CAHIIM View, Winter 2010

The CAHIIM Board has issued the following additional clarification to the interpretation guidelines for Standard V.E.1. for both the associate and baccalaureate level accreditation standards, to be effective immediately.

The professional practice experience (PPE) must include some meaningful program-coordinated experience at professional practice site(s). The experience must relate to higher level competencies and result in a deliverable to the practice site.

This clarification comes on the recommendation of the House of Delegates Higher Education and Workforce Committee which published the “Guide for PPE” last year, and following extensive discussions at the 2009 Assembly on Education Symposium, the Education Strategy Committee, and the House of Delegates forums at the 2009 AHIMA Convention. HIM programs are successfully deploying simulated, virtual aspects of some HIM skills, technical competencies through the AHIMA virtual lab, other technology applications, or self-designed applications, but employers and educators resoundingly stated that no graduate of an accredited HIM program should enter the healthcare work place without having experienced health information management practice in some way at an actual work site. By 2011, accredited programs will be asked to provide within their APAR annual report, examples of meaningful experiences such as types of projects students conduct in an onsite professional practice experience or examples of various types of sites to which students have been exposed. [Read more...]

Events January CAHIIM Annual Accreditation Fee Due February-May APAR Open Cycle Reporting Period March 1 Accreditation for HIM and HI Graduate Programs Begin CAHIIM Exhibits at: July 25-28, Assembly on Education, New Orleans, LA September 25-30, AHIMA Convention, Orlando, FL November 13-17, AMIA Annual Symposium, Washington, DC November 15-19, IFHRO International Conference, Milan, Italy	In This Issue		Happy New Year! Information for 2010	Seeking Additional CAHIIM Accreditation Reviewers
			Nominations for CAHIIM Board of Commissioners for 2011	ARRA and ONC Update
			Executive Director Annual Report to the CAHIIM Board of Commissioners 2009 Reporting Period (January-December 2009)	Standard V.E.1 Interpretation Clarified
			CAHIIM Begins Graduate Level Program Accreditation	New CAHIIM Board Members for 2010

		Happy New Year! Information for 2010 A new year begins and several important items need your attention. 2010 invoice: Check to see that your institution paid your 2010 CAHIIM Annual Accreditation Fee invoice. Several programs remain outstanding; if you are unsure of the invoice status, please contact Benjamin Reed at benjamin.reed@cahiim.org to check on your program. Important 2011 budgeting information: At its November 2009 on-site meeting, the CAHIIM Board of Commissioners voted to increase the Annual Accreditation Fee for 2011 to $1,550. CAHIIM attempts to keep this fee reasonable and stable with the last increase occurring in 2005. General operating costs and an attempt to become paperless with technologies has increased CAHIIM’s overhead expenses. [Read more...] [Back to Top]

		Seeking Additional CAHIIM Accreditation Reviewers CAHIIM continues to seek additional educator volunteers to serve on the CAHIIM Panel of Accreditation Reviewers. If you are a health information management or health informatics educator, with a minimum of a master’s degree, three years or more of teaching experience, willing to travel to a minimum of two site visits yearly, and work with our new online accreditation system conducting program 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 staff before final selections by the CAHIIM Board are made for 2010. We need additional site visitors who are experienced with any of the academic levels: associate, baccalaureate, and master’s, as well as experience with online education delivery. As CAHIIM embarks on graduate level accreditation in HIM and health informatics, doctoral level faculty experienced in teaching in these programs are also needed. Please note that accreditation reviewers are not required to have AHIMA professional credentials to serve as a reviewer for the health informatics graduate programs, but do need experience teaching in these programs and doctoral degrees are preferred. [Back to Top]

		Nominations for CAHIIM Board of Commissioners for 2011 You have until January 29 to formalize nominations for the AHIMA elected officers; there are three positions open on the CAHIIM Board for 2011: educator—HIM/HI master’s degree program, educator—HIM baccalaureate degree program, and educator—HIM associate degree program. Please visit the AHIMA Web site for details and instructions to nominate or self-nominate. [Back to Top]

