Keystoner

Inside This Issue

PHIMA President's Address 2008 PHIMA Annual Meeting Executive Board Meeting Highlights AHIMA Team Talks Pennsylvania Participates in AHIMA Hill Day PHIMA 2007/2008 Membership Survey    Results PHIMA Membership Directory Health Information and Privacy Week

PA HIMSS Advocacy Day House of Delegates Passed Bylaws    Amendment Regarding CAHIIM Board Member Spotlight CPHIMA Regional Report NEPHIMA Regional Report SePHIMA Regional Report WPHIMA Regional Report Gold Corporate Sponsorship Highlight –    QuadraMed

PHIMA President's Address

Submitted by Paula Lawlor
President, PHIMA

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2008 PHIMA Annual Meeting

Submitted by Lorri Luciano, RHIA
Executive Director

Reaching for the Stars

Did you know the 2008 PHIMA Annual Meeting is only 4 weeks away – May 5 to May 7, 2008?  This year we have prepared educational sessions for all Health Information Management Professionals while giving all our attendees the opportunity to relax and network with their peers.  

Some of the highlights for this year are:

• We have an entire educational track for the Transcriptions (A total of 8 CEs).  Thanks to the Co-Sponsors PA-ADHI.
   

• We have a CCS Preparation Readiness Workshop scheduled the first day of the Annual Meeting.  This will give individuals who are not credentialed an opportunity to become more prepared to become credentialed. Plus, if an attendee registered for the CCS Preparation Readiness Workshop they can attend the entire Annual Meeting at ½ prices!
   

• We have an entire educational track that will focus on the Electronic Health Record (A total of 8 CEs) and Current Coding Issues (8 CEs).
   

• There are speakers from Florida, Colorado, Texas and within Pennsylvania that are excited and ready to meet all our attendee needs.
   

• We have 50 Vendors (this is the highest number of vendors registered at an Annual Meeting in the last 5 years) that are ready to meet new people, catch up with some people they have not seen in a while, and enjoy the PHIMA Meeting.
   

• The vendors will be at the Conference for 2 days versus 1 day.  More time to network and talk to all of them versus just some of them.
   

• If you get a little tired, you can take a break and have a massage. That is right just like the National AHIMA Conference, PHIMA will have massage therapies to help you relax and enjoy yourself.
   

• Our Business Meeting and Installation has been moved to Monday night. This will enable PHIMA to get all the business done at the beginning of the conference so everyone can relax the remainder of the time.
   

• Our Presidents Reception will have a twist – MUSIC and DANCING! Don’t forget your dancing shoes.
   

• The last day of the conference will be over at Noon so you will be able to network with colleagues or get home before it is too late.

As you can see, you don’t want to miss out on the 2008 PHIMA Annual Meeting. Don’t be one of these people that said, “I wish I would have gone”.   Register now by visiting www.phima.org/AnnualMeetingHome.htm.

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Executive Board Meeting Highlights

Submitted by Fran Guiles, RHIA, CTR
Secretary, PHIMA

During January and February PHIMA held two Executive Board meetings to discuss important issues.   Last month (February), we had the most spectacular lunar eclipse in the last ten years.   I didn’t get to see the eclipse because I fell asleep, but was awake for the board meeting and the following is my report.   Matters discussed in entirety were as follows:  

• The Executive Board approved the overall agenda, speakers and topics for our PHIMA Annual Meeting “Reaching for the Stars” May 5-7 2008 Penn Stater Conference Center.  Lorri Luciano, PHIMA Executive Director, together with our President, Paula Lawlor have put together a fantastic program for our PHIMA members.  There will be more spacious, comfortable rooms, and longer time scheduled in the exhibit hall with the vendors.  

The conference will begin at 3:00 pm on Monday and end on Wednesday at Noon.   In addition there will be a CCS Prep beginning on Monday at 9:00am – 5:00pm.    During the 2-½ days of the conference there will be a myriad of educational topics, hopefully to suit everyone’s interest.  Fun time will be Tuesday’s President and Vendor Reception with a vendor auction, live DJ and dancing.   And we will end on Wednesday with a Comedy venue. 

The goal this year is to increase attendance and make interaction with vendors more productive.  

