2009 AHIMA Winter Team Talks and Hill Day
Washington DC
March 23 & 24, 2009

by Sandy Stevens-Berens (continues) 

Our 2009 “Problems” and “Asks” during Hill Day included the following:

-Allied Health EHR Education Funding.
We are asking for inclusion of all allied health professionals in the Title VII education funding for EHR advancement. Currently only physicians, nurses, and pharmacists are mentioned. Our premise is that allied health professionals make up 60% of the healthcare profession and all healthcare professionals will need education in the use and practice of EHR’s.

-DOL-BLS HIM Definitions.
The request is to upgrade the DOL-BLS HIM definitions which were submitted in July 2008, but have not been acted upon.  The reason for this request is to ensure proper identification and tracking of the HIM workforce. The current definitions are decades old and misclassified.

-Streamline Standards Upgrades.
For example, HIPAA-related standards took years to accomplish. There is a need for a more efficient and effective update and delivery process, similar to how Microsoft manages their updating process. Updates need to be periodic and regularly scheduled.

-Barriers to Health Information Exchange.
Current laws in many states unintentionally provide barriers to the use of EHRs and HIE, both within states and across state lines. The recommendation was to either preempt state laws or work with states to overcome the obstacles.

-Technologies and Classification Coordination.
The basic element for interoperability; current terminology and classification standards used in the US , have not been addressed. AHIMA is recommending the initiation of a feasibility study for an authority to engage in industry-wide standards.

-Adoption of SNOMED-CT.
EHR vendors and users have not adopted SNOMED-CT into their EHR products. The recommendation is to pass legislation resulting in the formal adoption and implementation of SNOMED-CT as the standard clinical reference terminology.

-Lack of Uniform, Consistent, Privacy Rules.
Although work has been underway for years, lack of consistency results in incomplete or inconsistent privacy compliance and barriers to development and implementation.  

Chrisann and I met with Paul Ryan, Tammy Baldwin, and Steve Kagen’s offices.

The staff and representatives were very open to our recommendations and understood our concerns. By their responses, it was evident that there was significant work yet to be done on the stimulus package prior to the release of any of the stated monies. AHIMA will continue to monitor the progress.