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2018 Article Archive

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November/December 2018

features

DRG Mismatches
When discrepancies occur, the ensuing reconciliation process serves as a prime opportunity to educate clinical documentation improvement and coding staffs.

Harnessing Data
Three case studies illustrate the versatility of data analytics.

EHRs Still Burden Physicians
The findings of a recent study continue the trend of doctors expressing displeasure with the technology's effect on practice management.

Time to Shake Up PEPPER?
The longstanding report still serves a purpose, but industry experts believe it could use updating to better fit the current health care climate.

departments

Editor's Note

Technology Trends
A deeper dive into the numbers will lend valuable insight into the effectiveness of artificial intelligence tools for document creation.

Evolving Education
Opportunities are plentiful for HIM professionals looking to pursue a career in a research-related field.

Coding Corner
Changes to how skilled nursing facilities are paid and how their performance is measured have taken effect—with more on the way in 2019.

HIM Challenges
The convenience and power of text messaging is undeniable, but use of the technology doesn't come without its concerns.

Industry Perspectives
A physician makes an impassioned case to improve EHR usability.

Year-End Spotlight

Datebook

mHealth Update
The Connected Care Pilot Program is a step in the right direction, but further action needs to be taken to ensure everyone has sufficient access to virtual care.

By the Numbers
Get the lowdown on health care's facts and figures.


October 2018

features

Hidden Treasure: The Value of Unstructured Documentation
Natural language processing unearths the gems that can propel better patient care and improve bottom lines.

Surviving the Storm — And Other EHR Downtime Disasters
Forces of all kinds can disrupt EHR service, leaving unprepared organizations scrambling to regain control of their data.

Patient Matching: Are We Any Closer to a Solution?
Industry chips away at the patient matching problem instead of waiting for a national strategy to materialize.

A Targeted Approach to EHR Training Improves Success Rates
Organizations looking to upgrade their EHR infrastructure are finding that simulation training is just what the doctor ordered.

departments

Editor's Note

HIT Happenings
The new payment rule promising to reduce documentation workloads won't be successful without a healthy dose of quality data.

HIPAA Challenges
With the number of business associate agreements reaching staggering numbers, health care organizations would be wise to investigate technologies that can help boost process improvement.

Chart Conundrums
Proposed changes to evaluation and management documentation guidelines have some concerned about how it will affect patient care.

Coding Corner
As most skilled coders will tell you, there's an art to using unlisted CPT codes correctly.

Focus on Research
Reaction Data takes a deep dive into speech recognition and the modern EHR.

Fall Showcase

Reader Feedback

Datebook

By the Numbers
Get the lowdown on health care's facts and figures.


September 2018

features

Are Auditors Playing Fair?
Experts offer advice on how health care organizations can avoid abuse from contractors and payers.

Assessing Documentation Quality
Despite the presence of best practices, many organizations and vendors have their own ideas about what is quality documentation.

Medical Device Security
Determined hackers are expanding their horizons by breaching medical devices in an effort to access networks.

Battle Lines Drawn
The Office for Civil Rights plans to draft a new rule to inform patients about who has accessed their protected health information.

departments

Editor's Note

Ask the Experts
Industry experts address an array of questions from knowledge-seeking readers.

EHR Insider
Master data management strategies can help alleviate the risk of provider directories falling into disarray.

Transcription Trends
Flexible solutions that move with providers, fit into workflows, and thrive on accuracy can help ease self-documentation challenges. 

Education Resource Guide

Datebook

Coding Corner
Hierarchical condition categories offer an opportunity for HIM professionals to join the value-based care movement.

By the Numbers
Get the lowdown on health care's facts and figures.


August 2018

features

Choose Your Words Carefully
Stigmatizing language in medical records can send the wrong message and hinder patient care.

Tale of the Tape
With proper policies and procedures in place, recording patient encounters can be beneficial to both patients and physicians.

Efficiency Experts
Under various workflow formulas, scribes continue to make steady inroads toward becoming a fixture in patient exam settings.

