Advocating for the HIM profession: Opening Up Minds and Doors…

What does it mean to advocate for the HIM Profession?  
To Wondra Taylor, RHIT, a young HIM professional, it means being willing to go back to school… She has been opening up doors for students around Cleveland and surrounding areas introducing them to the HIM profession.  Within a year of starting her coding leadership position, she has become the coordinator for student practicums, been invited to local high schools, colleges, job fairs, online mentoring, and association meetings, all in the name of promoting HIM…. Her Director has dubbed her quite the HIM ambassador..

What does it take to advocate for the HIM profession?  
A smile, a few hours out of her work/personal day, a passion for HIM and willingness to talk to young adults (future generation). High school and college students are eager to hear you share about your professional background.

How does this impact the profession?
Provides valuable feed back to the college advisory boards regarding workforce needs for them to incorporate into their curriculum and let’s students know about career choices in health information management.  Communication with Academic Institutions, students, and healthcare facilities is vital to keep everyone well-informed.   Professional work experience shared provides examples to students in preparation for interviews, jobs, and professional expectations, etc.
Talk about being a leader – stepping out of “a routine role” to expand horizons.

Result:  
Satisfaction when seeing students look of interest in HIM, knowing that you may have planted a seed for a future upcoming HIM professional, and receiving  recognition by being asked to participate in an Aspiring leader practicum.

You too can do this!  Please reach out to OHIMA if you want to take the next step in advocating for HIM… and considering joining us for the HIM Advocacy Day on October 4, 2017!

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
Nelson Mandela 

Epidural Steroid Injection (ESI) Codes

This installment of “In the kNOW” focuses on the changes to epidural steroid injection (ESI) codes.  Previous codes that identified ESIs have been deleted (62310, 62311, 62318, and 62319) and have been replaced with new codes ranging from 62320-62327. 

ESIs are a common, minimally invasive, treatment method for addressing pain that is the result of inflammation of spinal nerves.  Causes of the pain can be the herniation of an intervertebral disc, spinal stenosis or spondylolysis.  Two medications work in tandem when an ESI is administered.  The first component is a local anesthetic which will work to provide immediate symptom (pain) relief while the second is a corticosteroid which works to reduce the inflammation over time thus affording longer pain relief.  

Until the 2017 CPT update, ESI coding was based on:

the injection site: cervical/thoracic or lumbar/sacral,
            and
the method of administration: injection or injection with indwelling catheter.   

The new 2017 CPT codes for ESIs now include whether or not the ESI was administered with imaging guidance.
–    62320 injection C or T without Imaging Guidance
–    62321 injection C or T with Imaging Guidance
–    62322 injection L or S without Imaging Guidance
–    62323 injection L or S with Imaging Guidance
–    62324 injection with catheter C or T without Imaging Guidance
–    62325 injection with catheter C or T with Imaging Guidance
–    62326 injection with catheter L or S without Imaging Guidance
–    62327 injection with catheter L or S with Imaging Guidance

As coders begin the process of coding for ESIs now, the first consideration will be to determine where the needle or catheter enters the body.  Coders should note that the threading of the catheter into the epidural space, the injection of one or more levels, and the subsequent catheter removal are all components of a single injection.  The ESI should be considered a single injection even if the administered agent spreads to another level or the catheter tip moves into another region.  

When a catheter is placed for an ESI and is used on a single calendar day, coders should report ONE injection only, even if more than one injection is given.  Catheters that are left in place for more than one day in order to provide a bolus or continuous treatment will be coded to the new codes 62324-62327.

Now you are In the kNOW!!

About the Author 

Dianna Foley, RHIA, CHPS, CCS  is OHIMA's Coding Education Coordinator. Dianna has been an HIM professional for 20 years. She progressed through the ranks of coder, department supervisor, and department director, to her current role as a coding consultant. 

She recently served as the program director for Medical Coding and HIT at Eastern Gateway Community College. Dianna earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Cincinnati subsequently achieving her RHIA, CHPS, and CCS certifications. She is an AHIMA Approved ICD-10-CM/PCS Trainer and a a presenter at regional HIM meetings and the OHIMA Annual Meeting.

