NLHIMA

Greetings,

The eHealth Standards Team at eHealth Ontario has developed an Ontario eReferral Specification for the electronic transfer of referrals between health care providers. Electronic information connectivity within the circle of care is a fundamental driver for adoption of information technology in health care today. Exchange of standardized information for referral purposes is recognized as one of the most important processes in the relationship amongst healthcare providers.

Information on the eReferral Specification can be found on the eHealth Ontario website at:

http://www.ehealthontario.on.ca/programs/eReferralSpecification.asp

A copy of the Interim Release of the eReferral Specification is available upon request. This Interim Release reflects resolution of comments received during the Public Review Period March 22 to April 9, 2010. Six (6) comments relating to the Physician to Specialist pathway are still under review, for more details see the Implementation Guide.

We encourage all of you to visit the website and share this information with your colleagues. If you have any questions regarding the eReferral Specification, or eHealth Standards in general, please do not hesitate to contact us at

ehealthstandards@ehealthontario.on.ca

Finally, on behalf of the eHealth Standards Team, we would like to thank everyone for their role in contributing to the Interim Release of the eReferral Specification.

Regards

Janet

Janet Routliffe
Senior Standards Analyst - Stakeholder Engagement Specialist
eHealth Ontario
200 Wellington Street - West
Toronto,
416 324 0683 (Phone)
416.326.9967 (Fax)
Email: Janet.Routliffe@ehealthontario.on.ca
Web: www.ehealthontario.on.ca

The objective of these awards is to recognize projects and/or programs in the field of Health Information Management that have created a significant, sustained change within an organization.

The winning team will receive a certificate of recognition, a cash prize of $2,500, a free registration to the CHIMA Conference for three team members, and the availability of a $1,000 allowance for local celebrations. Shortlisted teams will also receive a certificate of recognition.

Results-oriented projects that have created a significant, sustained change within an organization or department will be considered. Teams may submit one or several quality improvement projects. The project should have been implemented within the past four years. Teams may self-nominate.

Open to all sectors of health care. Teams must consist of at least one HIM professional.

o Contact details for the primary contact ( mailing address, e-mail address, telephone and fax numbers )

Please limit narratives and use bullets for brevity. Appropriate attachments or supplemental information should be placed in an appendix. The appendix should be concise and only contain information to support the application. All assertions must be documented. Lengthy submissions may be disqualified by the judges.

All entries will be evaluated by the Pinnacle Awards selection committee created by CHIMA, a sole representative from 3M Health Information Systems shall participate on the committee in a non voting role. Short listed entries shall be notified by March 30^th, 2009. All short listed entries will work with the 3M corporate marketing department to produce a poster summary of the project which will be displayed during the conference. The winner will be notified by April 15^th, 2009. The winning entry will have a 20-30 min speaking slot at the Pinnacle Awards Luncheon to present the project. The certificates and awards will be presented during the final luncheon.

The award criteria are structured on a five-category framework (A through E) with an optional 5 points bonus for highly transferrable practices and innovations. The issue statement and team leadership requirements have been developed to encourage strong links between quality improvement efforts and strategic change as well as maximize the learning for those reviewing the projects.

This section should clearly describe the significance of the improvement effort to the organization. Please be sure to discuss:

· the relationship between the improvement initiative and the overall transformation occurring within the organization, in keeping with the organization’s vision and mission;

· the organization’s key strategies and why this improvement effort is important to the organization;

· how the initiative has contributed to internal and external system innovation in the delivery of health services; and

· how the initiative has contributed to the body of knowledge or advancement of continuous improvement in health information management.

1. Describe the roles of team members and show the specific skills and knowledge that individual team members contributed to the group. Indicate the team leader, facilitator and other roles on the team where such roles were assigned.

2. Discuss the ways in which team members optimized team performance. Describe the techniques, training and methods used to overcome barriers to group performance and explain some of the informal practices the team used to work better.

3. Outline the work processes used by the team in carrying out this project by describing:

· the steps the team used to analyze the problem, develop a solution, test the solution and implement changes;

· the ways in which the team identified and received the required resources it needed to meet its goals;

· the relationship of the team to the leadership of the organization, including project sponsors, program leaders and senior managers where appropriate.

Describe the scope, management and use of clinical, quality, financial and operational information by the team to make decisions. Please comment on:

· the selection and use of the clinical, quality, financial or operational performance data and information to support initial needs assessment, team actions and planning; and

· the use of comparisons and benchmarks from inside and outside health care, and how the team analyzed and used this data to set targets for quality improvement.

Describe the extent to which targeted approaches were applied to systems and processes for the quality improvement project. Describe the process or processes before the changes were made. Discuss the method used to monitor the quality improvements and explain why these measures were selected. Explain how process changes were made. Describe the process or processes after changes were made and the methods used to assess results.

