WVHIMA 2023 Annual Convention — Post-Convention Membership Update
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
The WVHIMA 2023 Annual Convention was held Wednesday, March 29th through Friday, March 31st, 2023, at The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulfur Springs, WV. As President of WVHIMA, Nelson R Liston II, RHIT hosted 89 attendees, including 14 vendor partners and 13 speakers. WVHIMAs’ vendor partners attended from six states, and the members attended from 9 states. This was our first in-person convention since the start of the worldwide pandemic. And for that reason, the theme for the annual convention was “HIM Reunion”, and what a reunion of colleagues, friends, and family it was. Please allow me to take this opportunity to summarize the convention for those of you that were unable to attend.
Our keynote speaker was Dr. Michael K. Ritchie, MD. Dr. Ritchie is an Associate Professor and Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiologist at WVU Children’s Hospital in Morgantown, WV. He was so generous to take time out of his busy clinical schedule to present “A Physician’s View of the EHR”. His focus was specifically around Epic and how physicians interact with the Epic EHR and their patients. His keynote presentation on the last day of the conference was a “perfect ending to a perfect conference” said Ashley Simmons, MBA, RHIA, CCS, CDIP Assistant Professor, School of Medicine, and Health Informatics/Information Management.
During our post-convention Board of Directors meeting, Tanna Lambert, RHIA, CCS Enterprise PB Coding Manager said, “From my perspective, the top three speakers were”:
- Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!, HIM in a Post COVID/AI Trending World presented by Rebecca Harmon, MPM, RHIA, CCA
- Do You Hear What I Hear: How Generation Shapes Listening and Role This Plays in Healthcare Communication presented by Dr. Joni M. Gray, Ed. D.
- Harnessing the Power of Data Analytics presented by Angela Knight RHIT, CHCAF, CHTS_IM
Angela Knight is the Senior Director, Audit at Savista, is a WVHIMA past President and has been a friend and colleague for 20+ years. WVHIMA was delighted to have her attend from Punta Gorda, FL, and represent Savista by presenting to our members. Thank you, Angela, for everything you did for the WVHIMA 2023 Annual Convention. Everyone absolutely loved your presentation!
Victoria Lincoln also shared this feedback from our post-convention Board of Directors meeting. “As a first-year attendee of the WVHIMA state convention, I found a lot of the presentations to be interesting and informative. Personally, three presentations stood out to me”:
- Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!, HIM in a Post COVID/AI Trending World presented by Rebecca Harmon, MPM, RHIA, CCA – “Her presentation gave a fresh perspective about what HIM and healthcare, in general, can look forward to seeing in the coming years. She spoke about looking forward to the future and the changes that can occur instead of dreading what might happen next”.
- Single Path Coding, Successes and Surprises by Kimberly Raines, RHIT, CPC, CPC-I and Melissa Brisell, RHIA, CCS – “I thought that their knowledge in a field that hasn’t been widely explored was enlightening. They shared not only the good parts of their experience with single path coding but also the opportunities where their program can continue to improve and evolve”.
- Automate Release of Information (ROI), Drive Outcomes, Increase Efficiencies, and Scale for the Future by Brad Hawkins – “His presentation was lighthearted and fun while also managing to provide the audience with the possibilities that can arise from streamlining the ROI process utilizing automation”.
Along with the many educational opportunities, the WVHIMA Board of Directors provided fun activities for the members as well. As the conference was hosted at The Greenbrier, Savista (proudly sponsored) a Happy Hour and Bunker Tour on Thursday, March 30th, 2023. Members were able to network and tour the nuclear fallout bunker which remained hidden under The Greenbrier Resort in plain sight for 30 years. While on the tour members of WVHIMA did not disappoint. The members found a way to tie the tour back to healthcare by asking questions regarding the process of maintaining medical records for the congressman and senators the bunker was designed to protect”. What was the answer? The answer was “yes”. Medical records in the bunker were updated every time something in Washington, DC was updated, and often that was daily. How fascinating in a time where medical records were all paper, and little technology existed in healthcare. Thank you Savista for the unique opportunity to network, to learn a piece of US History, and to have a little fun in the process.
A large part of a successful annual convention is our vendor partners. I want to thank all our vendor partners very much! A special thanks to our top sponsors for the 2023 convention:
- Savista
- Kiwi-Tek
- Moxe
- Medovent
Last, and most importantly, a big thank you to the Board of Directors for their tireless work planning the convention, as well as a big thank you to the members who attended. Your ongoing support allows the Board of Directors to maintain their commitment to its members, to AHIMA, and the state of West Virginia.
Please take an opportunity to visit our website at WVHIMA Annual Convention, and don’t forget to follow us on social media for the latest updates on CEU opportunities and the latest WVHIMA news.
Best Regards,
Nelson
President, WVHIMA