Perhaps it's because I reside in Chicago?home of both Oprah Winfrey and the American Health Information Management Association?but lately I have been thinking about "aha moments" for HIM professionals.
Although HIM professionals do not treat or diagnose patients, their role in managing all the moving parts in a healthcare organization affects overall quality of care.
In 2008, only 11% of respondents to an Association of Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialists (ACDIS) poll indicated their clinical documentation improvement (CDI) programs either reviewed outpatient records for documentation improvement opportunities or were looking to expand into outpatient areas (8% and 3% respectively).
Revenue cycle leaders, including HIM professionals, are aware that a patient billing or collection problem can destroy what had up to that point been an exceptionally positive clinical experience. With the ever-expanding reach of social media, a patient who is dissatisfied with a billing or collection problem may be more likely to share that problem with others rather than sharing private details about clinical problems.
Provider-based clinics and departments are increasingly common at hospitals, but the rules for provider-based qualification and billing can often be confusing.
