AHIMA is recognizing the contributions being made by healthcare information professionals throughout the country this week.

The American Health Information Association (AHIMA) is celebrating health information professionals during the 29th annual Health Information Professionals (HIP) this week (March 18–24, 2018).

Each year, HIP Week provides a platform to celebrate the profession’s advancement in clinical and financial data, information governance, data management and other tools that improve all aspects of healthcare. This year’s theme is “Our Future Is Bright.”

To further address the theme of healthcare information management’s (HIM) future, HIP Week 2018 coincides with AHIMA’s annual Advocacy Summit. The Summit includes events and materials to educate AHIMA members on advocacy issues important to the industry. Members will visit Capitol Hill to share important knowledge to advance HIM. In particular, members will focus on two key issues facing the industry:

  1. Patient Matching Efforts: AHIMA will call on Congress to support the omission of language set in 1999 that will enable the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to work with industry in a much-needed effort to advance a nationwide patient matching strategy. AHIMA has previously advocated for a patient matching strategy having pushed for a unique national patient identifier during its Advocacy Summit in 2016. AHIMA continued to focus on patient identification issues in 2017 calling for a lift in the current funding ban, which prohibits HHS’ collaboration with industry to identify and determine a patient matching strategy.
  1. Privacy Laws to Combat the Opioid Epidemic: AHIMA will also request Congressional support and co-sponsor H.R. 3545, the Overdose Prevention and Patient Safety Act. This will align 42 CFR Part 2 with HIPAA for treatment, payment and operations (TPO) and strengthen protection around the use of substance abuse disorder records. This change will help ensure healthcare professionals have access to their patients’ entire medical histories – a move that could help address the opioid crisis in the United States while maintaining the privacy and security of patient information.

During HIP Week, health information management professionals will engage in focused activities within their organizations and the community to raise awareness about the important work they perform. Some of the activities include lunchtime learning sessions, displays in facility lobbies and break rooms, tours for elected officials, community seminars and local media coverage. Facilities may recognize the accomplishments of their HIM team during HIP Week.

HIM professionals can download the Planning Catalog to get ideas on ways to celebrate, share articles about the health information profession and browse the official merchandise.

AHIMA is also asking members and other professionals in the field to engage in their own healthcare communities by spreading the message of awareness and pride in the profession.

Healthcare professionals can also follow AHIMA on social media to engage further in HIP Week, through tracking the hashtag #HIPWEEK18.

Comment on this article

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

Melanie Endicott, MBA/HCM, RHIA, CDIP, CCS, CCS-P, FAHIMA, AHIMA-Approved ICD-10-CM/PCS Trainer

Melanie Endicott, MBA/HCM, RHIA, CDIP, CCS, CCS-P, FAHIMA, is senior director of HIM Practice Excellence for AHIMA. In her role she provides professional practice expertise to AHIMA members, the media and outside organizations on coding and clinical documentation improvement (CDI) practice issues. She authors material for and supports AHIMA online ICD-10 coding education platforms. She also serves as faculty for the AHIMA ICD-10-CM/PCS Academies and CDIP Exam Preps. In addition, Ms. Endicott is a technical advisor for the Association on ICD-10-CM/PCS, ICD-9-CM, CPT coding and CDI publications.

Related Stories

Leave a Reply

Please log in to your account to comment on this article.

Featured Webcasts

Sepsis Sequencing in Focus: From Documentation to Defensible Coding

Sepsis sequencing continues to challenge even experienced coding and CDI professionals, with evolving guidelines, documentation gaps, and payer scrutiny driving denials and data inconsistencies. In this webcast, Payal Sinha, MBA, RHIA, CCDS, CDIP, CCS, CCS-P, CCDS-O, CRC, CRCR, provides clear guideline-based strategies to accurately code sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock, assign POA indicators, clarify the relationship between infection and organ dysfunction, and align documentation across teams. Attendees will gain practical tools to strengthen audit defensibility, improve first-pass accuracy, support appeal success, reduce denials, and ensure accurate quality reporting, empowering organizations to achieve consistent, compliant sepsis coding outcomes.

March 26, 2026
I022426_SQUARE

Fracture Care Coding: Reduce Denials Through Accurate Coding, Sequencing, and Modifier Use

Expert presenters Kathy Pride, RHIT, CPC, CCS-P, CPMA, and Brandi Russell, RHIA, CCS, COC, CPMA, break down complex fracture care coding rules, walk through correct modifier application (-25, -57, 54, 55), and clarify sequencing for initial and subsequent encounters. Attendees will gain the practical knowledge needed to submit clean claims, ensure compliance, and stay one step ahead of payer audits in 2026.

