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Internal Communities of Practice
Did you know the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) manages its own virtual environment for networking, collaboration and information sharing as a member benefit? AHIMA's virtual neighborhoods are known as "Communities of Practice" (CoP). Collectively, the AHIMA CoP environment provides the immediate ability to disseminate, exchange and share information, such as industry news, exam preparation, links to other helpful resources and, most importantly, solutions and ideas from peers--all powerful tools in keeping pace with changes in the HIM field. Currently, there are more than 150 different communities, each with a unique focus and topic of interest.
A popular CoP topic is certification exam preparation. The most active exam preparation CoPs are those specific to the certified coding associate (CCA), certified coding specialist (CCS), certified coding specialist-physician-based (CCS-P) and certified health data analyst exams. Specifically, these CoPs help connect members studying for the exam with other members who have already taken the exam. Candidates ask general questions about what to expect, how best to prepare, what study guides are helpful, as well as discuss specific solutions for actual coding situations encountered in the work environment. Each CoP has one or more assigned facilitators who further guide discussions and share references that might be helpful to the candidates, such as revised coding guidelines for infusion and injections. Also, there is the Recent Graduate Community where graduates of registered health information technician (RHIT) and administrator (RHIA) programs join. As a result of interaction between and among the participants, numerous virtual and in-person study groups have formed to study for these exams.
The AHIMA CoP environment is large; some of the more popular communities have thousands of members. Deciding which communities to join and how to best start participating can be overwhelming to new or inexperienced users, but the potential benefits are numerous and significant. Leveraging the benefits begins when you start participating. Consider this advice of a CoP participant:
"I think the best advice I could give to inexperienced users is to just try it. With so many different Communities, it can be a bit overwhelming to look at. But the regional CoPs would be a good place to start and become familiar with the format. It was very valuable to me when I was researching what taking the certification would be like and for looking for my first job."
Christopher Hatfield, CCS
Coding analyst, medical records
DeKalb Medical, Decatur, GA
AHIMA's External Social Media Initiatives
More recently, AHIMA launched social media initiatives on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. All three have proved immediately popular and are great sources of information for AHIMA members, certified professionals and non-members alike. If you haven't already checked out one or more of these social media initiatives, now is the time!
AHIMA's social media goals include:
- Connecting more intimately with members and friends of AHIMA
- Assisting members and friends of AHIMA in networking with their association and HIM peers
- Offering another avenue of career and educational support for HIM professionals
- Personalizing the AHIMA experience through widespread direct interaction online, enriching the user experience and establishing a sense of connection for those utilizing the network
- Providing information about meetings, opportunities, products and services that help address participants' concerns and answer their questions
- Reminding members and potential members of valuable benefits like the CoPs and Journal, and inform non-members of these benefits so they think about joining the association
- Reinforcing the AHIMA brand as a trusted authority in HIM
Check out AHIMA's external social media initiatives at the links below:
Michael Niederpruem is vice president of certifications for AHIMA.
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