2010 Time Line of Accomplishments

Thanks to the engagement of all our volunteers and the work of staff during 2010, AHDI’s many accomplishments continue to push this sector to the forefront of key industry stakeholder groups. Despite an unstable economy and the rate of change that’s occurring in our sector, we have endured to offer relevant member programs and services. Take a moment to reflect on our 2010 achievements and ponder the possibilities for 2011.

Annual Convention & Exposition (ACE) 2011 - Registration Now Open!

We’re excited to announce that you may now register online for the upcoming Annual Convention & Exposition in Phoenix, Arizona, August 17 – 21, 2011. If money is a bit tight for you right now, check out our payment plan option that is available through May 31, 2011, to AHDI members purchasing a full registration. There are so many new and exciting features and events planned for ACE 2011. You won’t want to miss it. For more information, please visit ACE365.

Legislative Leaders Needed to Support National Advocacy Effort

Are you an advocate for your profession? Are you interested in spreading the word in your local area about the importance of patient safety and in becoming a communication hub to bring the national AHDI advocacy campaign to your area? The Legislative Leaders (formerly Legislative Liaisons) program is being developed, and we are seeking committed volunteers. If you are interested, please contact Linda Giles (lpgiles@aol.com), the Legislative Issues Group Chairperson, or Andrew Wolf (awolf@ahdionline.org), staff liaison to the LIG.

Reshaping AHDI: Be an Informed Voter

At the 2010 House of Delegates meeting, the House passed a resolution that calls for a reshaping of the association to meet the needs of our members and components. The association and profession must continue to evolve in the face of greater electronic health information exchange and the emerging technologies that will impact the practice of the documentation professional.

Since the vote at the August 2010 House of Delegates meeting, two steering committees were created to implement the reshaping plan. The Strategic Initiatives Steering Committee developed purpose-driven affiliation agreements to spur on greater innovation and collaboration among components and alliances in promoting credentialing, education, advocacy, and member development. The Bylaws and Policies & Procedures Steering Committee drafted bylaws to restructure the AHDI Board of Directors and House of Delegates into one National Leadership Board by ACE 2011. The board will consist of 12 to 14 at-large and district directors voted in by the general membership and corresponding districts, respectively.

Thanks to Carolinas Delegate Loretta Foulkrod who led the Strategic Initiatives committee and Texas Delegate Cynthia Alder, CMT, RHIT, AHDI-F, who chaired the Bylaws and Policies & Procedures committee. Members were invited to listen in on bi-weekly sessions as well as review the work in progress on a collaborative wiki. Extended terms for the 2010 Speaker of the House, Speaker-elect, and delegates during this period of transition was be put into effect.

As we prepare for an upcoming vote on changes to the association bylaws to reshape AHDI, we will update the website on January 19, 2011, with information to assist you in making an informed voting decision. Voting polls will open at that time and eligible members will have until February 28, 2011, to vote on the bylaws revision.

Town Hall meetings are scheduled for members to hear from Association leaders on the Reshaping AHDI plan. Please feel free to register for any of the following Town Hall meetings to ask questions about the program.

January 25 at 5 p.m. Eastern
February 3 at 6 p.m. Eastern
February 9 at 6 p.m. Eastern
February 17 at 6 p.m. Eastern

We encourage you to talk to your delegate, component officers, Board members, and the staff to ask questions and to learn about the reshaping plan. You may also reach the AHDI Member Relations Department by tel: 1-800-982-2182 or 1-209-527-9620, or by email: ahdi@ahdionline.org.

Reserve the Dates: Town Hall Meeting Conversation

Date:Tuesday, February 15
Topic: Emerging Roles in Clinical Documentation
Time:4 p.m. Pacific/7 p.m. Eastern
Presenters: Directors Sherry Doggett and Kristin Hagen, CPHIT, CPEHR, AHDI-F
Register Now

The Town Hall meetings, open at no charge to all members, are designed to enable board members to connect with all association members, have open conversations, and provide a forum for questions and ideas. Future topics in 2011 will focus on the role of the MT in clinical documentation, advocacy, preserving the narrative, AHDI membership benefits, quality, and education. Included in the Town Hall schedule will be a live Town Hall meeting from Phoenix, Arizona, during the 33rd Annual Convention & Exposition. Future sessions will be hosted by various directors on the 3rd Tuesday of each month. At this time, all sessions are scheduled to be held at 4 p.m. Pacific Time (5 p.m. Mountain, 6 p.m. Central, and 7 p.m. Eastern). Registration is necessary as there is limited seating in the preferred webinar room. Recordings of some sessions may be available later.

New Credentialing Exams Launched!

AHDI is excited to announce the official launch of our new credentialing exams and new online testing provider Kryterion! After a long year of marketplace surveying, revision of our exam blue prints, item-writing for our new exams, and conducting an amazingly successful beta exam*, we are ready to open our new exam process. Candidates seeking access to the RMT and CMT exams can now submit eligibility fees via the AHDI eligibility page. The eligibility fee for all exams is $10 and can only be submitted via the AHDI online store (access to exams cannot be sought directly from Kryterion). Eligibility and exam pricing is based on both membership status and current credential (if any). As a reminder, you will not be granted eligibility for the CMT exam unless you have a current RMT credential. New graduates and MTs without the minimum 2 years’ experience in acute care will be granted eligibility for the RMT exam. Level 2 MTs who do not possess a current RMT credential, will be granted eligibility access to both the RMT and the new credential qualifying exam (CQE) and will have the option to register, pay for, and take either exam.

Please be advised that while the CMT and RMT exams are now open for purchase and scheduling, the CQE is currently under technical construction and will not be available until early February. You can check back in February to submit your eligibility fee at that time or you are free to submit it now. If you opt to submit it now, you will receive an Authorization to Test email from AHDI with a login and password to the Kryterion Webassessor® platform, but you will not find the credential qualifying exam (CQE) available in the exam catalog until early February. Your eligibility is good for 90 days from the date it is issued, so you may want to wait until early February to submit your eligibility fee.

*Of 177 beta candidates who took the combined exam, 136 passed the RMT portion, and 41 of those went on to pass the CMT portion, resulting in 95 new RMTs and 41 new CMTs!