"Establishing the appropriate functionality, policies, and procedures for emerging electronic records presents a new set of challenges."

Feature article supported by
Philips Speech Recognition Systems

(HealthTech Wire) - Members of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) work on many of the policies and procedures underlying IT systems and are deeply involved in issues around privacy, security and the proper use of data. The association’s flagship magazine goes to more than 51,000 health information management (HIM) professionals in the US. “The Journal identifies emerging issues that are of interest to HIM professionals,” says Kevin Heubusch. “When we discuss topics such as compliance or coding we also provide our readers with nuts and bolts practice guidance.”

The magazine employs a staff writer responsible for feature stories while association staff and members write most of the other articles drawing on their own professional experience. “Our magazine benefits from a lot of on-staff expertise and for every issue we can take advantage of this wonderful resource,” says the editor. “Our contributing writers primarily serve the association in other functions but as experts in their fields they help identify current trends and issues.”

Some of the issues typically discussed in the Journal of AHIMA include reimbursement changes, personal health records and quality measurement. “One of our main topics is the need to maintain legally sound health records,” comments Kevin Heubusch. “While this need has always existed, establishing the appropriate functionality, policies, and procedures for emerging electronic records presents a new set of challenges. HIM professionals are well positioned to help with this, because they work with many disciplines within their facilities—clinical, IT, compliance, and legal.” While the magazine focuses on US regulations, the editor also sees a new trend towards international collaboration in health information management issues.

Many of the Journal’s topics are well defined in advance. “Before the year starts, we create our magazine’s editorial calendar and the association’s key strategic areas clearly set the framework for our main subject areas,” says Kevin Heubusch. “With regulations and IT changing all the time, there’s always something interesting to discuss with our association members. We live in a transformative and exciting time for healthcare.” (AG)

Contact Kevin Heubusch at Kevin.Heubusch@ahima.org