HIMAA ONLINE

The monthly digital newsletter of the Health Information Management Association of Australia Limited
Volume 8 | Issue 03 | Digital
Cheens Lee
Cheens Lee

President - HIMAA

Cheens Lee
Cheens Lee

President - HIMAA

President's Report

Hello Members,

The Board recently got an update from Jae that the modernisation of our systems that support HIMAA in delivering services to members is progressing well. You can read about the details in Jae’s report. During my first speech as President at the end of the 2018 National Conference, I outlined that my focus would be on modernisation and membership. We started a couple of years ago with the introduction of Microsoft Office 365 and the use of Teams. It’s taken some time to finally see the “rubber meeting the road” with a number of other internal systems. To be fair, we have been challenged by an extended CEO transition and then of course the pandemic in the last two years shifted our focus.

Over the years, the National Office has continued to build-on old existing manual processes and fallen behind in adopting new technology and applications to support our growth. This may sound familiar to most of us who are working in healthcare and undergoing digital transformation in our workplaces. Similarly, HIMAA is also embarking on our own digital transformation journey. Those that have worked in new system implementations know that it’s not just a matter of installing the software and hoping that users will adapt to the new solution. They are essentially change management projects requiring staff to buy into the new process. I want to acknowledge and thank the HIMAA staff in embracing the new “tools of the trade” on top of their existing duties.

We cannot afford to stand still as the environment that we operate in continues to evolve. Unfortunately, this has been illustrated to us in the last week where we have experienced a cybersecurity incident that Jae has detailed in her report. Cybersecurity has become a significant issue for organisations to address due to our reliance on computers. The challenge is complex. The Board and Jae will work to ensure that HIMAA has the right level of mitigation that’s appropriate for an organisation of our size.

Finally, earlier this month I was in Adelaide for a conference and felt the energy of the city and its people returning to levels prior to the pandemic. I’m very much looking forward to our National Conference in October and hoping that many members can attend. I suspect this year’s conference is going be one for the ages.

Onwards and upwards!

Cheens Lee

President

Email: cheensl@himaa.org.au 

Table of Contents
From the CEO's desk
From the CEO's desk

Jae Redden | CEO, HIMAA

From the CEO's desk

From the CEO's desk

Jae Redden | CEO, HIMAA

A reminder that the abstract and conference paper submissions are now open The theme is Health Information Management: Keeping health information human. This year’s conference will be held in Adelaide from 26-28 October 2022. It’s an opportunity to share your experience and knowledge with your peers and interact with feedback. It’s your time to shine!

 

Hear from one of our presenters from last year’s conference, Simone Bell, on why you should consider presenting. Contact conference2022@himaa.org.au for further information or queries. We are aiming to open for registration in early June 2022.

 

 

I hope you caught our exciting news that we are launching long-awaited HLTSS00071 CLINICAL CODING AUDITOR SKILL SET course which commences on 1 June 2022. Enrolments are open from 9-22 May 2022. We will have another intake in August. It’s been a very busy time for Education Services who have been updating course content to 12th edition, as well as launching the HLT50321 Diploma of Clinical Coding course. Educational webinars for the new edition are being planned for the second half of this year. Please keep a lookout for communication from HIMAA through eDMs and social media.

 

We are in the process of upgrading, streamlining and integrating our operation systems – moving from MYOB to Xero as well as the membership software to Membes. This means we will be updating our website to integrated, single sign-on process for all HIMAA services. There will be more communication forthcoming on what this means to you as members and what you can expect.

 

HIMAA webinars are attracting a lot of support and interest. This is a great opportunity for members to profile their knowledge. Please contact prodev@himaa.org.au if you are interested in presenting, or have a topic you would like to see presented – that is, feel free to volunteer yourself or someone else. If you are more comfortable with a short conversation as a podcast, (being heard not seen), then this can be arranged as well. Our next webinar is with Dr Sheree Lloyd on “ HIM Leadership in Activity Based Funding”. It will held on Wednesday, 4 May 2022, 12.00pm AEST. The registration closes on the same day at 9.00am AEST. A recording will be distributed to those who registered so if you are unable to attend in-person, you won’t miss out!

 

HIM Week has been moved from May to August to avoid coinciding with the Nurses and Privacy Week. I’m looking for activities to roll out for the week. Previously we had webinars, a poster competition, word challenge competition. What are your special interests? What merchandising or display items would you like to see? We’re looking for fresh and exciting ideas for the National Office to execute and implement. Please contact me on ceo@himaa.org.au with suggestions and/or to join the Task Force.

 

Recently members received a communication that we had a phishing email forwarded from the membership email address. We have not yet diagnosed how this originated, but we suspect that a suspicious email was opened and/or the HIMAA email was accessed from an unsecured environment. Upon incident, we reset the email passwords and communicated the incident to our members immediately.

 

In addition to the secure firewall, we have put further measures in place:

  • Implemented a 2-step verification process that is tied to a mobile phone for the HIMAA email user to confirm who they are when they log in with a new device each time. Members who have a HIMAA email have been contacted to get in touch with us with their mobile number so their email access can be reactivated.
  • Added further suspect words/headings and html attachment to our list of spam
  • Identifying external emails clearly.

