AHDI ACE - Important Information! (Special Savings Extended)

The AHDI Board of Directors and staff would like to extend a personal invitation to join us in Austin, Texas, for AHDI ACE August 4 to 7, 2010. The session line-up is astounding and includes such topics as innovative advances in pulmonary intervention, reality ER, grammar workshop with Richard Lederer (separate ticket), cardiology technology update, QA best practices, intro to microbiology, empowering MTs through use of natural language processing, HIT and interoperability-the important role of medical transcription, advances in pediatric medicine, and a general session designed to expose MTs to the latest industry updates to include the ONCHIT announcement regarding implementation of EHR adoption and meaningful use. As you can see, we have an event full of exciting sessions and of course there is the magnificent exhibit hall and a chance to mingle with vendors.

We also have some exciting news. There is a $50 discount toward full registration* good until August 1 and the hotel rate of $153/night has been extended through August 7. It's hard to believe that Austin ACE is just 2-1/2 short weeks away. Visit our ACE365 website www.ace365.org for valuable information. Cannot come for the entire event? Consider our 1-day packages. We also have a fun night out planned at Esther's Follies (separate ticket must be purchased by July 19). 

Here's the particulars about the registration discount: Coupon for $50 off full conference registration*.To receive the discount, use coupon code 10AMFC when registering online or when calling the office to register.

Register for ACE 2010

*This offer is valid on any full conference registration rate for AHDI members. It may not be combined with any other discount offer and does not apply to previous registrations/orders. For online registrations, type the coupon code on the payment screen in the coupon box and click on "calculate coupon discount." When registering by mail or fax using the .pdf registration form, write the 10AMFC coupon code in the Discounts section and subtract $50 off your full conference registration. Offer expires on 8/1/10 at midnight PDT.

QUICK LINKS

Interactive Online Schedule

Register Online - by July 30  to SAVE!

Registration Form

Hotel Rooms - Conference rate of $153 extended through August 7, 2010.

Even if you cannot make it to Austin, I want to hear from you and get to know you better. Please see my contact information below and let's get the conversation started.

Brett McCutcheon, CMT, AHDI-F
AHDI Director 2010 to 2013
Board Partner: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, International Members, Corporate Components

AHDI Power of 10 Campaign

I'm writing today to share some thoughts on the AHDI Power of 10 Campaign, and why it's important to all of us.

The Power of 10 Campaign was started with one purpose - to raise funds to retain our lobbying firm, Dewey Square Group. This year at the AHDI/MTIA Advocacy Summit, I realized how much of an impact our lobbying efforts have made on lawmakers, and Dewey Square Group (DSG) can be credited with much of this impact. We have some GREAT members who are very active and are working to make our voice heard. However, DSG has acted as a giant "megaphone." They have connections in DC that would take us years to develop.

AHDI is very quickly running out of funds for this project, and donations to the Power of 10 Campaign go directly to funding our lobbying activities with DSG. If you haven't donated (or even if you have), I urge you to contribute $10 to this very important initiative. This campaign is not just for AHDI members. All professionals working in healthcare documentation are urged to contribute. The lobbying efforts being funded by this campaign are beneficial to the entire industry.

Thank you for your time!

AHDI: The 2010 AHDI-MTIA Advocacy Summit in Review

AHDI: The 2010 AHDI-MTIA Advocacy Summit in Review

2010 AHDI/MTIA Advocacy Summit Recap

Greetings again from Regan National Airport!  (Why do I always feel compelled to write when I'm sitting here waiting for my flight home?  :)

What an incredible week this was!  First of all, I must say that we were far more effective this year than in the past, and this is largely due to the efforts of Dewey Square Group.  AHDI and MTIA have a wonderful, hardworking staff, but DSG really helped us become a leaner, meaner, advocating machine.

Our primary message this year was the necessity of narrative text, or the dictation-transcription process, as part of "meaningful use" of an electronic health record.  Overall, we found legislators and staff very receptive to our message.  In the information packets we left with our senators and representatives was a sample letter to the Secretary of Health and Human Services stating this opinion.  Most legislators we met with agreed with our position and stated an interest in drafting a letter to Secretary Sebelius on our behalf.  A few legislators and staffers even stated an interest in leading lawmakers in sending a group letter.

The importance of narrative text in the "meaningful use" definition is crucial to patient safety and continuity of care.  Without it, a report become very 'generic' and loses much of its meaning.  Physicians need that flexibility in their documentation, and most lawmakers seem to understand this.

The healthcare documentation industry is poised to help facilitate EHR adoption.  We are in a unique position, considering our knowledge and expertise, to act as quality assurance, or risk management, experts with respect to clinical documentation.  We cannot work quietly on the sidelines now.  We must stand up and be recognized for our valuable contribution to healthcare.