In This Issue
Season's Greetings from CHIA President
By: Deborah Collier, RHIA, CHIA President 

The end of each year is usually a time for reflection on past events and looking forward to new and exciting milestones for the New Year. As we reflect on 2016, the CHIA Board had a busy year with Strategic Planning that will enhance, empower and educate CHIA members and HIM professionals. A significant milestone was finalizing a three year Strategic Plan for 2017-2019 that outlines the strategic goals and desired outcomes. 

Additionally, the committee charges are updated to be in alignment with the strategic goals. The items accomplished to help achieve the desired outcomes were completed at the November 12, 2016 Board Meeting. Other items that are in the planning stage include more opportunities to engage with other professional organizations that we can collaborate with, addition of a student academy, at convention, assessment of the CHIA Governance structure, and several other items that will continue to support and grow our profession. 

Wishing everyone a blessed holiday.
CHIA Blog Series: Information Governance At-a-Glance
Blog series describes the "scalable framework" AHIMA has developed, called the Information Governance Adoption Model (IGAM), as described in AHIMA's Information Governance Toolkit 2.0. This model consists of ten organizational competencies which assist HIM professionals in focusing in on all areas of IG within an organization to implement an IG program.  Read the full CHIA blog series.

Competency: Privacy and Security

One of the health care organization's greatest assets is its information; clinical, financial, and operational. Together it supports strategic initiatives, improves patient safety and outcomes, and provides the building blocks to ensure the organization is positioned for long-term success. Privacy and Security includes all the policies, procedures, processes and safeguards that are established within the organization to ensure its information is kept confidential, is available when needed, and is not changed. Ensuring the organization has completed a complete and thorough risk assessment to evaluate those areas of risk, threat, and vulnerability is the first step in establishing this process. Once completed, ongoing evaluation must be ensured. Protecting and securing all the organization's information assets from breach, corruption, or loss is a key component to an information governance program.
Call for CHIA Volunteers - Make a World of Difference
CHIA members are dedicated to excellence in the management of personal health information required to deliver quality health care to the public. We rely on our valued members (you) who make this happen for our Association. As we establish CHIA's Committees and Task Forces for the coming year, we are seeking members to team together with us to make a world of difference. 

Learn more about CHIA volunteer opportunities here and discover how you can make a difference. Whether you are a new member or a seasoned volunteer, we need you!
San Diego Health IT Summit
January 24-25, 2017 | Omni San Diego Hotel 

Available Join the transformative discussions shaping the next decade in health care with this Healthcare Informatics and CHIA partnered summit. Discounts available for CHIA members. 

At Health IT Summits, renowned leaders in U.S. and North American healthcare gather to present important information and share insights. Discussions and interactive sessions lead to shared learnings and exceptional networking. Healthcare leaders participate in transformative discussions and benefit from a unique environment for learning and professional growth. 

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What's Happening in HIM This Week
President-elect Nominates New HHS and CMS Heads
By AHIMA E-Alert, Dec 1, 2016

The Journal of AHIMA offers an overview of President-elect Donald Trump's nominees to lead both the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), both announced Monday. For HHS, which oversees the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and programs including HIPAA and health IT efforts, Trump has chosen six-term Representative and orthopedic surgeon Tom Price, MD (R-Ga), an outspoken critic of the ACA. To lead CMS, which oversees Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program, Trump chose Seema Verma, founder of health policy consulting firm SVC Inc. 

The nonprofit, nonpartisan website Ballotpedia outlines the appointment confirmation process now underway. Be sure to save the date for January 12, the week before the inauguration on January 20. AHIMA will host a webinar on key aspects of the new Administration and the 115th Congress. Read the full Journal of AHIMA article.
New Fact Sheet on HIPAA and Public Health Permitted Uses and Disclosures
HHS Office for Civil Rights, Dec 20, 2016

The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) have released a new Fact Sheet that explains how the HIPAA Rules permit disclosures of Protected Health Information (PHI) to support public health activities conducted by public health agencies, as authorized by state or federal law. It also gives a few helpful examples of sharing PHI in support of other important public health policies. 

You may find the new Fact Sheet on ONC's website. To learn more about non-discrimination and health information privacy laws, your civil rights, and privacy rights in health care and human service settings, and to find information on filing a complaint, visit HHS Office for Civil Rights website.
IRF Compare, LTCH Compare Websites Now Live
California Hospital Association, Dec 19, 2016

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has unveiled new Compare websites for inpatient rehabilitation facilities and long-term care hospitals. Allowing beneficiaries and others to compare facility performance, the websites provide information on types of patients treated at each facility, as well as facility performance on specific quality indicators, including measures concerning infection, pressure ulcers and readmissions post-discharge.
CDI's Role in ROM, Quality & RAC Denials
Thurs, January 12, 2017 - LIVE Webinar
Documenting End of Life Decisions: The California Landscape
Wed, January 25, 2017 - LIVE Webinar
The Compliance Puzzle; Assembling the Pieces
Tues, January 17, 2017 - Pleasanton
Thurs, January 19, 2017 - Garden Grove
2-Day ICD-10 Advanced PCS & CM Coding Workshop
Fri, February 10 & Sat, February 11, 2017 - Long Beach