A Word From Your National Leadership Board

“Summertime, and the livin’ is easy…” Do you know the tune? I hope your summertime is going well. My husband and I just returned from a 4500-mile trip from Louisville through Colorado and Wyoming and back again. I wish I could say it was all easy, but work follows me everywhere I go. We did have some fun, easy times though. There is something about all that wide-open space that draws us back time and again.

Even though it is summer and many are enjoying time away, the board continues to attend to affairs of the Association. Read more.

Reshaping AHDI: Be an Informed Voter

At the 2010 House of Delegates meeting, the House passed a resolution that calls for a reshaping of the association to meet the needs of our members and components. The association and profession must continue to evolve in the face of greater electronic health information exchange and the emerging technologies that will impact the practice of the documentation professional.

Since the vote at the August 2010 House of Delegates meeting, two steering committees were created to implement the reshaping plan. The Strategic Initiatives Steering Committee developed purpose-driven affiliation agreements to spur on greater innovation and collaboration among components and alliances in promoting credentialing, education, advocacy, and member development. The Bylaws and Policies & Procedures Steering Committee drafted bylaws to restructure the AHDI Board of Directors and House of Delegates into one National Leadership Board by ACE 2011. The board will consist of 12 to 14 at-large and district directors voted in by the general membership and corresponding districts, respectively.

Thanks to Carolinas Delegate Loretta Foulkrod who led the Strategic Initiatives committee and Texas Delegate Cynthia Alder, CMT, RHIT, AHDI-F, who chaired the Bylaws and Policies & Procedures committee. Members were invited to listen in on bi-weekly sessions as well as review the work in progress on a collaborative wiki. Extended terms for the 2010 Speaker of the House, Speaker-elect, and delegates during this period of transition was be put into effect.

As we prepare for an upcoming vote on changes to the association bylaws to reshape AHDI, we will update the website on January 19, 2011, with information to assist you in making an informed voting decision. Voting polls will open at that time and eligible members will have until February 28, 2011, to vote on the bylaws revision.

Town Hall meetings are scheduled for members to hear from Association leaders on the Reshaping AHDI plan. Please feel free to register for any of the following Town Hall meetings to ask questions about the program.

January 25 at 5 p.m. Eastern
February 3 at 6 p.m. Eastern
February 9 at 6 p.m. Eastern
February 17 at 6 p.m. Eastern

We encourage you to talk to your delegate, component officers, Board members, and the staff to ask questions and to learn about the reshaping plan. You may also reach the AHDI Member Relations Department by tel: 1-800-982-2182 or 1-209-527-9620, or by email: ahdi@ahdionline.org.

Reserve the Dates: Town Hall Meeting Conversation

Date:Tuesday, February 15
Topic: Emerging Roles in Clinical Documentation
Time:4 p.m. Pacific/7 p.m. Eastern
Presenters: Directors Sherry Doggett and Kristin Hagen, CPHIT, CPEHR, AHDI-F
Register Now

The Town Hall meetings, open at no charge to all members, are designed to enable board members to connect with all association members, have open conversations, and provide a forum for questions and ideas. Future topics in 2011 will focus on the role of the MT in clinical documentation, advocacy, preserving the narrative, AHDI membership benefits, quality, and education. Included in the Town Hall schedule will be a live Town Hall meeting from Phoenix, Arizona, during the 33rd Annual Convention & Exposition. Future sessions will be hosted by various directors on the 3rd Tuesday of each month. At this time, all sessions are scheduled to be held at 4 p.m. Pacific Time (5 p.m. Mountain, 6 p.m. Central, and 7 p.m. Eastern). Registration is necessary as there is limited seating in the preferred webinar room. Recordings of some sessions may be available later.

