About the Clinical Documentation Industry Association’s Special Projects Initiative

By Renee Lella

Through her roles as President of Another Medical Must, LLC, and member of the Clinical Documentation Industry Association (formerly known as the Medical Transcription Industry Association), Renee Lella supports the organization’s Special Projects Initiative. This program was established through a partnership with the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity.

The two associations hired the Dewey Square Group, a lobbying firm with an office in Washington, D.C., to advocate for higher visibility of the profession within Congress. The Special Projects Initiative has already contributed to several meaningful developments and raised awareness about issues in the medical transcription industry. The Initiative also strives to increase the visibility of the transcription sector though educational endeavors and grassroots connections. This goal furthers the understanding of medical transcription’s role in an always-changing healthcare industry. The Dewey Square Group has helped the Clinical Documentation Industry Association and the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity gain strategic connections in Washington, D.C.

These provide opportunities to effect change as policy is crafted, rather than attempt to modify laws already been put in place. Other factors that helped shape the medical transcription presence in the nation’s capital include identifying critical issues, maintaining relationships with decision-makers, and designing outright endeavors. In the future, the Special Projects Initiative aims to work with other lobbying organizations to advance efforts in the health care documentation process. For more information about this project or the Clinical Documentation Industry Association in general, visit the organization’s official website at www.mtia.com.