Please go to the PHIMA website – phima.org/AnnualMeetingHome.htm to register for the conference, you won’t be disappointed!!

• Our Executive Board approved the 2008-2009 PHIMA ballot.   Members will be voting for a President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, Director, Delegate (1) and Alternate.    Please remember to visit our website and vote, your opinion matters. phima.org/vote.html. The online election will run from 12:00 am February 25 - April 4, 2008 at 11:59 pm.
   

• Executive Board members are reviewing the PHIMA Bylaws.   The Board will consider the recommended changes before presenting them to the members for approval. 
   

• Our delegates will be voting on changes to the AHIMA Bylaws as they relate to the accreditation of our HIM programs.    “Chat” took place in February and all voting will be in by March 14^th.    You can visit the CoP for more information regarding the AHIMA Bylaw changes.   
   

• The Executive Board chose the Distinguished Member Award Recipient during our February meeting.  This award is given to identify and honor an outstanding member of PHIMA for their loyal service to the Association and their contributions to the profession.   A single selection is made from the names submitted from the membership, based on the information received, such as applications, letters of recommendation and letters of reference.  A commemorative award will be presented to the recipient at the Appreciation Luncheon held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting.
   

• Student Scholarship Award Recipients: The goal of PHIMA is to recognize academic excellence and encourage the best and brightest among students throughout the state of Pennsylvania and to provide financial assistance through donations to the scholarship program.  All applicants were reviewed for verification of eligibility requirements by the PHIMA Board of Directors and recipients were chosen based on the information received, along with their scores based on the PHIMA Student Scholarship Review Guide.  The Board chose two recipients for this award.  Award recipients will be profiled in the PHIMA Annual Meeting Program and the Keystoner following the annual conference, and on the PHIMA website.   Scholarship donors will be invited to the Annual Banquet to present the awards. 
   

• Premier PHIMA Credentialed (RHIA/RHIT) Exam Reimbursement Winners: The goal is to provide a mechanism for reimbursement when a Premier PHIMA member successfully completes (passes) the RHIA/RHIT credentials exam, demonstrating a commitment to the field of HIM.  The selection criteria and application process are listed in the Policy.   All applicants were reviewed for verification of eligibility requirements by the PHIMA First Year Director and presented to the Executive Board at the February meeting.   The First Year Director will present the Reimbursement Award along with a certificate to each recipient at the PHIMA Annual Conference.  Names of Credentialed recipients will be listed in the first issue of the Keystoner following the annual conference.  

In closing, remember Leonidas and his 300 Spartans made a heroic stand at Thermopylae, but Athens burned anyhow.   No matter what, you have to stay the course.   And again, please remember to Vote!!!!

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AHIMA Team Talks

Submitted by Maggie Foley, PhD, RHIA 

Each year AHIMA runs series of Winter and Summer Team Talks.  Over the years I’ve participated in about six of these sessions, including one in a virtual environment.  (AHIMA offers a virtual version of the Winter Team Talk meetings.)  I always find participation to be worthwhile due to what I learn and the ability to interact with HIM practitioners from around the country.  This year’s meeting opened with AHIMA Board members discussing factors driving change in the field such as the growing number of uninsured Americans, the diverse settings in which HIM practitioners work – encompassing 40 settings and 125 job titles and the impact of technology on HIM functions.   Participants  then provided input on what AHIMA initiatives are needed and which need to be prioritized in this changing environment. 

PHR Campaign Revisions

One of the highlights of this years meeting was an update of the AHIMA’s overhaul of its personal health record (PHR) consumer education program.  In response to feedback from AHIMA members that have delivered the earlier version of the PHR presentation to a community group, the presentation was updated to provide a more flexible format and to be easier for the presenter to use.   AHIMA has also developed a public service announcement about the PHR featuring John Walsh that has aired in several markets.   To obtain more information on the PHR campaign or to view the PSA go to www.myPHR.com. 

Web Revisions

In response to members’ requests that the website be more user friendly when locating resources, AHIMA has revised the website.  Now from the AHIMA homepage, you can click on HIM Resources and than Emerging Issues to access key resources for pressing HIM issues such as Data Quality and Content Standards, e-HIM, Coding, Reimbursement and ICD-10. 

