Legislative and Advocacy

The IHIMA Legislative Committee and Board of Directors work to support advocacy efforts at the national and state level. IHIMA representatives attend the AHIMA Advocacy Summit and Hill Day and members participate in Indiana’s Hill Day, the "Day at the Indiana Statehouse". Both of these initiatives provide an opportunity to educate elected representatives on the issues impacting the HIM profession.

IHIMA has gained national recognition through our grassroot efforts. IHIMA was recognized at the 2019 Advocacy Summit in Washington, DC.  Lauren Riplinger, JD, Vice President of Policy & Government Affairs at AHIMA, made a special announcement congratulating IHIMA on our grassroot efforts that have grown in our state. Lauren mentioned Indiana had recently had our own Hill Day on March 13, 2019.

Here's a short video of the March 13, 2019 IHIMA Day at the Indiana Statehouse.

 

In September 2019, Indiana made the Top 10! Indiana was #9 out of all 50 states and Puerto Rico with the number of emails sent to Capitol Hill on Tuesday, Sept 24th regarding patient misidentification, “I Support Patient ID Day”. This was another amazing effort by our membership to let our voices be heard! Advocacy in action!

Advocacy in Action

Getting Started…

  • Advocacy is integral to achieving HIM’s role in ensuring access to health information for everyone in our communities. Whether at the local, state, or federal level, telling a compelling story to the right decision maker can make a difference in healthcare.
  • Being an effective HIM advocate goes beyond contacting legislators when a critical bill is on the floor for a vote.
  • Advocacy is a year-round commitment to building meaningful connections with decision makers at every level – making relationships we can draw on when the time comes to advocate for a specific bill or issue.
  • Introduce yourself to your representatives and get to know them. Your representatives schedule “informal” meetings with their constituents – they want to meet and discuss issues.
  • Take advantage to attend advocacy sessions like the IHIMA Day at the Statehouse to meet with your state representatives.
  • Be active on social media in sharing advocacy initiatives.
  • Register for AHIMA’s advocacy email list to stay informed.
  • Be part of our association’s grassroots efforts in contacting legislators on important issues.