"The Link" Newsletter of WHIMA

The mission of WHIMA is....“to teach, advance, and innovate the Health Information Management Practices required for quality health information now and in the future”. As we look to the future, decisions regarding membership growth (bigger), strength and substance of our services (better) and the method of delivery (faster) present challenges that may require us to let go of what is familiar in order to make way for the new world before us.

In our recent strategic planning session, Vicky Wolf, our incoming President, led a group of Board Members and other WHIMA leaders in discussions aimed at developing scenarios for the future. The planning session included a look at our past, an analysis of our strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities (SWOT) and an assessment of driving forces.

The past in many ways, resembles the present. However, as we all know, the role of Health Information Management Professionals has become much more diverse. The positions we occupy today have extended well beyond the walls of the traditional Health Information Department and the trail blazing title of Medical Record Librarian.

The SWOT Analysis demonstrated strengths such as expert knowledge from within our membership, strong professional networks, supportive technical educational systems, committed and passionate members and financial solvency. Weaknesses portrayed poor visibility and recognition outside of HIM, lack of succession planning, and the need for re-prioritization and focus. External threats included mislabeling and lack of understanding of the depth of knowledge in our core competencies, rapid growth of other associations, and the shift in consumer mindset from career to job. Internal threats consisted of the need for post-graduate or advanced practice professionals, competing pressures for our time (volunteerism), and outdated skill sets due to shrinking educational budgets and overwhelming work responsibilities. From all of the above, opportunities abound!! These opportunities are partnerships to be formed, leverage to be applied, government dollars to be obtained, and new programs to be developed based on driving forces e.g. ICD-10, Clinical Documentation, Health Information exchange, ARRA and the like....but we need your help.

We need to hear from you. There will be opportunities to provide input and feedback for the reshaping of WHIMA. Please seize the chance to be heard and let us know your thoughts. If you have ideas now and want to share them, please feel free to contact me at sstevens@affinityhealth.org or talk to Vicky Wolf or myself at the annual conference.

In closing, just a few reminders of upcoming events which are posted on our website at WHIMA:

Annual Conference: "75 Years of Timeless Brilliance and Jubilation...Celebrating Challenges and Choices in HIM"
The annual conference will be held at the fabulous Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake...May 5 – 7th. It is the 75th anniversary of WHIMA. There will be plenty of excitement and education....you won’t want to miss it!

Leadership Conference: "Leadership Lessons for Turbulent Times"...Exploring Adaptive Leadership Techniques
The conference will be held at Lake Lawn Lodge in beautiful Lake Geneva on June 3rd. Our speaker will be Tim Reardon of the Reardon Group. This is a collaborative initiative with the Illinois and Iowa HIM associations. Join us for networking, learning, and relaxation. For more information, see the brochure on the website.

And last, but not least.....PLEASE REMEMBER TO VOTE.
An email was distributed to your Inbox on 3/31/10. If you cannot locate the email, logon to www.whima.org and select the "Members Center" navigation button. Log in using your Membership number (AHIMA card) and your last name. Follow the buttons to make a personal difference in the future of WHIMA.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your President. I hope to see you at the conference!!

Happy Spring!!!!!
Sandy

Wisconsin Legislative News Update: WIRED for Health
by Cathy Hansen, RHIA

December 2, 2009, saw Governor Doyle sunset the eHealth Care Quality and Patient Safety Board. In its place, through Executive Order 303, he created the Wisconsin Relay of Electronic Data, or WIRED for Health Board. The WIRED Board has been assigned the task of developing plans for a statewide health information exchange. This is a temporary board that will oversee initial planning activities with regard to state-level health information exchange (SLHIE). The main focus of the board over the next four months will be the development of a strategic and operational plan for SLHIE. Five committees have been formed that will provide input to the WIRED Board: Governance, Finance and Audit, Standards and Architecture, Legal and Policy, and Communications, Marketing and Education. Activities undertaken by and recommendations of the committees will be largely driven by stipulations in the $9.4 million dollar grant Wisconsin received under ARRA.

