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Each AHIMA convention has a topic or two that tend to dominate attendee conversation. Whether that comes naturally or is spoon fed is beside the point. Attendees tend to talk about what is receiving the most attention. A large part of this year’s event was devoted to information governance, with numerous education tracks and the release of AHIMA’s guiding principles driving the point home. This month’s E-News Exclusive follows suit as it examines the findings of an industry whitepaper on the topic. This issue also features a brief overview of the goings-on at the convention. — Lee DeOrio, editor Information Governance Becomes an HIM Priority By Stephanie Donovan, MBA, RHIA Information governance (IG) is defined as “the specification of decision rights and an accountability framework to ensure appropriate behavior in the valuation, creation, storage, use, archiving, and deletion of information. It includes the processes, roles and policies, standards, and metrics that ensure the effective and efficient use of information in enabling an organization to achieve its goals,” according to Gartner. As health care organizations become more complex and information sharing proliferates, IG is a priority more than ever before. IG programs are driven by several factors, some of which include mitigating privacy and security breaches and supporting systems changes resulting from ICD-10. AHIMA is leading the industry in IG, having recently published a white paper, prepared by Cohasset Associates in conjunction with AHIMA, describing the findings from the first major survey of IG practices at health care organizations. Full Story » NJPR Celebrates 40th Anniversary NJPR Hospital and Medical Support Services is celebrating 40 years of providing high-quality support services to the health care community. NJPR Hospital and Medical Support Services was founded in 1974 as a medical peer review organization serving the New Jersey counties of Bergen, Morris, Sussex, and Warren. By the 1980s, NJPR was well recognized for medical coding support services and coding seminars to assist hospitals with the complexities of coding, billing, and regulatory requirements. In 1991, the company began providing medical transcription services. Throughout the years, the company focused on delivering exceptional customer service, building a level of trust with their clients, and offering quality services to meet growing industry needs. In 2009, NJPR acquired Normann Staffing Services, a recognized name in temporary staffing throughout Northern New Jersey. Read more »   E-News Exclusive A True Reflection? Righting RACs Strategies for Success in a Value-Based World The Reward of HIPAA Risk Assessment Doctors: EHRs a Good Idea That Needs Improvement Government Audit Uncovers Compliance Failures Ask the Expert AHIMA Conference News Industry Insight Tech & Tools Doctors: EHRs a Good Idea That Needs Improvement Doctors say the current versions of EHRs aren’t focused on patient care and need improvements to be more efficient and beneficial, Georgia Health News reports. Government Audit Uncovers Compliance Failures After an audit found that Drew Memorial Hospital failed to comply in one area of the EHR incentive program, the Arkansas hospital may have to repay $904,000, according to My Monticello News. A True Reflection? As one hospital discovered, insufficient physician documentation can lead to misleading patient safety and quality scores. Read more » Righting RACs Industry complaints about how RACs go about their business have led to several planned changes. Read more » Strategies for Success in a Value-Based World Industry experts discuss what it’s going to take for health care organizations to survive in a new environment. Read more » The Reward of HIPAA Risk Assessment A new tool promises to help small providers, but it may need a bit of fine-tuning. Read more » The nation's top employers and recruiters of HIM talent advertise in For The Record magazine and post their job openings on AlliedHealthCareers.com. Check out the most recent opportunities that have been submitted by employers across the country! HIS Coding Manager and HIS CDI Manager St Vincent's Medical Center, Connecticut, US Coder II Platte Valley Medical Center, Brighton, CO, US Coders and HIM Careers Seton Healthcare Family, Texas, US

Mount Sinai Patient Itinerary App This tool features access to secure, HIPAA-compliant patient information, gives patients at The Mount Sinai Hospital a detailed schedule of upcoming treatments, procedures, and tests. Conceived by the Mount Sinai Inpatient Care Model Redesign Team and developed by Mount Sinai Information Technology, the iPad app is housed on tablets provided by PadInMotion. Preloaded with a patient’s itinerary, the program provides access to patient education materials customized for each clinical unit or department. The app’s goal is to provide a real-time snapshot of clinical care information to make hospital stays less stressful, better inform patients, and ensure successful outcomes. Learn more » Acne App Provides Tele-Dermatology For patients who lack access to a dermatologist, PocketDerm provides a telemedicine solution. Patients can use the app to send pictures of their acne and receive a diagnosis from a licensed dermatologist. For a monthly subscription, patients have direct access to a dermatologist and may receive unlimited consultations. Prescriptions for topical medications are included in the price; some oral medications also may be prescribed. When signing up, patients are asked to fill out a questionnaire that covers treatment history, current medication, and skin type. Learn more » UnitedHealthcare Health4Me App Now available to all consumers, UnitedHealthcare's free mobile app can be downloaded through the iPhone and Android app stores. Health4Me, which gives all users access to an array of health care information, is designed to help consumers make more informed decisions regarding their care by enabling them to locate nearby health care providers and convenience care, urgent care, and emergency care facilities; review market average prices for more than 520 medical services across 290 episodes of care, providing a comprehensive view of what consumers should expect throughout their course of treatment; and more easily anticipate and manage health care expenses based on local estimates. Consumers can comparison shop for medical services using a guest version of myHealthcare Cost Estimator, a mobile medical price transparency service available through Health4Me. Learn more » Have a coding or transcription question? Get an expert answer by sending an e-mail to edit@gvpub.com. This month’s selection: In our long term care organization, the reason for Mrs. X’s admission and treatment is dementia ... another diagnosis is Lewy bodies. No Parkinson’s or other neuro condition is listed. Guidelines say to list neuro condition first. So, how is that coded? Jodee Hunt Response: It’s the same exact coding schema in ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM. The ICD-9-CM version is asking if there is documentation of behavioral disturbance. With behavioral disturbance it’s 331.82, Dementia with Lewy bodies and 294.11, Dementia in conditions classified elsewhere with behavioral disturbance (listed in this order). Without behavior disturbance it’s 331.82 with 294.10, Dementia in conditions classified elsewhere without behavioral disturbance (in this order). In ICD-10-CM, the index provides guidance for an accurate code assignment: key word Dementia, with Lewy bodies is G31.83 with an addition code of F02.80, Dementia in other diseases classified elsewhere without behavioral disturbance. The F code is in italicized brackets, which means it should be listed second. — Gail I. Smith, MA, RHIA, CCS-P, is president of Gail I. Smith Consulting and an AHIMA-approved ICD-10-CM/PCS trainer.   Physician Panel Tackles ICD-10 By Lee DeOrio What do you get when you place a panel of physicians in the same room with query-loving coders? Well, it wasn’t exactly fireworks but it was certainly entertaining. That was the case at one of the highlight sessions at the recent AHIMA convention in San Diego. Moderated by Garry Huff, CEO of Huff DRG Review Services, the discussion focused on the experiences of five physicians who were trained on the nuances of ICD-10. For the most part, the experience left the group with a greater appreciation of the work done by coders and clinical documentation improvement specialists. Full Story » A Secure, Anonymous Résumé Bank Job Alerts Sent to Your E-mail For The Record offers many flexible advertising programs designed to maximize your results. 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