House of Delegate (HoD) Issues

The afternoon session focused on AHIMA House of Delegate issues.  Opinions from the group were solicited about the Vision 2016: A Blueprint for Quality Education in HIM, restructuring the HoD and proposed changes to accreditation and certification.  These issues will be voted upon by the HoD in the future. 

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Pennsylvania Participates in AHIMA Hill Day

Submitted by Maggie Foley, PhD, RHIA 

Each year AHIMA coordinates a ‘Hill Day’ event during which HIM practitioners meet with U.S. Senators and Representatives and/or their staff to advocate for legislation important to HIM practice.  Any and all AHIMA members are welcome.  This is the first year that I participated and I would highly recommend it to others.  I not only learned a great deal but also enjoyed the process.  Another advantage is that AHIMA offers CE credits to participants and there is no fee to participate. 

This year the representatives from Pennsylvania were Lynn Wall who works at St. Luke’s Hospital, Wannetta Edwards from Siemens and Maggie Foley from Temple University.  We met with staff from Senators Casey and Specter’s offices and those of three House Representatives.  We asked for the congress members support on issues related to RACs (Medicare Recovery Audit Contractor Program), adoption of ICD-10-CM/PCS, protection against the misuse of genetic information, funding for training of the HIM/HIT workforce and support for infrastructure to facilitate nationwide EHR adoption.

RAC Audits

The RAC-related bill (HR 4105) was introduced into the House to obtain a 1-year moratorium on the RAC audits until further investigation into the process could be conducted. Many hospitals in states in which the RAC audits were piloted reported major difficulties complying with the RAC process.  Some hospitals were required to provide copies of several hundreds of records within a short timeframe.  Other hospitals reported that the staff performing the coding and medical necessity reviews were not qualified by training or experience to do so.  Another potential problem with the process is that RAC agencies receive a contingency for any money which is recouped during the audits.  Finally, many hospitals reported that a significant number of the denial decisions were overturned on appeal.  However, hospitals were burdened financially with having to return payment prior to the appeal process and with having to document reasons justifying appeals for each case.

ICD-10-CM/PCS Adoption

AHIMA is still working hard for the adoption of ICD-10-CM/PCS.  We asked the members of Congress to support any health information technology or Medicare legislation containing language that provides for the implementation and use of the ICD-10-CM/PCS by October 1, 2011 along with accompanying language enabling the expedited updating of the ANSI X12 and NCPDP standards and a permanent HIPAA streamlining process.  

Genetic Information

The House has already passed a bill (HR 493) which provides protections against the misuse of genetic data for example by discrimination in health insurance and employment decisions.  We asked our Senators to work to get S358, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) to the floor of the Senate for approval and onto the President for signature.  At present, Pennsylvania does not have any laws to prevent the misuse of genetic data.  However, as the federal government has been slow to move on this issue many states have begun to adopt legislation surrounding the use of genetic information.  The adoption of a federal-level law is needed to provide a uniform approach to the protection of genetic information across the country. 

Training of the HIM/HIT Workforce

The U.S. Department of Labor has indicated that there will be a serious shortage of workers to implement and support an electronic health record (EHR) and related electronic health information exchange (HIE).  In recognition of this issue, the House has already passed HR 1467, the 10,000 Trained by 2010 Act.  Upon its referral to the Senate, the bill was sent to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee.  The bill is awaiting action from the HELP Committee.  So, we encouraged Senators Casey and Specter to contact the leadership of the HELP Committee (Senators Kennedy and Enzi) to request that the bill be discharged from the Committee for further action on the Senate floor. 

EHR Adoption

At present, all of the progress made by the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) related to adoption of the EHR and implementation of standards is at risk because the ONC is not a permanently funded agency of the federal government.  So, we asked our representatives to include in any proposed health information technology legislation language that would statutorily authorize the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) as a permanent entity within the Department of Health and Human Services. 

