Spring is finally here! You can see it all around. I was awakened one morning recently by a bird chirping outside my window. I must confess - I am not a morning person. However, I realized at that moment that the bird’s song was much more pleasant than my alarm clock. Similarly, we all are presented with situations each day in which we must decide how we will react. Is your cup half full or half empty? If your response is typically “half empty”, then now is the time to realign your thoughts and change your attitude. NCHIMA’s 60^th Annual Meeting, “Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude…Navigating HIM”, is fast approaching and will provide us with an excellent opportunity to focus on major issues that are impacting our profession! If you have not already registered, please visit NCHIMA for more information. Audrey Chase, Vice President, and her program committee have worked very hard to plan an event that will leave you with a full cup!

AHIMA’s Winter Team Talks and Hill Day was held March 22-23, 2010 in Washington, DC. Sherry King, Deanie Auton and Susan Richardson all attended to represent our state. Although I was not able to attend, due to a family obligation, I understand they had a productive trip to the “Hill” advocating for HIM professionals. They have summarized their experiences for you in this newsletter.

Did you know that we have a NCHIMA member on the 2010 AHIMA ballot? Congratulations to Susan Parker for being selected as a candidate for AHIMA’s 2011 President-Elect! How awesome would it be to have one of our members serving at the national level? Be on the look out for an announcement regarding candidate bios and opportunities to interact with the candidates through the forthcoming Candidate CoP. The AHIMA polls will be open June 7-25, 2010. The election results will be announced mid-July.     

The NCHIMA Executive Board, like AHIMA’s House of Delegates, is now on a year-round track. The Governance Team must always be thinking forward. Our last meeting was held February 12^th at Scotland Memorial Hospital in Laurinburg, NC. Our next meeting is scheduled for May 21, 2010 in Charlotte, NC. In the weeks to come, we will be sharing the AHIMA Environmental Scan Form with you so that you can help us with prioritizing issues that influence the HIM profession. The results will serve as a tool in helping the Governance Team plan for the future. Cornelia McClure, Delegate, will be compiling the results from our component state association (CSA) and submitting them to AHIMA. 

The Finance Team, Chaired by Kevan Weaver, Treasurer, continues to work with the regions on updating their Bylaws. We have given Susan Richardson, Delegate, the task of updating our procedure manual – a much needed priority which is well under way. In addition, this team has been in contact with all committee chairs on planning for the 2010-2011 proposed budget which will be voted on during the business meeting at the Annual Meeting later this month.

The Industry Team, Chaired by Laura Pait, Past President & Director, continues to work on two industry-related projects for the Spring/Summer. We have partnered with two organizations which we have established alliance relationship with in order to achieve common goals. Holding a “Hill Day” in North Carolina is one of those projects. The North Carolina Health Information Management Systems Society (NCHIMSS) is coordinating a “Taking HIT to Jones Street” event. For more information review the event details or contact Deanie Auton, Delegate for Legal Affairs. The second project is ICD-10 education. We have partnered with NCHICA on an ICD-10 Summit scheduled for June 24, 2010 at the Raleigh Convention Center. Lee Ford, Special Projects Chair, will be organizing this event on NCHIMA’s behalf. Event details will be posted on the website soon.

The Member Services Team, Chaired by Sherry King, President-Elect, has been going full force since last summer and is almost ready for a much needed sigh of relief. In addition to the efforts of Audrey Chase, Vice President and the Program Committee for the ,Annual Meeting Plans, we have had two Coding Roundtable meetings, coordinated by Dina Williams and her committee, a Mid-Year Workshop and our first audio conference, both coordinated by Cory Grimshaw and the Education Committee. Our website and newsletter have undergone dynamic cosmetic changes. I would like to share with you a high level summary of the results of our recent web redesign survey, which was distributed on March 30, 2010. We had a total of 173 responses and as you can see, the results reveal that the respondents are pleased with the improvements we have made to our website! I would like to give a BIG “Thank you” to Lisa Ramsey, Webmaster, for helping us achieve this goal. Also, you can see below that the respondents also like our new format for Footprints. Valerie Dobson, Publications Chair, has done a great job taking our newsletter completely electronic.

