the AHLT PRESSV O L U M E I S S U E

During the last few terms, MA Practicum Coordina-tor Dr. Kevin Schuller made the rounds visiting some of the clinic managers that host BSC’s Internship students. It was there that he was hearing about the new “catch word” going around—Meaningful Use—as it applied to the entry of Electronic Health Records (EHR).

Schuller also noted to the AHLT Press that the Nation-al Healthcare Association (NHA) overview (the orga-nization that defers the “Certified Clinical Medical As-sistant” or CCMA credential) of what meaningful use means and how it affects Medical Assistants [http://nhanow.com/meaningfuluse.aspx] was quite telling.

The overview reads: “A specific Meaningful Use objec-tive now allows for credentialed medical assistants to enter medication, laboratory and radiology orders into computerized provider order entry (CPOE) -- a process that was limited to licensed medical professionals prior to this ruling. Providers can now delegate credentialed medical assistants to input orders electronically, thus increasing workflow efficiencies. This transfer of duties can help providers meet..... (Continued Page 7)

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AHLT Clubs fundraise for area charities meet Addy the K-9 officer, who the club campaigned to buy a protective vest Pg. 5-6

In this Issue:

04 01 January 2015

Milestones Milwaukee Market MA students get a bit of encouragement, a look at their job skills, and a key part of their portfolio

Meaningful Use and the Medical Assistant

Why clinic and hospitals more than ever like to see “CMA” after a name when hiring those who can enter Electronic Health Records

Two of our best adult MA students reflect on having a nuturing personality, juggling life and knowing your calling

Marne Bonomo A Word from our Academic Program Director Pg. 2

Your “Progress Note” on all things Allied Health at Bryant & Stratton College - Milwaukee Market

Profile: Veronica Lewis

and Carmen Berry

For this issue, we found that two of our adult MA students had compelling stories and showed measures of volunteerism, mentoring and professionalism. Rather than choose just one, we sat down with both of them as they took a break from run-ning a bake sale fundraiser for the MA Club at Bryant & Strat-ton’s Bayshore campus.

Carmen Berry started off at another school in a Nursing pro-gram. She found that she was forced to take a lot of classes not related to Nursing and switched to Bryant & Stratton to find a more direct route to necessary job skills. Then she ended up losing hearing in her left ear which...(Continued Page 8)

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from your Director for Health Services Administration and Medical Assisting

A WORD

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope you found a minute to enjoy the simple things that make the season special during our busy lives at school, work and at home. Remember to smile, listen, care and respect.

Sometimes it is easy to forget what is really important and to also think of those who are less fortunate during a stressful time of year when it seems that there is never enough time or resources to do what is necessary. Though it may seem like a small thing, that smile or helping hand may be the key to another’s making it through the day.

We have so many new and exciting things going on in our Allied Health programs, and at the end of the year I reflect on the seemingly insurmountable obstacles that could have kept you from your goals. You persist, however, and the successes you achieve make me so proud. Your internship accomplishments are amazing and in this past year in particular our employer hosts have gone out of their way to provide rich experiences for you. Their interest continues to grow as the caliber of our students increases. Health Services grads are making great contributions in their Capstone projects and MA Interns are not just learning but providing real patient support in their clinics.

Employers have started to come directly to our campuses and participate in “mock” (practice) interviews. They have been so impressed that a number of students are called back for a second (real) interview, where they were then hired.

Your internship is your best opportunity for a working interview. Multiple students were hired straight from their sites this semester because managers could not bear to seem them leave. You cannot imagine how proud I feel when employers tell me how impressed they are with your medical skills, the way you handle yourselves, the way you can talk about what you have learned and what it means to you, and how you will use all these skills in your new job.

Our evolving philosophy as a college supports those attributes in tomorrow’s employees. The concept title alone, “EmployableYOU™” is what we are all about, “building successful careers, one student at a time.”

If you are new in one of our diploma and degree programs, you will see increasing opportunities for active learning and practicing workplace capabilities such as problem solving, perseverance and persuasion to name a few. Meanwhile, you learn more about working online or within a network as every good job today requires computer skills for data entry, training and reporting. We want you to be ready to step up.

