THIMA eNews

 

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THIMA Annual Meeting

The 2009 THIMA Annual Meeting is ‘just around the corner’.   We will be accepting on-site registrations, as space permits.  This is going to be fantastic meeting  -- hope to see you there!

Click here to learn more!

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Get Ready for ARRA to ‘Rock Your World’!!

If you haven’t already become conversant about the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act”, then you’d better get busy!  

Here are several resources to help you:

 

Audio Conference: ARRA Creates Opportunities for HIM 
Co-Hosted by THIMA

Thursday, April 23rd
12:00-1:00 EDT
11:00-12:00 CDT

The new Economic Stimulus legislation, formally known as The American Recovery and Re-investment Act  (ARRA) is broad, comprehensive and complex in healthcare impacts. There are EHR incentives, HIPAA strengthening and Education expansion along with funding for Medicare, Medicaid, COBRA extension as well as other directives. The Act makes clear that although many of the regulations and directives within ARRA do not take effect for months or years that the time is now to begin learning and preparing for the coming changes this legislation fosters. HIM professionals have a rare opportunity to become leaders within their organizations and to get more deeply involved in the leadership of electronic health record management.

This teleconference will provide an overview of the Act from an HIM perspective. Topics include:

• HIPAA expansion of Accounting of Disclosures (AOD), Business Associate Agreements (BAA) and out to Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) and Personal Health Records (PHR)

• EHR adoption and incentive payments to hospitals and physicians are detailed as well as increased monies for education of HIM and IT professionals will all be discussed.

Please dial into this important conference to get a well founded HIM view of ARRA and the opportunities for HIM growth it contains.

Learn more and register online

AHIMA Posts ARRA Review

AHIMA has posted a review of Public Law 101-5, the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.” At this location, you will find two reviews: the first on the general provisions of the legislation and the second specifically dedicated to the privacy provisions. If you have any questions, you can contact Don Asmonga or Dan Rode in the AHIMA Washington Office. 

ARRA Privacy Analysis Now Available

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), known to some as the “stimulus bill,” contains significant additions to the privacy and security requirements of HIPAA as well as requirements for non-HIPAA entities. Over the course of the next two years this law will be put into effect and various regulations, guidance, and reports will be issued. AHIMA has completed an analysis of this new law which can now be found at www.ahima.org/dc under Analyses. Look to the e-Alert and other AHIMA media for future announcements of directives, proposed, final, and interim regulations, and guidance as they are issued by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Federal Trade Commission.

Be Prepared for Changes in Accounting for All Disclosures

Covered entities and their business associates that use electronic health records (EHRs) will be required to account for all disclosures of protected health information under a provision in the new American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This includes disclosures made for purposes of treatment, payment, and healthcare operations—actions currently exempted under HIPAA.

Covered entities shopping for EHR systems should be aware of the new requirements. Those that purchase systems after January 1 of this year must be compliant with the new rule by January 1, 2011. Read more online at the Journal of AHIMA Web site.

Office of Tennessee Recovery Act Management

Governor Bredesen has created the TN Recovery Act Management Office to oversee the distribution of funds that will be coming to TN as the result of ARRA.  Mike Morrow is the Director.  The money will be distributed through grants and other funding programs.    Learn more at www.tnrecovery.gov.

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CSA Newsletter Article

HOD Team creates a Clinical Practice Sites/Professional Practice Experiences (PPE) Guide

In 2008, the House of Delegates (HOD) organized itself into six teams to focus on different areas of the profession. The six HOD Teams are: Environmental Scanning, Best Practices/Standards, Professional Development and Recognition, Volunteer and Leadership Development, HOD Operations and Health Information Management (HIM) Higher Education and Workforce. The AHIMA Board of Directors sets specific charges for each of the HOD Teams to work on throughout the year.

One of the charges for the HOD Team on HIM Higher Education and Workforce is to provide support and recommendations to increase the number of clinical practice sites and opportunities for students to complete professional practice experiences. To that end, the Team created a Clinical Practice Sites/Professional Practice Experiences (PPE) Guide that provides information and best practices about serving as a clinical practice site and hosting students who are completing their required professional practice experiences. The Guide provides specific, helpful information to: site managers, department mentors, Component State Associations (CSA), academic programs and students. If you are involved with or considering hosting students, take a few minutes to review the helpful information found in the Guide. It can be accessed in the AHIMA and State Leaders and HOD Communities of Practice and on the AHIMA Web site by clicking here.

Direct link to Guide is: http://library.ahima.org/xpedio/groups/public/documents/internal_projectplanning/bok1_043192.pdf  

please contact Carol Nielsen at (312) 233-1175 or carol.nielsen@ahima.org.

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Letter to the Tennessee Health Information Management Association

In 1993, the Tennessee Department of Health began the frame work to establish and maintain Immunization Registry for children.  Most of the existing records were established from birth certificate data on children in Tennessee since January 1, 1994; however the registry can accept information on patients of any age.  All local Departments of Health were required to record each immunization given, by January 1, 1996, in designated format to the State Information System (SIIS) on all patients born after January 1, 1994. 

Since 2003, the Tennessee Department of Health has offered authorized users access to the State Immunization Registry through our online portal, https://twis.tn.gov/twisprod/.  The Tennessee Web Immunization System (TWIS) gives authorized users access to 1.5 million patients and 14 million vaccinations.  TWIS is a secure internet portal into the state immunization registry.  TWIS users, depending upon the level of access, may perform a number of functions; conduct patient searches, verify that patient immunization information is accurate and complete, update patient information, print pre-populated school certificates for daycare and school, and create new patient records for patients of any age.  Users can access links to other vaccine related web sites and more specific information concerning the Tennessee Department of Health’s Immunization Program and the federal Vaccines for Children program.

Blue Cross Blue Shield became the Tennessee Immunization Program’s first Trading Partner to exchange immunization information using a HL7 format in 2007.  The Electronic Data Interchange occurs twice weekly as a batch file process.  We have signed contract or agreements with CareSpark and Amerigroup.  We are currently looking to expand to private providers and other HIPAA compliant organizations in the near future.   

In Tennessee, we envision a registry in which “Any authorized user, anytime and anywhere in the state of Tennessee can immediately obtain comprehensive immunization information on any Tennessee resident.”  To accomplish this vision, the Immunization Program is now promoting TWIS to immunization providers who care for adults, not just children. By creating a permanent record of immunization for patient that is visible to all healthcare providers using TWIS, providers can avoid tedious records searches and unnecessary doses of routine (but infrequently needed) vaccines, like those for pneumococcal disease and tetanus.  To register for TWIS online go to https://twis.tn.gov.  For more information, contact our registry coordinator at brian.k.moore@state.tn.us or by phone 615-741-4908.  Training and demonstrations are available if requested.

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