President’s Message

Health information friends- I am back… again!  Like our ever-changing industry, sometimes we find ourselves accommodating circumstances that we were not expecting.  Recently for me, it was rolling over my presidency an additional year to meet the needs of OkHIMA. At first, I was hesitant because I was prepared to hang up my hat and let the next leader step in, but today as I write you this message, I am ready to take on another year and know that together we can make this a successful year.

The board is composed of eight voting executive members and 20 additional chairs/committee members covered in total by 23 people.  They are all 100% volunteer and we operate with no paid staff for our component association.   I am constantly inspired by all the OkHIMA volunteers and their passion for giving back to the profession and their peers.  They are the fuel that keeps me going when I feel weary because the enthusiasm and spirit they exhibit is infectious.  I immensely appreciate every second of time they dedicate to making Oklahoma one of the leading HIM associations in the nation.  It is so rewarding to work with this team and I hope you will join me in thanking them for all their efforts.

The OkHIMA Board of Directors met recently to do our strategic planning for the year and wowzers-  we have big plans for you!  Each discussion we had led to one thing- how will this benefit and serve our members? Some ideas we had were more events, more giving back to members, and a convention that will knock your socks off.  We spent over four hours poring over many details such as ideas, budget limitations, needs, weaknesses, strengths, and this is just the beginning.  Each board member now starts a journey to enact these plans over the next year and make this one of our best years yet.  They each made individual goals as well as group goals and I will be sharing the results of those with you throughout the year. I encourage you to stay plugged in to OkHIMA news channels, such as email and social media, to stay on top of the latest and greatest.

It is important to me to always remain transparent and accountable with you as not just your president, but as a fellow OkHIMA member.  This fiscal year we are facing new challenges with reduced AHIMA rebates, declining membership, and changing member needs and while we will try our best to overcome them all, this may sometimes result in changes you are unsure about.  I welcome you to always reach out to me at president@OkHIMA.org with your questions, comments, and concerns.

As always, it is an honor to represent you and the great state of Oklahoma and I thank you for the opportunity to let me serve in this role another year.

Sincerely with gratitude for each of you,
Diana Flood, MS, RHIA, CMHP, FAHIMA
OkHIMA President 2023-2025