Advocacy Summit - Legislative Agenda

Come to the Hill and/or support our Summit objectives by preparing in advance. The following preliminary resources have been developed to assist you in understanding the AHDI/CDIA advocacy agenda and key messages for 2011.

AHDI/CDIA Advocacy Agenda
This comprehensive document identifies and outlines the 6 Key Areas where the associations have chosen to focus our advocacy efforts.

America’s Healthcare Story
This 2-page, full-color flyer will be the central marketing piece for our advocacy efforts in 2011 and will be included in all legislative packets to be taken to the Hill in May.

AHDI/CDIA Comment on Stage 2 Meaningful Use
Preserving a full patient health story in the EHR is priority one for both organizations, and securing a role for narrative reporting in the EHR is a big part of that. Key Summit messages will come from this formal comment to the HIT Policy Council.

Note: Full legislative packets, cover letters, flyers, and a full-fledged Advocacy Summit Guide will be available in the coming weeks.

Register for the 2011 Advocacy Summit

Credential Qualifying Exam - Congratulations Acusis!

The online Credential Qualifying Exam is up and running and conveniently testing candidates from the comfort of their own homes. We’d like to congratulate Acusis for being the first company to commit to the credentialing qualifying exam by purchasing exam registrations in bulk. Companies have the ability to truly save on credentialing their staff. Take advantage of the following by purchasing in bulk:

• Complimentary eligibility fee ($10 savings per candidate)
• Guaranteed member pricing for all candidate registrations regardless of member status at the time of purchase (up to $80 savings per exam)
• 5% to 40% discount based on quantity of registrations purchased

Bulk pricing is available when at least 50 candidate registrations are purchased in advance. You have the ability to mix and match your credentialing registrations between the RMT, the CMT, and the CQE exams to ensure that you receive what works best for your organization. View the Credentialing Bulk Pricing web page for more specific information. Contact Kelly Kappmeier at kkappmeier@ahdionline.org if you have any questions about bulk offerings.

Advocacy Summit - Early Price Extended Through April 11!

No one can advocate for you better than you can. Bring your industry insight and experience to Capitol Hill on May 3 and 4, 2011. Join fellow MTs, MT employers, and AHDI leaders at the 2011 Advocacy Summit in Washington, DC, where we will be meeting with legislators, healthcare aides, and key committee members to discuss the role this sector plays in preserving America’s healthcare story. Do you want policymakers to understand the critical value of an accurate, comprehensive patient record? Make plans to join us on the Hill. There is nothing more professionally empowering than advocating on the ground in our Nation’s Capitol. Don’t miss it!

What to Expect
Attendees will speak with key legislative officials and healthcare staff about the healthcare documentation industry’s critical role in healthcare delivery. With assistance from our lobbying firm, Dewey Square Group, attendees will receive:

• Orientation and training on effective lobbying techniques.
• Appointment scheduling services for legislative meetings.
• Materials to convey a clear, concise, and powerful message.
• Assistance from AHDI/CDIA staff every step of the way.

Register for the 2011 Advocacy Summit

EHR Readiness Tool Kit

Are you an MT preparing for emerging and evolving roles in the EHR? Did you know that AHDI has an EHR Readiness Tool Kit to assist you in promoting the value of your services as EHR facilitators? This tool kit is designed to orient healthcare documentation workers to the electronic health record, what it means to healthcare organizations seeking to adopt an EHR, and what an MT needs to know in order to prepare for that transition as a member of the health information management team. Each downloadable file will provide MTs with information, resources, and expert opinions on how to navigate this transition.

We also recently added a one-page flyer that is designed to assist MTs in promoting the value of their services as EHR facilitators. An MT who has utilized the tool kit to prepare for EHR integration can be of significant contributory value to a physician or clinic that is looking at the challenges of adoption. The MTs as EHR Facilitators flyer can be downloaded, duplicated, and distributed to clients, employers, and colleagues to promote this emerging role for MTs.

Healthcare Documentation Quality Assessment and Management Best Practices Tool Kit - Now Available for Downloading!

In July 2010 a committee comprised of distinguished experts from the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity, the Medical Transcription Industry Association (now the Clinical Documentation Industry Association), and the American Health Information Management Association published a comprehensive revision of standards and best practices in healthcare documentation quality assessment and management. This document, Healthcare Documentation Quality Assessment and Management Best Practices, provides a standardized approach to measuring, reporting, and improving documentation for patient safety and documentation accuracy. Moreover, fundamental principles of quality in healthcare documentation are reevaluated and revised in light of the new technological and policy environments of the 21st century.

The Quality Assessment and Management Tool Kit has been created by another group of industry experts to assist all users with understanding and implementing this new approach. It provides a set of explanatory and operational tools that are intended to be adapted to users’ own needs. Review the tool kit today!