A Call to Action for 2010

By Leslie A Fox, MA, RHIA, FAHIMA, and Patty T. Sheridan, MBA, RHIA — November 18, 2009

Are You Secured?

By Cheryl McEvoy — November 18, 2009

As HIPAA penalties grow, encryption keeps data under lock-and-key.

Clinical Documentation

By Rob Senior — November 18, 2009

A well-versed coder can be an invaluable resource to CDI initiatives.

Committee Members Wanted

By Louise Schuman and Shirley Jordan-Seay, PhD(c), MSN, MEd, OCN, CTR — November 18, 2009

Historically, the National Cancer Registrars Association (NCRA) Formal Education Committee preformed two primary functions:

1. The accreditation process of cancer information management programs, and

2. Marketing NCRA accredited cancer information management programs and other educational programming.

Over time it was felt that accreditation and marketing were separate processes and should be performed by two separate committees so each could focus its efforts on one

ICs: Consider the Costs

By Cheryl McEvoy — November 18, 2009

Think being an independent contractor will put you in the money? Get ready to dole it out.

In-Your-Face Dressing

By Sandy Dumont — November 18, 2009

Despite recent trends, dressing to impress remains as important as ever.

Many E Codes Created for 2010

Prepared by Ingenix staff — November 16, 2009

To be prepared for the certified coding specialist (CCS) and physician-based (CCS-P) exams, coders should be aware of the latest ICD-9-CM code changes. There were a total of 313 new, 45 revised and 23 deleted diagnoses codes that went into effect on Oct. 1, 2009. Because of the very significant changes to the Supplementary Classification of External Causes of Injury and Poisoning chapter, this column focuses on E codes and related guideline revisions. More than 160 new E codes have been creat

Nov. 16, 2009--Army Halts Electronic Dental Record Application

November 16, 2009

The Army Medical Command abruptly stopped fielding an electronic dental record application that is part of a larger health record network the Defense Department operates for soldiers.

The Army's deputy surgeon general, Maj. Gen. David Rubenstein, directed a strategic pause in the deployment of AHLTA Dental, according to e-mails. AHLTA is the electronic health record system operated by Defense for members of the uniformed services.

Nov. 16, 2009-Stovall Management Expands Website

November 16, 2009

STOVALL MANAGEMENT EXPANDS WEBSITE TO MATCH INTERIM PROFESSIONALS AND ORGANIZATIONS

Stovall Management, LLC (Stovall), a firm specializing in interim professional healthcare staffing, has expanded its services launching their redesigned website, www.stovallmanagement.com.

The company was formed solely to match qualified int

Nov. 16, 2009: Drummond Group Plans to Certify EHRs

November 16, 2009

Drummond Group Inc. announced that it will submit to become a certifying body upon the release of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) requirements for certifying bodies for Electronic Health Records (EHRs). Drummond Group has been approached recently by numerous EHR software and services companies that need to be certified.

"Clearly there is a growing demand for EHR certifications," said Rik Drummond, CEO of Drummond Group. "Drummond Group ha

Nov. 17, 2009--eWebHealth's Technology Is the Solution at Saint Francis

November 17, 2009

Saint Francis Hospital, a 155-bed full-service community care hospital in Charleston, WV, has selected the complete eWebHIM suite of medical records workflow technology from eWebHealth, the leading provider of electronic workflow solutions for medical records, as its complete electronic legal health record (e-LHR) solution.

As a divested HCA hospital, Saint Francis needed a medical records workflow solution that would easily interface with its HCA Meditech health information system. <

Nov. 17, 2009: Mississippi Health System to Connect EHR to HIE

November 17, 2009

Memorial Hospital at Gulfport, MS, has selected Allscripts electronic health record (EHR) and practice management (PM) solution, with its revenue cycle management, to enhance the quality of the care delivered by its 100 employed physicians, improve patient communications and better manage the cost of care delivery.