There is a very tight timeline for committee activities to be completed, with all committee reports due to the WIRED Board by approximately mid August. Wisconsin's final report for a plan for SLHIE must be submitted to the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) by August 31 of this year. Because of the tight timeline, committee activity will be concurrent and coordinated by Deloitte Consulting, the firm Wisconsin has contracted with for HIE-related activities. Committee work will also rely on prior activities and reports of the former eHealth Board, including the Consumer Interests Workgroup and the various HISPC grant committees.

As noted, the focus of the current WIRED Board's work will be to develop the plan for SLHIE. Depending on recommendations in the plan, there will likely be new legislation introduced in the State Legislature. One piece of legislation has already been introduced to create the SLHIE; this would enable a private-public structure in the form of a State Designated Entity (SDE) to carry out this function. Although WHIMA members were not appointed to the current (temporary) WIRED Board, several members have been appointed to serve on the various committees, including Standards and Architecture and Legal and Policy. Additional WHIMA members have also been appointed to the various committee workgroup pools. As of April 8 the Legal and Policy Committee has been the only committee to meet. This group will be holding weekly meetings through May in an effort to meet deadlines established by the grant.

For more information on Wisconsin's WIRED for Health activities, go to WIRED for Health

Cathy Hansen, RHIA, is the Director of Health Information services for St. Croix Regional Medical Center in St. Croix Falls, WI

What an Exciting Time to Be in Washington, DC!!!
by Dawn Paulson, RHIT

What an exciting time to be in Washington, DC!!!


	Cathy Hansen, Dawn Paulson & Chrisann Lemery

Chrisann Lemery, Cathy Hansen, and Dawn Paulson were among 180 AHIMA members who traveled to Washington, DC on March 22nd and 23rd to participate in the 2010 AHIMA Winter Team Talks and Hill Day. After a day of Team Talks, the three went to Capitol Hill where they were able to meet with the legislative aides for Herb Kohl, Russ Feingold, Tammy Baldwin, and David Obey, as well as to meet directly with Paul Ryan.

Discussions primarily focused on two specific topics: Department of Labor – Bureau of Labor Statistics re: HIM professions

Currently many HIM professions are in a broad clerical classification.
The goal is to seek out a champion to lead the force to update the classification for HIM professionals. This would better allow for the ability to evaluate the success and needs of HIM professionals associated with the EHR implementation and management, ICD-10 coding transition, and many other areas.
There appeared to be interest in the updating of the classification, however not as much interest in leading this campaign.

Title VII of the Public Health Service Act - re-authorization to provide funding and programs under the Health Resources and Services Administration for allied health education.

Current funding only allows for training/education for physicians, nurses and pharmacists – this doesn’t allow for education for any other (ancillary) services, including therapists, nutritionists, HIM, etc.
Schools can not afford to purchase EHR systems or implement EHR labs into their curriculum to better prepare students for the workforce.
They understood the need to introduce and adopt the “Allied Health and Health Information Education Investment Act”.

Lastly, the representatives were thanked for keeping the HIPAA Administrative Simplification and Operating Rules language in the Health Care Reform bill that had just passed a few days prior. This provided for periodic and routine updating of standards, which allows for a significantly shorter timeframe from the current 4+ years for changes to take effect. In addition, it allowed for the ability to establish and maintain operating rules for Transaction Standards.

To review more information regarding these topics and other Hill Day materials, visit the AHIMA Community of Practice under the category of Hill Day 2010.

Dawn Paulson, RHIT, is a member of the WHIMA Board of Directors and Assistant Director of HIM , University of Wisconsin Hospital & Clinics, Madison, WI

Baubles, Bubbles, and Business

Amphion Medical Solutions is the proud sponsor of the champagne bar at the opening reception in the Exhibit Hall on Wednesday evening, May 5th. The theme for the reception is “Bubbles, Baubles, and Business”.

We all recognize the difficulty some of our members are experiencing as a result of downsizing, reorganizations, and the reduced budgets for continuing education. This event will not only be a way to celebrate the 75th anniversary of WHIMA but it will also help raise funds to sponsor vouchers for members to attend a WHIMA sponsored conference.

