At Pathway Medical we are constantly searching for news and information that is most interesting to the nurses and healthcare employers we work with.  Check out this month’s Top Nursing and Healthcare Headlines; giving you insight into news trending in popularity among Pathway Medical’s nursing and healthcare network.

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Bipolar Headlines on Nursing and Healthcare Employment
Various Sources

Half of all Patients Do Not Adhere to Prescription Guidelines – Costing $100 Billion in Avoidable Hospitalizations
New England Journal of Medicine

Satisfaction among Health Plan Members Decreases Considerably from 2009
J.D. Power

Seven Qualities You Must Have in Your Nurse Case Manager; an Insider’s Perspective
Worker’s Comp Kit Blog

Difference Between Nurse Case Manager and Geriatric Care Managers
CarenetLA

New Clinical Documentation Improvement (CDI) Toolkit
American Health Information Management Association

Is Your Board Missing a Nurse?
HealthLeaders Media

Hospital Admissions May Require Watching and Waiting
KevinMD.com

A Nurse Case Manager Shares What Case Management is all About
Charlotte Summers, RN

New Study Implicates Healthcare Utilization Rates in Colorectal Cancer Disparities
National Institutes of Health

Tip: Keep Case Management Notes Short and Sweet
HCPro

Registered Nurse Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11
Bureau Labor Statistics

National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Hospitals Lean Toward Process Improvement Concepts like Six Sigma
HealthLeaders Media

State by State Map of Healthcare Reform Impact
HealthReform.gov

Report Examines what’s Motivating Nurses to Look For New Jobs
Pathway Medical

Patient Education Can Be a Low-key Marketing Tool for Hospitals
American Medical News

2010 Drivers of CDI and HIM Staffing
Association of Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialists (ACIDS)

Study Measures Positive Impact of Workplace Flexibility
Boston College Center for Work and Family

Top 5 Lies about Healthcare Clarified
PolitiFact.com

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See Breaking News in Real-Time

If you’d like to see what news is hot on a “real time” basis check out the Pathway Medical Twitter Page dedicated to finding news that’s most interesting to the nurses and healthcare organizations we work with.

We have updates virtually every half hour from leading healthcare sources and respected names in the industry.  You’d be surprised at what you can learn from scanning the headlines for just five minutes every day.

Not familiar with Twitter? Don’t worry. If you’re not on Twitter, click this link to see the top nursing and healthcare news as it happens.

Source: AHIMA

The American Health Information Management Association recently published a 41-page toolkit for clinical documentation improvement (CDI).  The toolkit contains:

• CDI Review Forms and Tools
• CDI Metrics for Success
• CDI Physician Role and Position Description
• How to Start and Maintain a CDI Program
• Links to Online Resources
• Policies and Procedures

Download the complete PDF version of the Clinical Documentation Improvement Toolkit from AHIMA.

Read more in a recent May 13, 2010 article from HCPro at: AHIMA releases CDI program guidance

Source: Advance for Health Information Professionals

The connection between clinical documentation improvement (CDI), coding and recovery audit contractors (RACs) is actually much stronger than you might expect.  As HIM professionals prepare for RAC reviews and audits, a solid working relationship with clinical documentation improvement (CDI) experts and participation in their programs is essential.

Case managers are also an important part of the equation and should be included in all CDI conversations — especially where RAC is concerned. By joining up with CDI and case managers, HIM professionals can shore up documentation and reduce RAC risk.

Read the the complete article from Advance Healthcare CDI and RAC: It’s Time to Join Forces.

A recent article from the Association of Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialists (ACIDS) highlights the shortage in qualified health information management (HIM) and clinical documentation improvement (CDI) specialists.  The article focuses on the three top drivers for the increase in demand for HIM and CDI professionals.

Trend 1: Significant increase in internal and external compliance audit requests

Trend 2: Movement to all payer system

Trend 3: Increased need for both permanent and interim CDI professionals

The complete article can be found on the ACDIS Blog 2010 Drivers in HIM and CDI Staffing.

It’s the holiday season once again and we want to help you celebrate!  We’re offering you the chance to win a membership or renewal to your preferred professional organization. 

All you have to do is click on the membership that you’re interested in below, follow the instructions and you’ll be entered to win.  Hurry! The contest ends December, 16^th at midnight.

Wishing you every happiness this Holiday Season and prosperity in the New Year.

P.S.  Feel free to enter both if you wish! 

Happy Holidays from Pathway Medical.

Thanks to everyone that participated in the Health Information and Technology (HI&T) Week Quiz.  We had one lucky winner, a Clinical Documentation Manager who received an AHIMA membership for her participation.

Test your HIM (Health Information Management) knowledge.  See the questions and answers below.

Answers to the Pathway Medical Health Information and Technology Week Quiz.
Quiz questions courtesy of AHIMA and Bells International, Inc.

1. True: The US goal of national healthcare is to have an electronic
health record for Americans by 2014.

2. True: The new economic stimulus law progresses the healthcare
industry with more prescribed direction toward enhanced use of
technology with health information.

3. True: Many healthcare stakeholders have worked together for
five years to improve healthcare quality and delivery systems by using
technology and health information synergistically.

4. When health information becomes electronic, which of the following
may be necessary in healthcare operations to make the transition?
a.Staff may require new training
b.The flow of information may change
c. Policies and procedures should be revamped
d.All of these (correct answer)

5. True: The change from paper to electronic records within
healthcare entities is complex, as manual and electronic systems operate
together as a hybrid.

6. False: The responsibility for high quality healthcare data and
information rests with health data analysts who address quality issues
through performance improvement activities.

7. Uniting health information with technology is at the core of healthcare
industry changes for all the following reasons except:
a.Improved quality of patient care and safety
b.Reduced administrative costs
c. Threatening consumer’s information privacy (correct answer)
d.Reduced healthcare delivery costs

8. True: A new federal law, the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act of 2009, progresses the healthcare industry toward the
enhanced use of technology with health information.

9. False:When EHR system functionality is fully implemented
throughout healthcare provider organizations, all types of data errors
can be identified and corrected automatically.

10. True: Creation and maintenance of quality in healthcare data is
everyone’s responsibility. In the future, it may become data in motion.