HIM Life Right Now!

I'm worried of what things are going to look like in my department since I was gone for a week AND I don't have a full time clerk anymore. Pray for me. 

I have to get my To-Do List for the EHR done by the end of this week if we're going to make a go live of February 2013. It's hard being a project manager and a Director of a department. There isn't enough hours in the day to do both jobs.

There's a 3M coding update to be done in January and I have no idea of when. I need to update my hospital's 3M contact information and check the contracts.


I'm sure that there are tons of charts that need to be fine coded and who knows how many days out the DNFB is.

I have to purchase our SSL domain name. 

Good thing my boss, the CFO, is a great guy and understands what goes on in my department. You don't get that everywhere.

It's a job being a one woman show!

Why Take the Test?

I was recently asked on YouTube, if it was important to take the credentialing exam and make sure that the school is accredited through AHIMA so that you can take the test.

YES, YES, YES, and YES!

If your program is not accredited, which means that it has not submitted itself and it's curriculum to the approval of CAHIIM then you do not qualify to test for one of the credentials issued by AHIMA. AHIMA is the foremost sought after credentials and most employers prefer those credentials.

I have witnessed people I know go to those "private" two year colleges (which cost WAY more than a community college) for billing and coding programs and after they finish they can not find a job. Healthcare employers do not look favorably on those schools because the curriculum is not as detailed and encompassing as it should be.Basically, they feel like you don't know what you're doing.

Most of the teachers there are not true educators and the schools basically just want your student loan money. Now, this all my opinion but I've seen it with my own eyes. I was offered a job at one of those schools and I turned it down. When asked why I simply said "I can not lie to those students and tell them that they are employable after graduation because they won't be." You may be able to become a biller, because that doesn't require any credentialing. But you will not be able to enter and progress in the HIM world with an education from one of those schools.

Here's a little comparison I made while I was speaking with someone that attended an non credentialed program:

1. I had 4 semesters of curriculum that embodied the entire HIM department such as: filing systems, medical record law, anatomy & physiology, pathology, pharmacology, coding, transcription, computers in healthcare, etc. Their classes centered around coding, billing and insurance processes.
2. We had weekly clinicals, spanning over 3 semesters, at nursing homes, large physician clinics, ambulatory surgery centers, trauma registries, cancer registries, large acute care hospitals and billing offices, and mental hospitals. They went to a few physician offices and a billing office.
3. During our clinicals we filed loose reports, created charts, learned how to track defiencies and get doctor's signatures, completed release of information, learned how to assemble and analysis a chart, learned how to index scanned images, learned how to use microfilm for release of information, coded ER, outpatient, ambulatory surgery, OB/GYN, cancer, trauma, med/surg, mental health, clinical documentation and billing practices. They learned how to bill superbills and clear billing edits.

Take a look at the difference in the programs...
Virginia College in Jackson, MS
Hinds Community College in Jackson, MS

So please, research your school and make sure that they are CAHIIM approved! That is the only way you will be able to sit for the credentialing exam and progress through your career. HIM is way more than just billing and coding...

The File Clerk

The File Clerk is an entry level position in a Medical Record Department. I honestly feel like it's one of the most important positions because it functions as the spokes on a wheel. You need the spokes in a wheel to strengthen the wheel but also disperse the weight and pressure of the moving unit.

The File Clerk is responsible for moving, storing and retrieving information and that's the most important thing to information being used. Here is a list of a few of the job functions of a File Clerk:

• Place materials into storage receptacles, such as file cabinets, boxes, bins, or drawers, according to classification and identification information.
• Answer questions about records or files.
• Add new material to file records or create new records as necessary.
• Perform general office duties such as typing, operating office machines, and sorting mail.
• Eliminate outdated or unnecessary materials, destroying them or transferring them to inactive storage, according to file maintenance guidelines or legal requirements.
Find and retrieve information from files in response to requests from authorized users.
Sort or classify information according to guidelines, such as content, purpose, user criteria, or chronological, alphabetical, or numerical order.
Keep records of materials filed or removed, using logbooks or computers.
Perform periodic inspections of materials or files to ensure correct placement, legibility, or proper condition.
Assign and record or stamp identification numbers or codes to index materials for filing.
Gather materials to be filed from departments or employees.
Track materials removed from files to ensure that borrowed files are returned.
Modify or improve filing systems or implement new filing systems.
Scan or read incoming materials to determine how and where they should be classified or filed.
Enter document identification codes into systems in order to determine locations of documents to be retrieved.
Design forms related to filing systems.
Retrieve documents stored in microfilm or microfiche and place them in viewers for reading.
Operate mechanized files that rotate to bring needed records to a particular location. 

