Approved Education Programs Announced

It is the hope of the association to ensure that educational programs are addressing job readiness and preparing industry candidates to make the transition from school to work. Educational programs that meet the rigorous standards for curriculum assessment are placed on the list of approved programs. AHDI recommends that future students attend an AHDI-approved program to ensure they are job ready. AHDI is proud to acknowledge the schools below who were approved or reapproved at the ACCP's first quarterly meeting:

Renewals
-Career Step
-Winter Park Tech

New
-Gateway Community College

Education Approval Raises the Bar

When AHDI partnered with AHIMA a few years ago to launch its education approval program (EAP), it was the hope of both the association and the industry that the program would impact the way educational programs were addressing job readiness and preparing industry candidates to make the transition from school to work. Since that time, the EAP has approved 28 educational programs that meet the rigorous standards for curriculum assessment and approval. Such a significant number of programs demonstrate how an approval process can gradually establish a new standard for training and provide industry candidates with a credible source of programs from which to choose. AHDI is proud to acknowledge the schools below who have helped the sector to realize this goal (as of 10/3/11):

A&H Training Corporation		Medical Transcription Education Center (M-TEC)
Allied Medical School		MDS of Kansas
American Healthcare Documentation Professionals Group		Med-Line School of Medical Transcription
The Andrews School		Metropolitan Community College
CanScribe Career Centre		Moraine Park Technical College
Career Step		Mt. Hood Community College
Central Texas College		North Dakota State College of Science
Columbia State Community College		Richland Community College
Dakota College at Bottineau		Roane State Community College
Everett Community College		Seminole State College of Florida
Exact-Med/United Tribes		Sheridan Technical Center
Guilford Technical Community College		The Inner Office
Kaplan University		Trident Technical College
Lakeshore Technical College		Winter Park Tech

New MT Education Program Approval Manual Introduced

The MT Education Program Approval Manual committee is pleased to announce the launch of our 2011 edition of the Manual. Schools seeking approval from the Approval Committee for Certification Programs (ACCP) will find a streamlined process for application beginning in January 2011. Schools applying to renew approval should take note of new language tightening up licensing requirements, specifying appropriate roles for instructors, and establishing a revised scheduling for application receipt and review. We feel that these and other granular changes have simplified, clarified, and strengthened the education program approval process, and we look forward to continuing to work with high-caliber MT education institutions, supporting quality education programs in 2011 and beyond.

Schools currently involved in the approval process will continue to be reviewed and scheduled under the 2010 manual through the remainder of their application documentation and ACCP submission.

For more information, click here to review the new manual and other MT Education Program Approval information. Your comments and questions are welcome; email Rebecca McSwain, professional programs associate, at rmcswain@ahdionline.org.

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.

Education Approval Raises the Bar

When AHDI partnered with AHIMA a few years ago to launch its education approval program (EAP), it was the hope of both the association and the industry that the program would impact the way educational programs were addressing job readiness and preparing industry candidates to make the transition from school to work. Since that time, the EAP has approved 22 educational programsthat meet the rigorous standards for curriculum assessment and approval. Such a significant number of programs demonstrate how an approval process can gradually establish a new standard for training and provide industry candidates with a credible source of programs from which to choose. AHDI is proud to acknowledge the schools below who have helped the sector to realize this goal:

A&H Training

Allied Medical Schools

The Andrews School

Canscribe Career Centre

Career Step

Central Texas College

Columbia State Community College

Dakota College at Botineau

Everett Community College

Exact-Med/United Tribes

Guilfold Technical Community College

Lakeshore Technical College

Medical Transcription Education Center (M-TEC)

Med-Line School of Medical Transcription

Metropolitan Community College

Richland Community College

Roane State Community College

Sheridan Technical Center

Seminole State College

TRS Institute

Tranzmed

Winter Park Tech

AHDI Programmatic Restructuring

In the face of shifting changes in healthcare documentation and a healthcare delivery system that is demanding greater specificity, increased standardization, and higher quality service provision, AHDI has undergone internal reorganization to streamline critical association programs toward the goal of delivering on key priorities for workforce development, education, credentialing, and knowledge generation. AHDI is excited to announce that Lea Sims, CMT, AHDI-F, will be assuming the new role of Director of Professional Programs and will oversee all professional content programs, including education, credentialing, professional practices, product development, communications and publications. With a bachelor’s degree in Education, a background in MT education and curriculum development, and recent contributions to professional practice as author of The Book of Style for Medical Transcription , 3rd edition, Ms. Sims is ideally suited to coordinate the products, programs, and services designed to ensure ongoing professional development and credentialing of our workforce. "Getting our workforce ready to meet the demands of our evolving healthcare system will continue to be our highest priority," says Sims. "This will mean pushing our model curriculum, credentialing exams, professional practices, products and services to a greater level of intellectual rigor and scholarship. We have to be ready to deliver on our promise to healthcare that we’re generating a knowledge worker capable of impacting risk management and improved clinical decision-making through better, more accurate health information." You can learn more about AHDI professional programs at the AHDI website or by contacting Lea Sims at lsims@ahdionline.org.