News

The University of Washington is considering offering a CAHIIM accredited, totally online post-baccalaureate certificate program in Health Informatics and Health Information Management to members of WSHIMA and residents of the state. In support of this effort, the program at UW has developed a survey in an attempt to ascertain interest in offering such a program. The survey can be accessed by clicking on the link included below in this announcement; the survey can be completed in about 5 minutes.

The program would like to determine the interest level of both members of WSHIMA and others in the state who may want to become eligible to take the RHIA examination by completing a certificate program online.

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Click here to complete the survey.

Urge Congress to include provisions aligning Part 2 with HIPAA in the final opioid package!

Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 2 (often referred to as 42 CFR Part 2, or simply “Part 2”) regulates the sharing of substance use disorder (SUD) records. Protecting patients’ confidentiality is of the utmost importance but the outdated nature of Part 2 has created barriers for providing the best care possible to individuals with SUD, often leaving clinicians unaware of risks from multiple drug interactions and co-existing medical problems.

In June, the House of Representatives passed HR 6082, the Overdose Prevention and Patient Safety Act by a vote of 357 to 57. The OPPS Act enables appropriate sharing of substance use disorder records by aligning Part 2 with HIPAA for purposes of treatment, payment, and operations. The bill also includes criminal, civil, and administrative protections for patients during legal proceedings and applies HIPAA penalties to the Part 2 program to ensure that patients can seek treatment without fear their information will be inappropriately shared.

The US Senate is scheduled to vote on the Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018 on Monday, September 17. Upon passage, leaders in the House and Senate are expected to quickly reconcile differences between the two chambers’ bills. While the existing legislation represents critical steps in addressing the opioid and drug epidemic that claimed 72,000 lives in 2017, any final package would be further strengthened by the inclusion of provisions aligning Part 2 with HIPAA.

We need you to call your lawmakers in Congress and urge them to include provisions aligning Part 2 with HIPAA (HR 6082/S 1850) in the final opioid package. AHIMA’s Advocacy Action Center has everything you need to take action.

Your assistance is critical in getting Part 2 reform included in the final opioid package!

Dear WSHIMA Colleagues,

We are looking for volunteers to participate on our Annual Meeting Committee/Education Committee. This involves planning and putting on our WSHIMA Annual meeting as well as designing and planning other educational opportunities for our members. It is always great to participate in this work with colleagues and it is a great opportunity to give back to our profession.

If you are interested/available, send an e-mail to WSHIMA@WSHIMA.org.

Thanks so much!

Attached is information about our WSHIMA colleagues who received the 2018 WSHIMA awards:

• Sally Beahan
  Distinguished Member Award
• Gloria Anderson
  Professional Achievement Award
• Lisa Withers
  Professional Achievement Award
• The-Phuong Pham
  President’s Award

We are grateful to them for all they have contributed to our organization and to our profession.

2018 WSHIMA Awards Recipients

Dear WSHIMA Colleagues,

We continue to partner with the Haugen Consulting Group on providing coding webinar opportunities. Attached is information about “Does your ICD-10-PCS VIR coding need its own intervention?” being held on June 21 at 11:00 AM (PDT). We hope you find it interesting and useful to attend.

Learn More and Register!

Tell Your US Representative to Co-sponsor and Support the Overdose Prevention and Patient Safety Act!

Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 2 (often referred to 42 CFR Part 2, or simply as “Part 2”) regulates the sharing of substance use disorder (SUD) records. It limits the use and disclosure of such records unless a patient provides written consent.

Protecting patients’ confidentiality is of the utmost importance. But because of the complicated ripple effect on a patient’s health that must be carefully managed and coordinated, Part 2 poses a serious safety threat to patients with SUD, often leaving clinicians unaware of risks from multiple drug interactions and co-existing medical problems.

HR 5795, the Overdose Prevention and Patient Safety Act, enables appropriate sharing of substance use disorder records by aligning Part 2 with HIPAA for purposes of treatment, payment, and operations. The bill also includes criminal, civil, and administrative protections for patients during legal proceedings and applies HIPAA penalties to the Part 2 program to ensure that patients can seek treatment without fear their information will be inappropriately shared.

HR 5795 will be considered on the House floor in the coming days, along with other opioid-related bills.

Call your US Representative to ask him or her to co-sponsor HR 5795 and vote yes when it comes to the House floor for a vote. AHIMA’s Advocacy Action Center has everything you need to take action.

Click here to identify your US Representative.

The Gretchen C Murphy Health Informatics and Health Information Management (HIHIM) Student Support Fund

Gretchen Murphy has been a truly exceptional leader in the Health Informatics profession. Gretchen served as the director of the HIHIM programs at Seattle U and UW for many years. Many of us know Gretchen as a thoughtful and caring leader with a special dedication to advancing students and fostering their education. She has spent her career committed to developing the HIHIM profession.