Preparation on the Issues

The Senators and especially the members of the House of Representatives are very responsive to requests from constituents from their jurisdictions.  So, the more people we have participating in Hill Day the more effective we can be.   I can definitely say that I was not completely versed on all of these issues prior to Hill Day.  AHIMA staff did a great job of sending information via e-mail in advance of the meeting and reviewing each issue with us prior to visiting our representatives.  So, don’t let a feeling of being unable to discuss the issues deter you from participating.  Hope to see you at Hill Day next year!

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PHIMA 2007/2008 Membership Survey Results

Submitted by:
Lorri Luciano, RHIA, Executive Director
and Michelle Wieczorek, RN, RHIT, CPHQ, CPUR

In an effort to become more responsive to the needs of our diverse and growing membership, PHIMA asked their member to take a few minutes to complete an online Membership Survey in the Fall of 2007.  Out of 3000 PHIMA members, 328 individuals or 10% took the time to complete our Membership Survey.   We have been able to collate the demographic data.  

In summary:

Sample Size:

• 328 Total Respondents

• Not all respondents answered all questions; therefore n size for individual questions varies

• Most questions presented in discrete data; therefore percentages easily calculated

The Demographic Data Results: 

View Graphs

• Membership Breakdown –  71% of the respondents were PHIMA Premiere Members

• Membership Sex – 94% of the respondents were Female

• Primary Work Setting – 55% of the respondents work in An Acute Care setting

• Highest Educational Degree – 41% of the respondents have a Bachelor Degree

• Salary – 45% of the respondents have a salary range of $30,000 to $50,000

·     Although PHIMA was not surprised by the Demographic Data Results, we as an organization felt the information is helpful and beneficial to know.  We plan on providing the remainder of the information from the membership survey in the June 2008 Keystoner.

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PHIMA Membership Directory

Submitted by Lorri Luciano, RHIA
Executive Director

PHIMA is happy to announce the 2007/2008 Online Membership Directory is now available to all Premiere PHIMA Members.  As PHIMA continues to move towards the electronic environment (as we should), we have eliminated the mailing of a Membership Directory to our PHIMA Premiere Members.   Each Premiere Member will receive a user name and password to have access to this database.  We have set up standard reports for our members to search by last name, organization, job title and region. 

Please remember:  All member contact information must not be used for any communications related to products and services (i.e.: seminars, publications, merchandise, etc) and If the member opted out on the membership application, then the name will not appear in the directory.

Would you like to have access to the PHIMA Premiere Membership Database? You can easily renew your membership or join for the first time, by completing our online membership application and pay by visiting www.phima.org/about_membership_07_08.asp.  If you are already a member and would like to update your data, you can easily do this online by visiting - www.phima.org/about_membership_update.html.

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Health Information and Privacy Week
April 13 – April 19, 2008

The 2008 Health Information Privacy and Security Week will be held April 13^th through 19^th.  Health Information Privacy and Security Week, sponsored by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), is designed to raise awareness among healthcare professionals, their employers, and the public of the importance of protecting the privacy, confidentiality, and security of personal health information.

Learn more.

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PA HIMSS Advocacy Day

Submitted by Eve-Ellen Mandler, RHIA, MS, CCS,
President Elect

HIMSS chapter membership in Pennsylvania represents nearly 1,000 people who are dedicated to improving healthcare for Commonwealth citizens. Both the Delaware Valley and Western PA Chapters of HIMSS are sponsoring and planning this event.

The PA HIMSS Healthcare IT Advocacy Day on May 12, 2008 will be bringing more than 100 senior-level healthcare information technology stakeholders from across the Commonwealth to show how health information technology can advance better, more cost-effective care for all Pennsylvanians.

The theme of Advocacy Day is "Better Care through Information Technology". The objective is to demonstrate to members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly how using information technology will help save lives by reducing medical errors, increasing quality and lowering the costs of healthcare for their constituents.

Advocacy Day participants will take part in what promises to be a very motivational experience. The agenda will include the following:

• Welcome Address from the Master of Ceremonies and HIMSS Chapter Presidents 

• Presentation from HIMSS National on the National HIT Landscape 

• Keynote Address from State Senator Rob Wonderling 

• Pennsylvania HIT Overview 

• State Legislative/Executive Panel comprised of members of the Governor's office and Pennsylvania's State Senate and House of Representatives 

• Advocacy 101 Training 

• Legislative Meetings at the State Capitol Building 

• A Cocktail Reception in the Capital's Main Rotunda

• Ample opportunity for networking with individuals who are impacting the future of Pennsylvania's Healthcare decisions
   

Nationally, HIMSS has sponsored five annual Advocacy Days in Washington, DC with great success in educating and influencing legislation. PA is one of the first states to offer an Advocacy Day.

