Purpose: The purpose of the Advocacy and Policy Council is to advise AHIMA leadership and the AHIMA Board of Directors on critical areas for AHIMA strategic engagement in advocacy and public policy that align with the AHIMA mission and vision. 

Time Requirement: 24 months, January 2024 – December 2025

Roles and Responsibilities

• Informing efforts to identify opportunities for strategic engagement in advocacy and public policy that align with AHIMA strategic objectives.
• Leading the development of policy comments on federal legislation, regulations and policy statements that align with AHIMA mission and vision.
• Providing real-world expertise and input to support public policy development.
• Working with CA members to solicit opinions and comments as relevant to the issue or issues under review; and
• Engaging in advocacy activities on specific issues and serving as an ambassador for AHIMA advocacy efforts.

Member Composition/Terms

• The Council is composed of 8-15 members to serve a two-year term. At least one seat on the Council must be filled by a delegate from the AHIMA House of Delegates. All members must be AHIMA professional members. 
• The AHIMA Policy and Government Affairs team provides staff support to the Council.
• The Council meets monthly and at additional times as needed by teleconference or in-person at national AHIMA meetings. Regular attendance is required; members will inform staff in advance if unable to attend.
• The Council includes one Chair and one Vice Chair, who will serve two-year terms like other Council members. These individuals will serve one year as Vice Chair then move to the Chair role in the second year. The Council Chair will assist AHIMA Policy and Government Affairs team to set agendas, facilitate the work of the Council and assure deliverables are being accomplished. The Vice Chair will work with the Council Chair and Policy and Government Affairs team to support the work of the Council.

Purpose:Scholarship reviewers help shape the next generation of Health Information professionals by reviewing and scoring AHIMA Foundation scholarship applications. The Scholarship Program aims to empower students by offering scholarships annually to student members currently pursuing an associate, undergraduate, masters or doctoral degrees in Health Information Management or Health Informatics. 

Time Requirement: June - July 2024, approximately 6 hours total

Qualifications: 

• Commitment to help advance the careers of Health Information professionals.
• All members must be AHIMA professional members during their terms of office. 
• Must have either classroom or online teaching experience or HI practice experience.
• RHIA or RHIT credential preferred.
• Understanding of consumer issues and trends in healthcare that pushes the development of digital health literacy and health information access. 
• Active listener, critical thinker, and ability to relate well with others.
• Demonstrates leadership and communication skills. 

Accountability & Support:

• Respond to communications in a timely manner. 
• Establish a level of involvement and attend the kickoff meeting/conference call.
• Review and rank applications based on multiple criteria, ex. essay questions, high level of achievements and academic success, etc. 
• Scores must be evaluated solely on data presented in the application rather than the names or institution.
• Prepare to participate in survey email to enhance program for next year.

Purpose: To honor and recognize the excellence, dedication and service of those professionals or groups whose steadfast efforts have enriched the HI profession by selecting and acknowledging these individuals, organizations, Component Associations, or groups for award recognition. 

Time Requirement: Two-year term (January – December)

Deliverables

• Review eligibility and nominations for awards and select recipients for the Triumph and Grace Awards.
• Promote the opportunity for recognition. 
• Increase the number of nominations from previous year.
• Support recognition efforts through digital media, events, and ahima.org.

Member Composition/Terms, Roles, and Responsibilities

• The Committee is composed of 8-10 AHIMA professional members who serve a staggered two-year term. The Chair will also serve for a two-year term.
• A staff liaison provides staff support to the Committee.
• The committee meets as needed to discuss applications, perform the application review, support marketing campaigns, and support digital or in-person recognition efforts.
• The committee completes work through online community module, conference calls and email.
• The Chair and Co-chair work with the staff liaison to develop committee agendas and to assure deliverables are being accomplished.
• Chair or designee may be invited to promote opportunities for awards and recognition and/or award recipients through existing marketing channels.

