Often, the holidays are immediately followed by increased bills, and a few increased pounds. Neither of which are particularly welcome, and certainly then close behind are the obligatory resolutions for the New Year. Typically, we have good intentions to avoid the first two and live with the third, but even the best laid plans sometimes don't come through.
This year, I thought I would beat the odds and shop within my budget and avoid the temptation of overeating. So far, I haven't exactly prevailed with both. LOL Although I am proud to say that this is the best after Christmas credit card bill ever and the only temptations of Christmas sugar-fare were the decadently melt-in-your mouth Christmas sugar cookies from Walmart with the white or green icing. They are just way too good and so we bought several boxes of them.
Now for the New Year's resolution part. This year I am confident that I will stick with it. Mostly because I will not promise to go on a diet (duh! the mere mention of that word sends my metabolic rate into a coma). What I will do is promise to eat healthy and keep exercising, hiking and this winter, snow shoeing at every opportunity. I also am dedicating the next 3 years of my life to the profession that I love. As President-elect of AHDI for 2008, I intend to immerse myself in contributing as much of my time to helping us move forward and improving our position as key members of the healthcare delivery team. This is a resolution that I will have no trouble keeping. It is something that I am passionate about and will provide an ROI unlike anything I have done before. I am excited to have been elected to serve!
It seems that the important aspect of making a resolution is to make it reasonable yet challenging - one you can live with and one that adds to living. What resolution could you make that would add meaning to your life?
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Monday, November 26, 2007
What are you Thankful for?
At Thanksgiving time each year, many families will ask everyone at the table to say what they are thankful for that year. Many people don't look forward to this time to share their feelings openly at the dinner table and some actually do. Why do you suppose this is not the main attraction at the Thanksgiving meal? You could guess that it's personal and each person may have their own list of things to be thankful for that it might not be the most popular? Or that they just don't like to share their inner-most feelings while dining and slipping into that turkey coma?
Well whatever the reasons and certainly there are probably just as many reasons for not wanting to share as there are reasons for being thankful, it seems clear that it should never be about giving the most popular reason for being thankful. It has to be real and true for you or it's not worth saying. It could be something as simple as being thankful for having good health, for family members, or for not getting a traffic ticket, or for having made really good 401K investments this year despite the economy. One reason is no greater than another, because it seems that the reasons we are thankful are as individual as we are.
Although this was never a tradition at our dinner table when I grew up, it always seemed like a good idea, so this year, my husband and I talked about this, and after sharing what we were thankful for, we decided, this will be our tradition, since 2007. LOL We found out that we are really thankful for each other, for our home and for our jobs. We are both doing what we love and love what we do. We are thankful for our health and our enjoyment of the great outdoors and the wildlife that we often are fortunate enough to see.
So, what are you thankful for this year?
Well whatever the reasons and certainly there are probably just as many reasons for not wanting to share as there are reasons for being thankful, it seems clear that it should never be about giving the most popular reason for being thankful. It has to be real and true for you or it's not worth saying. It could be something as simple as being thankful for having good health, for family members, or for not getting a traffic ticket, or for having made really good 401K investments this year despite the economy. One reason is no greater than another, because it seems that the reasons we are thankful are as individual as we are.
Although this was never a tradition at our dinner table when I grew up, it always seemed like a good idea, so this year, my husband and I talked about this, and after sharing what we were thankful for, we decided, this will be our tradition, since 2007. LOL We found out that we are really thankful for each other, for our home and for our jobs. We are both doing what we love and love what we do. We are thankful for our health and our enjoyment of the great outdoors and the wildlife that we often are fortunate enough to see.
So, what are you thankful for this year?
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Military Spouse Initiative Update
Have you heard the news yet? Peter Preziosi, PhD has received a special invitation from the Secretary of Defense to attend a kickoff launch recongizing the military spouse intiative. And guess where it is being held? The Pentagon! Woo-hoo - now that's big news!
As you may know there are over 200 military spouses enrolled in AHDI approved schools for medical transcription because it is a career that moves with you. Because of this and the many efforts made to get the word out about this opportunity, that it has caught the attention of many military spouses across the nation.
