Meet a Member: Seeding opportunities in the Eastern Mediterranean

Hussein Albishi, BSc HIM, CHIM, is an HIM/CDI consultant, with Vision Realization Office (VRO) for the Ministry of Health, in Saudi Arabia. He is the president of Saudi Health Information Management Associates (SHIMA), and was elected in 2016 by the International Federation for Health Information Management Associations (IFHIMA) the regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean region and most recently became the volunteer director for the ACDIS Eastern Mediterranean chapter (EMACDIS) in 2017. Somehow, Albishi still manages to help with the AHIMA affiliated Global Health Workforce Council and keep up with six kids and his wife Rayesah.

ACDIS Blog: How long have you been in the CDI field?
Alibishi: Having given nine years, I started educating physicians and healthcare professionals in 2008 within the National Guards Hospitals, and developed the first CDI Boot Camp for the Ministry of Health healthcare professionals in 2015 in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries— Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman.

ACDIS Blog: What did you do before entering CDI?
Alibishi: I am a Certified Health Information Manager (CHIM) graduated from Curtin University of Technology in Australia with 26 years of experience in HIM, clinical coding and case-mix management. I currently serve as a senior consultant in the VRO at the Ministry of Health, and as a consultant to the general director of the Saudi Central Board for Accreditation of Healthcare Institutions (CBAHI) for HIM and coding standards. Working with healthcare financing team overseeing the HIM, coding, costing projects, I am working with others on shifting to activity based funding/management (ABF/M) model is a main objective of the Saudi 2020 National Transformation Program (NTP), aligned with the Saudi 2030 Vision—the ultimate goal is similar to the value-based purchasing movement in the United States.

Additionally, I have experience and responsibilities with:

• The Global Health Workforce Council (GHWC) founded by the AHIMA Foundation in 2014.
• Chair of the National HIM Standards Committee (NHIMC) and the National Coding Quality Coding Committee (NCQC) in Saudi Arabia
• Member of the Technical & Vocational Training Corporation Committee for Health Care Professionals
• Member of the Saudi e-Health Standards Development Committee
• Member of the Executive Advisory Council of the Inter-professional Healthcare Workforce Institute at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
• Member of the Global Advisory Council for Healthcare Workforce
• Co-founding member of the Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC)'s Taskforce on Workforce Development in Digital Healthcare (e-HWDC) which will hold its first conference in 2018 

ACDIS Blog: How did you get interested in CDI specifically?
Alibishi: Having served in such a vast array of work CDI represents one aspect that completes this circle to make it whole. Taken altogether, it’s a drive to make and improve healthcare helping to make it appropriate and accurate.

ACDIS Blog: What has been your biggest challenge?
Alibishi: Getting HIM as a recognized profession in Saudi Arabia, the GCC, and the Eastern Mediterranean Region. It is the need of HIM to produce clinical coded data that is accurate and timely which represents the patients’ care. This, in return, needs more attention to be given to clinical documentation to enhance revenue through DRG and coding outputs. Building a structure and adding value to the existing systems that will give us a better model in the future is an ongoing challenge.

ACDIS Blog: What has been your biggest reward?
Alibishi: Being elected to be the first IFHIMA regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean and being awarded a scholarship at the King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST). And recently, establishing the Eastern Mediterranean ACDIS chapter (EMACDIS).

ACDIS Blog: How has the field changed since you began working in CDI?
Alibishi: CDI is considered a new career path in the East Mediterranean region for healthcare professionals. It promises new horizons for enthusiastic professionals who have the urge for seeking new knowledge and improvising healthcare.

ACDIS Blog: Can you mention a few of the "gold nuggets" of information you've received from colleagues on the Forum or through ACDIS?
Alibishi: I’ve received a number of supportive communications from my colleagues as I connected with ACDIS. They are excited to bring a new career to the region and feel that CDI will attract physician and healthcare administrators, helping them understand the importance of medical record documentation and coding. They appreciated the CDI Boot Camps and feel like CDI could really be a crucial initiative to help us meet our “Saudi 2030” vision.

ACDIS Blog: What piece of advice would you offer to a new CDI specialist?
Alibishi: You are enhancing patient safety, enforcing the concept of valuebased healthcare and ensuring appropriate reimbursement for your organization. Those new to the CDI and HIM fields need to understand the vast responsibility your professional holds and the greater outcomes following it.

ACDIS Blog: If you could have any other job, what would it be?
Alibishi: CDI instructor.

ACDIS Blog: What was your first job?
Alibishi: During high school, I volunteered to work in medical records department at a military hospital. That’s where my passion started towards being an advocate for quality patient health information.

ACDIS Blog: Can you tell us about a few of your favorite things?

• Vacation spots: Australia and Chicago
• Hobby: Reading
• Non-alcoholic beverage: Valencia's orange juice
• Foods: Hyderabad Biryani and seafood
• Activity: Traveling around the world and swimming