Although we have accomplished great things this year, we still have more projects ahead of us. I would like to congratulate the elected officers for 2010-2011! I look forward to working with this very talented group as they assume their roles on the new Governance Team beginning July 1, 2010:

• Sherry King, RHIA, CTR - President
• Audrey Chase, RHIA - President-Elect
• Lee Ford, RHIT, MHA, CPC, CPC-H, CHC – Vice President
• Valerie Dobson, MHS, RHIA – Secretary
• Cassina Hunt, RHIA – Delegate
• Jean Foster, RHIA – Delegate
• Susan Richardson, RHIA – Delegate (continuing term)
• Kevan Weaver, RHIT – Treasurer (continuing term)
• Annette Morrison, RHIT – Regional Liaison (continuing term)

As a reminder, please mark your calendars for the dates below:

·       Annual Meeting  -  April 28-30^th at The Grove Park Inn, Asheville

·       Hill Day in North Carolina – May 18^th at the Legislative Complex, Raleigh

·       AHIMA Triumph Award Nominations are due June 1^st

·       AHIMA Election – June 7-25^th

·       ICD-10 Summit - June 24^th at the Raleigh Convention Center, Raleigh

Even when your cup is running over, don’t give up, embrace it! 

Serving you,

Amy

Name:  Bethany Denhoff, RHIT 

Title:  Clinical Recovery Specialist

Organization Name, Location & Website: Carolinas HealthCare System Charlotte, NC. www.carolinas.org

College Attended: Ferris State University, Big Rapids, Michigan 

Your Organization

• What is new and exciting at your organization? Working in the Corporate RAC Department, we are starting to see RAC activity. We are constantly learning new processes and the complexity of the Revenue Cycle. We are assisting our hospitals in our organization on working through their internal processes. 
• What do you want to share about your recent accomplishments to the other NCHIMA members?    I recently transferred from Michigan to Charlotte, NC. This is the first job I have had that is not in a hospital setting.   It has opened my eyes and has given me additional insight into the impact of patient care. It is looking at the entire continuum of care.

Career

·         What is your business philosophy? Work hard, do not resist change (especially in healthcare) take ownership and be accountable, promote teamwork, view mistakes that you will make along the way as learning opportunities.

·         What is the best way to keep a competitive edge? Stay on top of all kinds of reading in the field and related fields. Keep your ears open and always think out of the box.

·         How do you measure success? Setting and accomplishing goals that have made a positive impact.

·         What are your biggest accomplishments in the past 24 months? In Michigan, I was involved in the transition from a paper record, to a scanned hybrid record. The before and after pictures of the physical HIM Department were incredible and working through all of the procedures that effected the entire hospital was quite a challenge. I was also involved in implementing a new Clinical Documentation Improvement Program. The education between the coders and the CDI specialists was priceless. Since being here at CHS and in the RAC Department, I’ve had such a wonderful opportunity to meet great people that are so willing to share their knowledge.   I’ve learned how hospitals large and small do their processes.

·         What goal have you set, but not yet achieved? I would like to have my CCS certification by the end of summer. I would also like to become a certified trainer for ICD 10.

·         What has been your toughest business decision? Any decision that needed to be made that would affect any of my staff member’s livelihoods.

·         What has been your biggest business lesson learned? Never assume 

·         What is your career advice? You can do whatever you set your mind to. Don’t limit yourself to what you can do because it may open doors for you that you may never have imagined.

·         What do you like least about your job? Honestly, I can not think of anything. I truly love what I am doing.

·         If you were not a Clinical Recovery Specialist, what would you be? I would be a physical therapist or work in sports medicine.

Personal

• What is your pet peeve? When someone takes credit for someone else’s work.
• What are your greatest passions in life? Raising my children and helping others.
• What are your favorite quotes? I’m not really a quote person, but I find myself saying frequently “two heads are better than one” and “this too shall pass”
• What is your favorite book? The Bible
• What is your favorite movie? The Blindside has taken over the top spot on my list.
• What is your favorite way to spend your free time? Doing fun things with my family and friends. And, when I have extra spending money……..shopping!

AHIMA

• What do you like most about AHIMA? The newsletters, education materials, a very robust website.
• What is your favorite AHIMA event and why? The National Convention. I like the networking, the knowledge gained through sharing experiences at the tracks and looking at the “cutting edge” tools all in one room at the vendor exhibits.
• What can AHIMA do to make itself better? Continue to pave the way and be the leader in all areas of Health Information Management. Continue to set high standards in the HIM curriculums in the colleges.




