What We've Been Up to Since Advocacy Summit

AHDI and CDIA members on Capitol Hill in May were eager to get the support of our nation’s leaders around the importance of a comprehensive, accurate health story. In addition to sharing our collateral materials around Capturing America’s Healthcare Story, advocates on the Hill sought specific support from legislators. Members of Congress were asked to submit a letter to Dr. Mostashari, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, with the request that ONC take the patient narrative into account in developing standards for EHR systems. Over 74 legislative offices indicated an interest in providing this level of support, all of whom have now been provided a draft letter for review and signature, and early feedback is very promising. We’re excited to announce that Congressman Bob Filner, 51st District, California, was the first to submit a letter to ONC in support of our message:

Filner Letter to Farzad Mostashari, MD, ScM

Congratulations to the AHDI/CDIA members from California whose advocacy efforts with this office led to such an immediate statement of support.

Legislative Tracking
AHDI/CDIA advocacy staff is diligently tracking all outgoing and inbound emails and phone calls to ensure that consistent communication with these legislative offices continues. Keeping our organizations and key messages on the "radar" of legislative contacts is an important part of what we are doing in followup to our Advocacy Summit. To that end, we are now using Basecamp, a web access project management platform, to track all legislative contacts and will be coordinating these efforts with the Legislative Leaders for each state.

Legislative Issues Group (LIG):
Now the Advocacy Alliance!
Given the strong participation of our new Legislative Leaders Program, we are migrating our Legislative Issues Group to an alliance format. The new Advocacy Alliance will be open to anyone in either AHDI or CDIA who wants to stay connected to advocacy information or engage in advocacy dialogue. You do not have to be a Legislative Leader or an active advocate to join or participate in discussions. Regular monthly meetings will now be held by the Legislative Leaders Program (see below) and the leaders who chair that steering committee:

AHDI Chair: Sheryl Williams, CMT, AHDI-F
CDIA Chair: Steve Gaus
Board Liaison: Karen L. Fox-Acosta, CMT, AHDI-F
Staff Liaison: Lea M. Sims, CMT, AHDI-F

Legislative Leader Program
On the heels of Advocacy Summit, interest and participation in the Legislative Leader Program is growing. If your state does not currently have a Legislative Leader assigned and you have an interest in fulfilling this role, check out our Become an Advocate page for more information about the role as well as resources available for those who participate and contact Miranda Chalabi (mchalabi@ahdionline.org) to get connected to the program. Look for information about our Legislative Tracking Training webinars for Legislative Leaders in the next week or two.

Not Too Late to Follow Up!
If you participated in legislative visits at the Advocacy Summit and have not yet sent a followup/thank-you letter to your legislator or legislative aide, please do so as soon as you can. A personal followup from a constituent is an important part of establishing long-term, productive relationships with our legislative offices. If you need some help drafting your followup, use the template below:

Advocacy Summit Followup Letter to Legislators

District Connections
Meeting with your Senators and Representatives when they return to their districts will be critical to spending more one-on-one time with those officials and connecting our advocacy messages to what’s going on in your local area. Check out the dates for Senate and House recess coming up soon:

Senate Recess Dates
July 4-10, 2011
August 8 – September 5, 2011
September 26 – October 2, 2011

House Recess Dates
June 27 – July 5, 2011
July 18-24, 2011
August 8 – September 5, 2011
September 26 – October 2, 2011

Begin making plans now to secure face time with your legislator during these recess periods.

Love a Good Debate? We Need You at ACE!

This year AHDI will be launching a new session concept at ACE in Phoenix. The Great Debate will be a 2-hour, facilitated, collegiate-style debate on five key industry topics (see below), many of which have arisen out of this year’s Let’s Talk About open letter series from our Board of Directors. Each topic will be presented by both point and counterpoint opening statements, followed by timed debate from the floor and an audience poll. We are looking for attendees with good presentation skills and a strong affinity for either the point or counterpoint for each these hot topics:

1. “Mandatory” Credentialing: Worth the Effort or Waste of Time?
2. Offshore Outsourcing: Restrict it or Regulate it?
3. Incentive Compensation: Carrot or Stick?
4. Trending Technology (EHR/SRT): Threat to Transcription or Opportunity for Growth?
5. AHDI & CDIA Partnership: Collaboration or Conflict?

If you would be interested in writing and presenting the opening point or counterpoint on any of these issues, please contact Lea Sims, CMT, AHDI-F, as soon as possible so we can finalize our schedule for this event.

