Advocacy Summit 2010: Not Too Late To Get Involved

With less than a week until Advocacy Summit 2010, the Dewey Square Group (DSG) is busily working to schedule as many meetings as possible with legislators. Two things to keep in mind–this is an election year with a lot at stake, so it is more likely we will be meeting with actual legislators, not staffers. However, on the flip side, health reform is looming prominently and may not be resolved by the time we are on the Hill, making for some heavy competition. Our messaging will be succinct, clear, and relevant to accelerating EHR adoption and the practical use of capturing and exchanging health information to improve patient safety and clinical care and to reduce costs. We will also be promoting the growth of environmentally friendly, digital, home-based jobs.

On Monday, March 15, AHDI and MTIA submitted an official comment to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONCHIT) on the proposed regulations for “meaningful use” and EHR certification. In addition, over 75 AHDI and MTIA members submitted comments. These comments have helped set the stage for the messaging we will take to the Hill, calling for CMS and ONCHIT to explicitly recognize in the regulations that the dictation-transcription process is a viable method of data capture that can be used to achieve “meaningful use.” To read the official AHDI-MTIA comment, click here.

We are excited to announce that DSG has secured a room on Capitol Hill that we will be able to use for a briefing and orientation on the morning of Wednesday, March 24, before meeting with legislators. Members also will have access to the room throughout the entire day.

For anyone interested in attending the AHDI national board of directors meeting, it will take place on Tuesday, March 23, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Advocacy Summit 2010 host hotel, the Marriott Crystal City in the Potomac Ballroom, Salon F. The meeting room will have open gallery seating for approximately 20 people.

We encourage you to come to Advocacy Summit and to ask your colleagues to do the same, as this is a critical time for defining our value proposition. If you do come, we will be sure that your experience is meaningful and impactful. Click here to learn more about Advocacy Summit. If you have any questions concerning attending Advocacy Summit or anything else, please contact AHDI/MTIA staff member Greg Doggett (gdoggett@ahdionline.org, 859-512-3284).

Advocacy Summit: Your Voice is Needed

With all that is at stake for the medical transcription sector, it has never been more urgent that members of the industry state the value they bring to patient care delivery to public officials at the 5th Annual AHDI/MTIA Advocacy Summit in Washington, DC.

From March 23 to 25, 2010, medical transcription owners, executives, and healthcare documentation professionals will converge on Capitol Hill to speak with federal legislators about the critical need for "meaningful use" and EHR certification regulations to include the dictation-transcription process and preserve a place for structured narrative reports. The recently proposed regulations represent a major step toward acknowledging the potential for EHRs to improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of health care; however, more must be done to ensure the integrity of patient health information and to convince healthcare delivery that "meaningful use" must be practical for both physicians and patients.

We need you to educate legislators on how the medical transcription sector can partner with care providers to ensure the clinical accuracy, security, and completeness of patient records by serving as an "extra set of eyes" for quality assurance. We also need to powerfully demonstrate how this sector is a fast-track solution to the challenges of EHR adoption. We need legislators to support our campaign by encouraging government agencies to acknowledge the role and value of the dictation-transcription process and structured narrative reports through formal inclusion in legislation and related regulations.

We’ve extended the discount on the AHDI member rate until the event! Register for only $70. If you can only attend the lobby day on Wednesday, March 24, when we will be on Capitol Hill, a single-day registration now is available.

Register for Advocacy Summit 2010

Eight Healthcare Lobbyists for Every Member of Congress

Does the healthcare industry really need eight lobbyists for every member of Congress? Apparently so, as 4,525 lobbyists fanned out across Capitol Hill last year, in an effort to influence healthcare reform, according to new data from the Center for Public Integrity, which funds in-depth, investigative journalism. A total of 1,750 healthcare companies and organizations shelled out $1.2 billion to deploy the massive army of lobbyists, and it resulted in "money well spent," according to the Center’s analysis. Read more at Fierce Healthcare.

Register Now for the 2010 AHDI/MTIA Advocacy Summit

With the Advocacy Summit three months away, it is vital that members register for this important event. The Dewey Square Group, the lobbying firm we have been working with since June, will be scheduling appointments on behalf of Summit attendees. To be as strategic as possible with our meetings on Capitol Hill, we need to know as soon as possible whether people plan to come to Advocacy Summit. Given the push for greater EHR adoption, heightened government regulation and enforcement, and major healthcare reform, now is a critical time for professionals and businesses in the healthcare documentation sector to articulate their value proposition to federal legislators. We must not let this historic opportunity and moment pass us by. So make your plans today to attend the 2010 Advocacy Summit by registering at the AHDI website or MTIA website.

Advocacy Summit Orientation & Training

Prepare for the Advocacy Summit and/or learn more about the advocacy process by attending two complimentary webinars hosted by AHDI:

Preparing for the Advocacy Summit
What You Need to Know about the HITECH Act
Tuesday, April 14, 4:00-5:00 p.m. EST
Click here to register.

Preparing for the Advocacy Summit
What You Need to Know about Lobbying
Thursday, April 30, 4:00-5:00 p.m. EST
Click here to register.