Manual of Ethical Best Practices for the Healthcare Documentation Sector

A program your company cannot afford to be without

AHDI and MTIA are excited to announce that the first set of documents for its compliance and best practices program will be ready for release at the beginning of 2010. Included in the documents will be sample HIPAA policies and procedures and a sample business associate agreement, pursuant to the new HIPAA regulations effective February 2010, which will be customizable for your business. The complete manual will cover:

• Best Practices Checklist
• Statement of Ethical Best Practices
• AHDI Code of Ethics
• MTIA 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 will help AHDI and MTIA member 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, MTIA, and our members are committed to safeguarding the privacy, security, and integrity of patient health information. This program carries a value that could easily cost a company tens of thousands of dollars. Please stay tuned for additional information concerning the availability of the documents.

New Medicolegal CEC Bundle!

AHDI CEC Bundles are a power-pack of creditworthy information and accompanying quizzes to assist credentialed MTs in earning those important CECs, especially when your credentialing cycle is drawing to a close and you need those last-minute, hard-to-earn credits. Each bundle consists of a zipped file containing the following documents in .pdf format: 2 articles, 2 quizzes, and 1 crossword puzzle. Each bundle is approved for 3 CECs in the designated category.

This medicolegal bundle contains 2 credit-worthy articles, 2 quizzes, and 1 crossword puzzle on the following medicolegal issues: HIPAA and the New ARRA Regulations and The Health Story Project.

To earn your CECs: Download and unzip the product file. Read and review the included articles. Complete the quizzes and crossword puzzle (electronically or by hand); then print and save the 2 quizzes and 1 puzzle. In the event that you are audited at your next cycle, you will need to submit these as proof of credit when you mail in your recredentialing materials.

Order your Medicolegal CEC Bundle today!

AHDI/MTIA Advocacy Summit 2010 - REGISTRATION NOW OPEN

You may now register for Advocacy Summit 2010 and finalize your arrangements to come to Washington, DC, to advocate on behalf of your profession at a critical time for the medical transcription sector. 2010 promises to be a truly exciting year for AHDI/MTIA as we continue to work with the Dewey Square Group (DSG), a professional lobbying firm based in Washington DC, to position the healthcare documentation sector favorably and prominantly amongst the legislators who are making the decisions that will determine our future. To register for this event, reserve your hotel room (critical—rooms are limited), or find out more about what this event entails, please visit the Advocacy Summit web page.

"Power of 10" Technology Webinar #4 - REGISTRATION ENDS TODAY!!

Speech Recognition Editing: Keys to the Shift
Thursday, December 10, 2009
1:00 to 2:30 p.m. PST

Presenters: Betsy Senter; Jamie Collins, CMT, RHIT; and Jill Utterback from 3M Health

Information Systems, Inc.Many healthcare facilities and transcription organizations are adopting speech recognition technology to increase productivity, but the shift to this new technology must be done with care and consideration. This webinar focuses on back-end speech recognition, describing what it is and how the editing process for speech-recognized text differs from traditional transcription. The presenters will discuss speech recognition best practices for dictators, transcriptionists/editors, and administrators, including processes such as selecting document types, coaching dictators, using feedback from transcriptionists/editors, and monitoring productivity improvements. In addition, this webinar includes a demonstration of the speech recognition editing course developed by TRS Institute in partnership with 3M and AHDI.

Approved by AHDI for 1.5 CECs in Technology and the Workplace

Register for this webinar at AHDI-West.org.
Registration Deadline is Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Advocacy Summit 2010 Hotel Room Block: Now Accepting Reservations

AHDI/MTIA will host the 5th Annual Advocacy Summit on March 23rd – 25th at the Marriott Crystal City in Arlington, VA. This property hosted the first annual Advocacy Summit in 2005, and those who attended that event will remember the level of comfort and convenience that the Marriott Crystal City provides for individuals commuting to and from Capitol Hill. With a metro station directly below this beautiful hotel, and stylish restaurants, shops and entertainment directly surrounding it, it is difficult to find a better location to host an event such as the Advocacy Summit. The AHDI/MTIA room block is now open and all Advocacy Summit attendees will enjoy a discounted group rate of $175 per night for both single and double occupancy rooms. However, rooms are limited and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, so be sure to book your reservation immediately here.

Would you like to share your hotel room with another member and split your hotel cost? Contact AHDI/MTIA staff member Miranda (Myoukhaneh@ahdionline.org) who is coordinating the room-sharing program.

AHDI/MTIA Staff are hard at work finalizing the 2010 Advocacy Summit agenda, but for more information on the overall outline of activities and event registration, please visit the 2010 Advocacy Summit page.