CHIA Monthly Digest - December Edition
Thursday, December 11, 2025
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About the CHIA Monthly Digest
The Digest is a member-friendly, all-inclusive digital communication tool designed around the LEAD values that bring important topics to your email box every month. Find focused subject matter at your fingertips and accessible links to plan your CHIA and AHIMA activities. The Snapshot provides an outline of the stories, like a table of contents, so the reader can find information quickly.
CHIA - Always Connecting the California Health Information Community
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The Snapshot
Scroll to the corresponding section for more detail.
L
EADERSHIP:
President’s Message Freida’s Focus; Holiday Wishes and Season’s Greetings; Waiting for Awards & Scholarship Applications?
Let’s Win the AHIMA Advocacy Grassroots Contest; “CHATty December” - Student Chat tomorrow
at NOON with CHIA President and a Holiday Fun and Coffee Chat with the Board 12/12/25
EDUCATION:
Don't Miss Upcoming Education Opportunities: eHI Symposium; 2026 CPT Coding Updates
ADVOCACY:
Freida’s Advocacy Challenge Puts California in First Place! TAKE ACTION and Help CHIA win largest state First place; L&A Committee Focus on AB 495
DISCOVERY:
“NEW” CHIA Component Group Corner; December AHIMA Member Town Hall; Discover the Date for 2026 AHIMA Advocacy Summit; Rediscover the new CHIA Membership
Video
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Freida’s Focus: President’s Message
“I’m wishing everybody a joyous holiday season and thank you for your engagement in 2025.
We look forward to your engagement in 2026!”
“ Bring your holiday spirit to our
Community Chats for 'CHATty December!'”
From Freida's desk to yours…
Click
on the Image and Play to hear directly from Freida
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BOD
and President
Await Your Scholarship
s Applications
Students and Emerging Professionals
Invitation to
Act Now for
Awards & Scholarships
T
he CHIA Board of Directors
approved funding that
enhances
CHIA’s Award and Scholarship program.
Efforts to
engage future leaders through
L
EAD
–
L
eadership,
Education,
Advocacy and
Discovery
include the following:
- Five (5) $1000 CHIA Emerging Professionals (Student) Scholarships (increased from $750)
- Twenty (20) Exam Reimbursement awards for CHIA members who successfully take and pass AHIMA-credentials exams.
- New: Ten (10)
AHIMA Microcredential Reimbursement awards after successful completion.
- Funding for Research Support Awards
- Funding to support CHIA Emerging Professionals BOGO (Buy one, get one) year memberships for up to 100 CHIA Emerging Professionals (AHIMA Students)
- Funding for the HIIM Program Grant
Applications for scholarships and awards are open now to eligible CHIA members and due no later than March 1, 2026. Get to know more about Seeking applications
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Rescheduled Student Community Chat with CHIA President Freida
TOMORROW, December 4 | 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM | Register HERE
Personal request from CHIA President Freida Smith, RHIA to meet at Noon tomorrow. Take one hour to network with health information peers, learn about the benefits of CHIA membership, and discover career strategies.
- CHIA structure and leadership opportunities
- Student Member benefits
- CHIA Student Scholarships
- CHIA Certification Exam Reimbursement Program
- Volunteer opportunities
- Career start and growth strategies
And more…
Students will have ample opportunity for questions and comments. If you would like to submit your questions ahead of time, send them to: President@CaliforniaHIA.org
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Holiday Community Chat in December | Register Now
Thursday, December 12 | Holiday Fun - Coffee Chat with the BOD & Members | NOON
Celebrate the season with CHIA! Join us for a festive Community Chat and Holiday Gathering where you’ll have the opportunity to connect with fellow members, engage with CHIA Board members, and share LEADing practices from across our health information community.
This informal networking event is a great way to reflect on the year, exchange ideas, and build meaningful connections as we look ahead to 2026. Bring your holiday spirit and join the conversation!
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Executive Office Succession Planning Well Underway
CHIA L
EA
Dership
Evaluating Candidates for Interim CEO/Executive Director
The Transition Committee has identified and hired a consultant/firm to evaluate CHIA within the context as the largest Component Association for AHIMA and its current operation as California’s health information professional association. The committee is happy to announce that it is very close to hiring an Interim CEO/Executive Director who will lead the association into the year 2026 while shaping CHIA’s future with the BOD and member leadership. Stay tuned for announcements in the near future.
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Webinar: 2026 CPT Coding Updates
Wednesday, December 10, 2025 | 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
The new year brings big changes for coding professionals —
are you ready? Join expert Dianna Foley, RHIA, CDIP, CCS,
CHPS for a power-packed hour reviewing the 2026 CPT code
updates effective January 1, 2026.
Learn what’s new, what’s changed, and how to stay compliant
with the latest coding notes and procedures. Earn 1
CEU and keep your coding skills sharp!
Approved for 1 CEU | HIIM Domain: Data Structure, Content, and Information Governance
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NEW! eHI Symposium:
Explore the Future of Healthcare, Innovation and AI
Two-day eLearning Program: February 4 & 11, 2026
Step into the future of digital health with CHIA’s two-day eLearning Program, featuring six sessions that dive deep into the rapidly evolving world of AI and automation. Embrace the next generation of innovation, from the legal complexities of data privacy and robotic automation to mastering data governance and large language models. This year’s program is your gateway to the future of digital health. Join us as we explore the cutting-edge AI technologies transforming healthcare, careers and workflows.
Approved for 6 CEUs for Full Program
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CHIA Legislative & Advocacy | Special Focus AB 495
Upcoming Change to California’s Caregiver’s Authorization Affidavit (CAA) – 01/01/2026
California health information (HI) professionals should prepare for an important expansion of the Caregiver’s Authorization Affidavit resulting from AB 495 (Carrillo, 2025).