We look forward to these students graduating and going to work in their new chosen career. We are ready to help them enjoy all the success they are working towards and we hope that through the Pentagon's recognition of what a good fit medical transcription is for military spouses, that we will see this grow and grow.
As you may know there are over 200 military spouses enrolled in AHDI approved schools for medical transcription because it is a career that moves with you. Because of this and the many efforts made to get the word out about this opportunity, that it has caught the attention of many military spouses across the nation.
We look forward to these students graduating and going to work in their new chosen career. We are ready to help them enjoy all the success they are working towards and we hope that through the Pentagon's recognition of what a good fit medical transcription is for military spouses, that we will see this grow and grow.
Monday, November 5, 2007
From the Ends of the Earth
Have you seen the Today show broadcasting from the Arctic Circle, the Equator and Antarctica? I watched a portion of it today with great interest as they are highlighting some of the most important regions in our world to monitor and better understand climate change.
If you saw any of the Planet Earth series televised earlier this summer, you know what peril Polar Bears are facing, and there are many other species at risk too.
Makes you wonder how high the water will rise.... if icebergs and glaciers continue to melt. And you probably know that with warmer temps, the mosquito season is lasting much longer these days and the multiple problems associated with that.
Whether you believe that global warming is happening from man-made causes or just a radical shift in weather patterns, the data is in that the earth is warming up at a pretty fast pace.
What things are you doing to reduce the size of your carbon footprint? Do you think it's enough to help turn things around? Will there soon be legislation on a large scale to change current energy usage? What will the earth look like 100 years from now?
This obviously isn't medical transcription related, but a mini-diversion to think about how we preserve this precious spinning globe we call home.
If you saw any of the Planet Earth series televised earlier this summer, you know what peril Polar Bears are facing, and there are many other species at risk too.
Makes you wonder how high the water will rise.... if icebergs and glaciers continue to melt. And you probably know that with warmer temps, the mosquito season is lasting much longer these days and the multiple problems associated with that.
Whether you believe that global warming is happening from man-made causes or just a radical shift in weather patterns, the data is in that the earth is warming up at a pretty fast pace.
What things are you doing to reduce the size of your carbon footprint? Do you think it's enough to help turn things around? Will there soon be legislation on a large scale to change current energy usage? What will the earth look like 100 years from now?
This obviously isn't medical transcription related, but a mini-diversion to think about how we preserve this precious spinning globe we call home.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Philadelphia - AHIMA 2007
AHIMA Update: Philadelphia, PA
Saturday: 10/6 - The managers and supervisors special interest group 2nd annual meeting was held with 30 attendees. Brenda Hurley and Carol Croft were there and were active participants. I had attended the one in Denver last year and was pleased to be there for this year’s event. Also from the board, we had Vallie Piloian, Betty Honkonen, and Cathy Baughman in attendance. Sherry Doggett a new board member and Jefferson Howe hosted this event for the second year doing an outstanding job of putting together meaningful speakers and topics of interest. During this day-long session, various panel discussions and presentations on timely topics such as compensation, dictation best practices – experiences from Maine Medical Center, Training for MTs and SRT MT/editors, templates and standards, among others. It was a great day of learning and networking.
Sunday: 10/7 - The day began with the MTIA quarterly board meeting with CEO, Peter Preziosi seated between Jay Cannon, MTIA President and Cathy Baughman, AHDI President. Vallie as the liaison for the board and Betty as President-elect were seated at the table. I attended the morning sessions of the board meeting and then spent some time in the AHIMA House of Delegates meeting. They do struggle with so many of the same issues we do. Worker shortages, instructor shortages, changing technologies, preparing for a future transformed and the presence of healthcare system that is moving from treatment of disease to prevention and then ultimately to prediction. They are in favor of higher levels of required college education at the master’s level for the RHIA credential as evidenced in the Vision 2016. (as an aside, I remember well hearing President then, Merida Johns, PhD talk about Vision 2006 in 1996 thinking how far in the future that seemed – now we are past that and moving towards 2016 – can you believe how time flies?).