Just before the winter break, our latest co-hort of Medical Assistants were presented at Pinning Ceremony—a celebration of their accomplishments and an opportunity for their families and friends to honor them and be honored. All those participating also passed national certification exams. That is one of my greatest joys as a program director, to see your families share in your success.

So many of you failed to let seemingly unsurmountable roadblocks of illnesses, surgeries, tragedies, accidents and births, which get in your way and so many of you are paving the way for your children as the first in your families to earn an education. Take a minute and thank yourself for what you have accomplished, thank your teachers for leading the way and thank your families for whatever they have given or given up to support you and help you get where you are today.

All of the best to you in 2015,Dr. Bonomo, PhD, MHA, RN

Congratulations! The following select students were conferred with the Bryant & Stratton College Medical Assisting Pin this December 2014. They are completing the BSC Practicum program--completing the AHLT 252: Advanced MA and AHLT 270: Internship portions--and most have sat and passed the Certified Medical Assisting [CMA - the American Association of Medical Assistants] or Certified Clinical Medical Assistant [CCMA - National Healthcare Association] Exam.

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Zintya Herrejon, CCMA [NHA] Mary James, CCMA [NHA] Kara Karwowski-Guarascio, CMA [AAMA] Haneesia Lampley, CCMA [NHA] Lekisha Lee, CCMA [NHA] Micaela McKinley, CCMA [NHA] Gloria Perez, CCMA [NHA] Kayla Sutton, CCMA [NHA] Melissa Thao, CCMA [NHA] Matthew Zalar, CCMA [NHA] Natalie Velez, CCMA [NHA]

Ashley Anderson, CMA [AAMA] Glenda Anderson CCMA [NHA] Angelina Andrews, CMA [AAMA], CPT [NHA] Carmen Berry, CMA [AAMA] Dawn Brogli, CMA [AAMA], CPT [NHA] Rose Clemente, CCMA [NHA] Donna Dewald, CMA [AAMA] Shanice Dotts-Walker, CCMA [NHA] Jacinto Garrido-Gentine, CMA [AAMA] Brian Haley, CMA [AAMA] Kassy Her, CCMA [NHA]

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Lewis and Berry look back, forward, and live for the “A-HA!” of now

“...my preceptor came up and said “you know what, stop. You know what you are doing, so just do it.”

(continued from page 1)...which distressed her enough that she quit completely. After getting used to the loss, she wanted to use earned credits and found the Medical Assist-ing program at BSC to be the best route. Since then she has excelled and found herself being offered a job through her internship site before she even finished. She pointed out that she had not yet passed the CMA Exam, but they were confident she would. Sure enough, she did.

Veronica Lewis comes from the sovereign country island of St. Lucia (one of the Windward Islands in the eastern Carribean Sea). She moved up to the U.S. in 2007 and has continued doing work in home healthcare (after being a CNA work back home). It was always Veronica’s desire to go back to school but the opportunity was not there. When she moved with her work’s family to Wisconsin, she looked for a place to begin college near the north side of Milwaukee. She found the Bay-shore campus and has quickly become a recognizable figure up there.

Carmen: I grew up in Riverwest. After high school, I decided not to go to col-lege right away. Then I got pregnant with my son, and eventually ended up with five kids total (ranging now from 8 to 25 years old). I was working for corporate America in a good job, but I got tired of people feeling entitled to things…I go an-other job in Home Mortgage and I didn’t even last the year because I was helping people get adjustable rate mortgages to people who really needed it [but when the economy went south] I had to tell them there was nothing I could do and they might lose their homes. I never got used to it, so I enrolled in school.

Veronica: It’s been a good journey for me—challenging yes—but worth it. For me, I love doing the hands-on work. The paperwork? Not so much (laughs). I like interacting with patients, finding out their needs. That’s who I am, and the skills involved in being an MA [correlated to that].

Carmen: After actually seeing the level of patient care and responsibilities the nurses have to do, I actually preferred this level because you got to interact more with the patient and be more hands-on and not be spread all over the place. The MA has responsibilities, too, but not as many as the nurse.