Come join in the fun! Purchase a glass of champagne for a $15 dollar donation. Proceeds will go toward the funding of conference vouchers. In return you will not only enjoy a glass of champagne but you will receive an opportunity to win a diamond prize, check out the exhibit hall of vendors, and network with colleagues. Bring your business cards! Barb Savagian, a member of the WHIMA Board and Past President of WHIMA, along with other Past Presidents have all made a donation for a diamond “bauble” to be given away to a lucky participant.

WHIMA thanks Amphion Medical Solutions for sponsoring this event.

RAC Update
by Minnette Terlep, RHIT


Minnette Terlep

CGI, the Region B RAC has begun sending record requests to Wisconsin hospitals for complex coding review. Medical necessity is excluded from review from these initial requests. The first requests were sent to hospitals on February 18, 2010. Region B’s contact list included incorrect and duplicate contacts resulting in multiple letters being received by the same facility, as well as record requests being sent to the wrong facility. On March 2, 2010 CGI re-sent the initial letters which should have included an updated deadline for record submission. These letters included a list of all patients for whom information was requested. CGI was instructed by CMS to proceed at a measured pace with review efforts. As a result of this, only a minimal amount of RAC correspondence was sent on March 2nd. As of Friday March 19th, CGI had published 160 MS-DRGs on its web site as approved issues for complex coding review. There are 124 surgical MS-DRGs and 36 medical MS-DRGs. A significant number of the MS-DRGs are MCC and CC MS-DRGs, indicating there will be close scrutiny of additional diagnosis coding to optimize MS-DRG assignment. To learn more about which MS-DRGs have been requested to date in Wisconsin and how to access the web site for Region B, click here RAC Update

Minnette Terlep, RHIT, is Vice President Business Development & Corporate Compliance Officer for Amphion Medical Solutions in Madison, WI

It's Time to Celebrate
Come Celebrate! WHIMA's Diamond Jubilee
by Sally Hensel

WHIMA’s Diamond Jubilee Conference kicks off with Neil Ihde, founder of Life IQ, LLC speaking on 4 Secrets to Becoming a S.T.A.R. – How to Attain Success in your Personal and Professional Life. Each aspect of healthcare delivery is changing at unprecedented speeds. This requires intelligence in the workplace, in our relationships, in our lives and in our play.

A former boss said, “If you don’t have it in your head, you


	Neil Ihde

better have it in your feet!” None of us can run fast enough to outpace the speed of change. This seems like the right time and right place to find out what differentiates those people who talk about their dreams vs. those who achieve them. What characteristics are shared by successful people? Come to the opening General Session to find out more.

However, no matter how rushed you may be to get to the conference on time, do not be tempted to run up to the stage and eat a marshmallow if offered. Ask Neil about delay of gratification.

The conference is broken into three tracks this year, Clarity, Cutting Edge and Carats. New additions this year are the Special Interest Breakfast Groups, and Innovation Theatre. Thursday’s last General Session is David Glickman speaking and singing on “A Dose of Healthcare Humor”. This promises to be a clean but possibly raucous look and laugh at many aspects of healthcare. This should set the stage for good humor and spirits leading into the “Denim and Diamonds” party following Thursday’s events.

Continuing last year’s push for a “greener” conference, this year the bound syllabus with printed copies of the presentations is being replaced with a CD. CEs will be awarded to attendees following submission of the evaluation form. Depending on date of submission by speakers, the presentations will be available for printing prior to the conference.

Please join in this milestone anniversary conference, “75 years of timeless brilliance and jubilation celebrating challenges and choices in health information management.” Late registration is still available! Just click here for WHIMA Diamond Jubilee Spring Conference

Sally Hensel, RHIT, works for Aurora Healthcare as an IS Coordinator, Waterford, WI

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Leadership Conference
June 3, 2010

Exploring Adaptive Leadership Techniques

In keeping with the WHIMA mission and values of excellence, professional growth, and innovation, we proudly present the 2010 WHIMA Leadership Conference....

Conference Speaker, Tim Reardon of The Reardon Group, will lead us in an interactive journey to calmer waters through the use of Adaptive Leadership Techniques.

“Adaptive leadership is a critical personal competency for individuals who want to re-ignite their careers, succeed under sustained pressure; recover quickly from work, health or relationship setbacks and to remain on course to fulfill their life goals. Equally, adaptive leadership is now a key strategic competence for organizations to attract, motivate, develop, nurture and retain great people”.

