Newly Elected Officer Experiences

by Clarice Warner, RHIA, CCS-P, CPC, CHC

As a newly elected OHIMA board member, I have been balancing my professional, personal,
and volunteer pursuits. Some days everything is in perfect harmony and then there are days
when it all falls apart. But the optimist in me knows this too shall pass and tomorrow is another
day to get it right.

As I’ve been getting oriented to the new position, I’ve had the opportunity to experience two
adventures that I would like to share.

The first was my visit to the AHIMA corporate office. During the 2018 Component State
Association (CSA) Leadership Symposium meeting in Chicago, we were offered the opportunity
to tour the AHIMA office. Initially I was hesitant, I thought about how much earlier I would have
to wake up and that I would miss my morning walk. I convinced myself it was worth it and off I
went.

I love quotes and sayings and as you enter the lobby, you are greeted by Grace Whiting Myers’
quote from the presidents address at the first annual session in Chicago 1929. In her quote,
she answers the question, “What does one gain by belonging to the large association?”

While the office was very modern, there were historical elements and artifacts throughout.

 There was even a spot to showcase awards and achievements.

There were lots of open space for meeting and collaboration. One of my favorite areas was the
Employee Brag Board. The brag board was a place where staff posted pictures of children,
grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and even fur children.

It felt really good to be in the space where AHIMA makes decisions for the organization. The

place where the day-to-day activities that benefit the membership happens. Let me just say, if
you are ever in Chicago, I would encourage you to visit the office - you’ll be glad you did!

The second experience I want to share was the House of Delegates meeting in Miami, Florida.
Even though Miami is laid back, fun in the sun vacation spot, everyone at this meeting was
about business. The energy in the room was palpable. The atmosphere and the room set-up
was conducive to the discussion and the work that needed to take place. There was the main
hall and even break out rooms, for more focused discussions.

I loved seeing the flags of the states around the room. Seeing the delegates look for their state
flags and gather to take pictures was also incredible. Ohio shared a table with delegates from
North Carolina. Meeting people that I will be working with over the next year was great and
putting faces with names that I’ve seen in the past was also a plus.

I sat in the HIM Reimagined session. The one thing that I walked away with was our
profession as we know it is changing. As we evolve and grow, we change. The key driver of the
change is technology. There was spirited and passionate discussion on the effects of
technology on our profession particularly in areas like coding. The artificial intelligence (AI)
revolution has been here for a while and it has touched many industries. It has even touched
the clinical healthcare industry with the use of robotic surgery in medicine. To think that AI
would not touch HIM in any way would be a disservice to providing knowledge and education
for those newly entering into our profession. Changing the education landscape and making
the bachelors degree the entry level degree into the profession, specifically in management
positions, was a hot topic. The other issue in our session was specialization in the technical
skills. Lastly, it was suggested to look at skills of coding and begin to apply critical thinking
skills needed in education to transform coding into a more auditing role or function, which sets
the framework in preparation of any new technological advance. People will still be necessary
to validate documentation and validate the code descriptions. We really need to consider
broadening our horizons and consider training in auditing for our coders.

As a newly elected OHIMA board member, I am excited about the opportunity and challenges
that we face. I am also thankful and grateful to our past and current board members and
executives who work tirelessly to ensure that OHIMA is well represented, that we are
positioned to take action for our state and that we are prepared to lead the charge before us.

About the Author 

Clarice Warner, RHIA, CCS-P, CPC, CHC is the Director of Education Services at Professional Reimbursement Network.  She serves on the OHIMA Board as a 1st Year Director working on the Public Good strategy. 

Are you interested in volunteering with OHIMA's Board of Directors?  Through November 15, 2018 - we are accepting nominations for all elected positions. For more information, visit our website.