May 24th, 2011
By Brenda L. Laveck, RHIA
In the fifties, Ronald Reagan hosted a program sponsored by a major American corporation. The company’s slogan at the time was “Progress is our most important product.” Could this not also be the slogan for our profession?
Recently, I had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Alan Dowling (the CEO of AHIMA) speak at the ILHIMA Annual Meeting. He talked about driving forces in our profession which included ICD-10 and the implementation of the electronic record. Certainly, these things point to progress; and our embracing them will keep our profession at the forefront. At the same meeting, I heard about the grant that Moraine Valley Community College has received through the ARRA to provide needed training for people who will be working on developing the electronic record. People are needed to drive this progress, and the importance of trained and dedicated people cannot be underestimated.
We are the leaders working toward the visions of ICD-10 and the electronic record, but we must not forget that the keys to implementation of these systems are the people who will be working with us. We must build cultures where people’s job performance is linked directly to their success and remember that people want to do well and take pride in their work.
Let’s not forget to keep our staff involved and engaged in every step in each process and to give recognition when it is due.