The early bird registration deadline is May 17th and you need to make your room reservations at Lake Lawn by May 10th to secure the very special rates that WHIMA secured. Don't miss the Leadership Conference at Lake Lawn Resort in Lake Geneva!

WHIMA is "Going Green"

WHIMA is implementing environmental initiatives that reduce wast at our Annual Conference and Exhibit.

Handouts: Each attendee will receive a CD-ROM, sponsored by iod Corporation, with the handouts provided by speakers. If paper handouts are a requirement, attendees will be able to download the handouts from the WHIMA web site and print them out prior to the conference.

Recycle Bins: Bins will be available for attndees to recycle badges.

CEU Forms and Evaluations: Each attendee will receive an e-mail with a link to an electronic evalution form. Upon completion of the evaluation form, the CEU form will be available.

AHIMA's New Communities of Practice
by Michelle Magedanz, RHIT

As most of us are aware, AHIMA unveiled a new look to their Communities of Practices (CoP’s). It seems that at first glance that the new CoP’s are more difficult to navigate through then the previous version. By using AHIMA’s directions, we are going to walk through the process of accessing and using the CoP’s in an efficient manner. After logging into AHIMA and clicking on Communities of Practice, you notice that your personal page appears. Unlike the old CoP that would show you all of your communities, the new CoP shows you the top 100 new items from all of your selected communities. This can be burdensome to navigate through if you are looking for a certain thing from a certain community. One way to make this easier is to click on the drop-down box under “Filters”, select a certain CoP and read up on what is happening in that particular CoP before moving onto another one. You are able to see the most recent postings, oldest postings or postings that have the most comments or views if you wish.

There are topics within each community that house all of the resources, links, workspace, events and discussions. The topics consolidate all of the different information so that we do not need to go to numerous places to find certain information. After you pick a topic and open it, you can see everything related to that topic. It is very easy to add a topic to the community or to add a comment or resource to an existing post. This process has not really changed from the old CoP, except that “Topic” is the new word for “Thread” and there is now a “Topic Wizard” that will work you through the process of creating a new topic.

One new feature of the new CoP is the ability to sign up to an RSS feed from your selected communities. You can use any RSS Feed, such as Google Reader or others, as well as the RSS FEEDS folder in Outlook 2007. This feature can help you stay current in all CoP’s that you are a member of. Under the notifications link, you can decide on which items you want to receive information from and how often. This can include new items or new comments and the frequency is weekly summary, daily summary or every post.

As time goes on and we all become more familiar with the new CoP’s, I think you will come to find that it offers many more features than the old CoP’s and will still be a leading source of information for HIM professionals. AHIMA offers a comprehensive user guide to the new CoP’s that can walk you through the process. The guide can be accessed via CoP User Guide

Michelle Magedanz, RHIT, is the Health Information Manager for the Rehabilitation Hospital of Wisconsin, Waukesha, WI

Patient Health Record Guidelines at Your Fingertips
Updated in 2009

Take this opportunity to update your Legal Resource Manual now while supplies last. The Legal Resource Manual Team, led by Debbie Case, RHIT, have completed the 2009 Update to the Legal Resource Manual. Order your copy of the 2009 Update to keep your Legal Resource Manual current. For an order form, just go to Legal Resource Manual Order Form

Texting Like a Teen
by Sally Hensel, RHIT

Feeling left out because you know:

FAQ (frequently asked questions)
TMI (too much information)
LOL (laughing out loud)
ETA (estimated time of arrival)
TY (thank you)
YW (your welcome)

But are uncertain what these mean:
BRB (be right back)
BTW (by the way)
ROFL (rolling on floor laughing)
TTFN (ta ta for now)
TNT (til next time)
SOB (and it is not shortness of breath)

And have no clue what these are:
OAO (over and out)
Ne2H (need to have)
MYOB (mind your own business)
NALOPKT (not a lot of people know that)
J4G (just for grins)
IYDMMA (if you don’t mind my asking)

You can now text like a teen with the magic decoder ring! This is just one of many internet sites that will demystify acronyms and text message jargon. NetLingo

IANAE BSF B4YKI YGLT.

