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Friday, February 26, 2010

This Week's Featured Continuing Education Webinar

Today’s Healthcare Technician: Staying Relevant in an EMR World

Presenter: Elisa Comer, CPHIT, CPEHR, CQA, MLTS
Date: Thursday, March 11
Time: 10 AM PST / 1 PM EST
Registration Close: March 5, 2010
CE Given: 1 TW

"Challenging" doesn’t begin to describe what lies ahead for today’s health data technician. Learn how to stay relative regarding the EMR in a rapidly changing HIT environment. In this session, we will explore topics such as where to get updated information and which EMR skills will be necessary for success.

Register now!


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HITECH Survey: Providers Remain Concerned About HIPAA Breach Notifications

HITECH compliance for business associates (BAs) has come and gone. The date for BAs to comply with the HIPAA Security Rule and the use and disclosures provision of the privacy rule was February 17. Further, breach notification enforcement begins February 22.

So where does your organization stand? Are you ready? Your BAs? We can give you a pretty good idea after seeing the results of HCPro’s HIPAA and HITECH survey that was rolled out the past two weeks. It attracted nearly 600 respondents, including mostly HIPAA compliance officers and HIM directors.

For starters, if your organization has done something with its HIPAA compliance program in light of the HITECH, you’re in the majority: 89% said they’ve responded. Read more at HealthLeadersMedia.com.


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Thursday, February 25, 2010

Sebelius Awards $100 Million to 10 States to Test Innovations in Children’s Health Care

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced $100 million in federal grant funds to 10 states to improve health care quality and delivery systems for children enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

The grants, which will be awarded over a five year period, were funded by the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA). The money will help states implement and evaluate provider performance measures and utilize health information technologies such as pediatric electronic health records and other quality improvement initiatives. Read the full story at HHS.gov.


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Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Registration Ends Tomorrow: HIV & AIDS in the Female Population Webinar

Date: March 2, 2010
Presenter: Catherine Wyatt-Morley
Time: 10:00 AM PST / 1:00 PM EST
Duration: 1 Hour
Registration Close: February 25, 2010
Cost: $20 Members / $30 Non-members
CEC Given: 1 CM

Women On Maintaining Education and Nutrition (W.O.M.E.N.) has provided support, advice/referral, education, and nutrition information for people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. Their mission is to enlighten, inform, and educate our community. W.O.M.E.N. is a nonprofit organization that provides HIV education and prevention services as well as referrals to those persons infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. Ms. Wyatt-Morley will share how W.O.M.E.N. is able to help improve the quality of life for people who are HIV-positive while working to reduce rates of infection and risk to others. Preventing HIV and STDs requires a comprehensive strategy composed of a service delivery system with effective sustained health education and health promotion interventions.

Catherine Wyatt-Morley is producer of the video Reasons To Live: Women, Their Families and HIV and the author of the internationally acclaimed book AIDS Memoir Journal of an HIV Positive Mother, (Kumarian Press, 1997) and Positive People, Combating HIV and AIDS (Trafford Publishing 2006). Wyatt-Morley is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Women On Maintaining Education and Nutrition (W.O.M.E.N.), a 501c(3) nonprofit community-based organization (1996) in Nashville, TN. Wyatt-Morley's volunteer efforts have been recognized with a plaque in the Women's National Hall of Fame. Her contributions of new awareness relative to HIV/AIDS, specifically to children, teens, and to women as concerned citizens, are phenomenal. By touching our imaginations and our hearts, Wyatt-Morley inspires others.


Register Now!



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Tuesday, February 23, 2010

AHDI Book of Style, 3rd Edition, Workbook Now Available!

AHDI is excited to announce that the Book of Style Workbook is now available for purchase. This long-anticipated companion workbook to The Book of Style for Medical Transcription, 3rd edition, is designed to work in tandem with the Book of Style. The Workbook contains practical application exercises to assist students, postgraduates, and working MTs with orientation to standards and preparation for AHDI credentialing exams. BOS content chapters 1 through 24 are fully addressed in this text, with a reinforcement/review approach that includes the following elements:

  • A checklist of learning objectives
  • Tips and strategies for content approach
  • Exam prep assessment, ie, multiple-choice questions designed to test BOS information and simulate AHDI credentialing exam questions
  • Proofreading/editing application to test error recognition and in-text standards identification
  • Transcription practice via interactive CD
This workbook does not include the appendices or address industry trends and standards from chapters 25-28 from the BOS. This book is a companion manual to the BOS; it contains assessment exercises only. It is not designed to replace the Book of Style. Purchase of this product includes a 200-page workbook and an interactive audio CD.