In 2017, the HIHIM Programs at UW announced the establishment of the Gretchen C. Murphy Health Informatics and Health Information Management (HIHIM) Student Support Fund. The naming of this fund allows us to honor Gretchen’s retirement and her dedication to students. This scholarship will increase opportunities for students by lessening the financial burden of their education. These opportunities may include presenting at conferences, providing partial tuition or simply covering the cost of books.

The hope is to endow this fund at $25,000, establishing a legacy to honor Gretchen and to ensure student funding for HIHIM students in the baccalaureate, post-baccalaureate and master’s programs in perpetuity. So far, $12,000 have been raised for the fund. In order to reach the goal of $25,000, please considering making a donation – no donation is too small!

Click here to donate.

Donations can also be made by calling: (206) 221-6343

Greetings,

Melody Draper and Rhona Moses are organizing this year’s Silent Auction to be held during the Annual Meeting at the Lynnwood Convention Center in Lynnwood, WA, April 26 – 28.  We are seeking donations from WSHIMA members, non-members and vendors.  If you are able to donate an item or service please complete the online donation form located at www.wshima.org on the Annual Meeting Silent Auction Page.

Last year the Silent Auction raised $1,500 with all proceeds supporting WSHIMA’s scholarship and award programs for HIM students and current WSHIMA members.

Ideas for auction items:

• Reference materials – professional books
• Gift baskets – garden, spa day, cooking, sports, entertainment
• Collector’s items – art, jewelry, vases, ceramic art
• Craft items – quilts, blankets, pictures
• Electronics
• Games
• Men’s and ladies’ personal accessories
• Sportswear
• Sporting events / entertainment
• Desk and business accessories
• Tours
• Museums
• Hotel and resort get-aways

If you have questions, please contact Melody or Rhona:

WSHIMA 2^nd Year Director, Draper Hnatovic, Melody MDRAPER@jeffersonhealthcare.org

WSHIMA 1^st Year Director, Moses, Rhona moses.r@ghc.org

Thank you for your support!

Dear WSHIMA Members,

Our Legal Portal is our online version of the former WSHIMA Legislative Manual. As I’m sure you know it is a very valuable resource. Normally, the yearly subscription for the Legal Portal is from June 1 through May 31 but right now we are offering a 75% discount through May 31, 2018.

Here is the link to our webpage that describes the Legal Portal and where you can subscribe to it.

When you subscribe enter WSHIMA75 as the Customer Code and you will receive the discount.

As you can see this is a great pricing opportunity and opportunity for you to experience the usefulness and expertise of the Legal Portal.

WSHIMA Members,

Are you interested in applying for a $1,000.00 or $2,000.00 scholarship? Being recognized for your contributions? Getting reimbursed for your exam fee? Then read on.

The Washington State Health Information Management Association (WSHIMA) recognizes scholarship and professionalism as necessary characteristics needed to succeed as health information professionals. We all recognize that our association and profession benefit from the talents and energy of new, well-educated graduates of Health Informatics and Health Information Management and Technology programs in Washington State. To assist qualified health information students in their educational endeavors, WSHIMA offers the Sister Peter Olivaint Scholarship Program. WSHIMA is pleased to announce that we are offering three 2018 scholarships, each in the amount of $2000.00. These three scholarships will not be school specific but are open to WSHIMA Student Members of any CAHIIM approved program.

Also, the WSHIMA Professional Development Scholarship is open to any active WSHIMA member advancing their education and knowledge through contemporary and innovative achievements. To assist AHIMA credentialed health information professionals (HIM) in the state of Washington, WSHIMA offers monetary awards to HIM professionals in order to further their HIM careers. Examples include:

1. Pursuing an advanced AHIMA Credential such as: CCS, CHDA, CHPS, CPHI, CDIP or CHTS
2. One of the emerging credentials in IG or Informatics

The scholarship award could be used for education and prep work in order to pass the exam. WSHIMA will award 2 scholarship for up to $1,000.00 each. If you are interested in either of these scholarships, then please fill out the application form under “Members” on the homepage.

Do you know of an outstanding individual that should be recognized for his or her contributions to the HIM profession? Consider nominating them for the “Distinguished Member Award” or the “Professional Achievement Award.” These awards acknowledge WSHIMA member(s) who have made outstanding contributions to the profession and/or professional associations, and recognizes WSHIMA member(s) who, through their efforts and example, have been an inspiration to those who know them and has advanced the association’s ideals through contemporary and innovative achievements. Do you know of someone? Send in their nomination by filling out the “Awards” form under the “Member” tab on the homepage.

