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Tuesday, June 28, 2011

"Alameda Services Receives National Healthcare Association (NHA) Approval; Prepares Students for Certified Electronic Health Record Specialists (CEHRS) Exam"

AlamedaServices Receives National Healthcareer Association (NHA) Approval; Prepares Students for Certified Electronic Health Record Specialists (CEHRS) Exam

New York City-based Healthcare IT Consulting and Training Organization Becomes Training Affiliate for Industry Standard Healthcare Record Keeping Specialist Certification
New York, NY – June 28, 2011 – Alameda Services, a Health Information Technology (HIT) consulting and training organization specializing in workforce development, has been recognized as a training affiliate for the CEHRS Exam, administered by the National Healthcare Association (NHA). As an affiliate, Alameda Services is able to prepare students for the rigorous national certification as part of its program. Students and healthcare providers often report a higher level of recruitment, retention and placement among those who obtain the electronic health record (EHR) certification. More information about Alameda Services is available at http://www.alamedaservices.com.
“Our company is committed to producing well-trained, well-educated and technically-savvy professionals,” says Lena Feygin, Dip LC, executive vice president and director of business development for Alameda Services. “We are delighted that our program has been approved by NHA. Our powerful workforce development strategies provide students with the knowledge, abilities and skills they need to succeed in a wide variety of healthcare settings.”
NHA, established in 1989, grants approval to a select group of organizations that demonstrate compliance with the highest industry standards and provide an optimum learning experience for students.
In an effort to enhance the provision of healthcare and promote patient safety, NHA set forth specific guidelines for testing the competency level of potential EHR specialists. NHA certification is a nationally-acclaimed credential that allows healthcare professionals to be recognized for their proficiencies.
“Many private practices, hospitals and allied organizations require national certification as a competency standard,” adds Feygin. “Even though our EHR training program is not centered around the certification, it qualifies Alameda graduates for the exam and reflects the value they derive in the classroom.  The length of our program, its quality and impact, are carefully planned. And all the materials incorporated into the curricula, are based on the expertise of the subject matter experts that have participated in the development of EHRs.”
As the healthcare industry continues to evolve, there is an increased demand for well-trained and highly-skilled healthcare professionals. At a time of persistent unemployment, benefits to obtaining a certification may result in increased pay scale, better job opportunities, more career advancement, and job security.
“At Alameda we prepare our students not only to succeed but to excel,” says Feygin. “The length of our program exceeds hours required by NHA. We ensure that our students are well-equipped to navigate the competitive landscape of the healthcare industry and enjoy rewarding careers for years to come.”
About Alameda Services
ALAMEDA Services specializes in workforce development through training and eLearning consulting. The company’s mission is to bridge the gap between the healthcare and technology industries, and to satisfy their growing workforce demands by providing technology and educational expertise. More information is available at http://www.alamedaservices.com
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Friday, June 24, 2011

"ABCs Of EHRs: New Training Choices For Non-Techies"


By Marianne Kolbasuk McGee InformationWeek
June 23, 2011 12:52 PM
Whether you're a chief medical officer (CMO) at a large hospital or a solo practitioner, there are plenty of opportunities popping up for non-techies to learn everything they need to know about health IT.
Since many of these professionals don't need to learn all the nitty-gritty technical details about electronic health records (EHRs) to understand how the systems will impact their organizations, some training and professional organizations are now focusing their attention on the fundamentals.

Most non-technical clinical leaders, administrators, and practice managers aren't responsible for rolling out or supporting the systems, but need to understand why they're being implemented. That includes learning about the challenges to expect--disruptive workflow changes, for example--when their organizations roll out EHRs, as well as the benefits of successful implementations, such as the ability to detect a wrong prescription for an allergic patient before it's written.
This kind of education not only helps doctors, CMOs, medical affairs leaders, and others from the clinical and business side of healthcare operations--it also makes life easier for CIOs and other IT executives who ultimately will be held accountable for the success and support of these rollouts. Something as seemingly simple as having everyone able to understand the same basic lingo helps communication between healthcare techies and non-techies. (Does your department manager think HIPAA andHITECH are the same thing?)

Of course, many major EHR vendors and third-party consulting firms provide such training to end users. But don't overlook regional extension centers, community colleges, and universities. Many have received government grants to develop programs to educate the health IT workforce who is actually responsible for the rollout of the systems.
But in the meantime, there are a few new programs that target the overlooked non-techie healthcare professional. Those programs include a new 40-hour online course from the American College of Physician Executives. ACPE's new program is aimed at clinical and administrative honchos--including CMOs, VPs of medical affairs, and committee leaders--within health systems, hospitals, and other healthcare organizations. The course provides the basics for these leaders to understand the language, technology, processes, and challenges posed by EHRs and other health IT as they're being implemented in their organizations.
Among the topics covered by the ACPE program is the relationship between clinical and IT leaders, through a course called "the CMO-CIO Partnership."
Meanwhile, to address the health IT learning needs of smaller physician practices, training company Alameda Services this summer will begin offering online courses that will also provide the basics of EHRs, meaningful use, and compliance issues including HIPAA, for busy doctors, practice managers, and staff.
The new online courses coming from Alameda for those non-techies working in doctor practices are in addition to the more intensive EHR classroom curriculum and hands-on training for budding health IT professionals also offered by Alameda. The company has partnerships with NYC Reach, a regional extension center in New York City, as well as LaGuardia Community College and the Met Council on Jewish Poverty.
"Our more segmented e-learning coming in mid-August will give shorter, self-paced training on meaningful use, EHRs, and other topics that medical billers, practice managers, and physicians need to know about," said Alameda VP Lena Feygin, in an interview. "When an industry like health IT is so new to so many, any support you can offer to the different levels and positions of people helps."
And with the new educational opportunities being offered, anyone who needs to learn the ABCs of EHRs, should be able to find what they're looking for.
The Healthcare IT Leadership Forum is a day-long venue where senior IT leaders in healthcare come together to discuss how they're using technology to improve clinical care. It happens in New York City on July 12. Find out more.