You will note that this workbook is available for the very affordable rate of $35 to AHDI members. Nonmembers can purchase the workbook for the list price of $50. Purchase your copy today and it will ship on the very next business day via UPS! Please contact our Member Relations team toll free at 800-982-2182 (Direct: 209-527-9620) for questions about the workbook, or to place your order by phone. We are happy to serve you.

Author: Lea Sims, CMT, AHDI-F

ISBN: 978-0-935229-61-5

AHDI Member Rate: $35
Nonmember Rate: $50

Purchase the Book of Style 3E Workbook today!

Members must log into their account on the AHDI website in order to ensure member pricing.


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Registration Ends Today! The Consequences of “Meaningful Use” and EHR Certification for the Medical Transcription Sector Webinar

Date: February 25, 2010
Presenters: Scott Shalett, Principal, Dewey Square Group; Peter Preziosi, PhD, CAE, CEO, AHDI/MTIA
Time: 12 PM PST / 1 PM MST / 2 PM CST / 3 PM EST
Duration: 1 Hour
Registration Close: February 23, 2010
Cost: Free
CE Given: 1 TW

With great anticipation, the Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services recently released proposed regulations on “meaningful use” and EHR certification. Physicians and healthcare enterprises would have to meet these regulations to qualify for billions of dollars in federal financial incentives for EHR adoption. The federal government’s efforts to spur EHR adoption have broad and sweeping consequences for medical transcription service owners and healthcare documentation professionals. During this webinar, Scott Shalett of the Dewey Square Group, the lobbying firm AHDI and MTIA have been working with since last June, and AHDI/MTIA CEO Peter Preziosi, PhD, CAE, will provide an overview of the consequences, what efforts are being made to position the medical transcription sector for success in the rapidly changing health IT landscape, and what you can do to support those efforts leading up to the 5th annual AHDI/MTIA Advocacy Summit from March 23 to 25 in Washington, DC.

Scott Shalett is a principal at the Dewey Square Group, the lobbying firm AHDI and MTIA have been working with since June of last year. Peter Preziosi is the CEO of AHDI and MTIA.

Register Now!


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Monday, February 22, 2010

Reid Drops Health IT Provision From Senate Job-Creation Bill

Health IT advocates and stakeholders from the health care industry have pledged to lobby to reinstate into a Senate jobs bill an amendment that would have made hospital-based physicians who provide outpatient care eligible to receive incentive payments for electronic health record usage under the HITECH Act, Modern Healthcare reports. The EHR incentive payments were included in the federal economic stimulus package last year. Read the full iHealthBeat story.


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Friday, February 19, 2010

AHDI Leaders – Top 10 in HIM

When ADVANCE for HIM magazine releases its annual “Top 10 in HIM” list, the result is a snapshot of HIM professionals whose expertise and contributions to the health information management domain have uniquely set them apart from their peers. AHDI is proud to announce that our two highest ranking elected leaders have made the 2010 list. AHDI President Susan Lucci, RHIT, CMT, AHDI-F, and AHDI Speaker of the House Bonnie Monico, CMT, AHDI-F, are among those identified as the best of the best in our sector. Both of these leaders have earned a personal and professional reputation for high-impact efforts not just in the workplace but more broadly in the profession through leadership and volunteerism with industry associations, such as AHIMA and AHDI. We are very proud that ADVANCE has chosen to acknowledge their fine work and expertise, which reflects well not only on them as individuals but also on AHDI. The success of any association is measured in its leadership. Please join us in congratulating these amazing leaders!

To read the ADVANCE “Top 10 in HIM” list and listen to audio insights from the Top 10, click here.