Registration Closes TODAY for Brett McCutcheon's Online Town Hall Meeting

Date: May 11, 2010
Presenter: Brett McCutcheon, CMT, AHDI-F
Time: 4 PM PDT / 5 PM MDT / 6 PM CDT / 7 PM EDT
Duration: 1 Hour
Registration Close: May 5, 2010
Cost: FREE
CE Given: n/a

This meeting is being held for AHDI Board Member Brett McCutcheon's partner states and components to discuss the current activities of AHDI members and the BOD. This webinar will contain some elements specific for the partner states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Corporate and Educational Components, and International members. However, all AHDI members are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Brett McCutcheon, CMT, AHDI-F, began his medical transcription career in 1995. He has worked as a QA editor, educator, and operations director, and currently is an implementation project manager for Transcend Services, Inc. Brett has served as president of the Transcend (formerly TRS) corporate chapter, and chair of the AHDI Ethics Committee. He is currently serving on the AHDI Board of Directors, and is the board partner for Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, corporate and educational components, and international members. Brett currently resides in Denver, Colorado.

Register Now!

Join us for an AHDI Town Hall Meeting

Date: March 16, 2010
Presenter: Susan M Lucci, RHIT, CMT, AHDI-F
Time: 3:00 PM PST / 6:00 PM EST
Duration: 1 Hour
Registration Close: March 11, 2010
Cost: FREE
CE Given: N/A

Register now to discuss current events in healthcare, advocacy and board initiatives.

Blueprint for Great Governance

AHDI’s Board of Directors, Component Leaders, and House of Delegates are spearheading a new initiative to ensure the long-term success, relevance, and business sustainability of our association’s components. This project, called "The Blueprint for Great Governance," is being lead by AHDI President-elect Barb Marques, CMT, AHDI-F, and Speaker of the House Bonnie Monico, CMT, AHDI-F, with an esteemed group of team members representing the diversity of our membership.

Over the next six months, the team will host a series of Town Hall meetings both in person and online to brainstorm new approaches, services, and models to best serve the needs of our members and position MTs for long-term success in this rapidly changing environment of health care. We will examine the 1) purpose of components, 2) tactics for collaboration and sharing of best practices, 3) ways to ensure financial stability, and 4) engagement models.

All AHDI members, component leaders and members, and delegates are invited to participate in the Town Hall meetings. The online Town Hall meetings will be announced in Vitals as they are scheduled; and face-to-face meetings will be held as follows:

• March 25, 2010 (in conjunction with the Advocacy Summit)
  2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
  Marriott Crystal City; Arlington, Virginia



• April 16, 2010 (in conjunction with the AHDI-West Conference & Advocacy Day)
  9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
  Hilton Garden Inn–Phoenix Airport North, Phoenix, Arizona

Following the Town Hall meetings, there will be a Leadership Summit held at ACE on Wednesday, August 4, 2010, for our Component Presidents, House of Delegates, and national AHDI Board of Directors. Please mark your calendars. Our goal for the Summit will be to reach final consensus on a blueprint for the future and specific paths forward in the four areas outlined above.

If you have questions or would like more information on this important initiative, please contact Linda G. Brady, CAE, director of member relations by email: lbrady@ahdionline.org.

AHDI Announces Newly Elected Leaders

AHDI is proud to announce these newly elected directors, who will serve from 2010-2012:

Sherry Doggett
Brett McCutcheon, CMT, AHDI-F
Lisa Johnson Williams, CMT, AHDI-F

We are also happy to announce the Speaker-elect for the House of Delegates for 2009:

Chad Sines, AHDI-F

Thank you, elected leaders and candidates, for your commitment to excellence and support of the Association through advocacy, standards-setting, and education. Thank you, AHDI members, who took the time to cast your votes and help to shape the future of the association and industry. On behalf of AHDI members, board of directors and staff, we congratulate you!

Meet the Candidates Webinars

AHDI will be hosting two candidate webinars in the month of July. Registration is free for members to attend the debates. View the 2009 Candidate web page.

First Webinar
Was held 7/13/2009 (Monday)

Second Webinar
Date: 7/21/2009 (Tuesday)
Time: 4:00 p.m. PDT/7:00 P.M. EDT
Topics: (1) Membership Recruiting/Retention, (2) Governance/Components, (3) Platform issues, and (4) Personal Contributions
Reserve Your Seat Now