Advocacy & Alliance Outreach - Blue Print for Component Engagement

AHDI Goal
Unify stakeholders in healthcare delivery under one united message illustrating the critical nature of the healthcare documentation profession and the impact that the dictation/transcription to include the full narrative patient story has to patient safety, clinical decision making and revenue cycles.

Rationale
Building an interconnected grassroots voice through component advocacy and alliance outreach will expand the sector footprint, strategic reach and promote the healthcare documentation sector contribution to patient care delivery.

Component Engagement Objective
The goal of this blue print is to provide components with a comprehensive, but manageable, strategy for executing the association’s goals for advocacy and alliance outreach. This would involve components serving as resource organizations that actively engage members at the local level through the following key points:

1. Reaching: A component committed to creating a sustainable grassroots infrastructure in advocacy and alliance outreach will develop strategies in the following areas.

   • Engage in legislative activities through local, state, national advocacy efforts
   • Develop a community alert system
   • E-mail broadcast messaging
   • Continuing professional lobbying efforts
   • Attending Advocacy Summit
   • Participate in broad grassroots organizing
   • Resources:
     • Advocacy Alliance
     • Hold Constituent Coffees
     • EHR Readiness Toolkit - Important Support Information for Legislative Discussion
     • Power of 10 Campaign – Help support the association’s advocacy efforts in Washington, DC.
   1. Develop alliances with stakeholders in local/state and other healthcare practice organizations such as:
      • AHIMA
      • National Patient Safety Foundation
      • CDIA/local MTSOs
      • Regional extension centers
      • EMR/EHR vendors
      • Resources:
        • “How-To” to develop alliances with stakeholders at the local or state level - Generic document that is customizable to the alliance is needed
        • Dictation Best Practices Toolkit - Important information to be informed when discussing the industry and our position
        • QA Summit white paper - Important information to be informed when discussing the industry and our position
        • Advocacy Talking Points (2010) - Important information to be informed when discussing the industry and our position
        • Health Story Project - Important information to be informed when discussing the industry and our position
        • Medical Data Exchange - Important information to be informed when discussing the industry and our position
        • Dictation Error Report Abstract - Important information to be informed when discussing the industry and our position
   2. Raise public awareness through non-legislative outreach such as:
      • Members’ personal social groups
      • Local/national community programs
      • Newsletter teams to track and respond to local or on-line news items
      • Resources:
        • PHR Campaign - Important information to be informed when discussing the industry and our position in non-legislative scenarios
   3. Promote individual credentialing

    

2. Preparing: In order to prepare component members to become actively engaged in promoting healthcare documentation advocacy and alliance outreach components at every level could:

   • Expose organizers to available resources and toolkits
   • Offer advocacy training webinars or face-to-face
   • Advocate Have You Read Your Medical Record
   • Explore and promote Health Story Project
   • Recruit investigative reporters
   • Work with Advocacy Alliance to develop local outreach strategies
   • Designate Legislative Leader per state for national issues
   • Designate Legislative Leader per state for state issues
   • Train local networks of advocates/field organizers and alliance builders
   • Financially support Advocacy Summit attendance or sponsorship
   • Identify key stakeholders in local areas
   • Expose leadership and members to PHR campaign

    

3. Supporting: A component actively supporting national/state/local advocacy and alliance outreach efforts would operate as a central field coordination connection and recruit advocates and ultimately build a sustainable grassroots infrastructure.

   • Work with Advocacy Alliance to develop local outreach strategies
   • Develop alliance outreach with key stakeholders
   • Participate in the LIG Legislative Leaders Program
   • Implement PHR campaign
   • Raise funds for advocacy
   • Promote Power of 10 Campaign
   • Resources:
     • Advocacy and Alliance Outreach Committee Chair - Development, support and oversight and management of the advocacy and alliance outreach strategic initiative will require a central coordinator to oversee all facets of the A&AO, perhaps with specific topic-related leadership (similar to focus group leadership) at the national level, with the LIG being one “arm” of the entire A&AO. This will require a build up and out of the volunteer infrastructure. Need to assess impact on staff requirements
     • Legislative Leader Program - Tie legislative leader program to A&AO work group
     • Advocacy and Alliance Outreach team member at component, focus group or satellite level - Need to identify job description and add to component Ps&Ps

    

Oversight and Management
Execution of these key strategies would be managed by coordinators at each component level (ie, legislative leader and other named alliance outreach contacts to be determined by AHDI[1]) with legislative leaders and others working under the oversight and management of AHDI Advocacy and Alliance Outreach central coordinator in conjunction with AHDI’s Advocacy Alliance, and AHDI staff. These organizers would be extensively trained and resourced by AHDI through the following means:

• Initial training and orientation to be provided by AHDI director and staff
• Resources and tool kits, including handouts, PowerPoint presentations, and talking points for component customization and execution of key touch points outlined above
• Ongoing webinar training and update sessions with AHDI director and staff to coordinate advocacy and alliance outreach goals across all organizational levels

Development of Resources
Many resources for national advocacy already exist through the Advocacy Alliance. Alliance and state/local legislative outreach resources can be developed on an ongoing basis.

Affiliate Agreement
It is the recommendation of this committee that components seeking affiliation with AHDI should, at minimum, be required to agree and attest to the following:

Agree to support the association’s goals for advocacy and alliance outreach by executing measurable strategies to (a) engage in legislative activities through local, state, national advocacy efforts, (b) develop alliances with stakeholders in local/state and other healthcare practice organizations, (c) raise public awareness through non-legislative outreach, and (d) promote individual credentialing.