This Week's Webinar Highlight -- Using Natural Language Processing to Achieve Meaningful Use and Promote HIT Adoption

Presenter: Kyle Silvestro
Date: June 10
Time: 10 AM PDT / 11 AM MDT / 12 PM CDT / 1 PM EDT
CEC Given: 1 TW
Registration Close: June 7


This webinar will review current HIT industry trends affecting MTSOs and the path forward into the age of EHR incentives, "meaningful use," and HIT adoption. This will be followed by an introduction in NLP (Natural Language Processing), a leading-edge technology, and how it is currently being used to enable MTSOs to provide solutions to their clinets to address the "meaningful use" requirement and drive secondary data use.

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Need CECs? "MT Intelligence: The Value of MTs in HIT Implementations" Webinar Open for Registration

Date: June 29, 2010
Presenter: Gary David, PhD
Time: 10 AM PDT / 11 AM MDT / 12 PM CDT / 1 PM EDT
Duration: 1 Hour
Registration Close: June 24, 2010
Cost: $20 Members / $30 Nonmembers
CE Given: 1 PD

With the continuing development of new medical record technologies and the constant pressures to cut costs, the question that keeps being asked is, “What is the value of medical transcription?" While it often is assumed that medical transcription can be cut without any negative impact on documentation, this premise has not been sufficiently tested. Drawing on primary research and a review of other studies regarding physician record-keeping practices, this webinar will examine what value medical transcription provides in creating quality and useful healthcare documentation. The webinar will cover the importance of perception in creating value, the area of behavioral economics, and messaging strategies for the medical transcription industry.

Gary David’s research focuses on: 1) examinations of workplace practices, 2) ethnic identity and community, and 3) intercultural communication. He has conducted research primarily in workplace settings where intercultural/intergroup interactions take place on a regular basis. Past studies include the analysis of interactions between workers and customers in Arab-owned convenience stores in Metropolitan Detroit. Present projects include examining the nature of collaborative activity in multicultural worksites, the impact of speech recognition technology and electronic medical records on healthcare, the implementation of enterprise systems on workplaces, and how co-workers build a collaborative relationship through engaging in workplace practices. He has done extensive research on Arab-American communities, identity formation, and medial portrayals. Dr. David is the Administrator of an online discussion group dedicated to Arab-American studies.

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Join Our Next Component Town Hall Meeting - Registration Ends Today!

Date: May 26, 2010
Presenters: Barb Marques, CMT, AHDI-F & Bonnie Monico, CMT, AHDI-F
Time: 9 AM PDT / 10 AM MDT / 11 AM CDT / 12 PM EDT
Duration: 2 Hours
Registration Close: May 21, 2010
Cost: FREE
CE Given: n/a

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. The Team will host a series of online Town Hall meetings 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 healthcare.

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Registration Ends Today - CMT and RMT: Steps to Credentialing

Date: May 26, 2010
Presenter: Lea Sims, CMT, AHDI-F
Time: 1 PM PDT / 2 PM MDT / 3 PM CDT / 4 PM EDT
Duration: 1 Hour
Registration Close: May 21, 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.

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Hot Topic Webinar Now Open for Registration - Using Natural Language Processing to Achieve Meaningful Use and Promote HIT Adoption

Date: June 10, 2010
Presenter: Kyle Silvestro
Time: 10 AM PDT / 11 AM MDT / 12 PM CDT / 1 PM EDT
Duration: 1 Hour
Registration Close: June 7, 2010
Cost: $20 Members / $30 Nonmembers
CE Given: 1 TW


A review of current HIT industry trends affecting MTSOs and the path forward into the age of EHR incentives, "meaningful use," and HIT adoption. This will be followed by an introduction in NLP (Natural Language Processing), a leading-edge technology, and how it is currently being used to enable MTSOs to provide solutions to their clinets to address the "meaningful use" requirement and drive secondary data use.

Kyle Silvestro currently serves as the Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Business Development for NLP International, a company that focuses on natural language processing for healthcare and life sciences. Kyle has been in the healthcare industry for the last 9 years. He gained his extensive background in Medical Informatics and Semantic Technologies, specifically Natural Language Processing, while at Language and Computing. As the VP of Sales and Business Development, Kyle worked with industry leaders in transcription, quality, revenue cycle management, interoperability, computer assisted coding, and electronic medical records, in the adoption of Natural Language Processing. Prior to Language and Computing, he was a partner in a management consulting firm that specialized in early to mid stage companies. During that time, he ran the North American Sales program for a clinical criteria vendor focused on patient quality, medical necessity and case management. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from California State University, Chico where he currently resides.

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Get the Info: Mountain States Town Hall Meeting - Registration Open

Date: June 15, 2010
Presenter: Brett McCutcheon, CMT, AHDI-F
Time: 5 PM PDT / 6 PM MDT / 7 PM CDT / 8 PM EDT
Duration: 1 Hour
Registration Close: June 10, 2010
Cost: FREE
CE Given: n/a


This meeting is being held for AHDI Board Member Brett McCutcheon's partner states and components to discuss the current activities of AHDI members and the BOD. This webinar will contain some elements specific for the partner states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Corporate and Educational Components, and International members. However, all AHDI members are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Brett McCutcheon, CMT, AHDI-F, began his medical transcription career in 1995. He has worked as a QA editor, educator, and operations director, and currently is an implementation project manager for Transcend Services, Inc. Brett has served as president of the Transcend (formerly TRS) corporate chapter, and chair of the AHDI Ethics Committee. He is currently serving on the AHDI Board of Directors, and is the board partner for Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, corporate and educational components, and international members. Brett currently resides in Denver, Colorado.

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Happy National MT Week!

