Yesterday, I read the Nov. 23 article on HISTalk about a multi-group practice that went electronic, and then turned its defunct chart storage room into useful office space. The "before and after" photos were particularly striking. Pre-scanning, the room is lined with overflowing shelves; post-scanning, it's a cavernous space with a lone computer. ...

I do not recall where this story originated, but I would like to share it here.

A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to visit their old university professor, now retired. During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives. Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned ...

[This post was written by Charlie Wong, from the Nuance HIM Team]

Last week we noted that one of the goals posted on our "What's Your Goal?" wall at AHIMA was "to see a working electronic health record (EHR) deployed before I retire!" This simple statement speaks to the mountain of complexity involved with deploying an EHR: not only is it a tremendous undertaking to design, configure, ...

As we approach another Thanksgiving, this is the time of year to reflect on the things I am truly thankful for.

I am thankful to be in excellent health when so many suffer from chronic medical conditions or life-threatening illnesses. With so many Americans uninsured and with no access to health care, I am thankful that my family has health insurance. It is easy to take for granted that you can see a ...

(Editor's note: This is a guest blog written by Valerie M. Chapman, RN, MSN, a pediatric nurse for 25 years. She is a 3-year breast cancer survivor and lives in Medford, NJ, with her husband and two children.)

I am a wife, a mother of two awesome kids, a daughter, a sister, and a nurse. I am also a  survivor.

At the age of 43 a routine screening mammogram picked up an abnormality ...

In case you haven't heard, the New Oxford American Dictionary selected "unfriend" as the 2009 Word of the Year. And in case you really haven't heard, "unfriend" is a social networking term, referring to the act of removing someone from your list of contacts (or "friends") on Facebook or similar sites.

Not to sound cliché, but it's a sign of the times. The world witnessed a social media explosion this ...

I sure hope I don't have to go to the doctor during flu season this year! The media has me paranoid about germs. It's like having my mother whispering in my ear "Did you wash your hands?" a hundred times a day. It seems everywhere I go there is complimentary hand sanitizer or wipes for customers. Makes me want to go home and shop on-line. People are coughing into their elbows, which is apparently a good way to confine ...

While researching for my encryption article, "Are You Secured?" I was struck by what I would consider a loophole in the breach notification rules.

According to the new regulations, when a security breach or theft occurs, the covered entity or business associate must inform the affected patients. If more ...

(Editor's note: This is a guest blog by Lorettajo A. Kapinos, an ED nurse at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, MA.)

Last month was Breast Cancer Awareness month and I blogged about my experience with a false positive mammogram.  ...

By Lauren Richman, Director of Marketing for HIM Solutions, Nuance Healthcare

Welcome to Voices: Speech Recognition in the HIM World blog, where you will hear the latest commentary from a collaboration of HIM experts that ranges from real-world case examples, industry trend analysis, best practice tips, productivity boosting methods, to many other industry insider tidbits that will keep ...

Ouch.

That's about all I can say (and really, all I can think) after overexerting myself this weekend. A few of my friends have been doing P90 X, an extreme workout plan that includes several videos, each of which features a different routine, i.e. abs, arms, yoga. The idea is to rotate videos so you exercise different muscles each day.

Well, Saturday was yoga day, and I decided to join in. Having ...

How many diagrams have you seen that depict the "correct posture" for when you are seated at your computer terminal?  How many have you seen that you actually related to and were able to apply?  Diagrams, drawings and pictures are all very important because many people, author included, are visual learners.  The problem with most of these tools is that they try to convey three dimensional concepts ...

Writing for American Medical News, attorney Steven Harris warns of new requirements for contracts between covered entities and business associates post-HITECH:

Think your business associate agreements sufficiently protect your rights? Now figure in new laws on security breaches of patient information.

Those ...

My daughter received her first progress report from the International Bacceularate school she attends. She was disappointed in her grades this first quarter because she did not get straight A's, as she was accustomed to. I have to admit, I was probably as upset as my daughter about her grades.

As it turns out, the grades school-wide were not what the kids or parents expected. A letter went out to ...

A blog post last week by Lea Sims, Director of Professional Programs for the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI), credits advocacy efforts by members of AHDI and the Medical Transcription Industry Association (MTIA) in persuading Rep. Virginia Foxx to withdraw her amendment to ...

If you have been following this blog, you may remember a year ago my blog "The Birth of a Medical Record" when our first grandson was born. Hard to believe that Ryan turned 1 this week!Equally hard to believe the changes that have occurred in his life, his parents' lives, the economy, ...

Over the past month or so, I delved into labor laws and IRS regulations to untangle the confusion surrounding employment status-namely, what distinguishes employees from independent contractors. And, as many of you already know, it's not easy. All those conditional statements and vague descriptions that are supposed to "guide" employers and workers to determine a fitting status make things more complicated than ...

The Daily Mail Online is reporting today that two arrests have been made and an arrest warrant is out on a third suspect in the case of confidential health records being offered for sale to undercover journalists.

Back in May of 2009 I wrote a highly enthusiastic blog post entitled "Lessons From An iPhone." It's with a great deal of disappointment and outright irritation that I now compose the sad sequel, which I could just have easily called "Lessons From A Network" or perhaps more true to my feelings, ...

No matter your stance on war, it's only right to honor and thank veterans who put their lives on the line for our country. Military personnel witness firsthand what most of us find too hard to watch through a camera lens, and it's bound to have an impact. The least we could do, then, is offer quality health care upon their return.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has forged some pretty impressive paths, ...

I hesitate to mention how long it took me to come up with this title! For nights, I tossed and turned in my hotel bed trying to come up with a catchy, blog-worthy hallmark. I consumed countless sheets of paper, with a myriad of scribbles and mediocre word combinations. I resent those sleepless hours now because it was when I saw a sign as I was walking out of the office that I found inspiration. It was not a spiritual ...

Better, stronger, faster is a marathon-training mantra. Last Sunday was the ING NYC marathon. Watching runners of all calibers run 26.2 miles never fails to amaze me. The top finishers have athletic ability that push the limits of the human body. The greater number of over 40,000 runners are inspiring in their own way. Their athletic ability may or may not be above average., their clothing or running style not remarkable, ...

November is not only the start of the holiday season, but also the time of year when HIM professionals celebrate Health Information and Technology (HI&T) Week. This is our week to pat ourselves on the back and celebrate the achievements made during the year. I am sure that HIM professionals across the country will showcase their departments and take the time to appreciate the hard work by HIM staff. ...

Your friendly neighborhood drug store--OK, more like the corporate colossus that runs it--is under investigation again. CVS Caremark Corp. announced yesterday that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is investigating the company's business practices, according to the Associated Press, but spokespeople did not ...