Tried and True

Even though I'm no longer a student (at this moment) I still utilize books from my program and other than a pharmacology book, I've kept all of my books for HIM and I occasionally refer to them.

Yesterday, I needed to gather some statistical numbers for a project and needed a formula that I haven't used in a very long time, Average Daily Census. I thought I knew the formula but the numbers just seemed wrong. So, I pulled out my "Johns" book, checked the index, realized I was not using the correct formula and found the right formula:

         Total patient days of a period / number of days in the period = Average Daily Census

So I encourage you guys to hold on to your books because you never know when you'll need to pull them out.

My Study Guides!

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...

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?