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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- Attention! It’s Election Season – Voting Opens 2/9; CALLING all Volunteers to Sign-Up; Important
March 1 Dead Deadline: Nominations for Recognition Awards and EP/Student Scholarships
EDUCATION:
eHI Symposium and 2026 Advanced Coding Workshops AND Mark Calendars for CHIACON26 June 7-10; Upcoming Community Chats
ADVOCACY:
AHIMA Advocacy Summit, Planning for “The Hill” 3/16,17; CA Legislature Busy in Sacramento; Legislative & Advocacy Committee Monitoring Bills2Watch -
Help Strengthen your ‘Advocacy Intelligence’
DISCOVERY:
Component Group Corner – Updates and Schedules and How to Join; Discover Adriana Silva in Did You Know? Discover
2 IMPORTANT Deadlines; Discover the Must Have AHIMA ‘Decision Tree Tool’ to Navigate the Updated 42CFR Rule
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Freida’s Focus: President’s Message
I am excited to kick off February with important CHIA updates for you to Partner, Engage, Volunteer and Grow.
Click on the Image and Play to hear directly from Freida
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CHIA LEAD
ership Begins with Dedicated Volunteers
President-elect Kamar Braish, MS, RHIA Wants Members to Sign Up Now...Do Your Part
Earn up to 5 CEUs per 2-year CEU cycle for your personal volunteer efforts. It’s time to choose where you want to make a difference. If you haven’t signed up for your Volunteer Workgroups of choice, DO IT NOW. CHIA’s strength is directly related to member-leader passion for igniting initiatives that benefit the California health information (HI) community.
Volunteerism “CHIA-style” incorporates member expertise and enthusiasm. Contribute your time and elevate your personal career through
LE
AD
– Leadership,
Education,
Advocacy and
Discovery
!
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Leadership Opportunity: 2026 Nominating Committee
Members interested in serving in a leadership capacity are encouraged to apply for the 2026 CHIA Nominating Committee. This committee plays a critical role in identifying and elevating future CHIA leaders. To be considered, volunteers must complete and submit the Nominating Committee application by March 31.
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2026 CHIA Ballot Announced by Nominating Committee
Board of Directors Releases the Ballot in Advance of Voting in February
It’s election season and time for future LEADership.
Voting will be open February 9 through 23, 2026.
**The candidates for BOD have recently been updated.
Get to Know the Candidates and let your Vote be your Voice. The nominating committee is proud to share the 2026-2027 Ballot.
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AHIMA Delegate Candidates
- Leveta McFarland, RHIA
- Lizbeth Felix, MPH, RHIA
- Roberta Baranda, MS, RHIA, CHP, FAHIMA
- Venus Alejandrino, RHIA
President-elect Candidates
- Joseph Albert Legaspi, RHIA, CHDA
- Freddie Guzman, MBA, RHIA, CCS, CDIP, CHC, CHPC, CPC, CRCR, FAHIMA
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Director Candidates
- Kathleen Witte, RHIA, CCS
- Amy Rollings, CDIP, CCS
- Elizabeth Puefua, RHIA, CCS **
Thank you to the following Nominating Committee members.
- Sally Gibbs, Chair
- Kamar Braish, Board Liaison
- Larry Smith
- Charlene Mitchell
- Melany Merryman
- Deborah Collier
- Gloryanne Bryant
- Kristen Borth
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Recognition Awards Nominations Due March 1
CHIA Calls All Members to Submit Nominations for the 2026 CHIA Recognition Awards
Nominate peers for the CHIA 2026 Recognition Awards and Scholarships. As part of CHIA's commitment to encourage, nurture and celebrate exceptional volunteer and professional leadership, the CHIA Recognition Awards honor exemplary service, reward contributions that build the HI knowledge base, recognize excellence in preparing future HI professionals, and encourage new talent and leadership. LEARN MORE HERE
Complete Recognition Awards Nomination Form for Distinguished Member, Educator, Mentor, Volunteer, HIM Industry Champion and HIM Grant Recipient
View past CHIA Recognition Awards Recipients
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Time to Start Planning for CHIACON26 – Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport, Burlingame, California
Mark Your Calendar...Join us Bayside June 7-10, 2026
Your Convention Committee is hard at work planning for CHIACON26. It’s not too soon to make travel arrangements and set aside June 7-10 for another exciting Convention and Exhibit back in Northern California. During three impactful days, attendees engage with inspiring leaders, presenters, industry partners and health information professionals coming together for innovative education and meaningful connections through LEAD - leadership, education, advocacy , and discovery
..
You don’t want to miss this special event as we celebrate “Golden Gate Glam” and the great initiatives of CHIA in 2025-26. Build your education CEUs, meet your peers, engage in California’s biggest health information network and education of the year.
REGISTRATION OPENS FEBRUARY 2026
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Calling all Exhibitors:
Several booth packages are available for 2026 and can be tailored
to fit your budget. Excellent opportunities are available to increase
your brand awareness. Plan to join California's health information
leaders and help them discover innovative ideas to enhance their
work lives. Submit your exhibit contract today to optimize your
brand's visibility!
