Posts Tagged AHIMA

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Why Healthcare Loves the iPad

iPad in Healthcare

Since first hitting the market in January 2010, the iPad and its successors have been somewhat of an anomaly in healthcare technology. Outside of cutting edge clinical treatments, the healthcare industry normally lags behind other sectors in adopting new technology. Not so with the iPad, which has become a favorite of healthcare providers in both private practice and in hospital settings. Why, you ask? Because the iPad bypasses a lot of the usual frustrations providers have with technology. The iPad is small, lightweight, fast to start, easy to use, smaller than a patient chart, can fit into some whitecoat pockets, affordable, tactile, and has thousands of healthcare-related apps available.

At the time the first iPad was introduced, John Halamka, HIT rock star and CIO for Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center said “My general impression is that it’s not perfect for healthcare, but it is closer than other devices I’ve tried. It will definitely be worth a pilot.”

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Posted in: Electronic Medical Records, Innovation, Learn This: Technology Answers

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Tales of a Coder Part I: Choosing an Online Medical Coding Training Program

Picture yourself in a medical coding career!Recently, my friend Bob approached me with an idea. He has decided that he wants to become a medical coder. When he first told me he was interested in exploring coding as a career, I didn’t really think he knew what he was talking about. As Bob itemized the reasons for his interest however, I became more and more convinced it could work.

Bob told me he’s looking for:

  • Something challenging that will stretch his brain.
  • Something he could potentially do from a home office.
  • Something in demand in the market.
  • Something he could train for in a year or less.
  • Something for which the training expense was affordable for him ($2000 or less.)

Knowing this gentleman fairly well, I think the characteristics he has that will potentially make him a good candidate to train for a coding career are:

  • Enjoys reading.
  • Has the ability to focus on details.
  • Has the ability to retain details.
  • Has good communication skills for interacting with physicians, patients & insurance companies.
  • Has good computer skills.
  • Has an interest in healthcare.

Bob had thought it through pretty well so I agreed to research programs and help him choose one. We narrowed the field down to certificate/diploma programs as he is unwilling to spend the time and money to obtain an associates degree at this point in his life – he is an older adult learner.

I found many training programs out there – so many in fact that I think choosing one can be a time-consuming and potentially difficult task for anyone.

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Posted in: Collections, Billing & Coding

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CMS Hosts National Provider Call on Accreditation Requirements for Advanced Diagnostic Imaging Technical Suppliers

CMS will host a national provider call on the upcoming mandatory accreditation program for all suppliers that furnish the technical component of advanced diagnostic imaging on Thursday, June 23, 2011 from 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. EST.  Subject matter experts will discuss what the requirements are to meet the Sunday, January 1, 2012, deadline; who these requirements effect; and how to become accredited.  CMS will update information previously discussed on Open Door Forums that will streamline the requirements. See my original post on this topic here.

The target audience for this call includes physician office staff and all Medicare fee-for-service providers; the agenda will include:

  • the law;
  • deadlines;
  • suppliers effected;
  • the accreditation process;
  • the enrollment process; and
  • a question and answer session

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Posted in: Medicare & Reimbursement

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What is CCHIT and Should My EMR/EHR Be Certified?

medicalrecords

An excellent article on EHRs and CCHIT was pointed out to me recently and I thought I’d pass it along to my readers.  To answer the question “What is CCHIT?”, the site SoftwareAdvice says this:

CCHIT is a private, non-profit organization formed to certify EHRs against a minimum set of requirements for functionality, interoperability and security. It was founded in 2004 by three industry associations ( HIMSS, AHIMA and the Alliance (no longer in operation.))  It was subsequently funded further by the California Healthcare Foundation and a group of payers (e.g. United HealthGroup), providers (e.g. HCA) and software vendors (e.g. McKesson). In 2005, CCHIT was granted a $2.7 million contract by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to support its mission. A number of other medical associations have since supported CCHIT. Despite the HHS contract, CCHIT is not an extension of the federal government.
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Posted in: Electronic Medical Records, Headlines, Learn This: Technology Answers

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