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House of Delegates Passed Bylaws Amendment Regarding CAHIIM

Submitted by Michele Bartholomew
Delegate on behalf of the current PHIMA delegates

The House of Delegates completed a vote on March 14th to seek recognition of the Commission for Accreditation of Health Informatics and Information Management (CAHIIM) by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). The CHEA Eligibility Standard provides that an organization seeking accreditation must demonstrate “independence from any parent entity, or sponsoring entity for the conduct of accreditation activities and determination of accreditation status.”

On that basis, CAHIIM must establish accreditation standards for HIM baccalaureate and associate degrees without final approval from the House of Delegates in order to be eligible for CHEA recognition. Accordingly, it is necessary to transfer final authority for approval of the standards for the HIM baccalaureate degree and the HIM associate degree from the House of Delegates to CAHIIM. This bylaws amendment change was overwhelmingly approved. The AHIMA Bylaws are available at: library.ahima.org/xpedio/groups/public/ documents/ahima/bok1_031941.hcsp?dDocName=bok1_031941.

Please go to the State Leaders and HOD Community, Resources, category: “Action Items,” for a tally of votes by state.

CAHIIM 2008 Standards for Accreditation of HIM Master's Degree Programs

Since the AHIMA Bylaw change, this is the first time accreditation standards for a HIM degree will be finalized by the Commission for Accreditation of Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM).  The CAHIIM has proposed accreditation standards for HIM graduate-level education. All AHIMA members can comment on these standards during the public comment period ending May 19. To review the standards and comment, go to the CAHIIM Web site at www.cahiim.org/documents/CAHIIMHIMMastersStdsdraft30.pdf.

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Board Member Spotlight

 Dee Lang, RHIT
Second Year Director

Dee Lang has nearly 30 years of HIM experience.  She is the President and owner of her own consulting company, Dee-L & Associates, specializing in business development, marketing and operations for computer-assisted coding, natural language processing, de-identification software, and transcription.  She has had senior positions with CodeRyte and MedQuist.  Other positions have included Director of Consulting for Diskriter and HIM Director for Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh.  She is an active member of AHIMA, PHIMA, and WPHIMA and currently serves on the Executive Board of Directors for PHIMA.   She has spoken at AHIMA and various state associations and has authored articles on topics such as benchmarking, transcription, and computer-assisted coding.  Her latest article on Computer-Assisted Coding was published in For The Record and Coding Focus News.  Dee believes her ambitious nature, passion for the HIM field, and some wonderful colleagues along the way have helped her build a career on RHIT credentials that is somewhat non-traditional.

Dee lives in Greensburg with her two children, William (age 16) and Julia, (age 12) where she is a part-time taxi driver for her active kids. In her spare time, she loves to read (Nora Roberts and Nicholas Sparks are two of her favorite authors) and plays golf on occasion.

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CPHIMA Regional Report

Submitted by Jennifer Zimmerman, RHIA
Public Relations Chairperson

CPHIMA held its Winter Education Session on Friday March 14, 2008 at The Masonic Village, Elizabethtown PA. The topic of the day was “A Day of Personal and Professional Growth”.  This very interactive session featured Dennis Mellott from Teambuilders.  Participants enjoyed hands on activities and group sessions throughout the day.  Dennis discussed teams and working together as a team, understanding our differences and balancing life and work.  Marc Laucks, President, Marc Laucks and Company joined us in the afternoon to discuss “What’s the Image I am Promoting”.  Those attending the event agreed the hands on approach was a welcomed change and made for a very enjoyable day.

Other upcoming events include our next Coding Roundtable session which will be held on April 2, 2008 at the Lancaster General Health Campus.  The topic will be Billing and its Processes.  Speakers will be Sherry Hess, MBA, RHIA, CCS-P, Senior Project Coordinator, Patient Financial Services at Lancaster General Hospital and Cheri Foreman, MHA, CCS, CPC-H, CPC MT (ASCP), Manager of Patient Financial Services at Lancaster General Hospital. 