Veronica: It’s challenging to find a balance between [cur-rent] work and school. But you devise ways to make it easi-er for yourself. I multitask a lot, so in the morning I have to get [the children of her employer] ready for school, and get myself ready for my own school. I always have it working in my mind of what I need to do so that I make it to class. I don’t like missing class. So I tell myself: you have to get these things done. Luckily, my employer’s family has been supportive.

Carmen: My kids have been a godsend. Because I have older kids, they really help me out…my older daughter drives my younger daughter to school. My 17-year-old will

cook full meals for everyone, especially on those days I have school. I don’t think I would have been able to do this without them....There was a point where I wasn’t working, and I went to apply for W-2. When I went down to their offices and explained the situation to them, filled out all the paperwork and was finally meeting with the [social] worker, she said ‘well, you are going to have to quit school’. And I was not about to quit, I was too close to finishing. The worker said ‘you have more skills than the majority of the people coming through here and the only way we can help you is if you are working through this [particular] pro-gram.’ I refused to do it, and I denied the health benefits and everything so I could

see this through. I wasn’t going to quit 90 days before graduation.

But now I am working—I did my in-ternship at the Family Health Clinic

[through Columbia St. Mary’s] and the day before I was scheduled to finish the manager told me that they were going to hire me. So I received the offer and as of Nov. 17th I have been a Medical Assistant with them. I knew there were positions available but I had not applied yet—they came to me. I was concerned that I had not sat for the Certified Medical Assistant Exam yet nor had I gradu-ated. They explained that they wanted me to graduate, but they explained that during internship I was doing the job already—so graduating was just [an expectation].

Veronica: When I complete the program, I’m actually in-terested in Physical Therapy. Right now, (Continued page 9)

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Snapshots:Allied Health BSC Students in action, September to December 2014

Former BSC Staff member and Breast Cancer survivor Linnea Harrington came to a meeting of the Down-town Allied Health club to talk about her medical experiences and the importance of breast cancer aware-ness.

Instructor Katherine Moran reports: “the HTHS 400 Disaster class went on a field trip to Columbia-St.Mary’s Hospital to view the Hospital Incident Com-mand Center. We were given a tour of the HICC and the different roles and responsibilities.

Then we were given a scenario and a mock drill. Each person had a role and we did exactly as taught in our class. They each received a job sheet and had to wear a vest in the color of their department with their job listed on the vest. We ran the board to keep track of the beds and where the patients were being boarded.

Lani Ziller was our host from Columbia-St.Mary’s. One of my students is going there for internship (Maureen Schumaker) so they made a connection tonite. This was a great experience since we were able to put everything we learned into practice.”

Addy, the incredibly well-trained K-9 Officer comes to Wauwatosa Campus to visit his benefactorsThe BSC Allied Health Clubs have always found funding success with fre-quent bake sales, sandwich sales, blanket drives and other charitable events

on campus. For one particular fundraiser proposed by the West club this term, there was a bo-nus-- they would get to meet one of those who benefitted and see the results. In this case, it was a Belgian Malinois named Addy from the Wauwatosa Police Department.

Lab Coordinator Dr. Marni Schmidt, who guides that campus Allied Health Club, shared news that Bryant & Stratton would generously agree to match the donation of $321 to Wisconsin Vest-a-Dog, so that organization will receive $642 as a result. This set a new record for the club, but Schmidt is confident they can go further in the coming term. Thanks went out to Wauwatosa Campus Director Greg Brandner in setting up the match, as well as Officer Tim Kastner who brought his partner of four years to the campus to visit.

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Special Snapshot

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(Continued from Page 1) ...Meaningful Use criteria, which, if met, entitle the providers to receive incentive payments for early adoption of Electronic Health Record (EHR) tech-nology.”

Electronic health records (EHR) are defined as an “electronic record of health-related information on an individual that includes patient demographics and clinical health information, such as medical history and problem lists; and has the capacity to provide clinical decision support, to support physi-cian order entry, to capture and query information relevant to health care quality,and to exchange elec-tronic health information with, and integrate such information from other sources.

Simply put, Meaningful Use is a clause and concept handed down by the Centers for Medicare and Med-icaid Services (CMS) which states that workers en-tering electronic health record data and converting records with the idea of continuing application as part of the mandate towards national health care re-form (by both emergency/inpatient and specialized medicine) must use credentialed help deemed by an outside third party organization. In this case, that would mean the AAMA’s CMA credential or the NHA’s CCMA credential. The impetus is for that en-tity to receive financial incentives from the govern-ment by complying.

