AHDI's Call for Volunteers

If you're thinking of getting more involved in AHDI, there are many rewarding volunteer opportunities available. As a volunteer, you'll be part of something bigger—a community working to protect the integrity of patient health information through continuous workforce development and the support of practitioners and industry partners. You will also benefit by volunteering. It's an excellent way to develop new leadership skills; interact, network, and learn from fellow healthcare documentation specialists; and gain recognition among our diverse community of members.

We invite you to review our 2013-2014 Work Plan. This outlines, in detail, the association’s priorities for this year and the projects for each of our volunteer groups (e.g., committees, task forces, etc.). Once you find an area or two you’re interested in, please complete the Volunteer Application, indicating your preferences. Someone from AHDI will follow up with you shortly thereafter.

We are also in need of social media specialists and a moderator for the AHDI Lounge blog. Contact Kristin Wall, CMT, AHDI-F for further information.

2014 Conference: January Super Early-Bird Special

Healthcare Documentation Integrity Conference
July 23-26, 2014
The M Resort ♦ Las Vegas, NV

Unleash your passion for capturing America's healthcare stories.
Feed your desire to learn.
Ignite your confidence. Chase your dreams.

Think of attending AHDI’s Conference as your own mini sabbatical—carving out "me" time to nurture your mind, explore what’s changed, and learn what lies ahead. A place where great minds think alike, uniting you with fellow healthcare documentation specialists who share your commitment to excellence in documenting patient care.

7 Reasons to Attend

1. Learn about trends in healthcare documentation to augment your career planning.
2. Meet with recruiters about employment opportunities and gain insight into the changing dynamics of the job market.

3. Boost your job performance by strengthening your knowledge across the clinical medicine specialties.
4. Engage in discussions on important issues affecting MTs and formulate solutions by brainstorming with fellow attendees.
5. Visit with exhibitors to see the latest tools, technology, and services to improve your efficiency, grow your business, and spark your creativity.
6. Celebrate the profession and make new friends at social events during the conference.
7. Continue your commitment to lifelong learning and earn continuing education credits to support your certification.

Visit the website to see the schedule at a glance, current list of sponsors and exhibitors, and to download the justification kit.

Register by January 31 to save more than 20% off the regular registration rate.

Thank You From AHDI

As the year begins to wind down, we'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for being for being a member of AHDI. We greatly appreciate and honor your continued commitment to protecting the integrity of patients' health information and support of AHDI through your membership. We want to express our gratitude and celebrate you!

This month marks the start of our 3 month celebration of you – our members. In this issue of Membership Matters you'll find a variety of new offerings, including the opportunity to receive your printable membership certificate.

Thank you again for belonging to AHDI!

AHDI Adds New Member Benefit

We are delighted to announce a new benefit for our Individual Professional, Corporate, and Educational members—the AHDI Online Learning Library!

We are opening up our vault to give you access to past best sellers in online learning. Now your membership includes 24/7 access to credit-worthy professional development opportunities—free of charge. The Online Learning Library allows you to view past AHDI educational sessions at your leisure. Every six months the offerings will rotate and you can look forward to more sessions becoming available.

Individual Professional members, access the AHDI Online Learning Library by logging into the website and going to Member Center > My Benefits > AHDI Online Learning Library.

Corporate/Educational members, access the AHDI Online Learning Library by logging into the website and going to Member Center > My Benefits > AHDI Online Learning Library.

Experience the EHR in Action

Experience EHR in action and leave your fears of the unknown behind! Introduction to the Electronic Health Record is a 7-week course that will introduce you to the EHR in a way that you didn’t think possible — with hands-on experience. Learning your place in this ever-changing industry is key to properly placing yourself in future roles. Explore how this new technology relates to our industry and familiarize yourself with the terminology in order to increase your value in the marketplace.

This introductory course, developed and taught by the EHR Training Academy, is the perfect way to experience the EHR in action and understand how your existing skill set can be transferred to roles of the future.

AHDI Eligible Members: $100

List Price: $125

Introduction to the EHR Online Course (December/January)

December 1, 2011 – January 31, 2012

Registration closes November 15, 2011

You will receive a welcome email and instructions prior to the start of the course.

Introduction to the EHR Online Course (January/February)

January 1, 2012 – February 29, 2012

Registration closes December 15, 2011

You will receive a welcome email and instructions prior to the start of the course.

Bonus Member Benefit

Increase your productivity with Laura Bryan's shortcuts for Speech Recognition Editing. Take advantage of this bonus member-only benefit by signing into your membership account.

AHDI Publications CE Quizzes

CMTs, just a reminder that continuing education quizzes can be found on the AHDI website under Member Center / My Benefits / Online CECs.

Members must be logged in first to view the Online CECs tab and archives of Plexus and Matrix, found under Member Center / My Benefits / Publications.

Vendor Affiliate Highlight

Reward yourself and support AHDI with every purchase! Sign up for the Platinum Rewards card today!

Platinum Rewards Card

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.

Rose Hayden, 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.

Volunteers Needed to Join AHDI's Outreach Workgroup for News & Networking

AHDI's Outreach Workgroup for News & Networking (OWNN) is looking for enthusiastic, goal-focused people to join this workgroup. The primary objective of AHDI's Outreach Workgroup for News and Networking (OWNN) consists of external messaging, oversight of the news and media, and viral communication to ensure delivery of a clear and unified message about who we are and what our contribution to healthcare delivery is and should be. To help with this effort, OWNN also coordinates webinars to help train component liaisons in the above-listed areas that relate to social networking.