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Come Join NCHIMA at our 60th Annual Meeting
April 28 - 30, 2010
Grove Park Inn and Spa



NCHIMA 60^TH ANNUAL MEETING

Audrey Chase, RHIA, Vice President



“Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude, Navigating HIM”

The Program Committee is actively planning for our 2009 annual meeting. Our meeting will be held April 28 - April 30, 2010 at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC. Please come join us for many educational and networking opportunities! NCHIMA’s mission is to promote the quality, access and security of health information in all healthcare settings for the benefit of the members, healthcare consumers, providers and other users of clinical data. With today’s trying times in healthcare, we must learn how to navigate in a sea of constant change. Don’t miss the boat…come join us in Asheville!

Agenda

The draft agenda is included in this issue of Footprints for your review. We have a variety of topics which will be presented by excellent speakers! We will be applying for 20 continuing education hours. We are proud to offer a Coding Roundtable again in 2010, in conjunction with the annual meeting.

Registration

For your convenience, we will be using online registration through CVent again this year. Additional details of the meeting will be sent to you via an electronic invitation in February. You may register for the entire meeting or specific days. Please visit AHIMA.org to update your member profile in order to ensure we have your current e-mail address.

Fees

The registration fees are as follows:

Members Non-Members **Students

Full Meeting / Early registration (by 3/26/10)	$275.00	$375.00	$75.00
Full Meeting / Late registration (after 3/26/10)	$325.00	$475.00	$75.00
Wednesday ONLY	$150.00	$175.00	$30.00
Thursday ONLY	$150.00	$175.00	$30.00
Friday ONLY (Coding Roundtable)	$100.00	$125.00	$15.00

**Student Fee Note: The fees for students are to cover the cost of meals/breaks only.

Hotel Accommodations

We have contracted with two hotels this year. Additional information about the hotels and their amenities will be included in your electronic meeting invitation. The block rooms are on a first come, first serve basis, so reserve your room quickly! The group rates are as follows:

Grove Park Inn $157.00 per night + tax

Please mark you calendars and plan to attend. We look forward to serving you!

NCHIMA 2009-2010 Program Committee

Audrey Chase, RHIA, NCHIMA Vice President; Lisa Walter, RHIA; Jolene Jarrell, RHIA, CCS-P; Julie Thomas, MBA, MHA, RHIA; Jennifer Tortora, RHIA; Penny Wells, MAed RHIA




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Takin HIT to Jones Street

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

As you are very much aware, AHIMA sponsors a “Hill Day” in Washington, DC every year. AHIMA members are invited to the “Hill” to meet with their elected officials to discuss “hot topics” and to provide members of Congress, and the House of Representatives, information regarding the impact their decisions will make on healthcare overall and on our profession. Last year, the primary topic for discussion was the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). This topic has required continued discussions and has the potential to have a tremendous long-term impact on HIM Professionals.

On May 18, 2010, NCHIMA members across North Carolina will be provided an opportunity to experience an Advocacy Day in North Carolina. NCHIMSS, in cooperation with NCHICA, NCHIMA, NAMI NC, and NC CACHI will sponsor a State Health Information Technology (HIT), or Advocacy Day, in Raleigh, NC. NCHIMA members are encouraged to attend this exciting event. It will be a learning experience for everyone. CEUs will be provided for those attending the sessions. Please refer to the flyer in this issue of Footprints, “Takin’ HIT to Jones Street”, for additional information.

Click here for details.

Hope to see you there!




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Quality Care for the AMI Patient
By Bobbi Wessels, RN, BS, MA
Editor’s note: Bobbi Wessels, RN, BS, MA is a guest contributor for Clinical-Insights.

