AHIMA ADVANTAGE 10 s REAL WORLD

Delegates Emphasize Transformational Leadership at Annual Meeting

The 73rd House of Delegates (House) Annual Meeting was held on September 15, at the AHIMA Health Data and Information Conference in Chicago, IL. More than 200 delegates representing

52 component state associations (CSAs) joined AHIMA President/Chair Valerie J. Watzlaf, PhD, MPH, RHIA, FAHIMA;

AHIMA CEO Wylecia Wiggs Harris, PhD, CAE; and 2019

Speaker of the House Shawn C. Wells, RHIT, CHDA, to discuss AHIMA strategy, this year’s successes, and plans to advance AHIMA and the health information profession.

AHIMA’s mission to “empower people to impact health” served
as the central focus of this year’s House Meeting. Delegates
attended action forums centered on making a larger impact
in the healthcare ecosystem in various ways. At the Thought
Leadership, Professional Development, and Environmental
Scanning Action Forum, delegates prioritized professional
impact areas for the upcoming year. The second action forum on
Health Information Professional Champions addressed how the
House can redefine HIM as champions in transforming health
and healthcare. The delegates also deliberated on the effect and
desired outcomes of a proposed bylaws amendment and new
communication model in the third action forum. The fourth
forum allowed delegates to learn from each other about best
practices for engagement, communication, and process, to allow
for highly functioning boards and build strong volunteer leaders.

The Speaker presented motions for a House vote and recognized those with the highest participation and outstanding efforts in the 2018-19 term. Special acknowledgements went to members of the Annual Meeting Planning Task Force and to the 2018-

2019 House Leadership Co-Chair, Rebecca C. Conroy Bargfrede, MS, RHIA, CCS-P, and Envisioning Collaborative Co-Chair, Aurae Beidler, MHA, RHIA, CHPS, CHC. Ms. Beidler was also welcomed as the 2020-2021 Speaker-elect.

Incoming Speaker of the House Christine A. Williams, RHIA, concluded the meeting with her aspirations for the House in 2020, and how transformational leadership paves a clearly defined path for delegates to empower the new AHIMA vision and mission.