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Breach Prevention is Critical as HIPAA Compliance Worlds Collide

Privacy and security officers have to comply with more rules than ever. The Federal Trade Commission’s Red Flags rule, existing HIPAA laws, and the new Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act require that covered entities:


  • Protect patient information with technical, administrative, and physical safeguards (HIPAA)

  • Lessen the negative effect of unauthorized disclosure (HIPAA)

  • Notify patients within 60 days of breaches that involve unsecure personal health information (PHI) and pose a significant risk of financial, reputational, or other harm (HITECH; enforcement effective February 17)

  • Inform HHS of breaches (HITECH; enforcement effective February 17)

  • Establish an identity theft prevention program with policies and procedures to detect, prevent, and mitigate identity theft (Red Flags Rule; enforcement effective June 1)

Read more at Health Media Leaders.


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Thursday, February 18, 2010

Webinar: The Consequences of "Meaningful Use" and EHR Certification for the Medical Transcription Sector

With great anticipation, the Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services recently released proposed regulations on "meaningful use" and EHR certification. Physicians and healthcare enterprises would have to meet these regulations to qualify for billions of dollars in federal financial incentives for EHR adoption. The federal government’s efforts to spur EHR adoption have broad and sweeping consequences for medical transcription service owners and healthcare documentation professionals. During this webinar, Scott Shalett of the Dewey Square Group, the lobbying firm AHDI and MTIA have been working with since last June, and AHDI/MTIA CEO Peter Preziosi, PhD, CAE, will provide an overview of the consequences, what efforts are being made to position the medical transcription sector for success in the rapidly changing health IT landscape, and what you can do to support those efforts leading up to the 5th annual AHDI/MTIA Advocacy Summit from March 23 to 25 in Washington, DC. Please click here to register for this webinar.


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Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Blueprint for Great Governance

AHDI’s Board of Directors, Component Leaders, and House of Delegates are spearheading a new initiative to ensure the long-term success, relevance, and business sustainability of our association’s components. This project, called "The Blueprint for Great Governance," is being lead by AHDI President-elect Barb Marques, CMT, AHDI-F, and Speaker of the House Bonnie Monico, CMT, AHDI-F, with an esteemed group of team members representing the diversity of our membership.

Over the next six months, the team will host a series of Town Hall meetings both in person and online to brainstorm new approaches, services, and models to best serve the needs of our members and position MTs for long-term success in this rapidly changing environment of health care. We will examine the 1) purpose of components, 2) tactics for collaboration and sharing of best practices, 3) ways to ensure financial stability, and 4) engagement models.

All AHDI members, component leaders and members, and delegates are invited to participate in the Town Hall meetings. The online Town Hall meetings will be announced in Vitals as they are scheduled; and face-to-face meetings will be held as follows:

  • March 25, 2010 (in conjunction with the Advocacy Summit)
    2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
    Marriott Crystal City; Arlington, Virginia


  • April 16, 2010 (in conjunction with the AHDI-West Conference & Advocacy Day)
    9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
    Hilton Garden Inn–Phoenix Airport North, Phoenix, Arizona


Following the Town Hall meetings, there will be a Leadership Summit held at ACE on Wednesday, August 4, 2010, for our Component Presidents, House of Delegates, and national AHDI Board of Directors. Please mark your calendars. Our goal for the Summit will be to reach final consensus on a blueprint for the future and specific paths forward in the four areas outlined above.

If you have questions or would like more information on this important initiative, please contact Linda G. Brady, CAE, director of member relations by email: lbrady@ahdionline.org.




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Friday, February 12, 2010

Registration Ends Today for Free AHDI Webinar - Your Association, Your Benefits

Date: February 17, 2010 Presenter: Bethany Twist
Time: 10:00 AM PST / 1:00 PM EST
Duration: 1 Hour
Registration Close: February 12, 2010
Cost: FREE
CE Given: N/A

In this one hour presentation you will learn what is included in association membership and how to take advantage of those benefits. Availability for this complimentary webinar is on a first come first serve basis.

Bethany Twist is the AHDI Member and Component Relations Coordinator. She works closely with members, both at the grassroots and national level, to ensure they receive the maximum value and benefits of membership. This webinar will give you valuable insight in leveraging the resources and tools available to you as an AHDI member.


Click here to register!