Exhibiting at ACE 2011?

If your company is considering exhibiting at the 33rd Annual Convention & Exposition, don’t wait to reserve your space. The ACE 2011 exhibit hall is filling up quickly, so don’t miss this opportunity to get your organization, product, or service directly in front of your target audience.

View Exhibitor Prospectus

Questions? Contact Jeff Rhodes
Phone: 410-584-1952

For more information on ACE 2011, visit ACE365—Your ACE 2011 Headquarters

Featured Breakout Sessions at ACE 2011

What Every MT Should Know About Privacy & Security Rules and Requirements
Friday, August 19, 2011
2:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Barbara Perrett, RHIA, CCS, CHP, CHC

This session will update your knowledge of the privacy rule and the HITECH Act’s more stringent requirements for enforcement. You will gain the knowledge to be prepared to meet privacy rule requirements. Government regulations often seem like an alphabet soup: HIPAA, PHI, TPO, NPI, BAA, HITECH. What are the distinctions between Privacy/Confidentiality; Passwords/Encryption; Breach/HIPAA violation; Business Associate/Business Associate Agreement? Can you define these terms? Should you care about them? Do you know how or if they impact you? Do you need a BAA? What are the penalties? What is included in the HIPAA Privacy Rule, Security Rule, and the additional elements in the HITECH act? Having the knowledge about privacy regulations in health care is critical with the increasing government emphasis on enforcement. Come hear the answers to these questions and more as Barbara helps you to navigate the sea of government privacy regulations and to learn how to protect yourself.

Barbara Perrett, RHIA, CCS, CHP, CHC, is a corporate ethics & compliance consultant for University Physicians Healthcare in Tucson, Arizona. She has previous compliance experience with University Medical Center and was the compliance and privacy officer at Tucson Medical Center. Her credentials are in management, coding, privacy, and compliance. She has 25 years’ experience in acute care and rehabilitation hospitals in Georgia and Arizona as director of health information management. Barbara served as the regional HIM advisor for 13 rehab hospitals in the western U.S. She was also the HIM consultant for 5 renal dialysis centers in Atlanta, writing policies and procedures and monitoring compliance with documentation regulations. Barbara has been a speaker for state HIM conventions in two states, a national audio conference for HCPro, and two World Research Group seminars. Her innovative solutions to health information management issues have been published in a number of healthcare newsletters.

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Emerging Therapies in the Treatment of Low Back Pain
Saturday, August 20, 2011
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Presenter: Susan Sorosky, MD

The objectives of this lecture are to provide a background concerning low back pain, examine the disc as a pain generator in low back pain, review the diagnostic tools for discogenic low back pain, discuss the biomechanics and pathology of the intervertebral disc, review the current interventional treatments for discogenic low back pain including IDET and disc injection, and focus on the emerging therapies for low back pain including gene therapy and stem cell therapies.

Dr. Sorosky is a board-certified Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation specialist with additional board certification in Pain Management. She is the co-owner with her husband, Brad Sorosky, MD, of Desert Spine and Sports Physicians located in Phoenix and Mesa, Arizona. Her practice is dedicated to the nonsurgical diagnosis and treatment of spine, sports, and musculoskeletal pain and injury. She has consistently been recognized by her peers as a "Top Doc" by the Phoenix magazine for the last five years.

Register now!
View the Interactive Schedule
Visit ACE365—Your ACE 2011 Headquarters

Don't Delay - ACE 2011 Early-Bird Registration Rates Expire June 20!

Still on the fence as to whether or not you will attend ACE 2011? Don’t wait any longer! Register before June 20, 2011, receive the early-bird rate, and save nearly $100 on your registration fee. You won’t want to miss ACE 2011 in Phoenix—you won’t find a more comprehensive professional development and networking experience all under one roof. Make 2011 your year to Learn, Evolve and Shine!

Register now!
View the Interactive Schedule
Visit ACE365—Your ACE 2011 Headquarters

New Merchandise Available!

Proud to be an MT? Stop by the AHDI Marketplace to see all of the great new merchandise available for MTs, credentialed MTs and Students/Postgrads. Pick up something for yourself or one of your coworkers!

Advancing the Profession: New AHDI Fellow!

AHDI would like to congratulate the following individual who has met the requirements to be deemed an AHDI Fellow.

Joyce Greenway, CMT, AHDI-F

If you have given your time and energy to advancing the profession through industry and association service, you may qualify for the designation of AHDI Fellow. Download and review the application. For questions regarding this designation, contact Tina Wilson via email.