 Save the date for our June 13, 2008 Education Session which will be held at Penn College, Williamsport.  We are still planning the topic for this session.  Watch our website and the Spring edition of the CNN for further details.

Additional information about CPHIMA, our newsletter and registration information for upcoming educational sessions and Coding Roundtable information can be found on our website!  www.cphima.org.

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NEPHIMA Quarterly Meeting Update

Submitted by:  Leslie Dotzel, MBA, CCS, CMT
Public Relations Chair

The Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Information Management Association met on Thursday, March 6, 2008, at Convention Hall in Pittston.  Four continuing education credits were offered.  

High school and college students considering HIM occupations were invited to attend, offering the opportunity to network with local HIM experts and explore various career opportunities.  A wide array of information was presented with topics including healthcare from the medical insurance company’s point of view, work environments for HIM professionals, jobs in behavioral health, software and technology outlooks, independent contracting, and state corrections employment. 

Close to 50 people attended the session.  Speakers represented various areas of Health Information Management:  Integrity Investigation, Teaching, Acute Care, MIS, Software Product Analyst, Independent Contractor, Behavioral Health, and Correctional Facilities.  A representative from Devry was present as well as information from Temple, and Leigh Carbon Community College.

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SePHIMA Regional Report

Submitted by Cathy A. Flite, M.Ed., RHIA
President, SePHIMA 

SePHIMA’s Education & Arrangements Committee chairs are working on another educational session for April 1, 2008 at Nazareth Hospital.   Sallie Glickman from the Philadelphia Workforce Investment Board will speak on “Understanding Workforce Trends” and Kim Felix from MECA will discuss working with POA and provide an update on RAC.   This session will be a half-day session from 8:30 – 12 noon and offer 3 CEs. 

SePHIMA nominating committee is in the process of working on the 2008-2009 Ballot.  If you are interested in running for an office please contact Dina Nedorost at Dina.Nedorost@mail.tju.edu or contact any member of the nominating committee.

If you are seeking additional information about SePHIMA or need contact information go to www.sephima.org.

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WPHIMA Regional Report

Submitted by Michelle Wieczorek RN RHIT CPHQ CPUR
Publications Chairperson, WPHIMA

Education Update

WPHIMA continues to provide high-caliber education at low-cost to it’s members thanks to the continued efforts of the Education Committee, under the leadership of Jennifer Bitkowski and Susan Huffman.

To date, WPHIMA has hosted over 300 attendees at their educational sessions with topics ranging from coding updates to master patient index and medical records imaging.

The last educational session on March 14, 2008 focused on technology in the HIM Field.  Topics and speakers included:

Speech Recognition- Chris Casto - Dolbey

SCIP Core Measures - Page C. Babbit, West Penn Hospital

Computer Assisted Coding (CAC)- Dee Lang, RHIT

The educational-year will conclude at the June annual meeting.  The annual session will be on June 8, 2008 at the Comfort Inn, Pittsburgh East from 10am–4pm.  Speakers and more information forthcoming.

Please see the WPHIMA Website for more information and to register for these dynamic educational programs.

Membership Update

With over 200 involved members, WPHIMA continues to thrive as a regional organization.  Stacy Lucas, RHIA has been spearheading the annual membership drive using both online and traditional outreach methodologies.  The benefits of membership include discounted educational programming and access to “Off The Record”; the official publication of WPHIMA.  We encourage all PHIMA members to check us out at www.wphima.org/joinwphima.html  

Fiscal Update

WPHIMA continues to perform well financially and has completed a review of financial policies and controls at the executive board level.  Under the guidance of Peri Long RHIA, WPHIMA Treasurer, several recommendations have been made for consideration by the board to further ensure the integrity and stability of the organization.

WPHIMA Website

The WPHIMA website continues to be a successful venture for the association.  As such, the WPHIMA Executive Board has approved continued investment in the development and support of the website for the benefit of members through the next fiscal year.

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Gold Corporate Sponsorship Highlight – QuadraMed

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