WSHIMA is proud to announce the launch of our re-designed Exam Fee Reimbursement Program. Are you or someone you know getting ready to take the RHIT or RHIA exam? Or, have you taken it within the last 6 months? Would you like the chance to win back your exam fee? Then I encourage you to apply for the Exam Fee Reimbursement. The Exam Fee Reimbursement Program awards the current cost of the exam ($229.00) to eligible WSHIMA Members, as reimbursement for the RHIT or RHIA exam fee upon successful passing of the exam within 6 months of graduation. Interested? See “Exam Fee Reimbursement Program” under the “Member” tab on our homepage.

Send in your application and nominations today!

Sincerely,

Melody Draper Hnatovic RHIT,CHPS, CCS
WSHIMA 2nd Year Director

Dear WSHIMA Colleagues,

Healthcare Resource Group (HRG), one of our WSHIMA Gold Corporate Partners, is offering this complementary webinar on 2018 CPT Updates that are effective next Monday, January 1. So take advantage of this nice gift from HRG!

Here is the link to the CPT Updates Webinar.

Dear WSHIMA Colleagues,

At UW Medicine, we used the Information Governance (IG) Toolkit and the IGtool as part of our AHIMA IG Pilot to identify our level of IG implementation and level of competency in specific areas such as; IG Structure, Strategic Alignment, Enterprise Information Management, Data Governance, IT Governance, Analytics, Privacy & Security, Regulatory & Legal, Awareness & Adherence, and IG Performance. While the tool is geared toward an overall IG Program, UW Medicine’s approach was to start with a grassroots approach centered around the Health Information Management Department. IGHealthRate was quite helpful in assessing our overall competence and allowed us to hone in on specific areas where we had more opportunity. The AHIMA IG tools can really help you identify where to focus!

And below is a special offer from AHIMA.

Sally Beahan, RHIA, MHA
Director, Health Information Management at UW Medicine

AHIMA – RAISE THE IGHEALTHRATE BY DECEMBER 31, 2017

Following up on the announcement at the AHIMA convention that the IG Adoption Model™ is now available free of charge to qualified organizations* through the IGHealthRate™ assessment tool, we’re opening up a contest to CSAs. Because this tool has made such an incredible difference for those leading IG efforts in their organizations, between now and December 31, the state that gains the largest number of organizations using IGHealthRate™ will win a free four-hour IG training in 2018.

*To qualify: Information intensive organizations of any size qualify by having assigned an IG leader, a C-suite sponsor, and agreeing to do the assessment within 60 days of gaining access to the tool.

Here is the link: https://www.ighealthrate.com/#/login

AHIMA will track states’ participation through the IGHealthRate tool. The winner will be announced January 4, 2018.

Dear WSHIMA Colleagues,

We are preparing for our 2018 WSHIMA Annual Meeting in Lynnwood, Washington, April 26 – 28, and are seeking speakers for that event. If you are interested in being a speaker, please complete the attached Speaker Submission form and return it to me at WSHIMA@wshima.org. We plan to have an excellent meeting with good education and CEU opportunities and fun networking.

I hope to see you there whether or not you are speaking.

My Best,
Eugenia

Eugenia Terry, RHIA
WSHIMA Executive Director

WSHIMA Speaker Submission Form

Let’s help our colleagues affected by disaster. Click on this link to the AHIMA website to donate now: http://www.ahimafoundation.org/Support/HIRO.aspx

• President-Elect (3 year term)
• Secretary (1 year term)
• 1st year Director (2 year term)
• Delegate – 1 position (2 year term)

Dear Colleagues,

As you know, WSHIMA is partnering with Haugen Consulting Group to offer monthly live webinars on various coding topics. The next one will be “Supporting Sepsis: Compliantly coding healthcare’s favorite moving target”.

These coding webinars will also be available on-demand after they occur. These are both valuable and inexpensive opportunities to improve your coding skills and obtain CEUs.

Attached is information about the next webinar:

Supporting Sepsis: Compliantly coding healthcare’s favorite moving target – scheduled at noon (PDT) on November 15, 2017.

Here is information about the webinar.

Welcome to this great opportunity and enjoy!

Click here to register.

Dear Colleagues,

We are in the process of evaluating our WSHIMA sponsored education opportunities with the intention of updating them and providing more and more relevant opportunities for education and CEUs.

With that in mind we have developed the attached survey. Can you take a few minutes to complete it and give us your insight as to what works for you? We will then expand and update the education that WSHIMA provides.

Thanks for your help!