Can Technology Solve the Technology Problem?
A KLAS Research study found front-end speech recognition tools are not increasing physician fulfillment.

departments

Editor's Note

Reader Feedback

Industry Perspectives
Health care organizations implementing patient engagement initiatives make five common mistakes that can derail the best-laid plans.

Quality Assurance
As payment models evolve, the role of physician advisors is taking on added significance.

Thought Leader Q&A
Mariann Yeager, CEO of The Sequoia Project, discusses the organization's goals and whether there really is such a thing as interoperability.

HIM Challenges
A Florida initiative to improve birth certificate reporting reveals the value of accurate prenatal documentation.

Coding Corner
An industry expert offers tips on how to procure complete orders for diagnostic imaging services.

Datebook

By the Numbers
Get the lowdown on health care's facts and figures.


June/July 2018

features

Value-Based Payment Model Faces Familiar Barriers
Apparently, interoperability woes have no bounds, threatening even the industry's transition to value-based care.

Joint Maneuvers: Coding Knee and Shoulder Injuries
Adroitness and flexibility—plus a hefty knowledge of anatomy—can help coders master the nuances of shoulder and knee procedures.

Deidentification Done Right
The growing use of artificial intelligence has some industry experts questioning whether HIPAA needs to be adjusted.

Informatics Takes Off
The discipline continues to rise to the forefront of health care operations.

departments

Editor's Note

CFO Zone
To avoid compliance risks and boost revenue, smart physician practices will keep a coder on the payroll.

Coding Corner
Here's hoping coders have mastered 2018's coding changes because the 2019 batch is arriving sooner than you think.

Cyber Crime
A ransomware attack is bound to cause at least some panic. What happens following the initial shock will determine how an organization emerges from the ordeal.

Industry Insight
Instead of following the path set by the recently released Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement, it might be a better idea to approach interoperability from a different angle.

Datebook

By the Numbers
Get the lowdown on health care's facts and figures.


May 2018

features

Conflict in the EMR
For various reasons, billing and clinical documentation in EMRs are often at odds.

The Sum of Its Parts
Correctly performing data aggregation enables the successful execution of many key hospital objectives.

A Ransomware Wakeup Call
The far-reaching Allscripts SamSam attack angered many physicians, prompting one to actually file a lawsuit.

What's New in Cancer Staging
A variety of changes run the gamut from staging to grading.

departments

Editor's Note

Transcription Trends
A new industry organization hopes to mobilize transcriptionists in an effort to improve working conditions, including fair pay rates.

Chart Conundrums
Make it convenient for physicians to answer queries and watch response rates improve.

Industry Insight
Health and Human Services' response to a lawsuit regarding the rules restricting what ROI vendors may charge for providing copies of medical records has lead to some confusion.

News Briefs

HIT Happenings
Health care entities would be wise to identify the technology companies most capable of servicing their needs and outsourcing some of their data requirements.

Audit Alley
Whether it's self-monitoring or using automation tools, health care organizations must be prepared to handle federal audits.

Datebook

By the Numbers
Get the lowdown on health care's facts and figures.


April 2018

features

A Tricky Trio
The intricacies of properly capturing pressure ulcers, BMI, and obesity can bedevil coders.

Should Patient Records Stay or Go?
Health care organizations without well-conceived retention policies may lose track and control of valuable assets.

Shopping for Data Analytics Solutions
Finding a match between organizational goals and what vendors have to offer can be challenging.

Litigation Evolves With Data Breach Scope, Frequency
Recently, a trend has developed that a significant breach is more likely to be closely followed by the filing of lawsuits.

departments

Editor's Note

mHealth Update
Why aren't hospitals taking better advantage of smartphones?

Evolving Education
Still in its infancy, the expansive precision medicine movement needs a large dose of education for it to achieve its lofty goals.

Chart Conundrums
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has tweaked the rules regarding medical student documentation in the medical record.

Ask the Experts
Questions about unobtainable exams and coding for malignant melanoma are raised by curious readers.

