November 11, 2020
CHIA Nominating Committee Announces 2021 Ballot
The CHIA Nominating Committee is pleased to announce the 2021 CHIA Ballot. The CHIA election and online voting will begin on Monday, January 11, 2021 and will continue through Monday, January 25, 2021. Look for the January-February CHIA Journal and upcoming email bulletins for complete election details. Learn more about the CHIA Leadership Opportunities and consider submitting your name next year for the 2022 CHIA Ballot. 

Congratulations to each candidate, and a sincere thank you to those who volunteered and offered their name for consideration.

President-elect Candidates
Roberta Baranda, MS, RHIA, CHP (SHIA)
Sally Gibbs, RHIA, CCS (SVHIA)

Director Candidates
Deanna Klure, RHIT, CCS, CDIP (IAHIA)
Debra Martin, RHIT, CDIP, CCS (NCHIA)
Freida Smith, RHIA (NCHIA)
Kathleen Witte, RHIA, CCS (GOCHIA)

Delegate to AHIMA Candidates
Roy Shurtliff, RHIT (NCHIA)
Vivian Thomas, RHIA, CDIP, CHDA, CHPS, CPHQ (GOCHIA)
Telehealth in the Behavioral Health Setting
The latest issue of the CHIA Journal is available now! The peer-reviewed CHIA Journal provides a wealth of information for California’s health information community. All CHIA and AHIMA members can access the digital version online to view, read and enjoy now!

Cover Story
TELEHEALTH IN THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SETTING
The Expansion of Telehealth Services Brings Risks and Benefits
by Leslie Hunt, RHIA, CHPS

The increased introduction of telehealth services is an exciting and welcome addition to the current standard healthcare delivery models. This article addresses the background, privacy and security risks and benefits along with medical record documentation issues facing the use of telehealth in the behavioral health setting.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth services were required to follow the same Health Insurance Portability and Accounting Act (HIPAA) standards as in-person services to protect patient privacy. Live video consultations were performed under a secure and encrypted network. During the current public health emergency, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) and Office of Civil Rights (OCR) determined they will not impose a penalty for acting in “good faith” with approved technology if HIPAA enforcement is not available. 

During this time of the pandemic, nonpublic-facing applications can be utilized for patient telehealth encounters whereas prior to the pandemic, these technologies did not meet the HIPAA encryption standards. The public-facing applications were and still are considered unacceptable forms of remote communication and seen as a bad faith provision of telehealth services.

The OCR “Notification of Enforcement Discretion” stated it would “not impose penalties” for noncompliance of certain HIPAA rules during the COVID-19 emergency provided violations occur in the good faith provision of telehealth during the COVID-19 nationwide public health emergency. Read the full issue.
Save 30% on any CHIACON20 Package - Offer Expires 11/15
Did you miss CHIACON20 or want to receive more education from this first-class learning experience?

Use discount code SAVE30-CON20 and save 30% on any CHIACON20 package purchased now thru November 15, 2020. Limited 1 per person. Not applicable to previous purchases.

With multiple CEU packages and pricing rates available, there is a CHIACON20 option to fit any budget and need.
Join CHIACON21 as a Content Leader
CHIACON21 is going virtual! With the success of the virtual CHIACON20 and uncertainty surrounding in-person events, the CHIA Board has decided to hold CHIACON21 virtually on June 14 - 16, 2021. 

CHIA is seeking dynamic CHIACON21 presenters to develop health information professionals and advocate for practice excellence with timely and innovative presentations that share CHIA’s vision “Improved Health Through Trusted Information.” Proposals should offer practical approaches and solutions while stimulating new ideas, greater understanding of new systems and applications, current issues and best practices.

Consider joining this innovative opportunity and submit a CHIACON21 Proposal today. CHIACON21 Proposals are being accepted thru December 1
St. Scholastica to Host Presentation on Public Health Policy
Thursday, Nov. 19 at 4:30 PM (CT) via Zoom. To register for this complimentary event, visit css.edu/leforum.

A virtual forum at The College of St. Scholastica will feature a presentation from an American diplomat about how data affects public health policy decisions.