WSHIMA Education Survey

Dear Colleagues,

WSHIMA is grateful to Reimbursement Management Consultants (RMC) who have chosen to be a Gold Corporate Partner with us for several years. Here is some information about them:

Reimbursement Management Consultants, Inc. (RMC) has worked hard over the past 23 years to establish a reputation of QUALITY, CONSISTENCY, PROFESSIONALISM and EXCELLENCE. Our team is built of some of the most skilled experts in the industry, providing coding support, compliance reviews, consulting, education and CDI services to our diverse range of clients. We are always looking for new partnerships, and would love to work with YOU! Contact us today at 800-538-5007 or www.rmcinc.org

To sign up for our complimentary quarterly newsletter, COMPLIANCE CONNECTIONS, click here!

For more information on who we are, and what we do at RMC, click here!

Welcome to learning with Haugen Academy, sponsored by WSHIMA!

This catalog displays upcoming live webinars. Purchase of the live webinar includes access to the recorded version as well.

Enjoy your learning!

Register Here

Dear WSHIMA Colleagues,

The WSHIMA Board would like to encourage you to become a member of the AHIMA Engage Community for Washington state. It is an excellent opportunity to connect with colleagues, pose questions, provide resources and ideas and to network. As AHIMA says: “Choose from a diverse group of health information topics to share your knowledge, seek advice, gain best practices and strategize.”

If you are not already signed up for Engage please consider doing so. Here is the link and we also have it on our WSHIMA webpage under “Resources”.

Go onto the Engage home page, click on the tab “Communities” and you can sign in.

Enjoy!

Dear WSHIMA Colleagues,

Partnering withe Haugen Consulting Group, we have had two coding education webinars in the past two months. One is on the topic of “Wounded By Wound Care” and the other is on the topic of “Chronic Care Management”. In case you missed them we now have those presentations available for you to access On-demand.

So click on the link below, register and enjoy!

Register

Another Great Coding Education Opportunity

Dear WSHIMA Colleagues,

We had our first coding education webinar, partnering with Haugen Consulting Group, last week on the topic of Wounded By Wound Care. It was a great success. Comments in the evaluations included: “Great course. Speaker was very clear and easy.”

We now have that presentation link available for you to access On-demand.

So click on it, register and enjoy!

Click Here For On-Demand Access

Dear Colleagues,

As you know, WSHIMA is partnering with Haugen Consulting Group to offer monthly live webinars on various coding topics. These will also be available on-demand after they occur. These are both valuable and inexpensive opportunities to improve your coding skills and obtain CEUs. Attached is information about the next webinar – Chronic Care Management – scheduled at noon (PDT) on August 16, 2017. Welcome to this great opportunity and enjoy!

Click Here to Register

• 
  Facebook: facebook.com/WSHIMA
   
• 
  Twitter: @WSHIMAResources

The Washington State Health Care Authority has an incentive program for those who participate in the WA Link4Health Clinical Data Repository.

Look at the bulletin to see if this is something you qualify for.

Clinical Data Repository Opportunity

A steering committee has been formed to coordinate efforts to update the Public Hospital Districts Records Retention Schedule, Version 5.0 (March 2011). An updated retention schedule is essential to managing public records, which means not only complying with record-keeping requirements, but also maximizing resources and minimizing risk through appropriate records retention and disposition.

The committee is looking for volunteers to serve on workgroups as subject-matter experts in Healthcare Operations, Quality Control, Treatment, Research, and Long Term Care/Nursing Home Facilities. The workgroups will review and suggest changes to the retention schedule.

The timeline is June through September 2017. The frequency, duration, and setting of workgroup meetings will depend on location and availability of workgroup members; however, members can expect to meet for no more than 4 hours per month.

If you are interested in joining a workgroup or have questions about the steering committee, please contact Ryan Schlender, UW Medicine Records Analyst at: ryans4@uw.edu.

The 2017 AHIMA Advocacy Summit held in Washington DC March 27-28 was incredible – once again – including the blooming cherry blossom trees! This year, we had four WSHIMA representatives – Sally Beahan, President, Cindy Kelly, President-Elect, Lisa Withers, Delegate, and Sheila Green-Shook, Chair of Advocacy and Collaboration. 

Monday, March 27th was filled with interesting speakers, The morning session was kicked off by Ann Chenoweth, AHIMA President and Chair followed by Lynn Thomas Gordon, CEO, AHIMA. 

Next up was Pam Lane, VP Public, Policy and Government Relations for AHIMA and the purpose of her presentation was to enhance the audience’s understanding of advocacy and the opportunity to influence at the state and national level.