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Explore the Future of
Healthcare, Innovation and AI
Session One Is Now On Demand, Session Two Happening February 11, 2026
When you register, you’ll receive access to the first session to watch on your own schedule, plus the option to attend Session 2 live next week or watch it on demand, whatever works best for you.
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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Advanced Coding Workshop
Live Four-part eLearning Series: Thursdays March 5, 12, 19, & 26, 2026 from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm (PT)
Early Bird Pricing ends February 11 at 6PM (PST) - Register Today
A fast-paced, multi-day workshop for advanced coding and CDI professionals covering MS-DRGs/APR-DRGs, lower extremity interventions, HCC accuracy, RADV audits and 2026 ICD-10-PCS and CPT coding updates. Gain hands-on practice, expert guidance and practical strategies to strengthen coding accuracy, compliance and audit readiness.
This eLearning
program
will be
held on
four consecutive
Thursdays
beginning
March 5th.
Best
value
is
to
purchase
the
full
workshop.
Sessions
can
be
purchased
separately.
Approved for 3 CEUs per day; 12 CEUs for the full program
Day One
MS-DRG/APR-DRGs
using ICD-10-CM
to identify
Resources,
Severity and
Risk
Day Two
Mastering
Lower Extremity
Interventions:
2026 CPT Coding
Changes and
Beyond
Day Three
HCC Accuracy
& RADV Audits:
Navigating
the New Era
of Value-Based
Care
Day Four
ICD-10-PCS
April 1,
2026 Updates
and NTAPs
for 2026
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Upcoming Community Chats
RCD Readiness: Preparing Your Organization for the Review Choice
Demonstration
February 27 | Noon – 1 pm
Real Talk on Personal Identity Management
March 27 | Noon – 1 pm
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Legislative
&
Advocacy
Committee
Begin
Bills2Watch
California
Legislature
Begins
Second
Year
of
Its
Two-year
Term
Soon
The
dedicated
L&A
Committee
members
reconvene
this
month
to
begin
their
important
work
to
monitor
the
new
legislative
cycle
in
Sacramento
which
includes
identifying
relevant
new
bills
and
profiling
those
that
matter
most
to
California
and
CHIA
health
information
professionals.
Don’t
forget
to
review
the
CHIA
Bill
Watch
on
the
CHIA
website.
Stay
informed...Build
your
‘Advocacy
Intelligence’.
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CHIA Gearing Up for the 2026 AHIMA Advocacy Summit
Heading Back to “The Hill” March 16 and 17, 2026 at the Hilton National Mall
Register now for the AHIMA Advocacy Summit. Join health information professionals from all over the nation to meet with members of Congress and their staff. Do your part and advocate for policy issues impacting the HI profession. Make sure your voice is part of the conversation and experience the legislative process firsthand.
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Emerging
Professional
(Student)
Membership
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 Another Staff Member Spotlight
Newest Discovery Feature:
Did You Know?
We are delighted to add our new Discovery featuring CHIA staff profiles, Did You Know?
Each month you will meet one
of the Executive Office staff members and
learn how they contribute to CHIA in their
specific roles and how to contact them
at any time. We begin this
month... Get to know Adriana Silva, Accounting and Administrative Assistant.
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Discover 2026 Emerging Professional Scholarships
Students and Emerging Professionals Encouraged to APPLY NOW | Deadline March 1
T
he CHIA Board of Directors
approved funding that
enhances
CHIA’s Award and Scholarship program.
Efforts to
engage future leaders
through
L
E
A
D
–
L
eadership,
E
ducation,
A
dvocacy and
D
iscovery
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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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 & Emerging Professional Mentor Component Group Meeting
January 8, 2026
HI Operations Workgroup Meeting
January 15
, 2026
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Discover the AHIMA Decision Tree Tool Step-by-Step
Navigation of the Updated 42CFR Rule | A Compliance Guide for Part 2 and Non-Part 2
AHIMA has developed a comprehensive resource guide and an accompanying Decision Tree Tool to support the understanding of substance use disorder (SUD) Part 2 Programs and their applicability. These materials also clarify the distinctions between an Authorization and a Part 2 Consent. This
AHIMA tool is an invaluable resource for
your Health Information team.
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Discover Your Profile on the CHIA Website...Update Now
Check the AHIMA Dashboard to Ensure Your AHIMA Dues Are Current
Dual Membership is part of the CHIA value proposition of LEAD
– Leadership, Education, Advocacy and Discovery.
When you join AHIMA, you are asked
to choose a Component Association (CA),
usually your state association.
When you choose California, you
choose the largest CA for
AHIMA and your investment of $50
provides the many exclusive and
valuable CHIA benefits for members
only.
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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
eHI Symposium - Explore the Future of Healthcare, Innovation and AI
February 4 & 11, 2026
Advanced Coding Workshop
March 5, 12, 19 & 26, 2026
Community Chat: RCD Readiness: Preparing Your Organization for the Review Choice Demonstration
February 27, 2025
Community Chat: Real Talk on Personal Identity Management
March 27, 2025
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