ACE 2011 Early-Bird Rate Ends Soon--Register Now!

If you’re considering attending the 2011 AHDI Annual Convention & Expo (ACE) in Phoenix, don’t wait too much longer. The early-bird deadline is Monday, June 20. After that date registration prices will increase. Join your peers at ACE 2011, where we’ve designed a dynamic professional development and networking environment that will put you on the path to success. 2011 is your year to Learn, Evolve, and Shine.

View the Interactive Schedule of Events

Register Today

Visit ACE365 – Your ACE 2011 Headquarters

June Monthly Member Bonus Available Now!

You won’t want to miss this month’s member bonus benefit! We've put together four must-read articles on changing roles and best practices to empower your knowledge of the industry. Click here to view the articles. Note: Members must be logged into the AHDI website to view. Not a member? Join today!

Upcoming AHDI Webinars

June 8
Ensuring Compliance in the Medical Documentation Industry
Presenter: Scott Edelstein
Time: 1 PM PDT/4 PM EDT
Registration Close:June 7
CEC Given:1 ML

June 14
MT Intelligence: The Value of MTs in HIT Implementation
Presenter: Gary David, PhD
Time: 10 AM PDT/1 PM EDT
Registration Close: June 13
CEC Given: 1 TW

June 22
CMT and RMT: Steps to Credentialing
Presenter: Lea Sims
Time:1 PM PDT/4 PM EDT
Registration Close: June 21
CEC Given: n/a

July 6
Book of Style Boot Camp Series, Part 3: Specialty Standards & Technology
Presenter: Lea Sims
Time: 10 AM PDT/1 PM EDT
Registration Close: July 5
CEC Given: n/a

June Deal of the Month--Huge Discounts on our Ethical Standards!

For the entire month of June, we are blowing the doors off our Ethical Best Practices Standards! Not only are we offering over $25 off the price of the Resource Guide, but we’re offering Educational and Corporate members the opportunity to purchase the full manual at discounts ranging from $250 - $450 off the member price! If you have not purchased these guides, this is the time to do it. We may never have a deal this great again. Don’t let it pass you by.

The Resource Guide for Healthcare Documentation Specialists contains all content from the original Ethical Best Practices Manual for the Healthcare Documentation Sector that relates specifically to best practices for our workforce. Practice guidelines related to at-home HIPAA and regulatory compliance, compensation, employee vs. independent contractor status, and provision of services are all included in this resource guide for the working MT. Sample agreements and contracts, including business associate and noncompete/nonsolicitation agreements are included.

Note: This is a smaller supplement designed for medical transcriptionists and does not contain all contracts, guidelines, and customizable forms contained in the full Manual. MTSOs and independent contractors should refer to the full EBP Manual.

Fee: $49.99 for all AHDI members (Savings = $25.01 off regular list price)

Purchase Resource Guide!

AHDI congratulates those organizations that have incorporated the Manual of Ethical Best Practices for the Healthcare Documentation Sector into their business practices. For those who haven’t, there’s no time like the present. This vital standard includes the following:

• Best Practices Checklist
• Statement of Ethical Best Practices
• AHDI Code of Ethics
• CDIA Code of Ethics
• Best Practices in Operations
• Best Practices in Billing
• Best Practices in Compensation
• Best Practices in Marketing and Solicitation
• Employee vs. Independent Contractor Guidelines
• Exempt vs. Non-Exempt Guidelines
• Production Location Transparency Guidelines
• Sample Non-Solicitation & Non-Compete Agreement
• Best Practices in Legal and Regulatory Compliance
• Sample HIPAA Policies and Procedures
• Sample Business Associate Agreement
• Guidelines for Establishing a HIPAA-Compliant Home-Based Office
• U.S. 50-State Data Privacy Survey

Program documents included in this guide will help medical transcription companies ensure they are compliant with the new HIPAA regulations and operating in a manner consistent with ethical best practices. In addition, the program will help demonstrate to the healthcare industry and government officials that AHDI members are committed to safeguarding the privacy, security, and integrity of patient health information.

View a sample of the content Included in the manual. This sample shows the HIPAA Policy & Procedure Table of Contents and one of the actual policy documents. The HIPAA Policy & Procedures alone encompass over 170 pages of content out of the 18 sections within this manual.

This program carries a value that could easily cost a company tens of thousands of dollars. Click here to order your copy of the manual today.

Fee: $500 Educational/Corporate members (Savings = $250 - $450 on member pricing. This guide retails for $4000.)