President's Address

Happy New Year, from the entire AHDI National Leadership Board. As we pack up the hustle and bustle of the holidays, hold cherished memories and crazy holiday experiences close to our hearts, and as we correct our authors/dictators on what year this really is, it is with pleasure that I share what I see inner AHDI "buzz" of the last few weeks as we move into 2013.

While recuperating from my third cold of 4th quarter 2012, I caught the tail end of the "Bee" movie recently. It reminded me of our position in health care. We all know that if it was not documented, it did not occur. This will be even more paramount as we move through the next stages of meaningful use and with ICD-10 implementation. As subject-matter experts, we understand that EHR-derived data is not reliable unless the documentation is accurate, complete, and unique to the patient—a statement our Advocacy Alliance subgroup is punctuating throughout the development of our Meaningful Use Stage 3 comments. Read more.

Last Chance to Save up to $150 Off ACE

With more than 35 credit-worthy breakout sessions, AHDI's Annual Convention is, hands down, the best place to find the continuing education that drives our industry and prepares you for the future. Keep yourself ahead of the learning curve, and keep your budget on track by taking advantage of 2012 prices for ACE 2013 registration.

Don't miss this last chance to sign up for ACE 2013—up to $150 off the early-bird rate! Learn more about ACE 2013 and Register Today. Special rate is good through January 31, 2013.

Call for ACE Presenters-Deadline January 15, 2013

We want to hear from you at ACE 2013! Dynamic industry experts, educators, practitioners, and authors interested in presenting at the 35th Annual AHDI Annual Convention & Expo are encouraged to submit a Call for Abstracts. If you or someone you know has a topic worthy of an ACE audience, this is the perfect opportunity to share it in an educational setting and information-rich environment.

The ACE Program committee will review all Call for Abstracts forms submitted and contact the presenter/applicant to discuss their proposal. Deadline for submission is January 15, 2013.

HIMSS 2013 in New Orleans

HIMSS 2013 will take place at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, March 3—7, 2013. To find out more about HIMSS Annual Conference & Exhibition, visit http://www.himssconference.org/.

AHDI Comments on Stage 3 Meaningful Use

A task force of volunteer subject matter experts has written AHDI's official comments on the draft recommendations for stage 3 definition of meaningful use in electronic health records. The National Leadership Board approved them for submission at their January 9 online meeting. Click here to download them.

The deadline to submit comments is Monday, January 14, 2013 at 11:59 pm Eastern Time. We encourage all AHDI members to individually submit comments on this critically important issue that will shape the future of healthcare documentation in the EHR.

Important links for submitting your comments:

• Draft Stage 3 definition of meaningful use, HIT Policy Committee, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, Department of Health and Human Services
• AHDI's official comments
• Regulations.gov website to submit comments, review the Federal Register notice, and public comments submitted