The AHDI Board of Directors and Staff wish you a very happy MT Week! We are very proud of the contributions our dynamic workforce makes to healthcare delivery every day. To that end, we are encouraging MTs, educators, students, and employers to promote this year’s theme Why We Matter to Healthcare as part of the celebration of this important week in our industry. To read more about this initiative, take advantage of our MT Week special offers and discounts, or download the MT Week poster, click here.

Registration Ends Tomorrow for Your Association, Your Benefits - Will You Be There?

Date: May 19, 2010
Presenter: Kelly Kappmeier
Time: 10 AM PDT / 11 AM MDT/ 12 PM CDT / 1 PM EDT
Duration: 1 Hour
Registration Close: May 14, 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.

Kelly Kappmeier is Professional Programs Manager for the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity and the Medical Transcription Industry Association. She has served this industry on the AHDI staff for over a decade. She has been a member of the American Society for Association Executives and the Project Management Institute for the past couple years and is currently working towards her Project Management Professional credential.

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Announcing Newly Approved Educational Programs

Congratulations to Mt. Hood Community College for achieving AHDI approval at the April meeting of the Approval Committee for Certificate Programs (ACCP). Since 2004, AHDI has approved 23 medical transcription training programs. Click here to learn more about the approval program.

AHDI/MTIA Industry Accomplishments Illustrated in Video

At the MTIA 2010 Annual Conference in Daytona Beach, FL, the audience was treated to a short slideshow presentation at the Industry Update General Session & Luncheon. This slideshow provides a brief overview of the major successes AHDI/MTIA has had over the past year within the realm of public policy and affairs due largely to the Dewey Square Group, a Washington, DC-based lobbying firm employed by AHDI/MTIA.

KB Adoption by Industry Leader Sets the Bar for Quality

As part of its "First Time Right" quality service initiative, MedQuist Inc., the nation’s largest employer of healthcare documentation specialists, will begin offering BenchMark KB to its U.S. and global employees and partners, comprising 8,000+ users, during quarter two of 2010. BenchMark KB, developed by InterFix LLC in partnership with AHDI, is a comprehensive HIM knowledge base and information portal that provides real-time access to the most up-to-date clinical information and health information management resources critical to the accurate capture of healthcare encounters documented by MTs and editors every day. This investment in the development of its workforce demonstrates MedQuist’s ongoing commitment to industry leadership in the area of quality. Read the full story at SmartBrief.

Registration Closes TODAY for Brett McCutcheon's Online Town Hall Meeting

Date: May 11, 2010
Presenter: Brett McCutcheon, CMT, AHDI-F
Time: 4 PM PDT / 5 PM MDT / 6 PM CDT / 7 PM EDT
Duration: 1 Hour
Registration Close: May 5, 2010
Cost: FREE
CE Given: n/a

This meeting is being held for AHDI Board Member Brett McCutcheon's partner states and components to discuss the current activities of AHDI members and the BOD. This webinar will contain some elements specific for the partner states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Corporate and Educational Components, and International members. However, all AHDI members are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Brett McCutcheon, CMT, AHDI-F, began his medical transcription career in 1995. He has worked as a QA editor, educator, and operations director, and currently is an implementation project manager for Transcend Services, Inc. Brett has served as president of the Transcend (formerly TRS) corporate chapter, and chair of the AHDI Ethics Committee. He is currently serving on the AHDI Board of Directors, and is the board partner for Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, corporate and educational components, and international members. Brett currently resides in Denver, Colorado.

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Registration Ends Tomorrow for "Writing for Business – 50 Technical Tips" Webinar - Will You Be There?

Date: May 11, 2010
Presenter: Lea Sims, CMT, AHDI-F
Time: 3 PM PDT / 4 PM MDT / 5 PM CDT / 6 PM EDT
Duration: 1.5 Hours
Registration Close: May 6, 2010
Cost: $30 Members / $40 Nonmembers
CE Given: 1.5 PD

In today’s “wired” world of rapid texts and tweets, it can be easy to abandon those important technical writing skills that are still necessary in today’s marketplace. Whether responding to customer service emails, drafting a public communication, writing ad copy, submitting an article, or preparing a PowerPoint presentation, strong communication skills are still highly valued, particularly in a healthcare documentation sector where messaging is greatly scrutinized. Join us for this high-impact strategy workshop, where you will leave with 50 tangible tips for improving business communications.

Lea is the Director of Professional Programs for AHDI and has been working for the association since 2004. In that role, she oversees all association messaging and communications, including coordination of association print and electronic publications; drafting of key association position papers, press releases, and standards; creative and strategic direction of campaigns and advocacy programs; direction of AHDI credentialing/education programs; and coordination of best practices initiatives. She is the author and managing editor of The Book of Style for Medical Transcription, 3rd edition, and The Book of Style Workbook,3rd edition. She has been an MT for 22 years and holds a BA in Education (English) with a minor in linguistics from the University of North Florida.

Click here to register!

CMT and RMT: Steps to Credentialing - Registration Now Open for this Free Webinar!

Date: May 26, 2010
Presenter: Cassie Uber
Time: 1 PM PDT / 2 PM MDT / 3 PM CDT / 4 PM EDT
Duration: 1 Hour
Registration Close: May 21, 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.

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Free Webinar Open for Registration--Your Association, Your Benefits

Date: May 19, 2010
Presenter: Kelly Kappmeier
Time: 10 AM PDT / 11 AM MDT/ 12 PM CDT / 1 PM EDT
Duration: 1 Hour
Registration Close: May 14, 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.

Kelly Kappmeier is Professional Programs Manager for the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity and the Medical Transcription Industry Association. She has served this industry on the AHDI staff for over a decade. She has been a member of the American Society for Association Executives and the Project Management Institute for the past couple years and is currently working towards her Project Management Professional credential.

Register Now!