• Patient matching and the importance of promoting dialogue with the private sector to beginning discussing strategies to reduce the risk to patients and their care due to patient matching issues/errors 
• The importance of engaging health information management professionals. This talking point wasn’t an ‘ask’ as much as it was ‘we are here to serve as content experts, so please feel free to reach out to us if you have questions’. 

We are wishing you and your family the best in this holiday season. May you have great and good times with family and friends. Thank you for your commitment to our profession and to our Association.

Are you interested in applying for a $1,000.00 or $2,000.00 scholarship? Being recognized for your contributions? Getting reimbursed for your exam fee? Then read on…

The Washington State Health Information Management Association (WSHIMA) recognizes scholarship and professionalism as necessary characteristics needed to succeed as health information professionals. We all recognize that our association and profession benefit from the talents and energy of new, well-educated graduates of Health Informatics and Health Information Management and Technology programs in Washington State. To assist qualified health information students in their educational endeavors, WSHIMA offers the Sister Peter Olivaint Scholarship Program. WSHIMA is pleased to announce that we are offering three 2017 scholarships, each in the amount of $2000.00. These three scholarships will not be school specific but are open to WSHIMA Student Members of any CAHIIM approved program.

Also, the WSHIMA Professional Development Scholarship is open to any active WSHIMA member advancing their education and knowledge through contemporary and innovative achievements. To assist AHIMA credentialed health information professionals (HIM) in the state of Washington, WSHIMA offers monetary awards to HIM professionals in order to further their HIM careers. Examples include:

1. Pursuing an advanced AHIMA Credential such as: CCS, CHDA, CHPS, CPHI, CDIP or CHTS
2. One of the emerging credentials in IG or Informatics

The scholarship award could be used for education and prep work in order to pass the exam. WSHIMA will award 2 scholarship for up to $1,000.00 each. If you are interested in either of these scholarships, then please fill out the application form under “Members” on the homepage. Here is the link: https://www.wshima.org/members/scholarships/

Do you know of an outstanding individual that should be recognized for his or her contributions to the HIM profession? Consider nominating them for the “Distinguished Member Award” or the “Professional Achievement Award.” These awards acknowledge WSHIMA member(s) who have made outstanding contributions to the profession and/or professional associations, and recognizes WSHIMA member(s) who, through their efforts and example, have been an inspiration to those who know them and has advanced the association’s ideals through contemporary and innovative achievements. Do you know of someone? Send in their nomination by filling out the “Awards” form under the “Member” tab on the homepage. Here is the link: https://www.wshima.org/members/awards/

WSHIMA is proud to announce the launch of our re-designed Exam Fee Reimbursement Program. Are you or someone you know getting ready to take the RHIT or RHIA exam? Or, have you taken it within the last 6 months? Would you like the chance to win back your exam fee? Then I encourage you to apply for the Exam Fee Reimbursement. The Exam Fee Reimbursement Program awards the current cost of the exam ($229.00) to eligible WSHIMA Members, as reimbursement for the RHIT or RHIA exam fee upon successful passing of the exam within 6 months of graduation. Interested? See “Exam Fee Reimbursement Program” under the “Member” tab on our homepage. Here is the link: https://www.wshima.org/members/certification-exam-reimbursement/

Send in your application and nominations today!

Sincerely,

Tracy Stanley, RHIT/CHUC
WSHIMA 2nd Year Director

We have new information on our website that gives patients/consumers information about how to request medical records. Click on Resources (at the top) and see “How to Request Your Records — A Consumer FAQ”.

This will be useful to our patients and to our teams who are assisting patients.

Here is the information from the AHIMA House of Delegates (HOD) meeting at the Baltimore AHIMA Convention. Interesting information — lots of new strategy and evolution. As healthcare moves forward, so do we!

AHIMA House of Delegates 2016 Report

I realized that I have been remiss in communicating with you as I enter into my second term as WSHIMA President, it’s almost November and the holidays are fast approaching, where does the time go? Here are some updates!

WSHIMA Board Updates

I want to assure you that even though you haven’t heard much from me, your WSHIMA Board is busy behind the scenes working on moving our strategic plan forward. Our delegates just got back from the international AHIMA conference that was held in Baltimore. We attended the House of Delegates on Sunday October 16^th where we heard a lot about HIM Reimagined (HIM-R). AHIMA’s vision is to move our profession forward in this rapidly changing healthcare environment. As the CEO of AHIMA Lynne Thomas-Gordon said, “we don’t want to be a Kodak or Blockbuster”. That resonated with me and as we look to the future many of the traditional HIM roles are changing with the advancement of technology and the changing reimbursement and pay for performance landscape. We have a unique skillset as HIM Professionals that will serve us well as our future unfolds but we need to be proactive and think about what the future roles look like.