Being a File Clerk can be the start, a foothold, in an HIM career. I know several people that began as file clerks, went to school and are now credentialed HIM professionals.

There's always a beginning...

How to Find the Right School!

Source

Making the decision to go to college may be a difficult one for some people. All students aren't fresh out of high school. Today's student population is filled with people beginning a second career, stay at home moms wanting to enter the workforce, late bloomers that decided to work after high school and those who can just now afford to go. The ages vary within classrooms and learning styles are definitely different.

Health Information Technology and Management or Health Informatics are programs that aren't offered at every university like English, Chemistry or Education. The programs tend to exist at schools that have Allied Health programs yet, they may not always be available.

When you are looking for a reputable school, that is accredited by AHIMA for their educational programs, please visit here.  I always encourage the use of this site because there are schools out there that will tell you they have a coding and billing program and you can work after graduation but they are not accredited and you won't be able to attain any credentials. Most hospital and healthcare facilities will not hire non-credentialed people. So PLEASE always use this site for your school search. The schools listed by AHIMA give you the opportunity to sit for those credentialing exams after graduation and make you employable.

What I've noticed is that there seems to be more Associate (HIT) degree programs available than Bachelor degree (HIM) programs. I'm from Mississippi and we have 4 community colleges that offer HIT programs and only 1 university that offers HIM. Now that I live in Texas, a HUGE state, there are over 25 HIT programs and only 2 HIM programs. I hate how disproportionate those numbers are but that's how the cookie crumbles. Online program have come to favor in the last 5-8 years so that's always an option.


Happy School Hunting!

My Educational Path...Volume I

My walk through higher education was one full of turns and wayward trails. I graduated high school in 1997 and in the fall I started my freshman year as a Pre-Nursing major. My mother heavily influenced this decision, even though she'll tell you she didn't. Nonetheless, I enjoyed my classes and did well my first year but I had a nagging feeling that I didn't want to be a nurse.

My sophomore year I returned to school and progressed through the semester well but decided to transfer to another university for the spring semester because they had a better nursing program. Mind you, this was for a BSN so I had 4 years (8 semesters) to complete. So, second semester of my sophomore year starts and I hate the school! I can't stand being there and I want to go back to my old university but my mom told me NO 'because I made the decision to switch and I had to live it out.'

The next two semesters were torture for me. I lived for Friday afternoons so I could make my 2.5 hour drive back home and forget about school for a while. Now, I enjoyed my classes, I loved the clinical knowledge but I hated the clinical application and patient interaction. It just wasn't my thing. I liked producing results but I didn't want all the rigmarole that clinical application produced. But again, my mother made it very clear that I was going to become a nurse.

What was I going to do?

Welcome to My Life!

The life of an HIM professional is a well hidden secret. Most people don’t even know that we exist professionally. When I tell people my profession they usually respond with, “What do you do, exactly?”

It’s a question that I’m used to answering now so it usually goes something like this, “I’m the person that reads your medical record, make sure it’s complete, legal and private and make sure we get the best reimbursement for taking care of you.” It’s kind of generic answer but it usually gives people some kind of indication as to what I do daily.

Now, if you’re in the profession you know that we do a whole lot more. But this blog is geared more to those that don’t know what we do. Those that are interested or are students and want some sort of insight into this world. It’s a small and isolated world at times but it’s one that I truly enjoy.

I have a YouTube channel where I discuss my education and career so please feel free to visit it. My videos will be used in conjunction with this blog to help those that are interested in the world of HIM. It’s a vast place and I’m just a small part but I will share all that I can.

I hope you enjoy!