This CMS ruling happened in late 2012, before much of the jobsite training for EHR started and before the Incentive Program was realized by local health-care organizations. Now, Wisconsin has led the way in complying compared to the other 49 States (Dec. 2014 Politico article: http://www.politico.com/morningehealth/1214/morningehealth16557.html) as well as supplying the software (EPIC Systems).

We now see many healthcare agencies actively look-ing for trained CMAs who can keep up. This means many of them are keeping an eye on Bryant & Strat-ton College students.

“The consequences for not having >75% meaningful users is a reduction in payments for Medicare pa-tients. There is a two year lag in reporting and penal-ties, but suffice to say that if an organization cannot attest that they have >75% of their eligible profes-sionals as meaningful users in 2015, they will have a 3% reduction in Medicare payments in the year 2017.”

Healthcare providers were receiving incentives for meeting meaningful use criteria up to, and through, 2014. Starting in 2015, there are penalties for not meeting meaningful use criteria that can be as much as 5% of payments for services delivered to Medi-care patients. More information here (http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/EHRIncentivePrograms/Basics.html).

Other Links:http://www.whitec.org/WHITECHome/NewsEvents/WIMedicaidEHRIncentiveProgram/tabid/483/De-fault.aspx

https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/ehrincentive/index.htm

http://zetter.com/medicare/meaningful-use/272-meaningful-use-certified-medical-assistants-the-truth-regarding-cpoe

Clinic Managers need CMAs for a reason

“When HIPAA came out, people just got scared and they thought that they simply could not release any health information,” says Mary Johnson, RHIA, of HIM Consulting LLC, Minneapolis.

Of course, a closer look at the Health Insurance Por-tability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) clarifies that the regulation was meant to help organizations securely share-not withhold-important information. The act is designed to do the following, according to a summary from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Ser-vices (HHS): Assure that individuals’ health informa-tion is properly protected while allowing the flow of health information needed to provide and promote high quality health care and to protect the public’s health and well-being. l The act “strikes a balance that permits im-portant uses of information, while protecting the pri-vacy of people who seek care and healing.”

And therein lies the challenge for health care organiza-tions. Unfortunately, the balancing act has never been an easy one, and continues to get more difficult as time marches on. The latest wrinkle appeared in January 2013, when HHS released a final rule that modified the privacy and security standards under HIPAA. This new rule enhanced privacy protections and strengthened the government’s ability to enforce the law. Penalties under the rule can reach up to $1.5 million per violation. In addition, the rule expands the rights of individuals, al-lowing patients to request~and receive-a copy of their medical records in electronic form.

The problem with these evolving requirements is that health care leaders often find themselves in a state of confusion when it comes to implementing privacy and security regulations. In fact, “vague guidance” is cited as one of the most common hurdles associated with HIPAA compliance, according to a commentary pub-lished in JAMA: The Journal of the ‘American Medical Association.

Safe combination Simply keeping information under lock and key in fear of making a wrong move and possibly committing a violation-is not a good patient care option, according to Johnson. Instead, providers should develop a policies manual. “The manual can then be used for training and reference purposes,” Johnson says. “If anyone ever tries to sue your organization for improper release of infor-

mation, you can prove that the policies were in place.”While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to the re-lease of information, the American Health Informa-tion Management Association (AHIMA) suggests that health care organizations follow these steps:

• Document each and every request for the release of information.• Record the date and time the request is received.• Identify the date and time the requested information is needed.• Identify to whom the information is to be sent.• Confirm that the request includes a valid authorization.• Review the content of each request • Verify the legal authority of the requestor.• Verify the identity of the patient.• Verify appropriateness of information requested for release.

Key codesLeaders have plenty to keep in mind when following privacy protocols. Sharing is a good thing. Even though new rules more stridently protect patient information, provider organizations are allowed to release informa-tion for continuity of care purposes.

“We require a release of information form every time someone asks for information--except if it is a conti-nuity of care situation. If we are referring a patient to another doctor, we simply pass the needed information along,” says Kathleen Moore) CMA (AAMA), BSN, RN, a medical assistant who handles all information release requests in the office of David Retterbush, MD, a physi-cian based in Valdosta, Georgia.