Purpose: The purpose of this council is to: 

• Facilitate good communication, collaboration, and cooperation among AHIMA Component Associations
• Support Component Association leadership as a resources and liaison to AHIMA better enabling CAs to meet their objective of delivering core member services at the local level
• Partners in the development and delivery of AHIMA strategies impacting Component Association operations 

Time Requirement: 12 months, July 2023 – June 2024

Composition/Terms:

• Central office staff/executive director (Paid Staff) – CA over 1,500 members
• Central office staff/executive director (Paid Staff) – CA under 1,500 members
• Central office staff/executive director (Paid Staff) – CA under 500 members
• Past President (Volunteer) – CA over 1,500 members
• Past President (Volunteer) – CA under 1,500 members
• Past President (Volunteer) – CA under 500 members
• Current volunteer –CA over 1,500 members
• Current volunteer – CA under 1,500 members
• Current volunteer – CA under 500 members
• All members must be AHIMA professional members during their terms of office. 
• The council will be led by two co-chairs and those individuals and council members will serve one-year terms.

Purpose: Construct superior professional development offerings that are market-driven, align with AHIMA strategic initiatives, utilize evolving technology to enhance audience engagement and learning, allowing for this event to launch successful, professional, and lifelong learning journeys.

Time Requirement: 12 months, October 2023 – October 2024

Deliverables:

• Provide input on strategic educational sessions for the annual conference and informed by best practices across healthcare settings.
• Provide input on best practice, interactive session ideas on impactful and emerging topics that address the future needs of HI professionals.
• Promote event and learning journeys to potential attendees. 
• Assist AHIMA in identifying and recruiting healthcare executives, innovators, thought leaders, and key HI professionals/stakeholders to the conference whose alignment is consistent with the current AHIMA strategy.

Member Composition/Terms, Roles, and Responsibilities

• The Committee is composed of 3 chairs (Current, Vice [Incoming] and Past). The vice chair is appointed by the AHIMA President/Chair-elect to serve in the upcoming year and then will move directly into the Chair role.
• All members must be AHIMA professional members during their terms of office. 
• Volunteers are appointed by the AHIMA President to serve a staggered three-year term on the Committee. There are approximately 14 members and may reside in the host city or state.
• Participate in program committee deliberations via conference calls, email, or AHIMA-based communication methods. 
• Participate in the abstract grading/selection process as well as duties related to the speaker management process.
• Serve as “Program Committee Liaison” (defined in the Program Committee Policy and Procedure).
• The Meetings Director and Education Content Manager serve as staff liaisons providing support and coordinating efforts of AHIMA staff to support committee efforts.
• Provide conference assistance.
• Committee members are chosen based on their experience, expertise, and past contributions. This committee will include a diverse representation of the HI practitioner community.
• Committee members are expected to participate in Subcommittees to be defined.

Purpose: The AHIMA Council for Excellence in Education™ (CEE) serves a three-fold purpose.

1. ​The CEE sets the strategy for the academic community and serves as the liaison with the AHIMA Board, AHIMA Foundation Board, and AHIMA affiliates.  ​
2. It serves as a coordinating and guiding body for the workgroups.  ​
3. The CEE is responsible for reviewing, developing and approving curricula for health information at all educational levels based on the feedback received from the workforce, industry, and AHIMA membership. ​

Member Composition/Terms, Roles, and Responsibilities

• Twelve council members with equal representation of practitioners and academic faculty; and one public member*
• Council members should represent the diversity of the profession:
• Practitioners from a variety of work settings: hospital, outpatient, HIT vendor, insurance, long-term care, etc.
• Variety of academic backgrounds (associate, bachelors, masters, PhD)
• Members are elected or appointed for a three-year term
• Meetings may be held via conference call or in person as needed

*Council members may be appointed to ensure appropriate diversity among the group in support of the stated goals. 

Purpose: Build the strategy around fostering relationships with academic institutions and educational programs.

