(This sponsored blog was written by Lee Ann Bryant, associate product manager, HealthStream.) Many think ICD-10 is only a coding problem, but the true challenge of ICD-10 is the need for increasing specificity and granularity in documentation in order to receive optimal reimbursement, meet all reporting requirements, and most accurately reflect ...

  (Editor's Note: This guest blog was written from AHIMA 2012 by Harry B. Rhodes, MBA, RHIA, CHPS, CPHIMS, FAHIMA, who is AHIMA director of HIM solutions.) The goal of Meaningful Use Stage 2 is improved data reuse through standardized, structured, and interoperable exchange of discrete and timely patient information designed to improve the ...

(Editor's note: This guest blog was written by Scott Warner, MLT(ASCP), a laboratory manager in northern Maine.) When a new manager is hired, grumbling ensues. ''Now we have to break in another one!'' Your new boss is worried about motivating you and your coworkers, but the opposite is also true. How do you get a stranger to do things your way? ...

Let me preface this by saying, April Fool's! Yeah, it ruins the fun, but it also saves me the guilt if someone were to actually use the tips below. If you're looking for serious advice, check out ''HITECH's Highway to Hell'' for cautionary words about electronic health record implementation. But before you do, read on for some foolhardy ...

Yes, readers of the HIM world, it was 1 year ago today that President Obama took that fateful pen to paper and signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), paving the way for electronic health records (EHRs) and all the perks and headaches associated with them. The push for EHRs is part of the Health Information Technology for ...

Having been the editor of ADVANCE for almost 15 years now, I've witnessed many students trying to break into the coding or transcription field. Many quickly become disappointed because they were enticed by scam advertisements that offer big salaries and work-from-home opportunities. I'm not really sure what exactly happened at Ryjen ...

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 ...

Well, the 2008 ADVANCE Salary Survey results are in. Thanks to a bit of outsourcing on ADVANCE's part, I had a new survey tool to play with, and I had fun sifting through the data and really trying to get to the bottom of what HIM professionals are making. Thanks also goes out to the readers who filled out the survey. We had nearly 3,600 take part ...

It's not always sunshine and roses in the world of MTs. We get that--we field a lot of letters from MTs disgruntled by pay decreases or stressing about offshoring of transcription. I decided to be a brave little toaster and broach the topic of the unhappy side of transcription. This article will not be a place for MTs to vent--rather, I'd like ...