Monday: 10/8 - Opening Session: Robert Kolodner, MD is head of the Office of the National Coordinator for HIT (ONC). He reminded everyone that even with the advances in technology that we have, most of our health information remains in silos where it is not interconnected and readily available between systems. To this end, ONC is collaborating with HHS to create the federal health IT architecture. He says we need 5 pieces to solve our healthcare puzzle. 1. Standards in health IT products. 2. Privacy and security policies. 3. The national health information network (NHIN) “to link us together.” 4. Adoption of interoperable health IT. And 5. Governance to coordinate all the pieces of the puzzle.
At the ribbon-cutting, AHDI members Betsy Ertel and Monica Haddox stood right next to Bryon Pickard, President of AHIMA as the exhibit hall was opened for the 79th annual conference. Their picture appeared in the daily newspaper provided to all attendees of the convention.
Monday afternoon, Peter Preziosi along with the AHDI board members from the MTIA Steering committee and MTIA board members met with the AHIMA board to discuss projects we had been working on together and a general update along with ideas and possibilities of future collaborations. I am working on the TAT white paper with MTIA and AHIMA as the co-chair with Sean Carroll.
Tuesday: 10/9 - Two excellent speakers kicked off the day in general sessions. The first was Pam Dixon of the World Privacy Forum talks about the damage of medical identity theft and the big problems that occur and downstream from this. Trying to solve and restore information when this occurs is not so easy. HIPAA does not provide the support or teeth for access and swift resolution when this occurs. To solve, we need: 1. National set of processes to standardize handling of medical identity theft. 2. Create red flag alerts for medical records that prompt healthcare organizations to react in the potential presence of fraud. 3. Create Jane/John Does file extractions in cases where fraud is evidenced. 4. Have dedicated healthcare personnel trained to respond to medical identity theft incidents. 5. When insiders commit this, asking for ID won’t help. 6. Create materials to educate patients and providers.
Next up was Benjamin Carson, MD who did a great job in framing the understanding and content of the nation’s first NHIN. Nine RHIOs have been awarded the contracts worth $22.5 million to create the blueprint for how to develop this on a national scale. This is a very exciting first step towards a fully interoperable healthcare network. For more information go to www.hhs.gov/healthit
Wednesday: 10/10 - General sessions today close the convention. First up with was a panel discussion on Quality, Data and EHRs – Will They Come Together? Dennis O’Leary, MD, (head of the Joint Commission) Janet Corrigan, PhD, MBA, (National Quality Forum) and Richard Umbdenstock, FACHE (CEO of the American Hospital Association). During this panel, the group presented on their special areas of expertise in how all these items will work together to bring us to an electronic health record that ensures quality for all.
The closing keynote was John Walsh from America’s Most Wanted speaking on living life with a mission. Through his tragedy in 1981, John has been instrumental in getting so much done for missing children and missing people across the nation. He was happy to report that they had just caught their 961st criminal the day before. He reports that when you are driven with a purpose and goal, you can make things happen and more than once, he was escorted out of media sessions and hearings. But he persisted. He related his personal story with sorrow and grief and the outcomes in establishing missing children networks when at the time his son went missing there was nothing like that. Not even the FBI would take the case, because it simply wasn’t something they did. He encouraged all in attendance to live their lives with purpose and he commended the excellent mission of solving the challenge of medical identity theft among the others to which health information professionals are dedicated.
This summary above just highlights some content from the general sessions which represent about half of each day. The exhibit hall was overflowing with vendors – about 220 in all. There were 8 different tracks for educational sessions, 3 scheduled for each day and each day, the tracks were different, as well. On Monday, in the Data Capture track, Brenda Hurley and Holly Woemmel did an excellent job presenting on the need to standardize healthcare formats, a topic very timely and relevant for everyone in HIM.
This conference was one of the best ever and they just seem to be growing every year and becoming more valuable. I don’t have the exact attendance of this conference yet, but it is likely the best attended conference yet. We must all strive to reach MTs in the same way and let them see and hear the exciting changes that are taking place in healthcare. Interest in our profession and how it evolves with the advent of these new technologies has never been more needed. This is the time to be engaged, involved and keeping up with the transformation that is taking place each day.