Annual Meeting March 16-18^th Spokane, WA

The WSHIMA Annual Committee is hard at work planning the 2017 WSHIMA Annual meeting which will be held in Spokane, WA March 16-18^th, 2017. We changed the venue this year to the Red Lion Riverfront and more information will be coming on registration and educational sessions.

HIM Reimagined (HIM-R)

You will hear a lot more about HIM-R and the educational tracks AHIMA is creating to keep our skills relevant to the changing times. Healthcare needs us and we need to be poised and ready to step up and lead, accept change with open arms, and promote ourselves to our employers as we have a unique skillset that will help shape the future.

Get Involved

If you are interested in volunteering we have a variety of roles in WSHIMA that can be as big or small as your time allows, we have a great time and it is rewarding knowing we are supporting our members and moving our profession forward, come join us!!

New Education Chair

I’m pleased to announce that Laura Legg from Healthcare Resource Group has offered to take on the role of WSHIMA Education Chair; we are discussing future opportunities for ½ day sessions as we look to 2017.

Sincerely,
Sally Beahan, RHIA, MHA
President, WSHIMA

Evergreen Alert – October 19, 2016

Evergreen Alert – October 13, 2016

Evergreen Alert – July 21, 2016

Evergreen Alert – July 1, 2016

Have you ever considered volunteering your time with WSHIMA? To be truthful with you, before three years ago, I hadn’t! First of all, I didn’t feel that I had been a part of the world of HIM long enough to have anything significant to contribute. Secondly, I found it to be very intimidating to consider. So, I think that makes me the perfect person to encourage all of you to think about volunteering, wherever you find yourself in your professional career at this time, whether you are a new graduate, currently working, or even retired.

My first experience with WSHIMA was as a student attending the 2011 annual convention at the Davenport Hotel in Spokane WA. I graduated that year and began working soon after. To continue earning my CEU’s I attended our regional chapter, INHIMA. I paid my dues and meeting fees, and I enjoyed the fruits of the labor of the local board without ever giving a thought as to how these meetings came together. Then in 2012, I was nominated to serve on the INHIMA board. I was curious about the experience and accepted the nomination. I was later elected to serve as INHIMA President Elect for 2013. One of the benefits of serving is that the President represents the regional board with WSHIMA. So in 2014, I began to attend the WSHIMA board meetings.

I have to admit to you that the first meeting I attended I felt like I was completely out of my element. I looked around the room at the group of professionals who had achieved a status in their careers that I hadn’t even yet contemplated. Their level of knowledge and dedication was astounding. Much of what they talked about went completely over my head at the time. I thought, “What am I doing here?!” On the flip side of that experience, was the way that they welcomed me and encouraged me to participate. I continued to attend and brought back ideas to share with our local chapter. I got to know these amazing and dynamic people, and I grew in personal and professional ways.

I have now finished my term with INHIMA, and in the meantime I have served on the WSHIMA Nominating, Coding, and Annual Convention Committees. I played a small role in helping to put together some of the coding sessions for the 2016 Annual Convention.

As a member attending the learning opportunities put together by our local and state organizations, it’s easy to take for granted how these offerings come together for us. The groups of people working behind the scenes to put them together can seem anonymous and bit like the man behind the green curtain. It’s not magic though and we can take the opportunity to give back and participate. I encourage you to consider being a part of this group of dedicated people. What you will find is that they are an amazing and welcoming group. You will learn that you do have much that you can offer, and that what you gain will be rewarding and well worth your time.

Cindy Stephens, RHIT

Evergreen Alert- March 31, 2016

Evergreen Alert- March 11, 2016

A View of Vendor Relations
Eugenia Terry, RHIA

About 3 years ago I was asked to create a Vendor Relations process for WSHIMA.  Marci Vanderbosch joined me and we interviewed key members of other HIM state associations who already had significant vendor relations processes in place.  It was very useful for us and, as a result, we created a WSHIMA Corporate Partner process and approach.

This included developing Gold and Bronze partnerships with a list of benefits and fees for each.  At first we were going to have the Lead of the Vendor Relations process (me) be the key contact with the Corporate Partners, but, at that time we were also developing and implementing the new WSHIMA Executive Director position, so it was determined that optimally that individual (Jill Burrington-Brown) should be the key contact with vendors in general and Corporate Partners in particular.

This has been very successful for us.  To date we have 3 Gold partners and 2 Bronze partners.  We also have 23 vendors signed up to attend our Annual Meeting. (Last year we had 16.)  Great job, Jill!

The advantages to the vendors are that they get a number of benefits that lead to much more visibility to our members.  The advantages to us are that we get more clarity about vendor products and, because they travel all over the country, more clarity about changes in the healthcare field that they encounter elsewhere and share with us at Board meetings.  This latter advantage was something we had not thought of initially but it was strongly pointed out by other state associations.