Deliverables:

• TBD

Member Composition/Terms, Roles, and Responsibilities

• Members are appointed for a 2-year term
• Number of members may vary from year to year
• Workgroup meets via conference call as needed
• Members utilize SharePoint to collaborate on files

Qualifications

• Member of AHIMA who demonstrates AHIMA Core Competencies for Volunteers
• Ability to work with diverse groups and ideas in a constructive way, respects diversity, and fosters inclusion
• Possesses openness, transparency, honesty, is optimistic yet realistic

Purpose: Provide the strategic vision to revise the AHIMA Council for Excellence in Education™ 2018 Health Information Management Curricula Competencies© for all educational levels. 

Deliverables:

• TBD 

*May be responsible for the facilitation of task groups if/when required.

Member Composition/Terms, Roles, and Responsibilities

• Members are appointed for a 2-year term
• Number of members may vary from year to year
• Workgroup meets via conference call as needed
• Members utilize SharePoint to collaborate on files

Qualifications

• Member of AHIMA who demonstrates AHIMA Core Competencies for Volunteers
• Ability to work with diverse groups and ideas in a constructive way, respects diversity, and fosters inclusion
• Possesses openness, transparency, honesty, is optimistic yet realistic

Purpose: Advise AHIMA on faculty and professional development programs by engaging professional and academic communities regarding their current and future needs.

Deliverables:

• Seek feedback from educators, researchers, and other stakeholders about where they see the future of health information professional education as well as their needs to get there.
• TBD

*May be responsible for the facilitation of task groups if/when required.

Member Composition/Terms, Roles, and Responsibilities

• Members are appointed for a 2-year term
• Number of members may vary from year to year
• Workgroup meets via conference call as needed
• Members utilize SharePoint to collaborate on files

Qualifications

• Member of AHIMA who demonstrates AHIMA Core Competencies for Volunteers
• Ability to work with diverse groups and ideas in a constructive way, respects diversity, and fosters inclusion
• Possesses openness, transparency, honesty, is optimistic yet realistic

Purpose: Advise AHIMA on research initiatives by engaging professional and academic communities regarding their current and future needs.

Deliverables:

• Evaluate what health, healthcare information, and health data research gaps exist across scholarly publications and if they warrant a new or different approach than Perspectives in Health Information Management
• TBD

Member Composition/Terms, Roles, and Responsibilities

• Members are appointed for a 2-year term
• Number of members may vary from year to year
• Workgroup meets via conference call as needed
• Members utilize SharePoint to collaborate on files

Qualifications

• Member of AHIMA who demonstrates AHIMA Core Competencies for Volunteers
• Ability to work with diverse groups and ideas in a constructive way, respects diversity, and fosters inclusion
• Possesses openness, transparency, honesty, is optimistic yet realistic

Purpose: Community facilitators are the key in making each digital community successful. Facilitators serve as community champions, seed the communities with fresh content, and support the overall needs of the community and its members. 

Time Requirement: 12 months, January – December 2024

Qualifications:

• Member of AHIMA who demonstrates AHIMA Core Competencies for Volunteers.
• Familiar with AHIMA Access and myDHC platform(s) and/or willingness to learn how to navigate and administer the basic functions. 
• Active listener, critical thinker, and ability to relate well with members. 
• Strives to generate interest and excitement in the community.
• Interested in advancing the health information profession and AHIMA.
• Technology qualifications: regular and reliable online access.

Responsibilities:

• Seek or respond to the community with content to initiate or continue a thoughtful and dynamic dialogue on average 1-3 times per week. 
• Familiarity with the AHIMA Access community definition and purpose. 
• Adherence to AHIMA Access Code of Conduct and Access End User License Agreement.
• 2-3 Facilitators per community

Accountability and Support:

• Community facilitators are eligible for five (5) CEUs for one-year service, per community, each year of the recertification two-year cycle.
• The term commitment, at a minimum, shall be 1 year. If a community facilitator is unable to fulfill the role, then it is expected for the individual to recruit a replacement in advance and notify AHIMA staff to assist with proper continuity. 
• In the event the facilitator will be offline for a long period of time or need back-up assistance to monitor the community, notify the community’s co-facilitators (if applicable) or AHIMA. 
• Community facilitators are required to become a member of the Access Facilitators Community. The community houses all resources and discussion forums related to community management.
• New community facilitators shall participate in a training session with AHIMA staff. 