Oversharing is not so good. Regulations stipulate that health care organizations should release only the “mini-mum necessary” information) Johnson points out. Thus, if an orthopedic surgeon is looking for information sur-rounding a recent broken bone, the medical practice would send only what is pertinent, not the entire patient health history.

Know the person you are taking to. Take steps to ensure only qualified individuals receive information. For ex-ample) practice staff might ask the organization seeking the patient information to send a request on its (continued)

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Healthcare ConfidentialThe Secrets to sharing personal information

reprinted from CMA Today Oct 2014 edition, written by John McCormack

(Continued from last page...) letterhead. Also, practice staff should ask for identification when someone seeking to have information released for a deceased or incapacitated relative. Staff members not only need to positively iden-tify the relative, but also make sure that the person has the authority to request a release of information, as dictated by state laws, according to Johnson.

Keep info out of the wrong hands. “I try not to fax too much personal health information,” Moore says. “There is too great of an opportunity for the information to fall into the wrong hands. After all, you don’t really know who will be at the other end of the fax. So I frequently will use certified mail instead.”

Stay on guard. There are a number of scenarios in which staff members should be especially scrupulous when re-leasing information. For example, if someone identifying themselves as a family member comes into the office and

refuses to provide identification or sign a release of infor-mation form, that situation should arouse suspicion.

Make training a priority. Train specific staff members on policies, procedures and practices regarding the release of information. Then, these staff members should be the only ones who actually process release requests. Check and double-check. More experienced staff should double-check their own work prior to release) while a new employee may require oversight by a supervisor. Properly and securely releasing patient information in compliance with HIPAA and other regulations is not easy. However, medical groups can simultaneously comply with the pri-vacy intents of these regulations while sharing informa-tion that is needed to enhance patient care. By shaking off the trepidation, and developing a deep understanding of the regulations, office managers will find the fortitude to put effective policies and procedures into play.

(Continued, Veronica Lewis and Carmen Berry)...[Lewis] I’m already volunteering for Wheaton-Franciscan. I’m hoping that when I get to the internship course I can also do it there. I’ve been told that the Practicum Coordinator has already spoken to the Volunteer Coordinator there, and so I’m hoping it will work out. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

But it’s a nice experience being out there [volunteering]. There is so much to do and the people there really work with you. The person there was willing to put me at the Help Desk, so I’m part paralegal and part…well, everything. I meet and greet the patients, so that will help me get the internship.

Was there an A-HA moment when you realized that you could do this?Veronica: You used venipuncture as example? [Laughs] Yes, with venipuncture I used to donate blood a lot. My mother used to say that I was going to drain myself donating. Every time they would call, I would donate. So now I wondered, how does it feel injecting somebody else? At first I was nervous, shaky even. But then after the first one, the second one and…I said “oh, you can do that!”

Carmen: Mine was actually when I was at my internship site. I had finally realized that yes, there is a method to the madness. When I was working with my own doctor at last, I was really scared and second guessing myself a lot. So my preceptor came up and said “you know what, stop. You know what you are doing, so just do it.”When she said that, I realized that she was right. This is what I had trained for, this is what I went to school to do. I just need to do it. That is when it clicked for me.

Do you have any advice to upcoming MA students:Carmen: Regardless of what is thrown at you, don’t give up. There will be times when you are crying and you think you just cannot do it. But anything that is worth having is worth working for. If you really want it, don’t let any-thing stop you.

Veronica: If this is something you truly and dearly want, go for it. Don’t let anything or anyone deter you. If it is what *you* want for yourself, go for it with all your might. Perservere.

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Veronica Lewis Carmen Berry

Marne Bonomo, PhDBryant & Stratton College310 W. Wisconsin Ave., Suite 500 East

To:

North, Bayshore

310 West Wisconsin AvenuePhone: 414-276-5200Fax: 414-276-3930 www.bryantstratton.edu

Marne Bonomo, PhDAcademic Program Directormlbonomo@bryantstratton.edu414-276-5200 Ext. 232

www.bryantstratton.edu and “Like” us by campus on facebook

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