This process has been enjoyable and enlightening for me.  Plus I appreciate the opportunity to be a member of WSHIMA in this and other roles.  It is a great advantage to know our colleagues (both members and vendors), to interact and network with them, and to participate in changes to the healthcare arena that will, hopefully, lead to improvements in how we do our work and, ultimately, improved patient care.

Planning your Volunteer Career 

by Rik Lewis
VP of Healthcare Resource Group
A WSHIMA Gold Corporate Partner

I think it is safe to say that we have invested a lot of time planning our career.   Most of us are in roles that were not anticipated when we left high school.   As we gained more experience and education, we followed a path that early on was a bit murky, but eventually the path got clearer as we set career goals.

I joined Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) in 1999 at the request of my employer…after 17 years in workers’ compensation claims management, I made a career change that was less planned and more the result of opportunity.   Early on in my HFMA career, leadership asked me to take a volunteer role and here I am, in my President-Elect role 17 years later.

After 10 years of supporting my chapter both at a local and regional level, I was asked by our Regional Executive “when are you going to be President of the chapter?”   My response was that I was not interested…I had my plate full with work, family and Boy Scouts.  Overtime, I realized that in 10 years in the future…I would be right where I am today, serving my chapter.  At that moment, I realized that if I was called to serve in the capacity of president, it would be an honor.

How did it all start for me with HFMA?   Our then chapter president was a very assertive woman…her approach was to directly ask you to volunteer in a specific role and it is hard to say no to your president!   I had only been in the chapter less than a year and I was asked to co-chair the trade fair…a role I filled for nearly 15 years!  I had no experience…I had not even attended past trade fairs!

How did it all start for me with WSHIMA?   Kathy Peterson (Director and Senior Lecturer, Health Informatics and Health Information Management Program, University of Washington) asked me if I would fill the role of education chair…Kathy knew me well for a variety of reasons, but I had never really engaged with WSHIMA prior to the request.  I was asked, honored at the opportunity, jumped in head first!

The WSHIMA chapter is not unlike most trade associations, including HFMA…far too few volunteers carrying too much of the load. There is so much to do and so little time.  In many instances, chapter leaders get overwhelmed in our roles that we fail to delegate.

In my opinion, volunteering your time is unconditional; if you’re lucky you will fill a role that you are passionate about, but ultimately you are supporting the needs of the organization first.

Have you ever offered to volunteer and never been taken up on your offer?   That is a difficult situation…often the volunteer is disappointed…thinking maybe they are not viewed as a competent person or that it is personal and the leaders don’t like you.   The good news is that is not the case…many times leaders forget the offer or fail to immediately have a role that might meet your needs.   Quite honestly, this happens all the time.

Quick tips to volunteering your time:

• Identify an area in the chapter that you are passionate about…where do you think you can best help?
• Don’t take no for an answer, if you don’t get an immediate positive answer or volunteer assignment…don’t give up.  Don’t take it personal…it isn’t about you.
• Don’t get frustrated if you start off in a supportive role…starting off slowly is usually best for all
• Be aware of what is happening in your chapter…there are a variety of ways to volunteer
• Do what you say you will do to the best of your ability.  If you have a role but don’t fully understand your responsibilities or duties…ask for help!  If you are falling short and cannot fulfil your responsibilities…communicate your challenge and ask for help.
• Network with other members…often you have friends in the chapter that can help you find the right spot for you

Planning your volunteer career is usually a series of short, unconditional goals and needs change as well as your availability.   You may not want to fill an officer or board member role but things change over time.  Volunteering is neither hard nor easy…but typically no different than helping at your children’s school or at church…one thing leads to another.  Volunteering is fun and rewarding!

Jill Burrington-Brown, MS, RHIA, FAHIMA

At one of our Board meetings, we discussed why we were members of WSHIMA—What were the reasons we became active in this association?  All of us had stories about being a WSHIMA member.  I’ll tell you mine.

I started out with working on the Bylaws committee, of all things.  It was actually a year with a lot of changes, and a call went out for someone to stay on top of the changes.  I raised my hand, and started meeting some phenomenal people.  I was elected as a Delegate the next year, and was fortunate to go to my first National Convention in New Orleans, LA.  I should have had more experience, because I hardly said two words that convention (those of you who know me well probably don’t believe that!). But I got to know and learn from Mary Jo Callahan and Sue Stubbs, fellow delegates.  Being a delegate for two years gave me the courage to run for Treasurer, and it was during that term that I understood the value of networking.  One of my new friends recommended me for a position as an HIM Director and I got the job!