Purpose: Advise AHIMA on strategic membership recruitment and value opportunities for emerging professionals (under N years of work experience), current students, and new graduates.  

Time Requirement: 12 months, January – December 2024

Deliverables:

• Provide input on what attracts (or would attract) today’s emerging professionals to join a professional membership association. 
• Provide input on opportunities and services that are meaningful (and not meaningful) to this group.
• Assist AHIMA in identifying opportunities for students to engage in information sharing, networking, and career development offered by AHIMA.
• Participate and support an emerging professionals-focused community in AHIMA digital communities. 

Member Composition/Terms, Roles, and Responsibilities

• The Committee is composed of 10-12 members who serve can serve up to two years (two one-year terms).
• All members must be AHIMA professional members during their terms of office.
• A member of the Membership Department will serve as the staff liaison to provide staff support to the Committee.
• Approximately 4-6 conference calls per year to conduct business. 
• The committee completes work through online community module, conference calls and email.
• The Chair works with the staff liaison to develop the meeting agendas and summaries, and to ensure deliverables are being accomplished.
• This committee will include a diverse representation of the HI professional community.

Purpose: Recognize significant and sustained contribution to advance the profession through meritorious service, excellence in professional practice, and through innovation and knowledge sharing.  Secure the application and scoring for candidacy and Fellow status. 

Time Requirement: 24 months, January - December

Deliverables

• Review and score the Fellow applications and award Fellowship status.
• Develop opportunities where Fellows can share their expertise.
• Increase visibility of the Fellows and Fellowship program.
• Oversee the Fellowship application process.

Member Composition/Terms, Roles, and Responsibilities

• The Committee is composed of at least six members who hold the FAHIMA designation who serve a two-year term (with the ability to be invited to serve one additional year after the two-year term ends).
• All members must be AHIMA professional members during their terms of office. 
• A staff liaison provides staff support to the Committee.
• The committee meets quarterly by teleconference for application review and as needed for other business.
• The committee completes work through an online Community module.
• The Chair works with the staff liaison to develop the agendas and summaries and to ensure deliverables are being accomplished.
  
  

Purpose: Serve as a subject matter expert to create and modify new items for availability on future AHIMA certification exams. Will be coding items for blueprint accuracy (Domain & Task) as well as cognitive complexity of item. Reviewers will analyze and modify items based on content expertise to find potential flaws and ways to improve items. Must need to appropriately assign a reference to items as well as check references for accuracy.

Time Requirement:

• Item Writing 101 (1 Hour), Advanced Item Writing session (1 Hour) & Exam Developer session (1 Hour)
• 2 to 5 hours of item writing or item reviewing per month.

Qualifications:

• Hold AHIMA certification – Please specify which exam(s) you would be willing to write and review items for in the “What makes you a good candidate for this volunteer group?” section of the volunteer form.
• Previous experience writing or reviewing items encouraged but not necessary.
• Regular and reliable online access
• AHIMA membership is not required for this role. 

Accountability and Support:

• Must be able to sign a confidentiality and conflict of interest agreement.
• The AHIMA certification team will provide support in training and troubleshooting of issues accessing and writing items.
• Participation in AHIMA certification exam development activities will earn 1 CEU for every hour of participation.

Purpose: The Journal of AHIMA is the official publication of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). It delivers best practices in health information management and keeps readers current on emerging issues that affect the accuracy, timeliness, privacy, and security of patient health information.

The Journal of AHIMA Editorial Advisory Council is tasked with advising on the direction of the Journal’s content and overall themes. The council’s goals are in line with the AHIMA mission, which includes: 

• Ensuring the quality and integrity of health information that supports accurate and timely decisions about patients’ health and healthcare.
• Empowering patients and their caregivers the ability to access and share health information with the confidence that it is private and secure no matter where that information lives.
• Identifying and supporting efforts to address underlying causes in healthcare that keep patients from being at the center of care.

Time Requirement: 12 months, January – December 2024, meetings monthly, as needed.

