AHIMA considers an increase in dues
Last change was in 1984
More than 15 years have passed since the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) in Chicago last increased its member dues, but the time for another may have finally come. From a rank and file not used to such hikes, there’s bound to be some grumbing.
Although AHIMA had not raised its dues since 1984 (from $75 to $100), the reaction to a potential new increase has been mixed. "No one likes it, but most people are supportive," says Rebecca Garris Perry, CPA, AHIMA’s vice president of operations and chief financial officer. "There are those who say it’s too much of an increase, but they are few. Most people feel it was inevitable."
Under the proposal, dues for active and associate members would increase to $135 beginning in 2001. Student dues would increase from $15 to $20, and seniors from $50 to $70.
The member fees for maintaining certification would not change; they would remain $10 per year for RHIA (registered health information administrator) and RHIT (registered health information technician) credentials, and $25 per year for CCS (certified coding specialist) and CCS-P (certified coding specialist, physician-based) in 2001.
Nonmember fees for continuing education, however, would change. RHIA and RHIT fees would increase to $135 per two-year cycle beginning in 2001. The CCS/CCS-P nonmember certification fees would increase to $55 per year in 2001. A decision on the increase will be made this month.
Cost of benefits and services has risen
The primary reason for the dues increase is the significant increase in member benefits and services, raising the cost to $163 per member, while the association is getting only $100, says Perry. These benefits and services include:
• rebates for component state associations;
• Journal of AHIMA;
• on-line services;
• professional practice support;
• legislative and alliance building;
• public relations/image marketing;
• marketing/communications;
• membership/customer service;
• membership in the Foundation of Research and Education in Health Information Manage-ment, a separately incorporated affiliate organization founded and managed by AHIMA.
Dues account for only 25% of total revenue for the association, Perry explains. Other sources of income for AHIMA include revenue from products such as audio seminars, publications, and the national convention, and investment income on its reserve fund balance.
AHIMA now says it can no longer rely exclusively on product sales or the reserve fund as a subsidy for member services or new initiatives. The association’s reserve policy has set a reserve target equal to 100% of the association’s annual expenses, and throughout this period, the fund has consistently stayed at levels of more than 100%.
The fund balance as a percentage of annual expenses is now decreasing, though, due to the fund being spent on subsidizing member benefits not covered by dues or other revenues. Also, because AHIMA followed a fairly conservative investment policy, recent changes in the equity and bond markets have not produced high returns.
The discrepancy between the cost of providing the services members want and the dues income, however, has been a trend that AHIMA has monitored for several years, knowing that at some point a dues increase would have to be proposed, Perry says. "We have been fortunate that we have been able to forego an increase for this length of time."
The association did not want to increase the dues to the full cost of the benefits and services. Asking members to bear the full amount would run counter to AHIMA’s philosophy of supporting member benefits and services through other means, such as the reserves, nondues revenues, and investment earnings, Perry says.
AHIMA delegates, state presidents, and state presidents-elect discussed the possible increase at the Summer Team Talks/Leadership Conference in Washington, DC, in July. "In addition to the materials posted on the Web and those distributed at the March Team Talks, they were provided with other information that might be helpful in making an informed decision about the proposed dues increase," says Margaret Skurka, MS, RHIA, CCS, AHIMA president. This month, the House of Delegates will vote on the issue.
More emphasis on communities of practice
AHIMA members may also wonder how their involvement with specialty groups will be affected by the proposed dues increase. AHIMA is building a technology infrastructure called "communities of practice," which will enable members to participate in as many practice communities as they wish with no additional dues.
These communities, which will have both virtual and face-to-face features, have the potential to support many of the networking and informational functions that have been supported by the specialty group structure over the past 20 years, AHIMA says.
However, the association is still trying to decide the best approach for the transition of the groups into the communities of practice. To give time for the transition to take effect, AHIMA members will pay $15 for each specialty group membership they select for 2001. Nonmember Society for Clinical Coding dues would also continue at $50 for the 2001 billing cycle.
The on-line communities will allow members to find and to ask questions of other members like them, rather than turning to AHIMA staff, Perry says. "We don’t have a large enough staff to know all the answers, especially as our membership gets more diverse."
AHIMA plans to expand the number of communities so members can benefit more from member-to-member networking. "The communities will meet the needs of members who do multiple tasks in their jobs. [The groups] give them the chance to be involved in all the areas that relate to their jobs," Perry says. "Or they can find out about an area that they have an interest in."
Some specialty groups might decide to continue to operate with additional fees above those charged for standard membership. The groups will address those issues in the coming months, AHIMA says.
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