The LaTour Eichenwald Forum on HIIM Leadership and Innovation honors the pioneering spirit of two of Health Information Management's most highly regarded professionals, Kathleen LaTour and the late Shirley Eichenwald Maki. Kathleen and Shirley retired in 2012 from The College of St. Scholastica's HIIM Department after a combined seven-plus decades of national leadership in education and in the profession.
CHIA is Seeking Volunteers for 2021-2022
Member involvement in volunteer roles is essential in building a strong association, one that provides optimal educational, networking, resources, and leadership opportunities for members. Volunteering with CHIA will connect you with peers and colleagues, expose you to innovative ideas, and provide you with meaningful ways to support the health information community.

Whether you are a new or seasoned volunteer, we need you! CHIA offers a wide variety of volunteer opportunities to choose from based on the interests, the type of involvement and time commitment you are looking for.

Learn more about CHIA volunteer opportunities and complete the CHIA Volunteer Questionnaire to get started.  
RN Link's CDI Specialist Training - Discount for CHIA Members
2021 CDI Updates | November 14, 2020
CDI Training | December 5-6, 2020 | December 19-20, 2020

There are enormous needs in the healthcare industry to become a CDI Specialist and assist physicians to accurately document patient encounters with severity ratings. The trend nowadays is quality documentation and this course will teach you how to achieve this.

RN Link is offering a 10% discount to CHIA Members. ​Learn more and register today!
Latest News & Resources
HHS Extends Compliance Dates for Information Blocking...

Responding to public health threats posed by the coronavirus pandemic, today the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) released an interim final rule with comment period that...

Read more
www.hhs.gov
Federal Health IT Strategic Plan Supports Patient Access ...

Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published the final 2020-2025 Federal Health IT Strategic Plan (the Plan). The Plan outlines federal health information technology (health IT) goals and objectives, with a focus on...

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www.hhs.gov
CPT codes for new coronavirus vaccines: What you need to ...

What's the news: The AMA has published an update to the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) code set that includes new vaccine-specific codes to report immunizations for the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. Working closely with the Centers for...

Read more
www.ama-assn.org
CMS Takes Steps to Ensure Medicare Beneficiaries Have...

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced that starting today, Medicare beneficiaries can receive coverage of monoclonal antibodies to treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with no cost-sharing during the public health emergency...

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www.cms.gov
OSHPD Update November Video: Health Care Payments Data...

Learn about the launch of a new Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development program, prescription drug cost data, and healthcare facility construction news in our News Update for November 2020.

Read more
oshpd.ca.gov
Google Cloud unveils AI tools to help healthcare analyze ...

Google Cloud pulled back the curtain yesterday on two artificial intelligence tools designed to help healthcare and life science organizations scan and analyze large volumes of unstructured text, the Healthcare Natural Language API and AutoML...

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www.mobihealthnews.com
CHIA Events Calendar
Confidentiality: Releasing and Protecting Health Information – Part 3 of 4
Thursday, November 12 * - eLearning Program

Telehealth Coding, Billing and Reimbursement: CMS Rules During PHE
Tuesday, November 17 - Webinar

Confidentiality: Releasing and Protecting Health Information – Part 4 of 4
Wednesday, November 18 - eLearning Program

CHIA CONNECT: Community Chat
Friday, November 20 * - Complimentary Chat

HCC Coding and Auditing to Promote Revenue Management Compliance
Thursday, December 3 - Webinar

A Study of the January 1 CPT Updates
Thursday, December 10 - Webinar

Evaluating and Managing the Learning Curve for 2021: Changes to E/M Codes
Thursday, December 17 - Webinar

CHIA CONNECT: Community Chat
Friday, December 18 * - Complimentary Chat

Healthcare Leader Agility in VUCA: Impacts of the Pandemic
Thursday, January 07 - Webinar

HIPAA: It's Not Just PRIVACY
Tuesday, January 12 - Webinar

Developing a Successful and Compliant OP CDI Program
Thursday, January 14 - Webinar

Managing in a Labor Management Environment (Union)
Thursday, January 21 - Webinar

eHIM Symposium: The Journey Continues
Tuesday, January 26 and Tuesday, February 02 - eLearning Program 


*Adjusted due to holiday schedule