Qualifications:

• Maintain current AHIMA membership.
• Attend at least 75 percent of meetings. Notify the Journal editor whenever there is a scheduling conflict.
• Review all materials prior to each meeting. Notify the Journal editor of issues/questions.
• Brainstorm themes, story ideas, and writers for upcoming issues.
• Provide feedback about submitted articles as directed by the Journal editor. 
• Immediately inform the Journal editor, staff liaison, and chair if personal or professional circumstances change to the extent that they cause disruption in the ability to perform the above-listed responsibilities.

Deliverables:

• Develop content ideas and identify subject matter experts who could serve as authors.
• Contribute to the direction and growth of AHIMA editorial presence.
• Serve as an advocate and moderator of the Journal’s content.
• Ensure the relevancy and applicability of the content remain a top priority.
• Monitor trending discussions and topics on related Access Communities.

Member Composition/Terms, Roles, and Responsibilities

• Council members serve renewable, one-year terms. All council members, including the chair, can serve no more than three consecutive terms. After at least one year hiatus, previous council members can rejoin for renewable, one-year terms again not to exceed three consecutive terms.

The Journal of AHIMA Editorial Advisory Council includes a chair, up to three AHIMA subject matter experts, up to 12 AHIMA members, one AHIMA staff liaison, and one Journal editor. Council members should represent a cross-section of AHIMA membership and job types. All volunteers must be AHIMA members in good standing at least 12 months prior to the start of term.

Purpose: The purpose of the Knowledge and Practice Advisory Council is to create interdisciplinary communities of practice that will drive best practice in the healthcare industry. The Council will:   

• define a small set of interdisciplinary communities of practice (CoP) that align with the AHIMA Advocacy Agenda 
• define the problem(s) AHIMA is trying to solve for each community of practice 
• identify the key aspects of the problem(s) that AHIMA can address effectively, and  
• identify what stakeholders need to be involved in order to solve the problem(s). 

It is intended that each CoP will be interdisciplinary, considering all sites of care and payment methodologies and will draw from the broader healthcare industry. 

Time Requirement: 12 months, January – December 2024 (quarterly virtual meetings)  

Roles and Responsibilities, Member Composition/Terms  

• Become familiar with the annual AHIMA Policy agenda and the concept of Communities of Practice 
• Be willing to utilize their professional and industry network to identify stakeholders for each C0P. 
• Provide real-world expertise and input to identify and create Communities of Practice. 
• Work with AHIMA staff and other stakeholders to understand relevancy and promote guidance on emerging topics or relevant practice solutions in areas of subject matter expertise. 
• Serve as an ambassador for AHIMA professional practice guidance. 
• The Knowledge and Practice Advisory Council is composed of up to 15 members to serve a one-year term, inclusive of a designated chair and vice chair.  The Knowledge and Practice Advisory Council’s membership structure may change due to need. 
• The AHIMA Knowledge and Practice team provides staff liaison support and oversight to the Council and Communities of Practice.   
• The Knowledge and Practice Advisory Council meets on a quarterly basis and at additional times as needed by teleconference and completes work using technology platforms provided by AHIMA, which may include Microsoft Teams audio/videoconferences and email. Regular attendance is required; members will inform staff in advance if unable to attend. 

The Council Chair and Vice Chair will serve a one-year term and assist AHIMA’s Knowledge and Practice team in setting agendas, facilitating the work of the Knowledge and Practice Advisory Council, and providing direction for the Communities of Practice.   

Background: Clinical documentation is at the foundation of each patient’s encounter; its precision is vital to the accurate representation of the care provided to the patient. For documentation to be of high quality, it should meet the following characteristics of being clear, consistent, complete, precise, timely, reliable, and legible. This information impacts appropriate reimbursement, accurate quality scores, positive patient outcomes, and reliable research.  

Clinical foundations include an accurate representation of clinical evidence and treatment plans. It is vital that the information within the health record represents an accurate clinical picture of the patient. When clinical documentation is of high-quality, that is not in conflict with the clinical evidence, the patient’s disease burden and services provided are accurately reflected. 