If anyone would like more information on the convention or has any specific questions on the tracks, educational content or just information in general about this incredible week, please contact me at slucci@transrs.com.
Saturday: 10/6 - The managers and supervisors special interest group 2nd annual meeting was held with 30 attendees. Brenda Hurley and Carol Croft were there and were active participants. I had attended the one in Denver last year and was pleased to be there for this year’s event. Also from the board, we had Vallie Piloian, Betty Honkonen, and Cathy Baughman in attendance. Sherry Doggett a new board member and Jefferson Howe hosted this event for the second year doing an outstanding job of putting together meaningful speakers and topics of interest. During this day-long session, various panel discussions and presentations on timely topics such as compensation, dictation best practices – experiences from Maine Medical Center, Training for MTs and SRT MT/editors, templates and standards, among others. It was a great day of learning and networking.
Sunday: 10/7 - The day began with the MTIA quarterly board meeting with CEO, Peter Preziosi seated between Jay Cannon, MTIA President and Cathy Baughman, AHDI President. Vallie as the liaison for the board and Betty as President-elect were seated at the table. I attended the morning sessions of the board meeting and then spent some time in the AHIMA House of Delegates meeting. They do struggle with so many of the same issues we do. Worker shortages, instructor shortages, changing technologies, preparing for a future transformed and the presence of healthcare system that is moving from treatment of disease to prevention and then ultimately to prediction. They are in favor of higher levels of required college education at the master’s level for the RHIA credential as evidenced in the Vision 2016. (as an aside, I remember well hearing President then, Merida Johns, PhD talk about Vision 2006 in 1996 thinking how far in the future that seemed – now we are past that and moving towards 2016 – can you believe how time flies?).
Monday: 10/8 - Opening Session: Robert Kolodner, MD is head of the Office of the National Coordinator for HIT (ONC). He reminded everyone that even with the advances in technology that we have, most of our health information remains in silos where it is not interconnected and readily available between systems. To this end, ONC is collaborating with HHS to create the federal health IT architecture. He says we need 5 pieces to solve our healthcare puzzle. 1. Standards in health IT products. 2. Privacy and security policies. 3. The national health information network (NHIN) “to link us together.” 4. Adoption of interoperable health IT. And 5. Governance to coordinate all the pieces of the puzzle.
At the ribbon-cutting, AHDI members Betsy Ertel and Monica Haddox stood right next to Bryon Pickard, President of AHIMA as the exhibit hall was opened for the 79th annual conference. Their picture appeared in the daily newspaper provided to all attendees of the convention.
Monday afternoon, Peter Preziosi along with the AHDI board members from the MTIA Steering committee and MTIA board members met with the AHIMA board to discuss projects we had been working on together and a general update along with ideas and possibilities of future collaborations. I am working on the TAT white paper with MTIA and AHIMA as the co-chair with Sean Carroll.
Tuesday: 10/9 - Two excellent speakers kicked off the day in general sessions. The first was Pam Dixon of the World Privacy Forum talks about the damage of medical identity theft and the big problems that occur and downstream from this. Trying to solve and restore information when this occurs is not so easy. HIPAA does not provide the support or teeth for access and swift resolution when this occurs. To solve, we need: 1. National set of processes to standardize handling of medical identity theft. 2. Create red flag alerts for medical records that prompt healthcare organizations to react in the potential presence of fraud. 3. Create Jane/John Does file extractions in cases where fraud is evidenced. 4. Have dedicated healthcare personnel trained to respond to medical identity theft incidents. 5. When insiders commit this, asking for ID won’t help. 6. Create materials to educate patients and providers.
Next up was Benjamin Carson, MD who did a great job in framing the understanding and content of the nation’s first NHIN. Nine RHIOs have been awarded the contracts worth $22.5 million to create the blueprint for how to develop this on a national scale. This is a very exciting first step towards a fully interoperable healthcare network. For more information go to www.hhs.gov/healthit
Wednesday: 10/10 - General sessions today close the convention. First up with was a panel discussion on Quality, Data and EHRs – Will They Come Together? Dennis O’Leary, MD, (head of the Joint Commission) Janet Corrigan, PhD, MBA, (National Quality Forum) and Richard Umbdenstock, FACHE (CEO of the American Hospital Association). During this panel, the group presented on their special areas of expertise in how all these items will work together to bring us to an electronic health record that ensures quality for all.