KLAS Questions Vendor Claims on HIEs

OREM, UT – Vendors may suggest that many successful health information exchanges have been built with their technology, but the reality is different, according to a new report from KLAS. A small number of vendors – with Axolotl among the top – have risen to the challenge enough times to claim a proven, repeatable model, the Orem, Utah-based research firm found.

In "Health Information Exchanges: The Reality of HIE Adoption," KLAS validated 89 live HIE organizations that use commercial technologies to share patient data that is viewed by doctors. The HIEs included in the study had to be exchanging data among facilities that are not owned by the same organization. Read more at Healthcare IT News.

Registration Ends Today for Free AHDI Webinar - CMT and RMT: Steps to Credentialing

Date: February 17, 2010Presenter: Cassie Uber
Time: 3:00 PM PST / 6:00 PM EST
Duration: 1 Hour
Registration Close: February 12, 2010
Cost: FREE
CE Given: N/A

Do you want to get credentialed but don't know where to start? This comprehensive FREE webinar will cover everything you need to know about how to become an RMT or CMT, including an overview of the content of both exams, test taking tips, information on how to register, and even sample test questions.

Cassie Uber is the Credentialing and Education Coordinator for AHDI.

Click here to register!

Monday, February 8, 2010

New Webinar Available: Today's Healthcare Technician: Staying Relevant in an EMR World - Register Now

Date: March 11, 2010
Presenter: Elisa Comer, CPHIT, CPEHR, CQA, MLTS
Time: 10 AM PST / 11 AM MST / 12 PM CST / 1 PM EST
Duration: 1 Hour
Registration Close: March 5, 2010
Cost: $20 – Members / $30 Non-members
CE Given: 1 TW

"Challenging" doesn't begin to describe what lies ahead for today's health data technician. Learn how to stay relative regarding the EMR in a rapidly changing HIT environment. In this session, we will explore topics such as where to get updated information and which EMR skills will be necessary for success.

Elisa Comer, CPHIT, CPEHR, CQA, MLTS, is a known quality advocate and EMR consultant from Johnson City, TN. After many years as a successful transcription service owner, she became certified in health information technology and the electronic health record. She led her company through a change to EMR implementation specialists with an emphasis on quality and obtained certification as a quality auditor. Elisa met EMR vendors head-on to stand up for quality and demand a place for narrative charting at the table of the national EMR agenda. Physicians call on her expertise for assistance in moving to electronic medical records, and she is a trusted member of the patient care team for many physician groups and IPOs, thus kicking off a successful EMR consulting career.

Click here to register!

Free Webinar: AHDI-MTIA Manual on Ethical Best Practices - Registration Ends Today!

A Program Your Company Cannot Afford to Be Without.

Date: February 11, 2010
Presenter: Gregory Doggett, JD
Time: 1:00 PM PST / 4:00 PM EST
Duration: 1 Hour
Registration Close: February 8, 2010
Cost: FREE
CE Given: N/A

During this webinar, AHDI-MTIA staff member Greg Doggett, JD will provide an overview of the associations’ new Manual of Ethical Best Practices for the Healthcare Documentation Sector. Heightened privacy and security concerns, increased calls for transparency of operations, and a growing home-based workforce have prompted AHDI and MTIA to create the manual. The manual will help medical transcription businesses and professionals to adopt policies and procedures for complying with HIPAA privacy and security laws and operating in a manner consistent with ethical best practices related to transcription billing, compensation, and outsourcing. The manual is part of the associations’ ongoing commitment to safeguarding protected health information and upholding the integrity of the profession and industry.

Greg Doggett, JD oversees government and board affairs for MTIA and AHDI. In addition, he serves as staff project manager for the compliance advisory council which was convened to provide input regarding areas that could benefit from the creation of ethical best practices and to assist in content development for the manual. Greg received his law degree, with a concentration in health law, from Case Western Reserve University School of Law.

Click here to register!

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Obama 2011 Budget Request: Department of Health and Human Services

Last year President Obama used his budget to lay the groundwork for comprehensive health-care reform, proposing a 10-year, $634 billion reserve fund as a "down payment" on universal coverage.

This year’s blueprint does not include that money, though administration sources said the overall federal budget assumes a bill will be enacted and result in deficit reduction of $150 billion over the next decade.

