Pictured: Diana Lindo, MM, RHIT, CCS, Wylecia Wiggs Harris, Ph.D., CAE, Chief Executive Officer, AHIMA, Bibi Von Malder, RHIT and Laura Caravetta, MPH, RHIA at AHIMA Hill Day, March 2018
2021 Advocacy Priorities
State Advocacy Leaders February 2021 Meeting – Federal Advocacy Update
State Advocacy Thought Leadership February 2021
State Advocacy Leaders January 2021 Meeting – Federal Advocacy Update
State Advocacy Leaders PDF 1.27.21
State Advocacy Leaders TL Discussion January 2021 Final
In support of our vision of a world where trusted information transforms health and healthcare by connecting people, systems, and ideas, we’re advocating for legislation and regulations in the following areas.
Access
- Information Blocking:
- Consumer Access: Empower the electronic, timely, and seamless access of health information to consumers.
- Privacy and Security: Protect consumers by addressing existing privacy and security gaps in the protection of health information held by HIPAA non-covered entities.
- Information Sharing: Strengthen health information sharing policies by aligning the 42 CFR Part 2 regulations, which govern confidentiality and the sharing of substance use disorder treatment records under HIPAA. This would allow for the appropriate sharing of substance use disorder treatment records for purposes of treatment, payment, and healthcare operations.
- Cybersecurity: Protect consumers by improving information sharing about cyber threats, risks, and cyber hygiene practices in real time.
Connection
- Patient Identification: Repeal the existing ban on the use of federal funds to promulgate or adopt a unique patient identifier (UPI) to enable the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to identify a national solution to address patient misidentification.
- Interoperability: Lead efforts to establish a common set of data standards (including application programming interfaces) and related infrastructure to ensure semantic, technical, and functional interoperability across the healthcare ecosystem.
- Integration of Clinical and Administrative Data: Transform and influence efforts to improve the use of new approaches to better integrate clinical and administrative data through data standardization, standardized templates, improvements in technology, and electronic transmission of information.
Integrity
- Medical Coding Standards: Strengthen the quality of healthcare data by influencing the development and maintenance of national and international medical coding standards.
- Trusted Health Information: Guide and advance standards-based documentation and documentation integrity best practices to generate reliable and trusted information for care continuity, quality improvement, research, population health, reimbursement, and other purposes.
Hot topics in Advocacy 2021
- Section 510 in the Labor-HHS Appropriations
- Compulsory Process Summary for Subpeonas IUDDA
- Patient ID Now Coalition Disappointed Senate Labor-HHS Appropriations Bill Does Not Address the Vital Issue of Patient Misidentification – November 10, 2020
- SAMHSA 42 CFR Part 2 Revised Rule – July 13, 2020
- Cures Act
- Cures Act – Final Rule – Information Blocking Exceptions
- Bill S.2408 – An Act Relative to Uniform HIPAA Standards
- *Summary of Protecting Jessica Grubb’s Legacy Act Included in the CARES Act Section 3221 – March 25, 2020
Resources
- MaHIMA Webinars and other Free Webinar offerings
- Foley Hoag Health Information Privacy and Practice Blog
MaHIMA Legal Publications
MHA Medical Record Copying Fee 2020, released September 24, 2020
MaHIMA Medicolegal Guide to Health Record Information
PLACE YOUR ORDER TODAY BELOW!
Book and USB: $ 180.00
USB Only: $130.00
Publication date, 2016
Our Medico-Legal Guide to Health Record Information provides references to the laws and legal issues pertinent to various Health Care settings.
- Chapters covering topics such as: Record Content and Retention, Reporting Requirements, Legal Process, Acute Care Records, Mental Health Records, Drug and Alcohol Abuse Records, Long -Term Care Records, Ambulatory Service Records, Community Health, Federal and State Identity Regulations & Statutes, Student Health Records, Workers Compensation, Infant Safe Haven Laws, Adoption Records, Pediatric Records, Advanced Care Directives, Resources, Regulation & Statues, and MaHIMA updates, and more.
- Guide offered in hardcopy & electronic format (USB)
- Revision completed December 2016
Upcoming Events
Legislative Advocacy
The Legislative Affairs Committee is comprised of health information management professionals from a variety of health care settings and legal professionals who specialize in health care. The Committee provides advocacy, education and information to the membership. The Legislative Affairs Committee advocates on behalf of the profession. The committee reaches out to elected representatives during annual Beacon Hill Day visits, and by organizing calls, letters and e-mail to elected representatives to advocate on issues of importance to the health information management community. The Committee provides educational opportunities to the membership and delivers timely and informative updates to the membership through e-Alerts, Connect articles, and periodic updates of our Medico-Legal Guide.
If interested please contact:
Director, Legislative Focus and Advocacy
Ann Dooley, RHIA