The closing keynote was John Walsh from America’s Most Wanted speaking on living life with a mission. Through his tragedy in 1981, John has been instrumental in getting so much done for missing children and missing people across the nation. He was happy to report that they had just caught their 961st criminal the day before. He reports that when you are driven with a purpose and goal, you can make things happen and more than once, he was escorted out of media sessions and hearings. But he persisted. He related his personal story with sorrow and grief and the outcomes in establishing missing children networks when at the time his son went missing there was nothing like that. Not even the FBI would take the case, because it simply wasn’t something they did. He encouraged all in attendance to live their lives with purpose and he commended the excellent mission of solving the challenge of medical identity theft among the others to which health information professionals are dedicated.
This summary above just highlights some content from the general sessions which represent about half of each day. The exhibit hall was overflowing with vendors – about 220 in all. There were 8 different tracks for educational sessions, 3 scheduled for each day and each day, the tracks were different, as well. On Monday, in the Data Capture track, Brenda Hurley and Holly Woemmel did an excellent job presenting on the need to standardize healthcare formats, a topic very timely and relevant for everyone in HIM.
This conference was one of the best ever and they just seem to be growing every year and becoming more valuable. I don’t have the exact attendance of this conference yet, but it is likely the best attended conference yet. We must all strive to reach MTs in the same way and let them see and hear the exciting changes that are taking place in healthcare. Interest in our profession and how it evolves with the advent of these new technologies has never been more needed. This is the time to be engaged, involved and keeping up with the transformation that is taking place each day.
If anyone would like more information on the convention or has any specific questions on the tracks, educational content or just information in general about this incredible week, please contact me at slucci@transrs.com.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Dollars and Sense
Many people in our industry will agree that there aren't enough medical transcriptionists for the amount of work that is out there today, yet we continue to see an inverse of the law of supply and demand.
In a profession where it takes years to gain expertise and skill given difficulty factors of both content and dictation, and when there is a shortage of professionals to fill the openings, what is the best way to attract and retain the best MTs and QA staff?
How do we plan for the future? Do we need to retool our workforce now? In what ways? And what additional skills do we need to develop in preparation for the next generation? Share your thoughts here!
In a profession where it takes years to gain expertise and skill given difficulty factors of both content and dictation, and when there is a shortage of professionals to fill the openings, what is the best way to attract and retain the best MTs and QA staff?
How do we plan for the future? Do we need to retool our workforce now? In what ways? And what additional skills do we need to develop in preparation for the next generation? Share your thoughts here!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Healthcare Insurance for All - Can It Work?
Although I don't usually get into political conversations easily (other than on subjects on the environment - yes, I am an admitted environmentalist - but that's a topic for another day - LOL), I am very intrigued with Hillary Clinton's return to proposing universal healthcare insurance for all Americans.
Honestly, I thought this was a good idea when she proposed it some 13 years ago, although clearly not in the majority on that point of view, but I would ask this question for your consideration and comment. If we have a plan for health insurance for all, will this bring us to a better place?
Obviously, insurance premiums have sky-rocketed and for so many Americans, affording health insurance is just not an option. The other question that I would ask you is this a good move for Hillary in her bid for Presidency? Is this the right time to do this? Will this help or hurt her campaign? She is leading in all the polls, but when election day comes will her quest to ensure good healthcare for all be embraced nationally? What do you think?
Honestly, I thought this was a good idea when she proposed it some 13 years ago, although clearly not in the majority on that point of view, but I would ask this question for your consideration and comment. If we have a plan for health insurance for all, will this bring us to a better place?
Obviously, insurance premiums have sky-rocketed and for so many Americans, affording health insurance is just not an option. The other question that I would ask you is this a good move for Hillary in her bid for Presidency? Is this the right time to do this? Will this help or hurt her campaign? She is leading in all the polls, but when election day comes will her quest to ensure good healthcare for all be embraced nationally? What do you think?
