« ACE PROFILE
professionals and eight to 16 hours for
other coding professionals. You should
tailor a training plan according to
your department’s needs. Training will
vary depending on the setting. Coding
professionals in the hospital inpatient
setting will require education on
ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS, while
all others will only require training on
ICD-10-CM.
8. Conduct a gap analysis of coding
knowledge. Measure coding professionals’ baseline knowledge of
anatomy, physiology, pharmacology,
and medical terminology. Doing so
now will shorten the learning curve,
improve coding accuracy and productivity, and accelerate the realization of
benefits.
9. Conduct a gap analysis of documentation practices. ICD- 10 (as well as
other recent initiatives such as MS-DRG and hospital acquired conditions
and present on admission reporting)
have brought clinical documentation
improvement programs to the forefront. Use this lead time to work on
documentation improvement strategies as necessary.
10. Develop a budget. Identify the specific departmental budgets that will
be responsible for the cost of systems
changes, hardware and software upgrades, and education.
Upcoming 2010 ICD- 10 meetings
(see www.ahima.org/events for a
complete list)
• 2010 ICD- 10 Summit: A Strategic
Approach to Challenges and
Opportunities, April 12–13, in
Washington, DC
• AHIMA Academy for ICD- 10, Building
Expert Trainers in Diagnosis Coding,
April 24–25, in Scottsdale, AZ
• AHIMA Academy for ICD- 10,
Building Expert Trainers in Diagnosis
and Procedure Coding, June 17–19,
in Boston, MA v
» ACE profile continued from page 1
focus, measurement, analysis and knowledge management, workforce focus, process
management, and results. Action Community for e-HIM Excellence (ACE) member Ellen Ellis, RHIA, CCS, CHP, is the enterprise health information services team
leader at Baldrige Heartland Health. During a recent interview, Ellis said her HIS
department directly contributed to Heartland receiving the prestigious award.
How was the HIM department involved in the application process
for the Baldrige award?
All Heartland departments had the opportunity to provide input into the application.
HIS provided results measures on order entry accuracy and severity of illness. Severity of illness has been impacted by the inpatient documentation for optimal coding
program.
How did the HIM department contribute to Heartland Health
receiving the Baldrige award?
The Baldrige award examiners visited the HIS department and met with the transcriptionists (during their October 2009 examination visit). I also meet with the
surveyors to discuss our measures and results. Our health information services department is very involved in the design and implementation of processes surrounding
the EMR. One of the most exciting is utilizing nursing documentation in conjunction
with physician dictation to form notes. Transcriptionists have been hired to complete
the dictation on these notes. The process works well and physicians are pleased with
the results.
What is the Lewis and Clark Information Exchange (LACIE)
program? This feature of your facility was included in Heartland
Health’s Baldrige award application.
LACIE is our regional health information organization. Data is shared between
multiple facilities into this database. Care providers then can utilize this information
during patient care.
Did your facility’s use of an EHR contribute to receiving this
award?
Yes; we are able to utilize our EMR in innovative ways. Much of our medical record is
electronic now.
What makes the HIM department at Heartland Health unique or
innovative?
Our department designs and implements processes for both the medical center and
the clinics (Heartland Health includes a regional medical center and 30 clinics). For
example, we are currently implementing tracking of record deficiencies in the clinics.
Why did you join the Action Community for e-HIM Excellence
(ACE) program?
I have had the opportunity to work with knowledgeable people over the years and
through that have gained experience. I enjoy networking to learn innovative ways to
improve. I like to encourage others to enter the HIM field.
What is one thing you love about the HIM profession and
your job?
I feel that I have the best of all worlds. I get to be involved in the clinical aspects of patient care, but also have the opportunity to work with departments including finance,
access, and care management. There are so many opportunities in this field that the
job is always exciting. v
