AHIMA Preview

HIM Conference Blasts Off in Baltimore

By Heather Hogstrom

AHIMA’s 88th Annual Convention and Exhibit, featuring the theme “Inspire Big Thinking to Launch Our Future,” will be held October 15 to 19 in Baltimore. While in the city, AHIMA attendees can enjoy Fleet Week, as the US Navy’s Blue Angels will perform an air show during the opening weekend of the convention.

The conference’s daily General Sessions will offer thought-provoking presentations from a variety of speakers. Captain Mark Kelly, a retired astronaut and US Navy Captain who commanded Space Shuttle Endeavour’s final mission, and Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt, have written an inspirational memoir, Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope, and will expound on their experiences and their courageous response to adversity.

Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology Chief Medical Information Officer Andrew Gettinger, MD, will give a 2016 Government Update, and Laurie Garrett, a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations, will enhance attendees’ understanding of the Zika virus. World Champion Boxer Laila Ali, daughter of the late Muhammad Ali, will impart her perspectives on chronic illness affecting loved ones. Those familiar with the recent movie Concussion, starring Will Smith, will be particularly interested to hear from Bennet Omalu, MD, the first doctor to diagnose chronic brain damage in NFL players.

M&T Bank Stadium, home of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens, will host the AHIMA Appreciation Celebration on Tuesday, October 18. Attendees can show their team spirit by wearing their favorite sport’s team jersey to the spirited event, which will include live music and refreshments as well as a performance of the winning AHIMA cheer by HIM students.

Those who want to tour local health care facilities can register for AHIMA’s educational site visits to Union Hospital and CRISP Regional Center, which is the health information exchange for Maryland and the District of Columbia. Other sightseeing opportunities are available to AHIMA convention attendees at a reduced rate. Attendees can show their badge at many Baltimore restaurants, attractions, shops, and transportation services to receive a discount or special promotion, such as 20% off at Guy Fieri’s Baltimore Kitchen + Bar and $5 off an adult ticket for the National Aquarium. For a list of establishments participating in the program, visit http://baltimore.org/sites/default/master/files/pdf/show_your_badge.pdf.

More than 100 education sessions feature topics such as privacy and security, clinical documentation improvement, coding, EHR, information governance, internal and external audits, workforce development, patient engagement, data analytics, patient identification and matching, and HIM best practice. Attendees can tweet session highlights and updates from the conference using the hashtag #AHIMACON16.

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

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