February 24, 2026
Mastering Principal Diagnosis: Coding Precision, Medical Necessity, and Quality Impact

Mastering Principal Diagnosis: Coding Precision, Medical Necessity, and Quality Impact

Accurately determining the principal diagnosis is critical for compliant billing, appropriate reimbursement, and valid quality reporting — yet it remains one of the most subjective and error-prone areas in inpatient coding. In this expert-led session, Cheryl Ericson, RN, MS, CCDS, CDIP, demystifies the complexities of principal diagnosis assignment, bridging the gap between coding rules and clinical reality. Learn how to strengthen your organization’s coding accuracy, reduce denials, and ensure your documentation supports true medical necessity.

December 3, 2025

Proactive Denial Management: Data-Driven Strategies to Prevent Revenue Loss

Denials continue to delay reimbursement, increase administrative burden, and threaten financial stability across healthcare organizations. This essential webcast tackles the root causes—rising payer scrutiny, fragmented workflows, inconsistent documentation, and underused analytics—and offers proven, data-driven strategies to prevent and overturn denials. Attendees will gain practical tools to strengthen documentation and coding accuracy, engage clinicians effectively, and leverage predictive analytics and AI to identify risks before they impact revenue. Through real-world case examples and actionable guidance, this session empowers coding, CDI, and revenue cycle professionals to shift from reactive appeals to proactive denial prevention and revenue protection.

November 25, 2025

Trending News

Featured Webcasts

Mastering MDM for Accurate Professional Fee Coding

In this timely session, Stacey Shillito, CDIP, CPMA, CCS, CCS-P, CPEDC, COPC, breaks down the complexities of Medical Decision Making (MDM) documentation so providers can confidently capture the true complexity of their care. Attendees will learn practical, efficient strategies to ensure documentation aligns with current E/M guidelines, supports accurate coding, and reduces audit risk, all without adding to charting time.

March 31, 2026

The PEPPER Returns – Risk and Opportunity at Your Fingertips

Join Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHCQM for The PEPPER Returns – Risk and Opportunity at Your Fingertips, a practical webcast that demystifies the PEPPER and shows you how to turn complex claims data into actionable insights. Dr. Hirsch will explain how to interpret key measures, identify compliance risks, uncover missed revenue opportunities, and understand new updates in the PEPPER, all to help your organization stay ahead of audits and use this powerful data proactively.

March 19, 2026

Top 10 Audit Targets for 2026-2027 for Hospitals & Physicians: Protect Your Revenue

Stay ahead of the 2026-2027 audit surge with “Top 10 Audit Targets for 2026-2027 for Hospitals & Physicians: Protect Your Revenue,” a high-impact webcast led by Michael Calahan, PA, MBA. This concise session gives hospitals and physicians clear insight into the most likely federal audit targets, such as E/M services, split/shared and critical care, observation and admissions, device credits, and Two-Midnight Rule changes, and shows how to tighten documentation, coding, and internal processes to reduce denials, recoupments, and penalties. Attendees walk away with practical best practices to protect revenue, strengthen compliance, and better prepare their teams for inevitable audits.

January 29, 2026

AI in Claims Auditing: Turning Compliance Risks into Defensible Systems

As AI reshapes healthcare compliance, the risk of biased outputs and opaque decision-making grows. This webcast, led by Frank Cohen, delivers a practical Four-Pillar Governance Framework—Transparency, Accountability, Fairness, and Explainability—to help you govern AI-driven claim auditing with confidence. Learn how to identify and mitigate bias, implement robust human oversight, and document defensible AI review processes that regulators and auditors will accept. Discover concrete remedies, from rotation protocols to uncertainty scoring, and actionable steps to evaluate vendors before contracts are signed. In a regulatory landscape that moves faster than ever, gain the tools to stay compliant, defend your processes, and reduce liability while maintaining operational effectiveness.

January 13, 2026

Trending News

Prepare for the 2025 CMS IPPS Final Rule with ICD10monitor’s IPPSPalooza! Click HERE to learn more

Get 15% OFF on all educational webcasts at ICD10monitor with code JULYFOURTH24 until July 4, 2024—start learning today!

CYBER WEEK IS HERE! Don’t miss your chance to get 20% off now until Dec. 1 with code CYBER25

CYBER WEEK IS HERE! Don’t miss your chance to get 20% off now until Dec. 2 with code CYBER24