Metrics represent values to measure an organization’s strategy. Leaders should understand that metrics cannot replace strategy. It can lead to behaviors that undermine the very strategy the metrics expect to measure, resulting in negative consequences for all. Remember the severe negative repercussions experienced by the banking giant Wells Fargo when it aggressively...

Summary   As the world of healthcare becomes more complex, healthcare executives are searching for ways to curb costs quickly and substantially while remaining competitive and profitable. Outsourcing is one way to reduce inefficiencies and eliminate redundancy. Let's explore some of the pain points health systems and hospitals face along with the pros and cons of using...

MTHFR. Sounds almost rude, doesn’t it? However, it is NOT something for which your mother would threaten to wash your mouth out with soap, I promise. MTHFR stands for methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase – so obviously, using the abbreviation is easier than saying that mouthful every time. What, exactly, IS MTHFR? It’s a genetic mutation affecting approximately 30% of the...

Social Determinants of Health: Everyone's Challenge and Benefit Concurrent with a refined focus on Social Determinants of Health, the benefit of using electronic health records for managing the health of populations as well as individuals has garnered attention. With the implementation of provisions of the ONC’s Cures Act Final Rule, patients, providers, health systems,...

As value-based healthcare models continue to grow, the collection and documentation of social determinants of health data has become a key factor in improving patient care and outcomes. As HIM and Coding Professionals, our role in understanding, collecting and appropriately reporting social determinants of health is more important than ever. What are social determinants...

Quality studies and improvements have much more value than merely meeting a cancer program standards requirement. If planned well and properly conducted, quality studies can energize the members of the team, reduce inefficiencies, increase cost effectiveness, and deliver value to the organization and patients it serves.   Read Part 1 of this article series HERE.  The...

The Growth In HIM Roles In just 10 short years, the times have changed and with those changes the challenges facing today’s healthcare organizations are impacted by the speed of technology and continued decreasing revenue margins. When we think back to Health Information Management (HIM) Departments a decade ago, we were focused on managing a medical record that was...

This past September, I had the privilege of attending the AHIMA annual convention in New Orleans. I was particularly looking forward to presentations on information governance and ICD-10. Not only was I able to learn more about both of these important topics, but I also learned about several other initiatives that will surely affect the HIM profession going forward. ...

HIM Outsourcing Our industry’s transition to EHRs has opened new doors for health information management (HIM). HIM’s operational areas have become more specialized than ever. The result? Many healthcare executives are now able to reduce expenses, reallocate staff and free up space through centralization and remote workers. According to a recent HealthLeaders CFO Forum,...

Jack and Suzy Welch suggest that most of us are confused about innovation. They state, “You’re getting innovation all wrong. Innovation is a series of little steps that cumulatively lead up to a big deal that changes the game.” When it comes to HIM and EHRs, I believe they are absolutely correct. The EHR was “a big deal that changed the game” for healthcare providers....