Proven and substantiated outcomes will enhance the strength of submission. Outcomes will be evaluated relative to the scale of the project. Describe the improved results obtained by the team by discussing :

· the outcomes and effects of the sustained quality improvement achieved by the team based on key quality measures;

· a comparison of the performance indicators used by the team with best practice performance;

· linkages between the goals of the quality improvement project and the strategic priorities of the organization or service network;

· the significance of the quality improvement project to the organization or service network and the impact on the community it serves; and

The judging panel will have the discretion to award up to 5 bonus points for highly transferrable innovations and/or practices.

3M and CHIMA will publish abstracts of all submissions for this award. Posters for all short-listed entries will be produced by 3M for display at the CHIMA conference; teams will have full editorial control and may keep the poster at the completion of the conference. 3M and CHIMA also retain the right to publish the award winning teams names for publicity purposes in connection with the promotion of the award.

If you have any questions about the application process or the award please contact:

The winner of the 3 Stained Glass Pieces that was drawn for at the AGM 2008 was ticket number 0878 - Denise Dinn, Grand Falls-Windsor.

HI&T Week logo courtesy of Bells International, Inc.
2008 AHIMA and Bells International, Inc.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish Good Luck and Continuous Success to Ulrike Fisher

Ricki, as she had become so fondly known, has dedicated many years of hard work in supporting, and more significantly has been instrumental in the recognition and advancement of our Profession

Through Ulrike’s dedication many of us were granted an opportunity to challenge (or re-challenge) the National Certification Examination realizing that many had missed for various reasons, the opportunity to do so.

Ricki was instrumental in promoting educations sessions which were organized to assist members in this challenge. She also gave instructional sessions on Stats to help those she could.

Rickie has been a valued member of our Association in various capacities and for many years, most recently the past President.

We thank her very much for her contribution over the years, and wish her every success in her future endeavors. We hope that she remains part of our Association and because she is still working in our field she continues to update us on any new initiatives that would interest our HIM Professionals.

Even though Rickie has retired from her position with Eastern Health, she is not retiring from the work force. Rickie has accepted a position with CIHI as a Senior Analyst Consultant. We wish her a fond farewell, much success and happiness in every aspect of her life.

These beautiful pieces of Stained Glass were specially hand crafted and donated to our association by one of our members.

In the near future, tickets on these pieces of art will be available from any NLHIMA member.

Click here to read the latest CHIMA decertification bulletin. I can't stress the importance of these decertification bulletins. Please read them carefully.

Click here to read the CHIMA decertification bulletin. This contains extremely important information regarding decertification.

Click here to view a newsletter which contains information on the development of the new Health Research Ethics Authority Act which was passed by the NL legislature in November 2006 and is anticipated to be proclaimed in the summer of 2008. We are planning to maintain an ongoing communication with all those interested groups who might already be involved in health research or who might have future interests in conducting research in Newfoundland and Labrador. We hope to keep them up to date on the progress of the implementation of this new initiative. Feedback and comments are invited as per the contact information in the newsletter.

The winner of our Fundraiser print “Summer Reflections” by Elizabeth Burry was Tony Porter from

There is an ARMA trade show planned. Please click here to check out the flyer for more information, and, if interested, click here for the registration and agenda information. If there are any questions, please forward them to the contact information on the forms.

CHIMA needs your assistance in communicating information regarding "decertification" to your fellow HIM professionals that are currently not members!!!

As previously announced decertification will commence during the 2007/08 fiscal year. The process is still being finalized, and prior to implementation, a comprehensive communication strategy will be undertaken.

In order to be recognized as a certified HIM professional and to use the new HIM credential of CHIM you must meet the following three (3) criteria:

Please encourage and communicate to non-members that they must re- instate to avoid decertification utilizing the current CHIMA policy.

If non-members fail to re-instate prior to decertification, those individuals will be subject to the new process for recertification, which will be significantly different from the current reinstatement practice. This process is currently under development, and will be finalized and communicated soon.

An intensive 2-day on-site and on-line (65 hours) program introducing key concepts, issues, applications and technologies in Applied Health Informatics.

Registration Fee: $1199 + GST (includes course materials, lunch, refreshments, reception and the Online Bootcamp)

Special Rates: Early Bird Rate $1099 + GST to Sept. 15; Group and student rates available. Please call.

Offered by: Waterloo Institute for Health Informatics Research, University of Waterloo

For additional information about the HIM profession and material that you can access for HI&T week, visit AHIMA's website: www.ahima.org or CHIMA's website: www.echima.ca.

CHIMA posters still available, $5.00 each plus shipping. Contact CHIMA at 519-438-6700 or email

CIHI is looking for coding experts to participate in a renal dialysis data quality study. Click Here for more information on this unique opportunity.

The CHIMA Board of Directors is pleased to announce that effective June 2, 2007 the new credential for the certified HIM professional is CHIM representing "Certified in Health Information Management".

Reminder in order to be recognized as a Certified HIM professional and to use the HIM credential of CHIM you must meet the following three (3) criteria:

If any one of the above criteria is not upheld you are not permitted to use the HIM professional designation or credential.

Click here to read a letter from Tamara Stefanits, VP, Corporate Services, CHIMA, regarding a silent auction in preparation for the 65th anniversary celebration of CHIMA. Anyone interested in making a donation, please contact: