| Fall 2009 | Volume 4, Issue 3 |
Events November 9 – January 9, 2010 Visit the CAHIIM Booth
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In This Issue | AHIMA’s Association Management System Conversion Downtime | A New Look for CAHIIM.org | ||||||
| E-Accreditation and the Web-based CAHIIM Accreditation System (CAS) | |||||||||
Call for Volunteers for the Panel of Accreditation Reviewers |
Commissioners Meet to Draft Standards for Health Informatics Master’s Degree Program Accreditation |
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AHIMA’s Association Management System Conversion Downtime This is an early notification that access to some of the AHIMA Web resources such as the Communities of Practice might be unavailable from October 29-November 3 while AHIMA converts to a new association management system. In most cases queries to Web sites such as www.cahiim.org will still be operational, but as a courtesy to educators who rely on materials on the AOE CoP, we want to inform you that access might be unavailable during that time period. Watch the AHIMA E-alerts for further updates and specific access issues. [Back to Top] |
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A New Look for CAHIIM.org
If you have not visited www.cahiim.org recently, it now has a new look and new features. New features include a section devoted to “Students” with quick links and information about program accreditation, an “Initiatives” section, “Policies and Procedures” with important facts and resources, and the “E-Accreditation” portal for online applications for new programs. If a new program for HIM associate, baccalaureate, or master’s levels, or health informatics master’s programs, or a new campus for your institution are in your plans, you will use this process. CAHIIM View back issues are archived with the most recent issue indexed, and the “CAHIIM Program Directory” can be more easily located. Accredited programs will continue to access the Annual Program Assessment Report (APAR) from the new Web site. More content is planned, so check back often. |
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E-Accreditation and the Web-based CAHIIM Accreditation System (CAS) |
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CAHIIM in the Chronicle of Higher Education CAHIIM and the HIM baccalaureate program at East Carolina University in Greenville, NC, were cited in a feature article in the September 4 Chronicle of Higher Education. The article is available online to Chronicle subscribers. |
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Call for Volunteers for the Panel of Accreditation Reviewers
CAHIIM is seeking volunteers to serve on the Panel of Accreditation Reviewers. If you are a health information management (HIM) or health informatics (HI) educator, with a minimum of a master’s degree, three years or more of teaching experience, willing to travel on a minimum of two site visits yearly, and work with our new online accreditation system conducting documentation reviews, please forward a letter of interest and a current curriculum vita to: Benjamin Reed, Accreditation Coordinator at benjamin.reed@cahiim.org. Candidates will undergo a telephone interview by a team of CAHIIM Commissioners before final selections are made for 2010. We need site visitors experienced at all academic levels: associate, baccalaureate, and master’s, as well as experience with online education delivery. |
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Commissioners Meet to Draft Standards for Health Informatics Master’s Degree Program Accreditation
L to R: Angela Kennedy, MEd, MBA, RHIA, CPHQ; Joan Hicks, MS, RHIA; Merida Johns, PhD, RHIA; Claire Dixon-Lee, PhD, RHIA, FAHIMA, CPH; Patt Peterson, MA, RHIA; George Payan; Steven Steindel, PhD, FACMI; John Holmes, PhD, FACMI; and Rosemary Walker, DDS, MBA, MS. A special health informatics committee of the CAHIIM Board of Commissioners met in Chicago, IL, in June to draft a set of programmatic accreditation standards for master’s degree programs in health informatics. These standards adhere to the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA) Code of Good Practice and follow accepted practice in higher education academic quality assurance. The draft standards address the mission, sponsorship, responsibilities of the academic institution, the program mission and goals, curriculum, faculty, resources, students, and fair practices. The draft standards will be refined by the CAHIIM Board and released for a 60-day public comment period beginning October 2009. The draft Health Informatics Standards will be circulated to CAHIIM accredited programs, other known graduate-level programs, the accreditation community, professional associations, and posted on the CAHIIM Web site with instructions on where and how to provide comments. It is anticipated that the final Standards and Interpretations for Accreditation of Health Informatics (HI) Programs—Master’s Degree Level will be released before the close of the year. The 2008 Standards and Interpretations for Accreditation of Health Information Management (HIM) Programs—Master’s Degree Level and the AHIMA HIM master's degree curriculum competencies are currently available at www.cahiim.org. Programs seeking CAHIIM accreditation for graduate level education are instructed to use the new application portal under E-Accreditation to begin the process. |
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CAHIIM Accreditation Standards FAQs Focus on Professional Practice Experience A frequent topic of concern discussed at the Assembly on Education Symposium and often when educators come together is the issues confronting the assignment and management of professional practice experiences (PPEs or practicums). Opinions are many and diverse. Many students say PPEs provide opportunities to bridge the gap between class work and a job and often provide the important networking necessary to get that first employment opportunity in HIM. Students already employed in healthcare often find meeting a program’s PPE requirements difficult and inflexible when maintaining a full-time job, attending school, and other personal responsibilities. Program directors cite numerous problems, including the difficulty in finding enough sites for a class of students; HIM directors who are unwilling to take students due to heavy work loads and other commitments; a lack of consistency in practicum experiences across sites; increased enrollments and not enough available sites; and the difficulty of managing such assignments in an online program with students all over the country. [Read more...] |
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Assembly on Education CAHIIM Day More than 300 educators convened in Las Vegas, NV, in late July to learn the basics of being an HIM faculty member at the Faculty Development Institute, share ideas, discuss program management issues, talk with more than a dozen vendors, participate in the Virtual Lab vendor showcase, and enjoy reacquainting with friends and colleagues. On July 26, CAHIIM provided several sessions targeted to both new program directors and present topics of interest and discussion to accredited programs. The slide set from CAHIIM Day can be found on the AOE CoP under the category of *****2009 AOE. Some important highlights for all programs are outlined. [Read more...] |
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CAHIIM Representatives Attend ASPA Fall Conference CAHIIM staff and chair-elect attended the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA) fall conference in St. Louis, MO, September 13-15. The gathering provides an opportunity for accreditation best practice sharing among staff and volunteers of more than 60 specialized programmatic accreditation organizations that are members of ASPA. Topics of interest include government requirements for higher education, managing accreditation processes, documentation and actions, and effective Web site tips, as well as a shared sense of community on issues of mutual interest and concern. This year’s professional development program included topics on use of social media for communication, international accreditation issues, and the “alpha and omega of site visit reviews.”
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CAHIIM View is published three times a year by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM), 233 N. Michigan Ave., 21st Floor, Chicago, IL 60601-5809. CAHIIM respects its members and nonmembers Internet privacy and right to choose which communications they want to receive. If you prefer not to receive CAHIIM View please unsubscribe. ©Copyright 2009 by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education |
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