AHDI Board Call for Candidates - Deadline March 24

Would you like to make a difference in the future of healthcare documentation? If so, please consider a Director position on AHDI's National Leadership Board. It's an excellent opportunity for professional growth and leadership development. These volunteer positions are key to the strategic planning needed to help shape the future of healthcare documentation in the evolving world of the electronic healthcare record.

If you know someone who would be a great candidate, send us their name and we will follow up with them. Sometimes a nudge is all it takes!

Three (3) At-Large Director positions are available on the National Leadership Board for a 3-year term starting September 1, 2014. One (1) District Director position is open for each of the following districts: District 2, District 4, and District 6. To see the areas within each district, view the district map. The District Director positions are also for a 3-year term starting September 1, 2014.

For more information about the qualifications and role of these positions, please contact Wendy Carriegan at wcarriegan@ahdionline.org or read more on the AHDI website. Call for candidates will close Monday, March 24, 2014, which is when all completed candidate materials need to be submitted to the AHDI office.

A Word From Your National Leadership Board

September has come and gone quickly, and October has arrived. Amidst the changing of the season, one thing has not changed: The National Leadership Board (NLB) continues to work hard addressing the business of our association on behalf of our membership. As always, there are challenges and changing landscape across the industry that help to keep us focused and endeavoring to make decisions in the best possible interests of our members. Read more.

A Word From Your National Leadership Board

Greetings from the National Leadership Board!

We begin a new season as Karen Fox-Acosta steps into the role of President and new and existing board members come together to tackle the business of the association, working on behalf of our members. The NLB now meets the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month, and as always, members are welcome to attend those webinars. Contact Miranda Chalabi (mchalabi@ahdionline.org) to attend. Space is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. The Board is dedicated to keeping members apprised of what they are working on and what is happening within the association. Read more.

A Word From Your National Leadership Board

We are pleased to present you with highlights from the meeting held at ACE 2012 in Indianapolis, IN.

The Board elected new officers with terms beginning on September 1:

• Martha Songer, RMT—Secretary


• Bonnie Monico, CMT, AHDI-F—Treasurer


• Jill Devrick—President-elect

Sherry Doggett, AHDI President, announced that JoAnn Clarke, CMT, had stepped down as a newly elected at-large director due to medical issues. Tamara Dicks, CMT, was introduced as the new at-large director with a term beginning on September 1. Following ACE 2012, we were notified that Cynthia Alder, RHIT, CMT, CDIP, AHDI-F, District 5 Director, had to step down from her position on the Board due to personal reasons. The Board is currently working on appointing a replacement for the remainder of her term, which ends August 31, 2013. More information will be available at a later date. Read more.

Deadline for National Leadership Board Nominations has been Extended!

For more information about the qualifications and role of this position, please contact Wendy Carriegan at wcarriegan@ahdionline.org or read more on the AHDI website here. Nominations will close Friday, April 20, 2012. The deadline for receipt of all completed candidate materials in the AHDI office is Monday, April 23, 2012.

National Leadership Board Takes Office, Offers a New Communication Platform

Please extend a warm welcome to your new National Leadership Board (NLB) who officially took office on September 1! In this new model of representational governance, members elected six distinguished District Directors and At-Large Directors as their voice at the national level. We encourage you to visit the website to get to know your directors and the officers recently elected by the Board in Phoenix for 2011-2012:

Sherry Doggett, President

Barb Marques, CMT, AHDI-F, Immediate Past President

Karen Fox-Acosta, CMT, AHDI-F, President-elect

Bonnie Monico, CMT, AHDI-F, Treasurer

Lisa Day Johnson, CMT, AHDI-F, Secretary

We know it will be important to you to be connected with your Board. With our new online "home base" for each district, you will be able to stay connected with your District Director about issues close to your home. This home base is where the District Directors will post updates and where you can send direct messages to them. Click here to view a map of the districts, and then select your district to view the district page.

Resources available:

• Find out more about the role of the District Director


• Connect with your District Director via email


• Read news feeds from your Director via a blog posting


• Find ways to stay connected in your district


• And much more!

Once again, please join us in welcoming the new National Leadership Board! Your leadership is here to serve you so we encourage you to get out there and get connected.

Call for National Leadership Board District Director Candidates

AHDI is seeking qualified District Director candidates in each of the 6 districts to stand in an election for the National Leadership Board.

As you know, AHDI members recently voted to support a change in AHDI’s governance to expand the current Board of Directors to a National Leadership Board that will now include 6 directors elected from identified districts across the association. These newly elected District Directors will bring representative leadership to this new Board structure and ensure that members continue to have a constituent voice in decisions that are made at the national level. With several key goals and challenges ahead, AHDI needs the very best to lead the way.

The ideal candidate for District Director will have a strong desire to serve and lead at the national level, the leadership expertise and background to contribute to policy decisions and professional practice discussions, and a willingness to work collaboratively toward the association’s strategic goals. To qualify, a candidate must have been an Individual Professional member in good standing for at least one year immediately preceding candidacy. Terms will be staggered for continuity, with two-year terms for Districts 1, 3 and 5 and three-year terms for Districts 2, 4 and 6. Elected directors will take office effective September 1, 2011. More detailed information can be viewed at the AHDI Candidacy web page after login.

To request a candidacy packet, contact Wendy Carriegan at wcarriegan@ahdionline.org. The packet includes an application form, letter of intent, biosketch, and a candidate goals and objectives statement. A digital head shot photo should be included for publication in the candidate ballot. The deadline for receipt of all materials in the AHDI office is April 29, 2011.

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.