"FierceEMR - Five factors to look for in a certified EHR specialist - FierceEMR"

July 7, 2011 — 10:13am ET | By Janice Simmons

As the demand to certified electronic health record specialists (CEHRS) continues to escalate, healthcare organizations will have to take additional steps to ensure that potential candidates are right for the job. For starters, try quizzing them on a few common acronyms: HIPAA, HITECH, PQRI, MU. If they don't know what these jumbles of letters stand for, they may not be right for the job. 

EHR employment readiness requires training and knowledge of the healthcare industry and health information technology, Lena Feygin, executive vice president of New York City-based Alameda Services, told Healthcare IT News.

"We often see one or the other, but it isn't sufficient, said Feygin, who is also director of business development for Alameda, a consulting and training organization that specializes in workforce development and EHR training.

During the next decade, job growth for medical records and health information technicians is expected to grow more than 20 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. To help address that demand, Alameda created a five-point EHR checklist to assess individuals' EHR workforce readiness:

1. They 'get' healthcare and have EHR expertise. Candidates for EHR training and CEHRS certification should have prior experience in either healthcare administration or information technology.

2. They studied with a curriculum approved by the National Healthcare Association (NHA), the governing body that provides CEHRS certification.

3. They obtained more hours of EHR training than the industry baseline. While the NHA requires 60 hours of training, Alameda Services suggests that additional training is needed so EHR students can spend hands-on time with more than one EHR system--making them more versatile with multiple products.

4. They're fluent in the language and acronyms of healthcare records compliance. This includes many commonly used terms such as HIPAA, HITECH, PQRI and Meaningful Use criteria.

5. They've learned multiple EHRs. Healthcare EHR staffers who have hands-on experience with more than one EHR are able to provide guidance to their healthcare practices about which one might be the best fit.

For more information:
- read the Healthcare IT News article 
- view the Alameda Services announcement

Appeared in FierceEMR

"Healthcare IT News - Five criteria for choosing a certified EHR specialist"

By: Molly Merrill, Associate Editor, Originally Published in Healthcare IT News

NEW YORK – As the need for certified electronic health record specialists (CEHRS) grows, it is important that healthcare organizations are able to recognize whether potential candidates are EHR-ready, says one consultant.

The CEHRS job is to create, maintain and secure patient records, said Lena Feygin, executive VP of Alameda Services, a New York City-based HIT organization specializing in workforce development and intense EHR training.

Alameda has developed a curriculum for training EHR specialists in two years. She said it focuses on four major areas: the technology segment, the workflow and business processes, compliance with regulations like HIPAA and ARRA and a hands-on component that requires working with the software in a clinical environment.

Feygin says that their program often exceeds the requirements of the National Healthcare Association (NHA), the governing body for the CEHRS certification, and has been successfully piloted at La Guardia Community College and the Met Council on Jewish Poverty.

“We believe that EHR employment readiness requires training and knowledge of both the healthcare industry and the information technology that the industry uses. We often see one or the other, but it isn’t sufficient,” said Feygin, who is also director of business development for Alameda Services.

The training organization has developed a five- point checklist to help prospective workforce development organizations, students and healthcare providers assess the readiness of an EHR candidate for certification and employment.

EHR Employment Readiness Checklist:

1. Get healthcare and EHR expertise. Candidates for EHR training and CEHRS certification should have prior experience in either healthcare administration or information technology. Someone who has worked in a healthcare practice as a front desk clerk, billing person, or office manager might require a skills upgrade that will not only enable them to maintain their existing job, but gain a new job and add to their earning power. Someone with IT experience who understands hardware and software infrastructure will require clinical- and healthcare-specific software training that will allow for a wider spectrum of job opportunities. Training for the CEHRS exam requires that students understand both healthcare practice operations as well as medical record-keeping information. “It’s not enough to understand how a healthcare practice operates or how some software works; EHR specialists must understand both in order to be effective,” says Feygin.
2. Study with an NHA-approved curriculum. Ensure that the training program is approved by the NHA. “Training organizations that provide approved national certification, such as CEHRS, as part of their programs report better retention, and placement,” says Feygin. “In addition, approved certification fosters the adoption of standards and an understanding of basic topics required for better job opportunities.”
3. Obtain more hours of EHR training than the baseline. While the NHA only requires 60 hours of training, Alameda Services suggests that significant additional training is necessary so EHR students can spend hands-on time with more than one EHR system, making them more versatile with multiple products. This increased training can also enable them to actively participate, where applicable, in the selection of an EHR that is most fitting for a given healthcare practice. “We provided students in our EHR training programs for La Guardia Community College and the Met Council on Jewish Poverty with more than five times the required baseline – over 300 hours of training,” says Feygin. “The NHA certification sets the criteria and baseline for the industry. But we feel it is important to understand that achieving the baseline alone is not enough for success in the field.”
4. Become fluent in healthcare records compliance. There is an entire alphabet-soup of healthcare records compliance requirements that healthcare records specialists must be fluent in: HIPAA, ARRA, HITECH, PQRI and Meaningful Use criteria. “We recognize that this can almost seem like speaking a second or third language,” says Feygin. “But healthcare providers must adjust to the new rules and demonstrate compliance. EHR specialists must be capable of preparing practices for these changes in the field.”  In August she says the company is launching an eLearning program geared to those in the workforce that will aim at getting them up to speed on compliance issues.
5. Learn multiple EHRs. While there are many competing EHR software packages, there are a great number of similarities. Becoming trained in multiple EHR programs makes students more employable, according to Feygin. “Healthcare EHR staffers who have hands-on experience with more than one EHR are able to provide guidance to their healthcare practices about which one might be the best fit. They can also quickly adapt to an existing EHR as a new employee.” She says the company provides a “vendor agnostic program”, which can be plugged into any program.  Currently they work with EHR vendors Practice Fusion and EHealth Made Easy.

Also Appeared in EHR Watch

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

A proliferation of health IT training courses means anyone from a hospital chief medical officer to a solo practitioner's nurse now has more ways to learn the basics.

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.

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee is a senior writer for InformationWeek.

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.

Original Article at InformationWeek

5/13/11 "NYC Primary Care Information Project Bulletin - ALAMEDA Services: Partners in HIT Workforce Development"

See me (our training program) on TV, NY1 today June 25th at 7pm. NY1 shot footage of our EHR Training program and will show it as part of Inside City Hall programming. Looking forward to it!

See me (our training program) on TV, NY1 today June 25th at 7pm. NY1 shot futtage of our EHR Training program and will show it as part of Inside City Hall programming. Looking forward to it!