40 HIM-INTERCHANGE Vol 4 No 2 2014 ISSN 1838-8620 (PRINT) ISSN 1838-8639 (ONLINE)

CONFERENCE REPORTAHIMA 85th Convention – Atlanta, Georgia, United StatesMargie Luke

From Monday 28 October to Wednesday 30 October, 2013, I attended the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) 85th Annual Convention in Atlanta, Georgia. The purpose of this visit was to provide me with an opportunity to: network with colleagues at an international level and enhance my visibility among my peers; gain some insight into many of the issues and concerns facing HIMs from the United States (US) perspective; and listen to and learn about shared issues and themes in our profession.

To provide a perspective on the depth and breadth of the AHIMA Convention, a ‘Pre-Convention’ program is held on the weekend prior to the official education programs. These consist of half day, hands-on workshops, which emphasise exchange of informa-tion, ideas, strategies and techniques. In addition, there are various ‘community-based’ meetings; for example, the Clinical Coding Community Meeting is a national coding update with breakout sessions addressing significant trends and issues for the coding profession. Also on offer are Exam Preparation Workshops. For example, registrants interested in gaining the Certified Healthcare Data Analyst (CHDA) credential have the opportunity to participate in workshops designed to prepare health information manage-ment professionals to sit for the exam by reviewing the knowledge and skills needed for managing, analysing and reporting healthcare data.

Over the course of the three days of the Convention, some of the following program events included: � Educational Tracks Sessions: Clinical

Documentation Improvement; Consumer Engagement; Electronic Health Record (EHR) Management; ICD-10; Innovation; Leadership; Privacy and Security; and Quality Measures

� Professional Practice Roundtables: Behavioural Health; Physician Practice; Long-term Care/Rehabilitation; Cancer Registry; Critical Access Hospitals; and Children’s/Paediatrics

� Educational Site Visits: Centre for Disease Control; Gwinnett Hospital; and HealthPort Systems

� Networking Events: Breakfasts (Meaningful Use Stages 1 to 3; Leading the Documentation Journey: Clinical Documentation Improvement [CDI] Best Practice)

� AHIMA Foundation Silent Auction; Publisher’s Workshop; Alumni Receptions.My first day of orientation and

attending general sessions included a keynote address by Dr Debi Thomas, Orthopaedic Surgeon and former Olympic bronze medallist (1988) and World Skating Champion (1986). Dr Thomas gave an excellent presentation sharing her personal insights into elec-tronic data handling and distribution, the struggles of doctors handling their roles in data management and other topics related to health information manage-ment.

On the first night I was invited to the 5th Annual Global VIP Reception, a very special event, where I met the AHIMA President, Angela Kennedy, who earlier in the day had given a moving tribute to the immediate past President, Kathleen Frawley. Ms Frawley passed away unex-pectedly earlier in 2013. Angela was very warm in welcoming me as a ‘first timer’ to AHIMA from Australia. I also had the opportunity to meet some of the International Federation of Health Information Management Associations (IFHIMA) members and was invited to their Business Meeting scheduled the next day.

A memorable highlight was attending the IFHIMA meeting and hearing about

their current projects and working groups. It was a privilege to participate and contribute to this meeting and feel part of a global family of HIMs. I met the IFHIMA President, Angelika Haendel, as well as international ‘trail blazers’ and legends, Carol Lewis and Lorraine Fernandes (US). I was also reacquainted with the keynote speaker from the 2012 HIMAA Conference, Dr Mervat Abdelhak. As a result of my experi-ence with IFHIMA through the AHIMA Convention, I have now joined IFHIMA.

The Exhibit Hall is huge! There were over 225 exhibitors showcasing their products and services. I took the oppor-tunity to visit the 3M booth (3M is my previous employer in Australia). I viewed a demonstration of the US version of CodeFinder as they are moving from ICD-9-CM to ICD-10 in 2014. This latest product has a ‘dual’ coding feature allowing the Clinical Coder the option of coding a record in both editions. I found myself reassuring colleagues that the ‘sky would not fall in’ when they change to using ICD-10, as Australia had been using ‘10’ since 1998!

I attended a most enlightening presentation titled The United States Congress… from an HIM Perspective, presented by Margarita Valdez, AHIMA. This ‘town hall’ meeting style session provided an overview of the operation of US Congress and the impact of legisla-tive and regulatory initiatives on the health information management profes-sion, which was very interesting. This session highlighted the impact of recent legislation and the implementation of ‘Obama-Care’, as perceived through the eyes of a health information manage-ment lobbyist working for AHIMA in Washington, DC.

A key focus at the Convention was preparing for the introduction of ICD-10 in 2014. While I found the program ‘jam-packed’ with much to offer, the

Welcome to AHIMA 85th Convention! Margie Luke (right) with colleague and friend, Anna Jones-Ray

The AHIMA Exhibitors Hall (Atlanta)

HIM-INTERCHANGE Vol 4 No 2 2014 ISSN 1838-8620 (PRINT) ISSN 1838-8639 (ONLINE) 41

Margie Luke, BAppSc(HIM), AssocDip(MRA)Document Imaging Program ManagerInformaton Management and TechnologyNorthern Sydney Local Health DistrictTel: +61 2 9485-6126email: Margie.Luke@health.nsw.gov.auPresident, NSW HIMAA Branch

enormous size and complexity of the health information management profes-sion in the US also became apparent and I realised how challenging it is for them to implement major reform and change. It reminded me of the time when Australia introduced ICD-10, 15 years ago. I would like to present a paper on this or on a similar topic at a future AHIMA Convention, to share our experiences and ‘lessons learnt’, because HIMs internationally face many of the same challenges, regardless of size and health system differences. Despite the scale of this meeting, I felt extremely welcome and part of an international ‘family’ of HIMs.

I would like to sincerely thank the HIMAA New South Wales Branch for their generous support with my registra-tion at this truly memorable event.

Postscript: At the time of publication, the US Congress announced that the introduction of ICD-10 would be delayed for 12 months and is now scheduled for October 2015.