"Celebrating People in Action"
National Volunteer Week
The WHIMA Board of Directors thanks all WHIMA members who have volunteered their time and expertise to growing WHIMA and helping to educate and inform fellow members and the broader health HIM community.

National Volunteer Week, April 18-20, is the perfect time to celebrate your involvement as a WHIMA volunteer. If you have not yet volunteered for any of WHIMA’s numerous teams and collaborative efforts, now is a great time to dedicate some of your time and expertise. Visit the WHIMA web site WHIMA and see what opportunities are available.

WHIMA Volunteers are truly "People in Action" and will be honored during the Leadership Recognition Luncheon on Wednesday, May 5th at the 2010 Annual Conference.

We cannot do it without you…Thank You!

Thank You All Volunteers!
Barb Savagian, Kay Dockendorff, Beth Malchetske and Kris Schneider...WHIMA Volunteers

Do You Need to Update Your Membership Profile?

We value your commitment and dedication to WHIMA and the HIM profession. To ensure the continuation of your WHIMA member benefits, login to the Member Center and select the navigation button to update your membership profile or renew your membership today. WHIMA periodically downloads a membership listing from AHIMA to update our Membership Directory which then provides us with your demographics so that we can continue to send you the Link newsletter and notices of conferences and late breaking news in Wisconsin that impacts you, your career or work.

Submit Your Name to Serve on a WHIMA Team

WHIMA is seeking volunteers interested in serving on a team or leading a team for the 2010-2011 association year. Team participation is open to all members and corporate partners.

Team members and leaders will be recruited during the Annual Conference. If you are unable to attend the conference you can submit your name by sending an e-mail to Vicky Wolf, President-elect or to Sandy Bissen in the Executive Office.

Team leadership is determined by the WHIMA President-elect with input from existing team leadership and membership. Team membership terms are for one year, commencing July 2010 and ending June 2011.

For more information, visit our volunteer page online. Members with questions regarding serving on a team should contact Vicky Wolf or Sandy Bissen. Submit your name now.

Have You Seen It?

Our profession has a billboard! Yes…a billboard! Waukesha County Technical College unveiled their new billboard recently to promote their HIT program. The billboard is located on I94 east near the highway 18/Waukesha exit.

The Scholarship Team Goes All Out to Make It an Event to Remember
By Barbara Savagian, RHIA

At the Opening Reception, “Baubles, Bubbles, and Business”, held during the grand opening of the Exhibit Hall on Wednesday, May 5, 2010, there will be drawings for a beautiful 1 carat diamond necklace and a dazzling pair of 1 carat diamond earrings, made possible by contributions from WHIMA’s Past-Presidents. There will also be drawings for $100 discount vouchers to apply toward registration fees to the WHIMA 2010 Fall Conference. The Fall Conference will be held Sept. 16-17, 2010, at the Chula Vista Resort in Wisconsin Dells.

The Scholarship Team will also host the annual “Not-So-Silent-Auction” in the Exhibit Hall. The auction is always a big hit, with donations from Vendors, WHIMA members, and WHIMA Teams. This year promises to be one of our best yet!! A sneak peak at some of the auction items are:

-2 Packer Tickets from Deb Buckman
-½ carat diamond necklace from the WHIMA Board of Directors
-HIM Cruise from Clear Medical Solutions
-Southern Living at Home Bountiful Bowl & Platter set from Amphion
-½ carat diamond ring from the Scholarship Team
-8 g iPod Touch from Econoprint
-Riverbend Winery basket from WWHIMA
-Coach laptop bag, umbrella, and wallet from the Policy & Legislative and Bylaws Teams
-Lakeside Suite & other Osthoff goodies from the Osthoff Resort

There will be many more great items in the auction -- come and see them all, and bid them up!! The auction starts with the opening of the Exhibit Hall at 5:00 on Wednesday, May 5, and ends at 1:00 on Thursday, May 6.

Money earned from both events will benefit the WHIMA Scholarship Fund.

Find It Online

Here's some quick links to WHIMA resources online:

Celebrate WHIMA's 75th Jubilee. Plan to come to Elkhart Lake, May 5-7, 2010.