 

I will be seeking to implement a mandatory cyber security short online course for our staff as a part of ongoing compliance training. In addition, the Finance and Risk Management (FARM) Committee is again reviewing our cyber security. Please be assured that the HIMAA National Office takes your privacy, and protection of your personal information, seriously and we would not reveal your email address as it was displayed in the recent phishing email. We will endeavour to take all possible measures to avoid this situation recurring. I urge members to review all email communications with scrutiny before opening.

 

I remain keen to work with you in leading HIMAA to serve the health information management profession. Please feel free to reach out to me to chat.

 

Jae Redden

Chief Executive Officer

ceo@himaa.org.au

 

Latest News

IFHIMA Implementation of ICD-11

IFHIMA has recently released a position statement affirming their commitment to the implementation of ICD-11. The statement may be found here.  A shout out to IFHIMA and HIMAA member, Ms. Filippa Pretty, for drafting the statement which articulates the importance of ICD-11 as it addresses data standardisation and higher quality data

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21/04/2022

IFHIMA Celebrates World Health Day April 7, 2022

                  Dear Friends and Colleagues,   Today, April 7th is World Health Day, and as part of our 2022 World Health Day activities, IFHIMA released a position statement affirming our commitment to the implementation of ICD-11. The statement may be found here.    Our sincere

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21/04/2022

HIMAA National Conference – Abstract Submission Closing 2 May 2022

Health Information Management: Keeping health information human 26-28 October 2022, Hilton Adelaide   Abstracts and conference paper submissions are invited for the 2022 National Conference of the Health Information Management Association of Australia (HIMAA).   The theme of the Conference for 2022 is Keeping health information human. It is appropriate because

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21/04/2022

Expressions of Interest – IFHIMA Global News Editor

The International Federation of Health Information Management Associations (IFHIMA) is looking for a volunteer to undertake the role of Editor of their online newsletter, Global News.   Global News includes approximately 10-20 articles per issue, and there are 3 issues produced per year. As the next IFHIMA President will be

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21/04/2022

Education News

HLTSS00071 Clinical Coding Auditor Skill Set

HIMAA is excited to launch a new course next month in clinical coding auditing with enrolments from 9-22 May 2022. Commencement date 1 June 2022.   This new skill set, which is part of the national Health Training Package has been designed for experienced clinical coders seeking to broaden their skills to include clinical coding auditing.   The skill set consists of three units of competency.   Unit code Unit

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27/04/2022

Student Profile

Our student of the month for April is Zoe Farr from Brunswick East in Victoria. Zoe scored 99% in medical terminology and 100% in the clinical coding exam. Zoe is due to complete the 22274VIC Certificate IV in Clinical Classification and is keen to start consolidating her clinical coding knowledge.   We asked Zoe the following questions.   Why did you choose clinical coding as a career pathway?   I

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27/04/2022

What's on

Stay up to date with the upcoming events and activities across the board at HIMAA

VIC Trivia Night Poster

 

 

Roll up, roll up for an evening of entertainment and fun! The VIC Branch is hosting a TRIVIA NIGHT – its first in person event since 2019. Food for the evening will be provided and there are great prizes on offer for the winning teams.

Bring a group of friends together for a table or sign up individually to be assigned to a table. We would love to see you there for the opportunity to catch up with colleagues that you might not have seen for some time.
 
Click on the button below for more details.
 
Appropriate Covid safety precautions will be enforced by the venue and hand sanitiser provided at each table. 
 

Member News

Latest news and updates submitted by members. Any member updates, please submit to membership@himaa.org.au.

HIMAA QLD Branch update - Mentoring Program 2022

Click on the images to see a larger version

On Friday 18th March 2022, HIMAA QLD Branch proudly launched HIM Mentoring Program for 2022 at Victoria Park Bistro in Herston, Brisbane. The mentoring program provides students in their final two years of university the opportunity to engage with a HIM professional working in the industry to assist with career planning and preparing for the transition from university to working life. The program does not just benefit HIMs students, it’s for us all to invest in our future HIMs and ensure the longevity of the profession for years to come. It’s a fun and learning journey for both students and HIM professionals.

 

The mentoring program was first introduced in 2021 with 10 pairs (mentors and mentees) and it was kicked off with a launch event in June and a mid-year social event in August. Due to COVID, the closure event was unfortunately cancelled in December and we had to combine the closure event 2021 with launch event 2022 which made the launch event 2022 even more successful with a great turnout. In 2022, the program is supporting 20 pairs which is double from 2021 and we have a great appreciation to our sponsor, The Coding Company (TCC) that supports the program in both 2021 & 2022.

 

The launch event started with the opening by Alisha Lucas, the lead of the mentoring program and Linda Westbrook, Divisional Director & Health Information Manager of TCC, presenting HIMAA Mentoring Program 2021 certificates and badges to both mentors and mentees. TCC also surprised us all with a free TCC clinical coding webinar certificate for participants in mentoring program 2022.

