AHIMA Conference Preview

Let the Good Times Roll at AHIMA

By Heather Hogstrom

AHIMA’s 87th Annual Convention and Exhibit will be held September 26-30 in New Orleans. “The Big Easy,” known for its cuisine, jazz music, and of course Mardi Gras, offers plenty for visitors to enjoy. To get a taste of the “Fat Tuesday” tradition, conference attendees can end Tuesday night with the Appreciation Celebration at Mardi Gras World. The Convention Center is in the Warehouse Arts District, which features museums such as the Ogden Museum of Southern Art and the Contemporary Arts Center, while the popular French Quarter has plenty of restaurants, music venues, and shopping to explore.

AHIMA’s conference will have plenty to explore as well. A gumbo of topics fills the schedule, from workshops on information governance or preventing data breaches to sessions on coding, clinical documentation improvement, and interoperability. This year’s theme, “HIM Without Walls,” will explore how health information is used and shared. For example, “A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Interoperability Healthcare for Physician, Long-Term Care, and Acute-Care Technologies” will provide education on HIT interoperability standards, the “Patient Engagement and Patient Generated Data” panel will allow interactive discussion, and “Using an Electronic Health Record for Clinical Research” will give examples of EHR techniques to provide clinical research capabilities.

ICD-10, which has been waiting in the wings for decades, is finally taking the stage. With implementation taking place the day after the conference, attendees can participate in an ICD-10 toast by raising a commemorative glass or using the hashtag #ToastICD10 online to bid farewell to ICD-9 and welcome ICD-10. Sessions such as “ICD-10: What Are You Going to Do Tomorrow?” and “Where Do We Go From Here?” recognize the shift from pre- to post-ICD-10. “Game of Documentation: A Dance with the ICD-10 Dragon,” a follow-up to last year’s “Game of Documentation: Winter is Coming — Surviving ICD-10,” will address remaining concerns and resistance.

Robin Roberts, an author and coanchor of ABC’s Good Morning America, will be the closing keynote speaker and will also be available for a book signing in the exhibit hall.

For more information or to register, visit www.ahima.org/convention.

— Heather Hogstrom is an editorial assistant at For The Record.