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Initial Post
One of the things that I have been considering lately is not only what the future holds for medical transcriptionists, but how our jobs may change. In a recent article that I have written, I tried to fast-forward into the future and see what might be happening in the area of healthcare documentaiton. Here is a little excerpt from that article that will be published soon.
The year is 2017: In breaking healthcare news today, leading healthcare documentation administrators (HDAs) have made yet another contribution in the area of helping to save lives.
Today, the situation was different but a life was saved because of the swift action by the trained and credentialed HDAs involved. A cutting-edge procedure for graphite-composite complete spinal replacement, recently developed by Amastep Aheadforu, MD where patients can come in for a complete or partial spinal replacement and go home within 24 hours. This has been a lifesaver for patients with chronic back pain with bone or disk conditions, hemiplegia and quadriplegia.
In the surgical case today, the patient's chart contained 2 discrepancies. One was in the H&P stating first that the patient had no history of heart disease and yet in the past medical history it stated that the patient was status post MI. Bringing this to the attention of the surgeon before the procedure began, the HDA alerted him and a cardiology consultant was asked to be on stand-by, just in case, also adjustments were made to allow considerations for the patient who indeed was on blood thinners. The second item found was that the patient’s last labs showed borderline diabetes type 2 in a post-menopausal female. The HDA very alert to the fact that this patient was a middle-aged male, brought that also to the attention of the surgeon in real time....
Now although we don't have spine-replacement surgery yet, and smart cards are not in place universally, we do have the skills and knowledge to do the things mentioned in this article. Even though it takes place in the future, there will be opportunities for us to leverage our expertise in helping to ensure that all patient records contain the right information and that discrepancies are corrected.
In the AHDI "Have You Read Your Medical Record" campaign, bringing awareness to the general public about access to and the information contained in each medical record is extremely important, and the message needs to be carried on. As the EHR evolves, the proliferation of healthcare data will be significant and if 1 or 2 or 5 things are incorrect, it can have life-threatening consequences.
Our experience helps us be the ideal candidates to help ensure that this information is taken care of in real time for every patient. What are your thoughts on this potential future for us? Do you have other ideas suggestions that you would like to discuss?
The year is 2017: In breaking healthcare news today, leading healthcare documentation administrators (HDAs) have made yet another contribution in the area of helping to save lives.
Today, the situation was different but a life was saved because of the swift action by the trained and credentialed HDAs involved. A cutting-edge procedure for graphite-composite complete spinal replacement, recently developed by Amastep Aheadforu, MD where patients can come in for a complete or partial spinal replacement and go home within 24 hours. This has been a lifesaver for patients with chronic back pain with bone or disk conditions, hemiplegia and quadriplegia.
In the surgical case today, the patient's chart contained 2 discrepancies. One was in the H&P stating first that the patient had no history of heart disease and yet in the past medical history it stated that the patient was status post MI. Bringing this to the attention of the surgeon before the procedure began, the HDA alerted him and a cardiology consultant was asked to be on stand-by, just in case, also adjustments were made to allow considerations for the patient who indeed was on blood thinners. The second item found was that the patient’s last labs showed borderline diabetes type 2 in a post-menopausal female. The HDA very alert to the fact that this patient was a middle-aged male, brought that also to the attention of the surgeon in real time....
Now although we don't have spine-replacement surgery yet, and smart cards are not in place universally, we do have the skills and knowledge to do the things mentioned in this article. Even though it takes place in the future, there will be opportunities for us to leverage our expertise in helping to ensure that all patient records contain the right information and that discrepancies are corrected.
In the AHDI "Have You Read Your Medical Record" campaign, bringing awareness to the general public about access to and the information contained in each medical record is extremely important, and the message needs to be carried on. As the EHR evolves, the proliferation of healthcare data will be significant and if 1 or 2 or 5 things are incorrect, it can have life-threatening consequences.
Our experience helps us be the ideal candidates to help ensure that this information is taken care of in real time for every patient. What are your thoughts on this potential future for us? Do you have other ideas suggestions that you would like to discuss?
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