President’s letter

Elyse DiSciullo, RHIA

July, 2010

Dear Fellow HIM Professionals,

Let's see, with so much happening in our work lives and profession where do I begin? I would first like to update you on what I have been doing since being elected President-Elect . It has been an honor and a privilege for me to have served in this capacity for MaHIMA. This year, I went to Summer Team Talks and Leadership Conference in Chicago (July 2009), attended and voted at the House of Delegates at the AHIMA Annual Meeting in Grapevine,Texas, and also went to the Winter Team Talks and Capitol Hill Day in Washington, D.C. It has been very rewarding and interesting for me to see the "inner workings" of AHIMA and our Board of Directors as they work to maintain high visibility for our profession in both the public and private sectors. It was certainly a treat to attend Capitol Hill Day and meet and shake hands with Senators and their staff and discuss with them the importance of growing and supporting the Health Information profession to meet the demands of ARRA and HITECH.

On a personal level, I have been through a tremendous amount of change; 1) I closed Westborough State Hospital where I have worked for the last 8 years and at the same time was made responsible for Health Information at Worcester State Hospital which considerably increased my commute, 2) spent both the February and April vacation weeks college hunting with my son, who is a junior in high school, and lastly, 3) I accepted a new position at the Massachusetts Hospital School as Director of Health Information and Quality Coordination which is not only closer to home, but will represent a welcome challenge! So, as you can see I have been very busy this year both personally and professionally!

I am looking forward to an exciting year as your President, as our profession continues to take front and center in the healthcare arena. During our MaHIMA strategic planning session held March 12^th at New England Sinai in Stoughton, MA, my goal for this coming year is How To Grow MaHIMA. Our goal is to continue to encourage participation in MaHIMA by offering interesting and pertinent educational opportunities, partnering with other organizations that have similar interests (MAHQ, MAPAM, Health Informatics...), getting involved in social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.), working with AHIMA to accomplish Vision 2016 goals (i.e. workforce readiness), and supporting education by providing sites and mentors for students in the HIM profession. These are just a few examples of how we plan on meeting our goal for growth this year.

I am very excited to take on the challenge as President of MaHIMA and look forward to a rewarding year. Please do not hesitate to contact me (new contact information will be forthcoming) to talk about your ideas that can help accomplish our goal of How to Grow MaHIMA. Volunteer with us to broaden your horizons and be part of a fun group of professionals! Have a great summer and I look forward to seeing you at the Fall meeting!