Purpose: Monitor and provide AHIMA with expertise related to clinical documentation integrity (CDI) and clinical foundations. This community will serve as subject matter experts and participate in evaluating and recommending AHIMA domain-specific educational resources. 

Time Requirement: 11 months, February – November 2024 

Subject Matter Expertise: 

• Clinical documentation integrity (CDI)
• Coding classification systems
• Revenue cycle
• Quality measures
• Denials management
• Clinical evidence
• Disease treatment and management
• Research strategies 

Supports HIIM Domain: Clinical Documentation Integrity and Clinical Foundations  

Deliverables: 

• Identify opportunities, obstacles, and learning needs for HI professionals to build and lead CDI programs, to facilitate the accurate representation of a patient’s clinical status that translates into coded data. 
• Provide recommendations on best practice for coded data to be translated into quality reporting, physician report cards, reimbursement, public health data, research, and disease tracking and trending. Provide input on education and innovation in this area. 
• Identify resources needed for HI professionals to excel in CDI. Specifically, in documentation requirements, code assignment, coding guidelines, denials management, and quality reporting. Resources could include toolkits, practice briefs and/or journal articles. 
• Provide subject matter expertise and insight as needed on federal legislation, regulatory comments, CDI initiatives, denials management, quality measures, and public policy positions that impact health information professionals. 
• Participate in authoring AHIMA CDI publications (e.g., articles, practice briefs, toolkits) as needed. 

Member Composition/Terms, Roles, and Responsibilities: 

• Comprising up to fifteen members who may serve a staggered three-year term. 
• All members must be AHIMA professional members during their terms of office. 
• The Council Chair and Co-Chair assists AHIMA staff liaison to assure deliverables are being accomplished. 
• An AHIMA Subject Matter Expert will facilitate the Council. 
• All activity will be completed by online community modules, conference calls, and emails on an as-needed basis. 
• Meeting Schedule: 

CDI Community of Practice will have 30-minute touch base meetings monthly from February to November (October meeting will be replaced by a at AHIMA24 Conference).

Purpose: Advise AHIMA membership team on value drivers to attract healthcare executives, innovators, thought leaders, payers, and a broader group of HI professionals/stakeholders.

Time Requirement: 12 months, January – December 2024

Deliverables:

• Provide input on membership growth and retention strategies for this identified set of stakeholders. 
• Identify need(s) for different member benefits. 
• Utilize AHIMA’s market research regarding member needs to identify new, valued-added member benefits and engagement opportunities. 

 Composition/Terms, Roles, and Responsibilities

• The Committee is composed of 8-12 professionals who serve can serve for a one-year term (with option to renew).
• 3 must be AHIMA credential holders, the rest to come from the stakeholder groups identified in the Purpose statement. 
• A member of the Membership Department will serve as the Chair and organize agendas.
• Approximately 4 conference calls per year to conduct business. 
• The committee completes work through conference calls and email.

Purpose: The PCAP Council makes decisions on applications of institutions who have applied for approval of their coding certificate program.  

Member Composition/Terms, Roles, and Responsibilities 

• The PCAP Council is composed of coding subject matter experts holding qualifying credentials who have previously served as a PCAP Reviewer.

Purpose: The PCAP Review Team is composed of individuals who review submitted PCAP applications/self-study documentation and make recommendations to the PCAP Council regarding program approval. The PCAP Council is composed of coding subject matter experts holding qualifying credentials who have previously served as a PCAP Reviewer.

Time Requirement: 24 months, January 2024 – December 2025

Deliverables: 

• Review program applications 
• Provide input on self-study documentation. 
• Make approval recommendations to the PCAP Council 

Member Composition/Terms, Roles, and Responsibilities 

• Reviewers must have advanced coding skills (credentialed as an RHIT, RHIA or hold the CCS or CCS-P certification) 
• All members must be AHIMA professional members during their terms of office. 
• Reviewers must have experience with teaching coding to others – either in an educational setting or as a corporate or hospital trainer 
• Reviewers are appointed for a two-year term, with multiple consecutive appointments allowable. 
• The general goal is that Reviewers review no more than 2-4 applications per year.