ADVANCE asked our Top 10 in HIM what the big issues will be in 2009 in their respective nooks of HIM. Here's what they had to say.

Jonnie Massey, CPC, CPC-P, CPC-I, AHFI
Legal division, supervisor, external audit and investigations, The Regence Group, Portland, OR

With the economy as it is, Massey sees education taking a prime role this year. People are looking for new job skills or to enhance existing skills. Massey moonlights as a coding educator, and locally, she's already seeing an increase in students.

Rose Dunn, MBA, RHIA, CPA, CHPS, FAHIMA
Chief operating officer, First Class Solutions, Maryland Heights, MO

Dunn looks at 2009 as the year the legal health record will be spotlighted. "The HIM professional within the organizations will be the driver of designing the legal health record, because I think there will be more activities going on with e-discovery, and it will become more prevalent, forcing organizations to address the definition of the legal health record," Dunn explained.

There will also be more movement toward EHRs, Dunn noted, either toward a hybrid or fully electronic record. "But I think the more important role for HIM professionals will be addressing the perils of e-discovery if the legal health record isn't appropriately defined and managed," she said.

Linda Mulvihill, RHIT, CTR
Program consultant, National Program of Cancer Registries, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta

Mulvihill believes the new data items that cancer registrars will prepare for in 2010, informatics, and the move to EHRs, as the issues that will dominate the cancer registry field in 2009. Another issue will be data linking in the state registries to supplement their cancer data.

Michelle Green, MPS, RHIA, FAHIMA, CMA (AAMA), CPC, PCS
SUNY distinguished teaching professor, physical and life sciences department, Alfred State College, Alfred, NY

Green sees the EHR as one of the big issues in HIM in 2009, and also, the field will start preparing for ICD-10. With a push from the government, going paperless is likely to be at the forefront, Green noted.

Jacque Taylor, AHDI-F
Online instructor, Transcription Relief Services Institute, Greensboro, NC

Taylor chose the EHR and personal health records as the two main topics of 2009. "I think we all need to get used to the fact that it's here, and we've got to accept it, embrace it and move forward with it," Taylor explained. "Eventually, it's going to be a lifesaver for an awful lot of people, and I think we . really need to grab hold of it and work with it."

Jan Baucom, RHIA
Director, medical records department, Gaston Memorial Hospital/CaroMont Health, Gastonia, NC

Baucom's facility is working toward being completely paperless, and she thinks further data exchanges among organizations will be near the top of the list of HIM issues in 2009. HIM departments will also be looking at recovery audit contractor (RAC) audits, and preparing for ICD-10.

Lynda Douglas, CTR
Education coordinator, National Program of Cancer Registries, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta

Douglas and her team will be getting ready for the changes on tap for 2010, and she and her team will be working to educate registrars about the coming changes. She'll also be getting ready for Collaborative Staging Version 2, which will come out in 2010.

Deborah Grider, CPC, CPC-H, CPC-I, CPC-P, COBGC, CEMC, CCS-P
Consultant, Deborah Grider and Associates LLC, Indianapolis

Grider's working on two books on ICD-10, and sees that as a major topic in 2009. EHRs will also be a big issue, and the 5010 form conversion will be a hot topic in the HIM field, as well.

Susan Francis, CMT, AHDI-F
Director, Medical Transcription Education Center Inc. (M-TEC), Fairlawn, OH

Automated speech recognition is already out there, so editing and proofreading will be at the forefront in the medical transcription industry, according to Francis. Credentialing for MTs will also be a big issue, Francis noted. MTs may also be flocking to refresher courses to sharpen skills as credentialing becomes more of a focus.

Allison Viola, MBA, RHIA
Director of federal relations, AHIMA, Chicago, IL

Like many others on our list, Viola sees ICD-10 as a hot HIM topic in 2009. Also, quality will be a focus, meaning data quality, quality of reporting and data standards. Work force issues will be at the forefront this year, too.