Memorial Hospital at Gulfport, located 70 miles east of New Orleans, is one of the largest health care providers on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Nov. 18, 2009--Jordan Hospital Goes Live with Complete ClaimTrust Revenue

November 18, 2009

ClaimTrust, a not-for-profit hospital and an affiliate of Jordan Health Systems located in Plymouth, MA, has selected ClaimTrust InSight Denials and is now using the complete InSight Revenue Cycle Solutionproduct suite.

The InSight Revenue Cycle Solution is a web-based, fully hosted product suite designed to target key points in the revenue cycle to ensure that hospitals can most efficiently collect all of the revenue to which they are entitled. The suite of products improves workflow

Nov. 18, 2009--VA VistA Could Considerably Exceed Initial Budget Projections

November 18, 2009

The Veterans Affairs modernization of its VistA clinical record system may end up costing up to $350 million more than its original budget, the Government Accountability Office reported recently.

The VA did not fully establish earned value management, a project management tool that tracks and reports project status and produces early warning signs of probable schedule del

Nov. 19, 2009--CMS Announces 2008 Results of Physician Initiative

November 19, 2009

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced the results for the 2008 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI).

More than 85,000 physicians and other eligible professionals who satisfactorily reported quality-related data to Medicare under the 2008 PQRI received incentive payments totaling more than $92 million, compared to $36 million in 2007. In 2007, eligible professionals could only participate in the program during a 6-month reporting peri

Nov. 19, 2009--NLM Releases Mapping for ICD-9

November 19, 2009

The U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) has released a draft rules-based mapping from SNOMED Clinical Terms to the International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM). The map was designed to support semi-automated administrative reporting and reimbursement for healthcare services within U.S. healthcare organizations. The NLM seeks users to "test drive" and provide feedback for the map-which will guide the development of related maps.

The draft

Reader Confused About Health Story Project

November 18, 2009

I read the April 2009 article about the Health Story Project. If I understood it correctly, Health Story is attempting to provide more information. What I am confused about is how. The article said the provider continues to point-and-click as well as can use dictation.

After re-reading the article, it seems what they are doing is just trying to standardize EHR information. While that is not a bad thing, it doesn't seem to meet the needs of the providers. We still have point-and-click

Recipe for Success

By Matthew J. Taylor, PT, PhD — November 18, 2009

Cultivating creativity in the workplace is a skill that can be learned.

Say What?? Nov. 18, 2009

November 18, 2009

Have a funny dictation or transcription blooper to share? Click here to submit your "Say What??" moments to us for publication.

Dictation: "She had a partial mastectomy done, followed by chemo."
Speech recognition (SR): "She had a partial mastectomy done, followed by a female."
Pamela Morrow
Conyers, GA

"Venostasis w

Sick Economy

By Scott Hatfield — November 18, 2009

The economic meltdown coupled with the plummeting real estate market is making some Americans more than a little worried: It's making them sick.

ADVANCE for Health Information Professionals

A Call to Action for 2010

Are You Secured?

Clinical Documentation

Committee Members Wanted

ICs: Consider the Costs

In-Your-Face Dressing

Many E Codes Created for 2010

Nov. 16, 2009--Army Halts Electronic Dental Record Application

Nov. 16, 2009-Stovall Management Expands Website

Nov. 16, 2009: Drummond Group Plans to Certify EHRs

Nov. 17, 2009--eWebHealth's Technology Is the Solution at Saint Francis

Nov. 17, 2009: Mississippi Health System to Connect EHR to HIE

Nov. 18, 2009--Jordan Hospital Goes Live with Complete ClaimTrust Revenue

Nov. 18, 2009--VA VistA Could Considerably Exceed Initial Budget Projections

Nov. 19, 2009--CMS Announces 2008 Results of Physician Initiative

Nov. 19, 2009--NLM Releases Mapping for ICD-9

Reader Confused About Health Story Project

Recipe for Success

Say What?? Nov. 18, 2009

Sick Economy