With so much focus placed on publicly reported data in the healthcare industry, many hospitals are finding themselves on the quality stage dancing in the spotlight. And, since this information is readily available and accessible via the Internet as a result of transparency requirements, consumers have a multitude of information at their disposal to make educated decisions about where they will seek health care and who will provide those services, especially when it comes to cardiovascular care.
Literature supports the importance of measuring the processes and outcomes of care for patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) based primarily on disease prevalence. Currently, cardiovascular disease, including AMI, is the leading cause of death in the United States and is also the primary disease category for hospital patient discharges. Each year 900,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with AMI; of these, approximately 225,000 cases result in death and it is estimated that an additional 125,000 patients die before seeking medical care.
In an effort to improve the safety and quality of patient care through a national, standardized performance measurement system, the Joint Commission, with input from a wide variety of key stakeholders, developed The Core Measure Initiative. Initially, there were four core measurement areas for hospitals, one of which focused on the care of the AMI patient.
The AMI core measure includes the following steps to treat heart attack patients:
• Aspirin at arrival.
• Aspirin prescribed at discharge.
• An angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) or an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) prescribed for left ventricular systolic dysfunction, a heart condition in which the left ventricle does not pump blood effectively from the heart to the rest of the body.
• Smoking cessation advice/counseling.
• Beta blocker prescribed at discharge.
• Fibrinolytic therapy within 30 minutes of hospital arrival for AMI patients with ST segment elevation or left bundle branch block (LLBB) on the ECG closest to hospital arrival.
• Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) within 90 minutes of hospital arrival for AMI patients with ST segment elevation or left bundle branch block on the ECG closest to arrival (patients receiving fibrinolytic therapy are not eligible for PCI).

The collection of AMI core measures data is a vital tool health care organizations can utilize to identify trends, establish benchmarks, and improve patient care. As health care industry standards increasingly focus on quality via pay-for-performance and other mandatory and voluntary improvement initiatives, attention to outcomes data will be progressively more important to health care organizations, physicians, payers, and patients.







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Building Organizational Awareness
Your Communication Plan
By Mary Jane McCracken, RN Editor’s note: Mary Jane McCracken, RN is General Manager at Clinical-Insights.

You probably already know that ICD-9 will be converting to ICD-10 on October 1, 2013. But what you may not know is that a critical component of your organization’s success will be building organizational awareness and creating a communication plan that will help convey the “call to action” for all departments and employees involved in the transition process.

So what exactly is a communication plan and why should you have one? A communication plan is a formal, specifically designed and managed process to help an organization achieve its goals. Its purpose is to convey a message and to influence a behavior for change.

There are a number of steps for you to consider when building organizational awareness. The first is to identify the stakeholders that should be involved in your ICD-10 transition. This includes all members of the transition team, executive teams, outside vendors, and business and clinical departments. If you have a corporate communications department, elicit their help with the communication planning and dissemination of information. Remember that communication is a social process based on openness, sharing, and participation.

Think about how you will communicate to all the different stakeholders. What is the best way to get your message across to people in different departments or settings? Do they respond best to specific communication techniques? You should consider using multiple techniques to meet different needs and by doing so you will reinforce the message. Try using teleconferences, face-to-face reporting/updating, or develop an email distribution list to communicate. You can even designate an area on your intranet for ICD-10 information and updates.

Physicians can sometimes be a hard group to reach. You know they’re busy but if you could post ICD-10 updates where they spend a majority of their time you’ll have better luck getting the message across. Using catchy posters or developing a newsletter that contains information specifically for the physician and his practice is more likely to get attention than a generic ICD-10 poster or newsletter.

If you need help getting started with your own communication plan there are many free resources on the internet that can help. You can find a sample communication plan at www.communicationideas.com. Here are some basic principles of effective communication found on their website:

• To be understood, communication must be grounded in the interests and language of the receiver – “How will it affect me?”
• To be noticed, communication must be compelling – Think “creative.” It must compete for attention and be continuous and consistent.
• To be influential, communication must be credible – Just the facts, the ICD-10 facts are hard enough so there’s no need to exaggerate.
• To be financially savvy – Target high dollar codes for intense training.

Remember communication is a two way process – listen for feedback.

By having a communication plan, you can easily uncover issues and concerns and address them in a timely matter. By explaining the reasons behind certain executive actions, you will gain understanding and support for the transition. Sharing information creates a culture of trust, shared values, and accessible knowledge throughout the organization. This in turn, facilitates faster action and higher performance.

This is the second in a series of three articles on transitioning to ICD-10. In our next article we’ll discuss ICD-10 Training and Education. If you have specific questions or comments regarding ICD-10 transition, please email Mary Jane at mjmccracken@clinical-insights.com.







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