Beginning January 1, 2026, a caregiver who qualifies as a “relative” under the broadened definition—meaning, an adult who is related to the child by blood, adoption, or affinity within the fifth degree of kinship, including stepparents, stepsiblings, and all relatives whose status is preceded by the words “great,” “great-great,” or “grand,” or the spouse of any of these persons even if the marriage was terminated by death or dissolution—will be able to execute the full CAA. This grants the authority to consent to medical, dental, and mental health treatment for a minor living with them, equivalent to guardians under Probate Code § 2353.
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Push for First Place in AHIMA Advocacy Grassroots Effort
Freida’s Challenge: Go CHIA TAKE ACTION and
Bring this Win Home to California
Click here to view the Advocacy Leaders Dashboard and see how your state's participation in Action Center campaigns stacks up!
Don't forget to participate in the Action Center campaigns!
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New
Information
for
Emerging
Professional
(Student)
Members
Jumpstart
your
career
with
a
special
“Student”
discount.
Invest
$20
and
unlock two years of member-only values through
LEAD
that
include
scholarships,
mentorship
and
discovering
new
pathways
to
elevate
your
career.
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Discover Our CHIA Component Group Corner
Get the Latest Update on Component Work Group Progress and Join the Meetings
CHIA has three Component Groups hard at work: Medical Coding Community, HI Operations Work Group, and HI & Emerging Professional Mentor Network. If you haven't joined one of these groups yet, consider it for 2026. Each workgroup engages during its Component Group Meetings. Follow the instructions below and then register for these sessions.
Click Join the Group on
the User Platform. Even though the group
is marked as PRIVATE, by clicking join,
you become part of a component group that
is exclusive to CHIA members. Dual
Membership (AHIMA + CHIA) ensures membership
into these CGs.
Don’t wait any longer...Join now!
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Component Group Calendar
Join group to participate.
HI Operations Workgroup Meeting
December 4, 2025
HI & Emerging Professional Mentor Component Group Meeting
January 8
, 2026
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Discover
a
December
AHIMA
Member
Town
Hall
Join
the
Discussion
and
Discover
More
|
Tuesday,
December
9
|
1:00
PM
CT
Hear
from
AHIMA
leaders,
ask
questions,
and
earn
a
complimentary
CEU,
while
you
connect
with
your
HI
community
during
this
interactive
session.
Dana
Perrino,
AHIMA
Chief
Member
Services
Officer,
will
facilitate
a
discussion
with:
-
Maria
Caban Alizondo,
PhD,
RHIT,
FAHIMA, AHIMA President/Chair
-
Mona
Calhoun,
PhD,
MS,
MEd,
RHIA,
FAHIMA,
AHIMA
Past
President
-
Dave
Cella,
AHIMA
Chief
Executive
Officer
-
Lauren
Riplinger,
JD,
AHIMA
Chief
Public
Policy
and
Impact
Officer
-
Jana
Nelson,
AHIMA
Chief
Marketing
Officer
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Discover
the
Date
for
2026
AHIMA
Advocacy
Summit
March
16
and
17,
2026
at
the
Hilton
National
Mall,
Washington,
D.C.
|
Registration
Open
Hold
the
date
.
Register
Now.
We’re
heading
back
to
“The
Hill”
March
16–17,
2026,
for
the
AHIMA
Advocacy
Summit!
Don’t
miss
your
chance
to
meet
with
members
of
Congress
and
their
staff
to
advocate
for
policy
issues
impacting
the
HI
profession.
Make
sure
your
voice
is
part
of
the
conversation.
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Discover the New Membership Video from CHIACON25
Igniting the Future of CHIA through Membership Growth | Pass It On
We are pleased to share the release of CHIA’s new membership video. Prompted by the work of the Membership Recruitment & Retention Committee and recorded at CHIACON25, we showcase the member-value proposition of dual membership and the benefits available to California's HI Community. Watch and share this resource as we continue strengthening the value of CHIA dual membership.
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Have you Discovered CHIA's HI Resources?
Discover HI Access Resources | Privacy & Security in CA
Unlock the knowledge and skills needed to confidently navigate the complex world of patient health information with CHIA’s latest Health Information Access resources. Designed by leading health information professionals and informed by expert legal advisors, these comprehensive tools provide practical guidance to help master the intricacies of managing protected health information, privacy and security regulations and best practices.
Discover eBook Series | Release of Information in CA
CHIA’s Release of Information in California (ROI) eBook series empowers health information professionals to confidently master the complexities of managing and releasing protected health information in California. Featuring eleven (11) detailed eBooks.
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Discover
CHIA’s
Latest
News
A
New
Way
to
Access
CHIA
News
Miss
a
Monthly
digest?
Looking
for
the
latest
member
messages?
CHIA
is
posting
information
to
the
Latest
News
Section
on
the
CHIA
homepage.
Click
here
to
access
the
CHIA
Homepage
and
locate
the
latest
news
by
scrolling
down
to
the
middle
of
the
page,
finding
the
section
shown
below.
By
clicking •••
at
the
top
right
corner
of
the
box,
you
will
be
taken
to
the
latest
news
section
where
you
are
welcome
to
read
and
comment
on
any
posts.
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Discover Upcoming Events
Student Chat with the CHIA President
December 4, 2025
2026 CPT Updates Webinar
December 10, 2025
Community Chat: Holiday Fun - Coffee Chat
December 12, 2025
eHI Symposium - Explore the Future of Healthcare, Innovation and AI
February 4 & 11, 2026
Coming Soon: Advanced Coding Workshop
March 5, 12, 19 & 26, 2026
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