AHDI/MTIA Partnership in Action: Advocacy Summit 2008

After solidifying the AHDI/MTIA partnership in May 2007, both groups came together on Capitol Hill to expose lawmakers to the important contribution documentation specialists and the clinical documentation sector plays in patient care delivery. There were over 100 Hill visits made by nearly 70 AHDI and MTIA members – not bad for a first attempt through the partnership. It was exciting to watch practitioners and business owners join together to advocate on issues related to workforce development, privacy and security issues, and document creation needs in the health information production chain. The practitioners and business owners who participated in the Advocacy Summit recognized there were more similarities to their issues than differences.

The debriefing reception on Thursday evening, sponsored by 3M Corporation, gave attendees an opportunity to share stories and alert leadership to the issues raised on Capitol Hill. Betty Honkonen, AHDI President, and Dave Woodrow, MTIA Legislative Committee Chair, presided over the briefing. Many first timers stood up and presented on their experiences and conversations with legislative aides and Congressional members. Veteran participants talked about how it was easier this go round and how much more receptive and familiar policy makers were with our issues. Some attendees even had the opportunity to participate in constituent coffees or in district meetings learning about other issues concerning the public.

As far as follow-up, aside from the letters hand-carried to Congressional offices from members who couldn’t attend, many participants distributed my business card since I live and work in Washington DC now. Plans are underway to build a stronger coalition to get the Allied Health Reinvestment Act passed, a legislative amendment to Title IV funding to include recognition of AHDI approved schools, and the development of a compliance outreach program for the transcription sector. The Compliance Program will focus on providing ethical best business practices to business owners and transcriptionists. This will include transparency of where work is performed, billing methods, appropriate handling of protected health information, employment of independent contractors versus employees, and minimum wage laws.