What I want you to know about WSHIMA is that you get so much more than what you put in.  This HIM community is very generous with sharing their knowledge.  What that means to me is that I had access to experts whenever I needed work advice because I had already worked along side them in association business.   When I needed better productivity models, I had several people I could ask.  When I had a difficult situation, someone else had already been there and could help me navigate it.

I became President of WSHIMA in 1990.  That was over 25 years ago, but I still remember the terrific opportunities I had that year.   I went to my first Hill Day in Washington D.C., and opened the AHIMA National Convention in Seattle that year. I met people I consider to be lifetime friends as well as colleagues.

I now have more working years behind me than in front of me, and I wouldn’t change a thing.  Did I always have the money for dues?  No, there were plenty of years I had to scrimp to come up with it or pay off my credit card. Did I ever wonder if it was worth it?  Sure!  But I could always point to something that I would have missed if I hadn’t been a member:

• The jobs I’ve held throughout the years have nearly all been because I knew someone in WSHIMA.
• I learned how to mentor by having wonderful mentors in WSHIMA.
• I learned to be brave and do public speaking because of WSHIMA.
• I learned to be brave and talk to state and federal legislators because of WSHIMA.
• I learned to be brave and ask for a “seat at the table” because of WSHIMA.
• Learning to be brave gave me confidence. That’s because of WSHIMA.

Being active in WSHIMA means volunteering for whatever you have the capacity for at the moment.  Not all things that need doing are long-term commitments.   Come and join us!  Learn what you need to learn!  Start by coming to our annual meeting in April.   I’ll be at the registration desk most of the time. Stop and say hello.   I’ll be happy to meet you.

The Role of President & President Elect
by Sally Beahan, WSHIMA President

To be honest, when I was asked to run for President Elect 2 years ago, I was scared to death. Fear of the unknown I guess one would say. My first Strategic Planning Board meeting as incoming President Elect in June of 2014 was the first exposure I had to the WSHIMA Board in many years. I had served on WSHIMA committees in the past and had been asked to ‘throw my hat in the ring’ over the years but the time was never quite right for me so I declined. When the call came in early 2014 to run for President Elect I took a couple of days to really think about it and while it scared me to death, I felt the time was right to get involved.

Looking back on my journey in HIM, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. Timing is everything! My kids are grown, I finished my Master’s degree, and I have a day job that allows me some flexibility to expand my areas of focus so I finally said ‘yes’! The first AHIMA Leadership Symposium in July 2014 was amazing to say the least. I was so energized to be around other AHIMA Professionals and leaders from all across the United States. We shared ideas and commiserated about our challenges. It was at that point that I knew finally saying ‘yes’ to running for the WSHIMA Board was one of the best decisions I had ever made.

Working with the WSHIMA Board and representing WA State at the national AHIMA level is an enlightening experience. We attended the national convention and House of Delegates in San Diego in September 2014. It was there we received the ‘call to action’ to reach out to our WA State representatives in Congress and the Senate to promote ICD10 and stop any chance of another ICD10 delay. To be honest, that felt a bit daunting, but we did it and quickly became very comfortable talking to our legislative offices. Several of us had the opportunity to travel to Washington DC in March 2015 and participate in AHIMA’s Hill Day to further promote ICD10 with the message of no more delays! We met with some our Congressional and Senate offices. It was so much fun and they really listened to our message about ICD10. I could see we were making a difference!

In June 2015 we held our annual Strategic Planning meeting and welcomed incoming Board members. We put together a robust Strategic Plan and budget for 2015-16 and use that as our guide at our monthly Board meetings. A group of us from the Board travelled to Chicago in July 2015 for the AHIMA Leadership Symposium and learned a lot, got inspired, and came up with some new ideas to support our initiatives to ensure WSHIMA is bringing value to our members. In September 2015 a group of us from the Board descended upon New Orleans and attended the House of Delegates and annual AHIMA conference.

Looking back on the last 18 months in some ways seems like a whirlwind but I can honestly say from the bottom of my heart that I’m so glad I finally said ‘yes’ to running for a Board position! My point in sharing my story is to inspire you to get involved. We have a lot of opportunities in WSHIMA to be as involved as you want or can be from serving on a committee, chairing a committee, or running for a Board position. My journey so far has been truly amazing and I’m thankful to have made so many new friends and met so many HIM colleagues that I wouldn’t have gotten to know had I not said ‘yes’. So my wish for you in this coming year is to think about saying ‘yes’, you won’t be disappointed! We are accepting nominations for the 2016-17 Board positions so check out the WSHIMA website and throw your hat in the ring or send an email to wshima@wshima.org if you are interested in volunteering on a committee.

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