		ARRA and ONC Update Many of our CAHIIM accredited programs have joined together as consortia to address the varied Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) funded applications for projects related to an expanded workforce for implementation and management of electronic health records (EHRs). As we hear about these developments it appears that once consortia are chosen these programs will launch by September and may have several impacts on our existing programs. We can expect more work for faculty in the participating consortia programs but also a level of personal reward to accomplish the proposed goals. There is the potential for increased enrollments once students finish the certificate programs where interest may be generated to urge them to continue their education in formal HIM and health informatics programs at varied academic levels. The university-level funding application may expand graduate program opportunities for everyone interested in advanced degrees in health information, health informatics, or health IT related careers, as well as increased research opportunities. The primary challenge to all CAHIIM accredited programs is the focus on strong health IT knowledge and skills that these certificate programs will feature, which is a message to existing HIM programs that for graduates to remain competitive, HIM will need to strengthen this core. That is also a challenge to HIM faculty to seek the knowledge and experience in EHRs through closer ties with the community and advisory boards, arrange practical experiences for faculty to learn this onsite, or cultivate relationships with those who are implementing EHRs to engage them in teaching and helping you build the resources, case studies, and activities that will strengthen this domain within your program. Keep current on the latest FAQs and developments with the ONC proposals. [Back to Top]

		Executive Director Annual Report to the CAHIIM Board of Commissioners 2009 Reporting Period (January-December 2009) Achievements: Accreditation decisions: 30 (26 associate, three baccalaureate, one master’s) 23 site visits conducted in 2009 CAHIIM accredited programs year-end: 286 (54 baccalaureate, six approved master’s, 226 associate) Completion of design and implementation of focused review, panel, and commissioner review modules in APAR with internal IT staff, paid consultant, and external programmers APAR quality letters and dashboards completed following review of all APAR reports submitted e-Accreditation project contract launched in February; registration module completed in August; self-assessment module completed in November; panel, staff, site visit modules completed December 31 [Read more...] [Back to Top]

		Standard V.E.1 Interpretation Clarified The CAHIIM Board has issued the following additional clarification to the interpretation guidelines for Standard V.E.1. for both the associate and baccalaureate level accreditation standards, to be effective immediately. The professional practice experience (PPE) must include some meaningful program-coordinated experience at professional practice site(s). The experience must relate to higher level competencies and result in a deliverable to the practice site. This clarification comes on the recommendation of the House of Delegates Higher Education and Workforce Committee which published the “Guide for PPE” last year, and following extensive discussions at the 2009 Assembly on Education Symposium, the Education Strategy Committee, and the House of Delegates forums at the 2009 AHIMA Convention. HIM programs are successfully deploying simulated, virtual aspects of some HIM skills, technical competencies through the AHIMA virtual lab, other technology applications, or self-designed applications, but employers and educators resoundingly stated that no graduate of an accredited HIM program should enter the healthcare work place without having experienced health information management practice in some way at an actual work site. By 2011, accredited programs will be asked to provide within their APAR annual report, examples of meaningful experiences such as types of projects students conduct in an onsite professional practice experience or examples of various types of sites to which students have been exposed. [Read more...] [Back to Top]

		CAHIIM Begins Graduate Level Program Accreditation Graduate programs representing either a master’s degree or graduate track in health information management (MHIM) or health informatics (HI) are welcome now to initially register within the e-Accreditation portal on the CAHIIM Web site. Beginning in March, CAHIIM detailed procedures for self assessment and onsite visits will be in place and posted on the CAHIIM Web site, for graduate program accreditation. The 2008 Standards for Accreditation of Master’s Degree Programs in Health Information Managementreference specific AHIMA competencies identified by a job analysis of graduate level professionals working in HIM roles. The recently completed research study by the American Institutes for Research (AIR) further supports a positive employment outlook and perceived high value of a master’s degree in health information management. [Read more...] [Back to Top]


		New CAHIIM Board Members for 2010 CAHIIM is pleased to welcome the addition of the following new members to the CAHIIM Board of Commissioners serving under the 2010 Chair, Angela Kennedy, MBA, MEd, RHIA, CPHQ, Ruston, LA. View a complete list of all members of the CAHIIM Board. AHIMA Elected Commissioners Melinda Wilkins, PhD, RHIA, Dardanelle, AR Bonnie Hemp, MBA, RHIA, Luckey, OH Health Informatics Commissioners Joan Compton Hicks, MS, RHIA, Birmingham, AL John H. Holmes, PhD, FACMI, Philadelphia, PA Steven J. Steindel, PhD, FACMI, Atlanta, GA Rosemary Walker, DDS, MBA, MS, Forest Park, IL Appointed Commissioners Angela Carney, PhD, RHIA, Clearwater, FL Donald W. Kellogg, PhD, RHIA, CPEHR, Topeka, KA This year CAHIIM said “thank you” to several members who left the Commission Board: Ann Peden, PhD, RHIA, Ann Waters, RHIT, CCS, and Abby Cooper, MHIM, RHIA. [Back to Top]




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 2010 by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education