The budget for the Department of Health and Human Services envisions a few minor changes: a $1 billion increase for the National Institutes of Health, $1.6 billion more for child care and an additional $290 million for community health centers. Read more at the Washington Post.

AHDI Webinar - Advocacy 101: What You Need to Know about AHDI/MTIA Advocacy - Registration ends 2/5/10!!

Date: February 10, 2010
Presenter: Gregory Doggett, JD
Time: 10:00 AM PST / 1:00 PM EST
Duration: 1 Hour
Registration Close: February 5, 2010
Cost: FREE
CE Given: N/A

Are you new to AHDI or MTIA and looking for ways to become more involved? Are you looking for opportunities to advocate for the profession and industry? Are you curious about the AHDI-MTIA Advocacy Summit? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this is the perfect webinar for you. You will learn about the 2010 Advocacy Summit which runs from March 23 to 25 in Washington, DC. Find out about additional opportunities to become involved in advocacy. Learn about the associations' recent advocacy efforts and plans for the future. If you have any questions before the webinar, please contact AHDI/MTIA staff member Greg Doggett at gdoggett@ahdionline.org or 859-512-3284.

Sheryl Williams is the Chair of the Legislative Issues Group and is an active member of Wisconsin-Minnesota AHDI. Greg Doggett oversees government and board affairs for AHDI and MTIA. Greg received his law degree, with a concentration in health law, from Case Western Reserve University School of Law.

Click here to register!

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

MT Package—A Discount for MTs to Attend MTIA 2010 in Daytona Beach, FL

The MT Package is a special discount allowing transcription practitioners to attend a portion of the 21st annual MTIA conference at an outstanding price! MT Package Option 1 allows access to the Saturday morning compliance program featuring extremely critical, credit-worthy sessions on legal compliance and HIPAA laws. MT Package Option 2 grants access to all of the Friday afternoon and evening activities in addition to the aforementioned Saturday morning compliance program. For details on registration fees, specific sessions included, CEC values, and more, click the link below.

MT Package Details: MTIA 2010.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Need CECs? AHDI Webinar - Position Yourself for Success in Today's Marketplace - Registration Closes 2/3/10!!

Date: February 10, 2010
Presenter: Karen L.T. Bates, CMT, AHDI-F
Time: 3:00 PM PST / 6:00 PM EST
Duration: 1 Hour
Registration Close: February 3, 2010
Cost: $20 Members /$30 Non-Members
CEC Given: 1 PD

In these tough economic times the competition in the job market is heavy. How do you stand out in a sea of applications? How can you make yourself more employable, and ultimately more retainable? Increasing productivity and accuracy, building on your foundation of knowledge, becoming credentialed, stretching outside of your professional comfort zone, and other techniques will be discussed at this presentation.

Karen Bates has been an MT for 31 years and the last 19 as a CMT. She has been a member of AAMT/AHDI since 1981. She has spent 10 years in middle management positions with 3 years involved in teaching transcription and managing a transcription production center. She has been instrumental in the development and testing of the software platform currently utilized by DTS America MTs as part of their job development process.

Click here to register!

Monday, February 1, 2010

AHDI Tool Kits—Impacting Professional Practices & Preparing for Future Roles

With the rapid evolution of emerging technologies reshaping how healthcare documentation is captured, secured, and repurposed, the need for transitional resources and practical guidelines that assist practitioners in preparing for and managing those changes has become important to both healthcare documentation professionals and the client providers for whom our industry provides its services. To that end, AHDI has developed several tool kit resources that address these evolving trends and the guidelines necessary to be "technology ready" in this sector. We encourage you to visit our AHDI Tool Kits section of the website to view all three tool kits available at your convenience. Check out these important resources below:

Dictation Best Practices (DBP)—Designed to help providers to improve dictation practices that impact "SRT readiness" and ongoing quality data capture. (Tool kit under revision; update coming soon.)

Personal Health Record Facilitator (PHR)—Designed to help MTs to transition to contributory roles assisting the general public with PHR creation and maintenance.

Electronic Health Record (EHR) —Designed to help MTs understand and prepare for emerging roles in the EHR.