear about the the activities that WHIMA is taking to promote the profession and the association. The Board is proposing a new structure for the WHIMA Board of Directors, including changes in length of service for the Board members, and delegate representation at AHIMA House of Delegates. Plan to attend the Annual Business meeting.
CMS continues to pursue aggressive strategies to tie quality care to payment applications. Are "Never" events the same as sentinel events? Enhance your awareness of the new developments in payment by joing the March 5, 2009 Mediasite session. For a program and to register go to..."Never Event Brochure
Take this opportunity to update your Legal Resource Manual now. The Legal Resource Manual Team, co-led by Sally Luehring and Kerry Taylor, have completed the 2007-2008 Update to the Legal Resource Manual. Part 4 (HIPAA section) and Part 5 (Appendices) have been incorporated into Parts 1-3. Chapters on Cancer Registry, Comparison of Advance Directives, Copying Fees, and Legal Process Issues have been revised.
Order your copy of the 2008 Update now. For an order form, just go to 2008 Publications Order Form
On March 19, 2009, WHIMA will sponsor a workshop on the challenging area of how patient information can be accessed and released. How does HIPAA, state laws, drug or alcohol treatment regulations or other laws apply to release and disclosure of patient information? Who's responsible for and what are the policies and practices associated with the rules for disclosure of health information? Does the electronic medical record change the disclosure and release process? How should multimedia medical records be handled? These questions---plus more---will be addressed in the "Access and Release of Health Information: Issues & Challenges" workshop at the Glacier Canyon Lodge in the Wisconsin Dells on March 19, 2009. For a brochure and to register go to......Release and Access of Health Information brochure
WHIMA offers merit scholarships to outstanding undergraduate students pursuing degrees in health information administration and health information technology. The "Karen Kohler Scholarship" named in honor of Kohler, a Past President of WHIMA and who worked at St. Mary's Hospital in Green Bay for many years, is available to credentialed health information management (HIM) professionals pursuing graduate degrees in an area related to HIM practice. Pursuing a new credential or seeking to advance your career? Consider applying for the Established Professional scholarship. You can find more information and application forms by going to Scholarships.
Mark your calendars to submit your application for one of the WHIMA scholarships by March 15, 2009!
Check out these quick links.
Job Board
Education
E-Resources
Live Your Best Life...Volunteer
| Are You Ready for the Trip?
Annual Conference, May 6-8, 2009
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