HIM Advocacy Day 2016

Mark your calendars for our third annual HIM Advocacy Day: October 4, 2017!

This past autumn, on Wednesday, October 5th, 47 HIM professionals arrived at the Ohio Statehouse to advocate for Health Information Management at the second annual HIM Advocacy Day. 

After a training session, advocates broke into groups to meet with 21 different state legislative offices!  During these appointments, advocates discussed hot topics of HIM such as telemedicine, EAPGs and the support of HIM and HIT college programs in Ohio to support the rapidly growing healthcare field. 

In addition to meeting with legislators, the agenda also consisted of some fabulous presentations.  Hayden Pritchard and Jennifer Edlind from US Acute Care Solutions discussed hot topics in healthcare privacy and security.  Dr. Matthew Fairman shared how Cleveland Clinic is handling telemedicine and distance health at the Cleveland Clinic.  Robin Canowitz and Liam Gruzs, two attorneys from Vorys, shared their expertise on patient requests for medical records in Ohio – which was especially interesting after the OIG’s released their clarification on charging for medical record requests in the Spring.  Amy Andres from the Ohio Hospital Association talked about how Ohio hospitals are using coding and billing data to reduce sepsis mortality. 

Here’s what some of our advocates had to say about the event:

We had such a great day! … Being my first time ever at an OHIMA advocacy day, I was a little nervous and not sure what to expect. … It was very interesting and a great experience for us. The presentations were very enjoyable and overall it was an excellent networking opportunity.
Heather Clark, CCS

The speakers were very informative!
Evaluation Comment

Although I was nervous I enjoyed meeting with the reps.
Evaluation Comment

AHIMA has their annual Advocacy Summit in the Spring.  This is the national version of Ohio's Advocacy Day, where you are able to meet and establish a relationship with the U.S. Senators and Representatives on their home turf in Washington D.C.

Thank you to all who participated in Ohio’s advocacy event!   Don’t miss out on being an advocate for HIM – it’s a memorable, informative and fun activity.  Please mark your calendars for this year’s HIM Advocacy Day, which will take place on October 4, 2017 at the Ohio Statehouse.  Watch the OHIMA website for more details.   

Message from the OHIMA Board President

Sandra Seabold, MBA, RHIA
OHIMA Board President

Groundhog’s Day already?…. What happened to wishing everyone a happy health new year and making New Year’s resolutions?  Time is flying by and with the rapid rate of change in the healthcare industry, AHIMA’s slogan of “Inspire Big Thinking to launch our Future” is more appropriate than ever before.  How can we survive this rapidly changing environment if we don’t use Information Governance (IG) principles to guide our profession to more efficient and innovative processes? 
What was your new year’s resolution – was it to read up about these “hot topics”?

• Value Based Care – care coordination of clinical integration for quality management
• Patient engagement - Micro hospitals (what is this trend about?)
• Emerging technology in healthcare– artificial intelligence, drones, telemedicine, social messaging
• Cybersecurity risks to patient data
• Uncertainty of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) – what changes will be made and how/if it will impact health information?
• Quality outcomes – pressure is on: how is clinical validity impacting your coded data?
• Informatics – how can this be used to bridge the gap between documentation and coding?

To help prepare you for these changes, OHIMA has many great educational offerings at its 2017 Annual Meeting.  In addition, use the AHIMA competency questions to ascertain your skill levels to prepare you for hybrid jobs that the traditionally known HIM jobs are being transformed into.  Instead of looking at how fast the time is going by and how quickly things change, embark on the wave of the future – focus on competency development, continuous learning and a healthy lifestyle.

As Anne Chenoweth, President of AHIMA quoted at the annual AHIMA 2016 meeting “The adventure of life is to learn.  The purpose of life is to grow. The nature of life is to change. The challenge of life is to overcome. The essence of life is to care. The opportunity of life is to serve. The secret of life is to dare. The spice of life is to befriend.  The beauty of life is to give.”
~By William Arthur Ward


Sincerely,
Sandy

Sandra Seabold, RHIA, MBA
President, OHIMA