 

The icebreaker activities were to have mentees and mentors separated into two groups and with a few questions such as what are the most three important things when you do your job application and when you go to interview. It was interesting to see the difference between students and HIMs and this is also the purpose of the mentoring program for both mentors and mentees to understand different perspectives and learn from each other.

 

HIM is a very small profession so we need to support each other and grow strong together. The networking and learning opportunity are priceless and it’s one of the best ways for you to advocate our profession. This program is approved for 30 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points towards to Credential (Post-Nominal) as Certified Health Information Manger (CHIM). Please visit HIMAA Professional Credentialing Program for more information and benefits.

If you are interested in joining the program in 2023 or have any quires, please email QLD Branch qldbranch@himaa.org.au.

 

Kind regards,

HIMAA QLD Branch

Editorial Board

Latest from HIMJ

Since the March edition of HIMAA Matters, HIMJ has published two online-first articles, and the May Issue of HIMJ.   HIMJ Volume 51, No 2 (May 2022) includes:   Forum Article  Options to enhance the veracity of Australian health service accreditation assessments Reece Hinchcliffe, Deborah Debono, David Carter, Miriam Glennie, Hamish Robertson, Joanne Travaglia   Review Article  The attributes of hospital-based coronary artery disease registries with a focus on key registry processes; A systematic review Ali Garavand, Reza Rabiei, Hassan Emami, Mehdi Pishgahi, Mojtaba Vahidi-Asl   Professional Practice & Innovation Article  A learning agenda to build the evidence base for strengthening global health information systems Heidi W Reynolds, Shannon Salentine, Eva Silvestrie, Elizabeth Millare, Ashley Strahley, Abby C Cannon, Emily A Bobrow, Rachel Flynn   Research Article  An investigation of the status and maturity of hospitals’ health information Governance in Victoria, Australia Helen Kwan, Merilyn Riley, Natasha Prasad, Kerin Robinson   Research Article  Factors affecting the acceptance of integrated electronic personal health records in Saudi Arabia Yaser A Alsahafi, Valerie Gay, Adel A Khwaji   On-line First articles – a brief summary is provided below:    Research Article  The historiography of a profession: The societal and political drivers of the health information management profession in Australia Kerin Robinson, Simon Barraclough, Elizabeth Cummings, Rick Iedema . Dec 18, 2022 | OnlineFirst This commentary theorises the health information management profession for the first time. Its purpose is to identify and contextualise, via a historiographical account, the societal and political drivers that have

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Andrea Gall 27/04/2022

QUT Faculty of Health Student Awards and Prizes Event

Award Winners      (L to R): Rebecca Kulak, Uniting Care Health Prize for HIM; Maryann Wood (HIM lecturer at QUT); Kaitlin Lovatt, IHPA Prize for Clinical Classification; Sue Walker (course coordinator, Bachelor of HIM); Krista Martin, HIMAA QLD Branch Prize for Excellence in HIM; Allison Chang, Teachers Union Health Fund Pursuit of Excellence Prize     (L to R): Queensland Branch Chair, Danica Jong with Krista Martin, recipient of the HIMAA (QLD) Prize  

Read More »
Andrea Gall 21/04/2022

Privacy and Security Community of Practice

As Health Information Managers and Clinical Coders who work across a variety of domains in health, we are all highly aware of the need to treat people’s information with the utmost respect. Not everyone in the organisation is aware of this, however. There are still many anecdotal stories about privacy breaches that we hear on the Privacy and Security Community of Practice meetings. It is a real concern that in 2022 we are still discussing and writing about the same issues related to privacy.

 

There really is no simple solution, however we can all take part in trying to highlight concerns or issues at our workplaces. You don’t have to do anything too complicated, just get the conversation started and develop some resources. Posters used to be put up about privacy but you can now of course ask your organisation to put information up electronically.  Other ways include joining in such things as a toolbox meeting, talking to executive meetings, raising issues in your HIM network meeting or with your senior HIM and so on.  From our experience people are more invested in the issue when there is a story attached to it, plus the outcomes. If you just quote legislation then people quickly tune out.

 

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) also holds a Privacy Awareness Week once a year. This year HIMAA have partnered to promote this week that is held from the 2 to 8 May 2022.  The theme of this year is ‘Privacy: The foundation of trust” There are resources that you can obtain to promote this week if your organisation signs up as a PAW supporter, you can also contact the HIMAA office to obtain information about resources as well.

 

A survey conducted by the OAIC in 2020 demonstrated that for more than 70% of consumers privacy was a major concern and that 87% wanted a greater control over the handling of their personal information. Other topics that were covered included, children’s privacy, privacy reform and data practices.  You can read this report here: https://www.oaic.gov.au/updates/news-and-media/australians-want-more-control-over-privacy-survey-shows.

 

The OAIC are also running other events which are highlighted on their website, you can register online at OAIC Privacy Awareness Week launch (rdbk.com.au). There are also many more interesting events, including presentations from OVIC and the Queensland Information Commissioner.

 

We hope that these events and Privacy Awareness Week give you some great ideas and given the theme that our national conference is taking this year-keeping health information human, the idea of trust ties in really well and brings back the human element!

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