Happy Health Information Professionals Week!  

Last week I was a speaker at my home state’s AHIMA component association’s annual meeting after which I stayed to attend the entirety of the meeting. 

With this being the AHIMA Health Information Professionals Week, it is the perfect time to talk about convention attendance and association participation. 

Maybe it has been a while since you have attended a meeting at the national, state or local level.  There are many reasons why this may be the case.  As HIM professionals we all have heavy workloads with demanding deadlines.  There just aren’t enough hours in the day to spend a day or several at a meeting. 

Maybe you can plan for the time, but there just aren’t enough dollars in the budget.  Maybe you didn’t feel like you got anything out of the last meeting you did attend and don’t want to waste your time again.  All these reasons are understandable, but I would encourage you to reconsider. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the speakers and presentations I attended this week.  I was able to take something of value away from each one I attended, even though some of the topics did not pertain to my daily job.  It was an opportunity to refresh myself on some aspects of health information management (HIM) that I haven’t worked in for many years.  It also was an opportunity to see some people I hadn’t seen in a while and network with others I met there.  These connections are invaluable. 

A few weeks ago, on Talk Ten Tuesday, my topic was coder burnout.  Attending a meeting is a great way to re- ignite your passion for the field or maybe find a new opportunity to use your expertise.  Consider starting out by attending your local organization. 

These meetings may occur monthly or quarterly with a shorter time commitment.  There is great value, both professionally and personally, in sharing ideas, experiences and visions with those in our shared field.  This takes on an even greater value in this time where so many of us are working remotely.  The time we share together not only strengthens us but the HIM community. 

Once you attend a meeting you see the amount of effort that it goes into planning and executing the meeting.  Much of this work is done by volunteers who give of their time (in addition to their HIM job) to support the community and provide value to the members of their local organization.  I encourage you to think about ways you can involve yourself in your state or local association.  Maybe you could share your expertise on a subject by offering to be a speaker, or maybe you could recommend someone you know.  Maybe your facility could host a meeting.  If you want to get involved but aren’t sure how to take that first step, reach out to your local organization and I know they would be happy to direct you and get you going.  There are many opportunities to serve both public facing and behind the scenes. 

Finally, for those of you who interact with students in our field, be that encouraging voice for them to get involved.  Attend a meeting with them, introduce them to those you know and spark that excitement for the new generation of HI professionals.  If you are a mentor to someone in the field, don’t forget to encourage them to get involved at their local or state level. 

With regulatory changes and technology changes including AI, this is an exciting time for health information. 

Let’s use this HIP week to not just celebrate our wonderful professionals but to encourage them for the future.