EHR Insider
An argument can be made that fewer government regulations would lead to greater creativity in the HIT sector.

Datebook

News Brief

Spring Showcase

By the Numbers


March 2018

features

Keep an Eye on KPIs
Key performance indicators can be invaluable tools to measure revenue drivers but only if they're designed and managed correctly.

Precise, Purposeful Health Care
An initiative at Geisinger Health System promises to take genetic testing to new heights.

Is Right to Access Being Taken to Excess?
Among the issues raised by the Office for Civil Rights' HIPAA guidance is whether third parties are taking advantage to receive preferential treatment.

Be on the Lookout
Learn how to spot coding fraud and the options available when wrongdoing is uncovered.

departments

Editor's Note

News Briefs

Coding Corner
Struggling with evaluation and management codes? Here's a refresher course on the basics of medical necessity.

HIM Challenges
HIM managers looking to further their careers and spread the word about the HIM profession in general are advised to jump at the chance of becoming part of an EHR implementation.

Washington Scene
In a nod to telemedicine's growing influence, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has increased reimbursement for physicians and clinics that adopt innovative care models to improve chronic care management.

Coding and RCM Resource Guide

HIPAA Happenings
The introduction of the Ensuring Patient Access to Healthcare Records Act, which would redefine clearinghouses as covered entities, raises several issues.

HIT Happenings
The use of data analytics in the palliative care field can improve care and lower costs.

Datebook

By the Numbers
Get the lowdown on health care's facts and figures.


February 2018

features

Patient Matching: The Saga Continues
There's more to an effective duplicate record strategy than implementing the latest technology.

Opportunities, Challenges Mark eCQM Debut
Several issues, including how to avoid clinician burden while collecting vast amounts of data, have emerged as stumbling blocks as electronic clinical quality measures gather steam.

Education Initiatives Keep Pace With the Dynamic HIT Landscape
There's never been a better time for those with an itch to learn to capitalize upon the numerous opportunities offered by various organizations.

The Human Errors Behind Data Breaches
The industry may like to point fingers at failed technology and the wherewithal of determined hackers but it's often people who foul up security efforts.

departments

Editor's Note

Industry Perspectives
It's time for HIM directors to put a stop to vendors that avoid their input and head directly to the C-suite to win favor.

QA Quandaries
Health care documentation specialists who adhere strictly to the style guide can run into problems with dictated text.

Chart Conundrums
In the scheme of things it may not seem like much, but accurate documentation can help stem the tide of the ongoing opioid crisis.

HIT Happenings
The repeal of the net neutrality rule may have serious consequences for telemedicine efforts.

News Briefs

Datebook

By the Numbers
Get the lowdown on health care's facts and figures.


January 2018

features

Best Practices in Coding Audits
Several variables factor into how health care organizations should go about measuring their coders' performances.

Are You Moving the CDI Needle?
Determining the effectiveness of a clinical documentation improvement program can be a tricky proposition, but there are steps facilities can take to get a better read on what's going on.

Artificial Intelligence Forges a Path in Health Care
From performing menial tasks to uncovering key data, AI is making inroads into hospital operations.

A Singular Effort
Single-path coding, which consolidates facility and professional fee coding, is beginning to take root at more hospitals.

departments

Editor's Note

HIM Happenings
New York State has enacted a law which allows low-income disabled residents to obtain free copies of their medical records when applying for government aid.

HIPAA Challenges
People, processes, and technology form the foundation of governance efforts to deidentify protected health information.

Inside Informatics
Learn how an independent clinical archive can make a difference in emergency department care and throughput.

Thought Leader Q&A
An interview with Fernando Martinez, chief digital officer at the Texas Hospital Association, sheds light on an unobtrusive digital tool that helps clinicians make informed decisions based on cost and clinical data.

CDI Resource Guide

Datebook

HIT Happenings
To date, HIT has had limited success addressing sepsis care. However, research has revealed the characteristics of potentially effective solutions.

By the Numbers
Get the lowdown on health care's facts and figures.