Iowa Health Information Management Association - IaHIMA

06/24/2026

Happy Wednesday, Iowa HIM professionals! ☀️

As we keep up with our professional growth, we want to see where everyone stands. How are you doing with your CEU hours for this cycle? Let us know below! 👇

(P.S. Don't forget to check the AHIMA CEU Center to track your official hours!) https://my.ahima.org

🟢 All done! Just waiting for the deadline.
🟡 Getting there! I have about half of my CEUs completed.
🟠 Just starting! Time to find some webinars.
🔵 New graduate! I'm still in my first official cycle.

Comment with the colored circle that best matches your progress!

Welcome to the MyAHIMA Hub, designed to support you in your career, help you manage your membership and credentials, and easily access resources and other important information from AHIMA to support you in your professional journey.

06/23/2026

Tuesday Tip: 📄🏥✔️✍️

Double-Check the Date! Before clicking "send" on any medical record release, make sure to check the date on the patient's signed authorization form.

Check the expiration. Many disclosure authorizations expire after 90 to 180 days.Verify the signature.

Make sure the signature matches the legal paperwork on file.

Confirm the date range. Only release records for the exact dates requested.

Stop the breach. A quick, 10-second check prevents accidental HIPAA violations.

06/22/2026

MEMBER MONDAY: Meet our current President Abbi Telford!

Credentials: RHIT

Current Position:
Work - HIM Supervisor & Medical Staff Coordinator

Board – IaHIMA President-Elect & Executive Board Director 25/26 & President 26/27

Employer/Organization: Humboldt County Memorial Hospital – Critical Access Hospital; UnityPoint Affiliate

Years in HIM: 16 years

Tell us about yourself: I am married to my husband David, we have two sons Larry & Beau, and two dogs Moose & Scout! We live just outside of the small town of Gilmore City where we love to garden during the summer and raise a small flock of chickens.

What inspired you to pursue a career in Health Information Management? I knew that I wanted to be a part of the healthcare spectrum, however nursing really didn’t sound like something I wanted to do. After researching, I found a Medical Coding program in Iowa and thought that it sounded interesting. I graduated from Scott Community College in Bettendorf with my AAS in HIT and then later sat for my RHIT.

What is your favorite part of working in HIM? Every day presents new challenges.

What accomplishment are you most proud of? Joining the IaHIMA board in 2018, starting at the very bottom as Communications Liaison and now having the honor of being President in the upcoming year.

What advice would you give to students or new HIM professionals? Don’t silo yourself to one portion of HIM. Be flexible and learn as much as you can. Our profession is ever changing and being able to bend with those changes will get you far!

Fun Fact or Hobby: I also own a hair salon!

Abbi Telford, RHIT
President 26/27

Let's give Abbi a 👍 or a 😄 in the comments!

06/22/2026

Iowa has a long history of producing outstanding Health Information professionals. Think about the colleagues, educators, mentors, advocates, and emerging leaders who have shaped your career or advanced HI in our state. Whether they've influenced legislation, mentored future professionals, led innovative initiatives, or dedicated years of service to the profession, their contributions deserve recognition through the AHIMA Triumph Awards.

For award details and nominations, visit:
AHIMA Triumph Awards

06/18/2026

We're excited to launch our AHIMA HI-Five Community app, a place for AHIMA members to connect with peers and their local Component Association, engage in discussions on key HI topics, and stay current on the latest from AHIMA, anytime from anywhere. 📱

𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 & 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗜-𝗙𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗔𝗽𝗽 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆
https://hbinfo.ahima.org/hi-five-community

Your community is waiting, and we can't wait to see you on HI-Five!

06/16/2026

HIM TIP TUESDAY: Strong clinical documentation supports quality care, reimbursement accuracy, and patient safety.

What documentation challenge do you see most often?

💊📝👍💻📚💸

06/16/2026

An article in the June MRS newsletter caught my attention: "Denials Are Often the Last Sign Something Is Wrong."

The key takeaway? Denials are often not the root problem—they're a symptom of operational issues that began much earlier in the revenue cycle. As payer requirements grow more complex, organizations are finding greater value in identifying documentation, coding, authorization, and workflow risks before they impact reimbursement, cash flow, and staff workload.

It's a timely reminder that audits, data analysis, and operational intelligence are not just compliance tools—they're essential for strengthening revenue cycle performance and financial health.

📖 Read the full article on MRS website or LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/denials-often-last-sign-something-wrong-mrsnh-uouye

❓ What newsletters, websites, blogs, podcasts, or other resources do you trust to stay informed about HIM, coding, compliance, revenue cycle, privacy, and healthcare industry trends?
Share your favorites in the comments so fellow IaHIMA members can benefit from your recommendations!

For years, many healthcare organizations treated denials as the primary warning sign of revenue cycle disruption. When denial activity increased, teams investigated documentation issues, coding concerns, authorization problems, or payer behavior after reimbursement had already been affected.

06/15/2026

IaHIMA is excited to share AHIMA's June Member Gathering! Be sure to check out the details below and register to join this valuable member event!

June Member Gathering – Meet the Candidates: Join our first ever Meet the Candidates, taking place on June 17 at 12 PM (CT). Join to:

Meet the 2026 AHIMA Election candidates
Get updates from AHIMA leadership
Stay connected to what is going on in the profession

AHIMA events provide professionals and their partners with a forum to network with and learn from other leaders in business, healthcare, and technology.

05/28/2026

Lots of great webinars coming up!

The following webinars are open for registration.

▪️ Ambulance Medical Necessity
📅 7/1/2026
🕐 9:00 – 10:00 am CT (10:00 – 11:00 am ET)
🔗https://wpsic.webex.com/weblink/register/r66b4ab5ca4f720c14173357c1ad36eb5

▪️ Botulinum Toxin LCD Update: What the Return to Draft Means for Prior Authorization
📅 6/30/2026
🕐 1:00 – 2:30 pm CT (2:00 – 3:30 pm ET)
🔗https://wpsic.webex.com/weblink/register/r19051b3f1bd235c1c96f43e65fbb765c

▪️ Determining Non-Covered Services
📅 7/2/2026
🕐 9:00 – 10:00 am CT (10:00 – 11:00 am ET)
🔗https://wpsic.webex.com/weblink/register/rb8b920fc677c6d6da5a6844057d05a2e

▪️ Outpatient Rehabilitative Therapy: Avoid the Most Common Medicare Claim Errors
📅 6/25/2026
🕐 1:00 – 2:00 pm CT (2:00 – 3:00 pm ET)
🔗https://wpsic.webex.com/weblink/register/r677112ba2fa7cb3528cae7ea3b1f7731

▪️ SNF CB: Just the Basics
📅 7/1/2026
🕐 11:00 am – 12:00 pm CT (12:00 – 1:00 pm ET)
🔗https://wpsic.webex.com/weblink/register/r89d3ba8e2248fd11fb09196f84d81a09

▪️ WPS Website: Modifier Fact Sheets
📅 7/2/2026
🕐 11:00 am – 12:00 pm CT (12:00 – 1:00 pm ET)
🔗https://wpsic.webex.com/weblink/register/r621cc1ba4de426e61838a0461b45403d

05/28/2026

Hey IaHIMA Members!

If you haven’t updated your profile with AHIMA lately, now is a great time to do so! Keeping your information current helps ensure you stay informed about important news, upcoming events, educational opportunities, and other updates from both AHIMA and IaHIMA.

Visit AHIMA today to review and update your profile: AHIMA

Stay connected and don’t miss out on everything happening within our professional community! 🤩🎉👏💥😊