79th AHIMA House of Delegates
(HoD) Meeting
Sunday, October 12, 2025 | Minneapolis, Minnesota
The 79th AHIMA House of Delegates Meeting convened on Sunday, October 12, 2025, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The day began with opening remarks from Speaker-Elect Susan Foster, EdD, MBA, RHIA, CHPS, CHC, CHPC, CIPP/US, CC, FAHIMA, who presided over the event. Delegates also heard the President/Chair’s Report from Maria Caban Alizondo, PhD, RHIT, FAHIMA, and the Financial Report presented by Rachel Podczervinski, MS, RHIA (AHIMA Board Treasurer) and Tom Mehs (Chief Financial Officer).
The Annual Business
Meeting was officially called to order with 194 Delegates representing
47 Component Associations in attendance.
During the session,
Delegates discussed, amended, and voted on a series of proposed Bylaw
amendments and governance actions. Below is a summary of the action
items and outcomes:
Action Items and Outcomes
- Article III, Section 3.1 Purposes and Mission; Article V, Section 5.1 Board of Directors: Powers and Duties; Article VII, Section 7.1 House of Delegates: Purpose: (review mission) – Referred to Committee for further review
- Article XII, Section 12.6 Dues Payment to Component Associations (dues payments in monthly increments) – Passed
- Article XII, Section 12.6 Dues Payment to Component Associations (dues percentage increase) – Withdrawn
- Article VII, Section 7.5 Speaker of the House of Delegates (creates role of Past Speaker and adds him/her as an ex officio member of the AHIMA Board of Directors with vote) – Amended to add Past Speaker role but without Board role – Passed
- Article VII, Section 7.6 Speaker-elect of the House of Delegates (adds Speaker-Elect position - which already exists - as an ex officio member of the AHIMA Board of Directors with vote) – Passed
- Article VIII, Section 8.5 Nominating Committee (AHIMA CEO will not be a member of the AHIMA Nominating Committee but will be available upon request of Committee Chair for consult) – Passed
- Article VII, Sections 7.1 House of Delegates: Purpose and 7.7 Powers and Duties (HoD participate in development of AHIMA mission) – Passed
- Article IV, Sections 4.3. Types of Members, 4.3.1 Professional, 4.3.3 Members at Large (new Bylaw) and Article V, Section 5.3 Qualifications (defines Professional Members as credentialed or certified and new "Members at Large" category; states that the majority of AHIMA Board of Directors must be Professional Members) – Referred to Bylaws Taskforce for further review
- Article IV, Section 4.2 Rights of Members (allows members the right to examine, in person or by agent, the Association’s books and records of account and minutes of the Board of Directors meetings) – NOT PASSED
- Article VII, Section 7.7 Powers and Duties (adds power to alter Bylaws to the duties of HoD) – PASSED
- Article VI, Section 6.7 Duties of Treasurer (Treasurer shall be a certified public accountant, ideally with forensic experience or equivalent accounting and financial management qualifications and experience) – NOT PASSED
- Article VII, Section 7.11 Funding (new bylaw allocated HoD budget funds to secure an independent Parliamentarian and Legal Counsel) – WITHDRAWN
- Article VI, Section 6.8 Chief Executive Officer and Article XV, Section 15.1 Books and Records (CEO shall ensure that the Board Minutes and Association’s financial statements are promptly and easily accessible to the Professional Membership) – WITHDRAWN
- Article VII, Section 7.2 Meetings and Article IV, Section 4.10 Use of Electronic Meeting and Notice Resources (recording of meetings, regarding blocking of chat/Q&A) – NOT PASSED
- Article V, Sections 5.8 Regular Meetings and 5.9 Special Meetings (minutes available to members) – NOT PASSED
- Article VII, Section 7.7 Powers and Duties (delegate-specific Volunteer Participation Agreements) – NOT PASSED
- Article VII, Section 7.4 Composition (removes Members of AHIMA Board of Directors as voting members of the House of Delegates) – NOT PASSED
- Article
XVIII, Section 18.1 Adoption of Amendments (requires proposals be received
by AHIMA at least 60 days prior to the meeting at which a vote on the
proposal is to be taken. AHIMA then will review the proposal and submit a
final list of proposal to the Delegates 30 days prior to the meeting at
which they will be voted on) – PASSED
Summary
The 2025 AHIMA House of Delegates focused on strengthening governance structure, clarifying leadership roles, and enhancing transparency and representation across the association. Several proposals aimed at expanding delegate powers and increasing access to organizational records generated robust discussion but did not pass due to concerns about liability and operational implications.
Key successes included the creation of the Past Speaker role, the addition of the Speaker-Elect as a voting member of the AHIMA Board, and updates to dues payment procedures and amendment timelines. Several proposals were referred to committee for continued review and refinement, reflecting the ongoing commitment to thoughtful governance and member engagement.
Ohio’s Delegates actively participated in discussion and voting throughout the session, ensuring that the voices of our state’s health information professionals were well represented in shaping AHIMA’s future.
Any questions can be directed to advocacy@ohima.org.
