In This Issue
AHIMA Election Polls Close Monday, August 15 - Vote Today
The AHIMA Election is underway and closes Monday, August 15. Login to vote and let your voice be heard. Currently 2.77% of the membership has cast their vote. We encourage you to vote and contact your colleagues to cast their vote. Let's increase the voter turnout this year and make history.  You must be an AHIMA member to vote, student members not are eligible. 

Do you know which candidates you're voting for? Learn more about the candidates, where they stand on various issues and read their responses to member questions at the AHIMA Membership and Business Engage Community. You can also hear from the ballot candidates with these candidacy videos here.

CHIA is #Connected
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AHIMA Call for Convention Volunteers
Will you be attending the upcoming AHIMA Convention & Exhibit in Baltimore, MD on October 15-19, 2016? The Maryland Health Information Management Association (MDHIMA), the host state association for this year's AHIMA Convention, needs volunteers. Consider signing up to help at the registration desk, ribbon counter, workshops, and other points along the way during attendees' visit. 

What's Happening in HIM This Week
CHCF to Fund Pilot Project to Develop an Electronic POLST Registry in California, San Diego and Contra Costa Counties to be Pilot Site Locations 
California Health Care Foundation, July 29, 2016 

The board of directors of the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) has approved a two-and-a-half-year project to develop an electronic registry for Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST). POLST is a standardized form that clearly states what level of medical treatment a patient wants during serious illness or toward the end of life. POLST gives seriously ill patients more control over their treatment and also helps them talk with their health care team and loved ones about their choices. 

The San Diego pilot will be coordinated locally by San Diego Health Connect (SDHC). SDHC is a health information exchange organization, operating in San Diego since 2010, and includes health systems, hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, and emergency medical services. The Contra Costa pilot will be coordinated by the Alameda-Contra Costa Medical Association (ACCMA), a professional association of physicians committed to addressing health issues of concern to patients and doctors in the East Bay. A regional chapter of the California Medical Association, ACCMA has a leadership role in the county health delivery landscape and has been a partner in POLST adoption activities since 2008.

Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and Long Term Acute Care Hospital (LTCH) Final Rule Policy and Payment Changes for Fiscal Year (FY) 2017
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, August 2, 2016

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule to update fiscal year (FY) 2017 Medicare payment policies and rates under the Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and the Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Prospective Payment System (PPS). The final rule, which would apply to approximately 3,330 acute care hospitals and approximately 430 LTCHs, would affect discharges occurring on or after October 1, 2016. 

The IPPS pays hospitals for services provided to Medicare beneficiaries using a national base payment rate, adjusted for a number of factors that affect hospitals' costs, including the patient's condition and the cost of hospital labor in the hospital's geographic area. 

2015 Nonpublic Patient Data Now Available
OSHPD Healthcare Information Division, August 4, 2016

The 2015 NonPublic Patient Discharge, Emergency Department, and Ambulatory Surgery Encounter Data and documentation are now available for request by eligible university researchers, California State agencies, licensed hospitals, and local health departments. Data collected for these inpatient discharges and outpatient encounters include demographic, clinical, payer, and facility information. California-licensed hospitals include general acute care, acute psychiatric, chemical dependency recovery, and psychiatric health facilities. 

OSHPD will evaluate all requests for nonpublic patient-level healthcare data and information to ensure that all disclosures comply with applicable laws and regulations. Additional information is available for research purposes including custom data analyses. 

Patient Portals: The New Normal 
Tue, August 9 - Burbank
Thu, August 11 - Pleasanton
2016 ICD-10 Updates
Tue, August 30 - Newport Beach
Wed, August 31 - Pleasanton
Evolution of CDI - The Next Phase
Tue, September 13 - Sacramento
Wed, September 14 - San Diego
Everyday Information Governance
Thu, September 22 - LIVE Webinar