It’s been a very busy few weeks on all fronts. The Winter strategies of hospitals are still struggling to cope with the demand; COVID still surges from time to time; the workforce concerns have not yet abated, and there are, as always, long lists of things to get done.
Against that backdrop, the Board had a 2 day face-to-face meeting on 30 June/1 July with a very large agenda drawing our attention. Amid this, we farewelled our outgoing Chief Executive Officer, Jae Redden, and welcomed our interim Chief Executive Officer, Sallyanne Wissmann. As always, it was a pleasure to catch up with the staff in the office and understand their portfolios, including the progress, successes, and challenges in achieving goals. We were very happy to meet Jenny Moreland, our new Membership Services lead, for the first time. Joanne (Williams) also took the opportunity to visit the office and meet the Board.
One of the key focus areas for the Board is workforce. There has been continued momentum in Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania on this matter, particularly as it relates to sustaining a robust workforce. I had the pleasure and privilege to meet with South Australia’s Minister for Health, the Hon Chris Picton, MP, during July. Together with the local Branch Convenor, Terry Seery, we took the opportunity to describe the strengths of our profession, the key qualities and areas of expertise Health Information Managers and Clinical Coders have, as well as the aging workforce and the focus on establishing a South Australian workforce strategy for our profession. We are looking forward to being able to continue this conversation and translating it into action.
There is a plethora of conferences, workshops and fora for shared experiences on offer that will be of interest to our members, not to mention the seasonal school expos.
Naturally I list the IFHIMA/HIMAA 20th Congress as top of that list. The Early bird is open until 31 July 2023. Our conference committee is very pleased with the number of early registrants. Planning continues apace. I applaud and draw your attention to the enormous care and diligence the committee has put into the programme, both technical and social. It is shaping up to be a great return on the investment of attending.
Members will also likely have seen IHACPA, ACHSM, CDIA and MedInfo publicised. If you have attended any of these events please create an article to HIM-I or HIMJ on the areas of interest, and we have many domains of interest, to share your insights and experiences with your peers and fellow members. As our logo promotes, be a Strategic Asset to our Association and your organisation. Be a beacon of leadership in Health Information Management, in whatever capacity you can share these strengths.
Visit our HIMAA Membership Portal to renew your Membership if you haven’t done so already. It is really easy to renew. Reach out to Jenny if you have any specific questions and require assistance. She’ll be delighted to chat with you.
Catherine Garvey
President
