Dear HIM-Interchange readersBy the time you are reading this issue, assuming you read HIM-Interchange as soon as it is published, we will be well into 2018 and Easter will be upon us. However, due to publication timelines I am writing my letter in the first week of January 2018. A time when we often reflect, plan for the year ahead, set goals, promise to do things more efficiently this year and generally make a fresh start. Consequently, the New Year is is a perfect time to unveil the new-look HIM-Interchange. I hope you like it.
lock_openRead more >>
This article is based on a paper I presented at the 2016 Health Information Management Association of Australia and National Centre for Classification in Health Conference. There is a wealth of information from the United States on clinical documentation improvement (CDI), as the United States is much further along this path. This paper aims to inform other Health Information Managers like me, who are interested in pursuing CDI for their health service but are not sure where to start. In particular, how to tackle introducing a CDI program as one person for whom CDI is only one component of their role.
lockRead more >>
This two part series examines diverse gender, sex and sexuality (DGSS) in the context of health information management. Part 1 discussed the data definitions and reporting requirements for DGSS, including the new International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 11th Revision sexual health chapter and was published in the previous issue of HIM-Interchange (Volume 8 No.2). Part 2 in the series examines managing culturally safe workplaces, including the legislation you should know, and how to encourage staff to use inclusive language.
lockRead more >>
I am concerned about the quality of our clinical coded data. I believe the focus for Clinical Coders (CCs) should be on all conditions that meet criteria for code assignment in order to describe the patient stay fully and truthfully – the ‘clinical truth’ as per the writingsand presentations of Dr Cesar Limjoco, a Clinical Documentation Improvement (CDI) Physician Advisor Consultant from the United States of America (USA) (Limjoco 2014).
lockRead more >>
The Victorian Agency for Health Information (the Agency) was created in 2017 as part of Victorian Government reforms to overhaul quality and safety across Victoria’s healthcare system. The Agency’s initiatives aim to enhance the flow of timely, accurate and meaningful information to those responsible for health service oversight including health service boards, management and clinicians. By analysing and sharing information across Victoria’s healthcare system, the new Victorian Agency for Health Information will build an accurate picture of hospital and health service performance across the state.
lockRead more >>
Gold Coast Health is establishing itself as a worldclass provider of public healthcare services through innovation and patient-centred care and is one of the fastest growing health services in Australia. It operates almost 20 facilities and delivers a broad range of secondary and tertiary health services throughout the region, comprising over 1,150 hospital beds across three hospitals. The Gold Coast community is diverse in culture, age, socio-economic status and healthcare needs with a population of almost 600,000 living in the catchment area. In addition, Gold Coast University Hospital is the closest tertiary care hospital for people living in northern New South Wales (Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service 2017)
lockRead more >>
When there is a new edition of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision, Australian Modification (ICD-10-AM), Australian Classification of Health Interventions (ACHI) and Australian Coding Standards(ACS) scheduled for implementation, is there anything else you need to do except complete the Australian Consortium of Classification Development (ACCD) online education and wait for the 1 July discharges? While completing the online education is an important step in the process there is more to do, especially if you have a large health service that is geographically dispersed. To ensure a smooth transition from one edition to another, someone senior in the clinical coding service needs to have read and understood the changes to create an implementation plan and be a source of reference for those with questions. The following is an insight into the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service (SCHHS) experience with implementing Tenth Edition. The SCHHS consists of five public facilities ranging in bed capacity from 24 to 507 beds. We run a health service-wide clinical coding service with the bulk of the team located at Nambour General Hospital and the new Sunshine Coast University Hospital. Our clinical coding team currently has 30 people and is continuing to grow.
lockRead more >>
On 31 October 2000, Singapore Airlines flight SQ006 taxied for take-off at Chiang-Kai Shek airport, Taiwan. The pilots lined up on the runway as usual, and on receiving clearance, commenced their take-off. However, they never made it, instead ploughing into excavators and construction equipment on the runway, with the resulting loss of 83 lives. The runway had been temporarily closed for earthworks. Weather conditions were poor: in the thick fog the control tower could not monitor their ground movements visually. A notice to airlines, advising of the runway closure had been issued two months previously (Aviation Safety Council [ASC] Taiwan 2002). An inquiry found that although the pilots had been advised and had the relevant charts, they failed to adequately review and process new information, in a pressurised work situation caused by deteriorating weather conditions (Nisha 2016; ASC 2002).
lockRead more >>
According to the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Refugees (2017), 65.6 million individuals around the world were forcibly displaced by the end of 2016. Of these, 22.5 million people were recognised as refugees under the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. A refugee, according to the Convention, is someone who is unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin owing to a wellfounded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion (UN High Commissioner for Refugees 2011).
lockRead more >>
Health Information Management Association of Australia (HIMAA) Special Interest Groups (SIGs) are structured as forums under the HIMAA umbrella to discuss issues of common interest, to share information and to promote best practice that relate to particular areas of interest in health information. SIGs also provide an opportunity for networking and enhancing knowledge through targeted professional development. SIGs provide members with opportunities for interaction and a platform to contribute to relevant HIMAA state and national dialogue and strategy development.
lockRead more >>
My ‘leadership detection’ antennae are always scanning for people who are fearlessly leading towards the creation of greatness, and I find them in all sorts of places. This Quality Conversation is dedicated to two equally impressive, seemingly very different – but not so different – examples of leading to greatness that I’ve researched recently. I must confess my absolute bias when it comes to the first example. In 2017 the Richmond Tigers won the Australian Football League premiership. (Yes, they are my team and it did feel good to type that – albeit a little unbelievable.) An incredible turnaround from thirteenth (out of eighteen) in 2016, to first in 2017. Much credit is given to a superstar player, great teamwork and skills, a well-executed and smart game plan, designed and taught by committed coaches. All of that is true. But there’s so much more.
lockRead more >>