Note: We are also looking for a Linked In expert to present on this topic to our component social media specialists. If you are well-versed user of Linked In and are willing to present, or are interested in joining OWNN, please contact Kristin Wall (kwall@ahdionline.org).

Unique RMT & CMT Logo Items!

Check out the wide array of unique and personal RMT and CMT-themed logo items in the AHDI Marketplace! The Marketplace is AHDI's one-stop shop for fun ways to recognize and celebrate being credentialed. You'll find everything from porcelain mugs and shopping bags to pajamas and T-shirts! These also make excellent gifts for your credentialed coworkers, employees, and friends. Visit the Marketplace today!

Credentialing Practice Test Now Available!

For those seeking to become credentialed as a Registered Medical Transcriptionist (RMT) or Certified Medical Transcriptionist (CMT), AHDI has launched a credentialing practice test to help candidates become familiar with the testing process. This 15-question practice test is designed to give you an opportunity to acclimate to the Kryterion Websentinel testing platform and the user interface you will be using when you take your full exam. We encourage you to take your time, become familiar with the audio player and the functions for increasing http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifvolume and rewinding the audio file, and filling in the blanks on transcription and SRT editing questions. This practice test provides a mix of level 1 and level 2 content questions and is not designed to be diagnostic of potential exam performance nor should it be used to evaluate exam readiness with content or exam objectives. This test will not be scored, but you will receive feedback at the end as to your correct and incorrect answers. You will have 45 minutes to complete this 15-question practice test. There is a $12 fee to take the practice test.

For more information about credentialing, click here.

NOTE: Prior to taking the practice test, candidates must first apply for exam eligibility and pay the eligibility fee.

September Matrix Now Available!

In this issue, our theme is centered around what today's employers are looking for in tomorrow's MTs. Eligible members can view this issue of digital Matrix here (must be logged in).

Over 30 CECs for Less Than $9 Each!

How is this possible, you wonder? By purchasing the ACE 2011 DVD, available soon. Watch any of the ACE 2011 credit-worthy educational sessions featured on the DVD and write a 300-word summary on each session you wish to earn credit for. Add those CECs to your Summary Form and you're set. If you get audited, attach the corresponding summaries you'd written as proof of credit earned. It's that easy.

Session Highlights:

Shed or You're Dead: How to Stay Alive and Thrive in the Midst of Healthcare Change – Kathy Dempsy, RN, MED, CSP (1.5 PD)

Ethical Considerations in Health Information and Transcription – April Martin, CMT, AHDI-F (1 ML)

New Research Milestones and Treatments of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis – David Saperstein, MD (1 CM)

Speech Recognition and Medical Transcription Throw Away Everything You Thought You Knew – Lynn Kosegi, PMP (1 TW)

What Every MT Should Know About Privacy and Security Rules and Regulations – Barbara Perrett, RHIA, CCS, CHP, CHC (1 ML)

Post-production editing is in progress, and we anticipate the availability of this DVD by the end of September. Stay tuned to AHDI communications for further information!

National Leadership Board Takes Office, Offers a New Communication Platform

Please extend a warm welcome to your new National Leadership Board (NLB) who officially took office on September 1! In this new model of representational governance, members elected six distinguished District Directors and At-Large Directors as their voice at the national level. We encourage you to visit the website to get to know your directors and the officers recently elected by the Board in Phoenix for 2011-2012:

Sherry Doggett, President

Barb Marques, CMT, AHDI-F, Immediate Past President

Karen Fox-Acosta, CMT, AHDI-F, President-elect

Bonnie Monico, CMT, AHDI-F, Treasurer

Lisa Day Johnson, CMT, AHDI-F, Secretary

We know it will be important to you to be connected with your Board. With our new online "home base" for each district, you will be able to stay connected with your District Director about issues close to your home. This home base is where the District Directors will post updates and where you can send direct messages to them. Click here to view a map of the districts, and then select your district to view the district page.

Resources available:

• Find out more about the role of the District Director


• Connect with your District Director via email


• Read news feeds from your Director via a blog posting


• Find ways to stay connected in your district


• And much more!

Once again, please join us in welcoming the new National Leadership Board! Your leadership is here to serve you so we encourage you to get out there and get connected.

Survey for RMTs

For those who currently hold the RMT credential, are you thinking about taking the CMT exam? Please answer this two-question survey to let us know where you stand.

Two-question survey

Membership Tip of the Month

Register for the free webinar, Your Association, Your Benefits, to learn how to take advantage of your membership! Whether you are a member or contemplating membership, join us for this informative webinar. Register Now!

Save the Date!

AHDI Annual Convention & Expo: ACE 2012
August 8-11
Indianapolis, IN

ACE2011 Lapel Pin - Get Yours Today!

Purchase your commemorative lapel pin for AHDI's 33rd Annual Convention & Exposition today for only $10. Supplies are limited so don't delay!



Purchase Lapel Pin

ACE 2011 DVD Coming Soon!

The education sessions were videotaped at ACE for the first time ever. The DVD will go on sale in late September. Watch your email Inbox, or visit www.ahdionline.org, for details on how to purchase your copy.