Healthcare Information Management

Healthcare Information Management HEALTHCARE INFORMATION MANAGEMENT Healthcare Management of Information Systems Availability of information about the patient is of utmost importance in the medical profession. In order for a doctor to provide the patient with the best possible care, it is of utmost importance that, all the information past as well as present, about the patient is available to him. The American college of surgeons recognized the importance of record keeping back in 1928, when the Association of Recode Librarians of North America was established to maintain the high standards of medical records in hospital and other related institutions (AHIMA History, 2008). From then onwards, the quality record keeping and its security has turned into a proper science. Healthcare management of information systems is defined as follows. It â€Å"is the study of the principles and practices of acquiring, analyzing, and protecting digital and traditional medical information vital to providing quality patient care.† (What is health information management, 200). Healthcare information management (HIM) professionals are people who have an increasingly critical role to play in the health care system. As the age of information progresses, HIM professionals play important roles as sort of a bridge between the clinical and the administrative departments. It is the role of the HIM professionals to put a network or a system in place which allows organization of administrative as well as patient related information in a manner which allows quick access to accurate patient related data in ensured. The expertise of HIM professionals is not just used by the hospitals. â€Å"Ambulatory care facilities, managed care facilities, Private clinics, pharmaceutical industry, insurance companies, even universities† use the organizational expertise of HIM professionals. (Partner in the Delivery of Quality Healthcare, 2008) Association of healthcare management systems and its professions not only have the job of ensuring quality record keeping, but looking the future, the association is pushing the initiative of ensuring fully electronic storage of information. Electronic storage will not only streamline storage, but it also enables an easy access of information as required. Security is paramount. The HIM professionals job is to ensure that the information channels are safe and secure and the setup they provide secure and safe. In order to ensure that the professionals remain up to far with the rapidly changing technologies and meet the high standards demanded by consumers, the AHIMA certifies HIM professionals in their field of expertise. These include â€Å"Coding specialists, Registered Health information Administrator, Registered health information technician, and certified personal in health care privacy and security† (Experts in Health Information Management, 2008). H.I.M aims to interlink comprehensive patient information across the country and to ensure its accessibility in real-time to accomplish on time health care delivery. System interoperability and data interchange is the need of our times. It is the task of HIM professionals to ensure the creation of data organization, storage and extraction systems in health and related institutions with the view of providing services across the country(Advocate for Health Policy, 2008). The regulatory body of HIM, the AHIMA has undertaken the task to â€Å"advance the role of HIM in informing clinical practice, develop standards to improve data quality and facilitate information exchange, and help healthcare organizations migrate to the electronic health record (EHR).† (Advocate for Health Policy, 2008). The HIM profession is heavily dependent on information technology or IT. The professionals in some departments have to be computer networking experts as well. These professionals not only have sound knowledge about the ins and outs of the health care system, but also are learned in their fields of specialty, like administration, networking, coding expert etc. The field of HIM is a rapidly changing and dynamic field. The professionals have to keep up with the dynamics of health care environment and keep updating themselves in terms of knowledge and skills. The professionals have to take refresher courses, annual certifications and keep themselves at the edge by using textbooks, journals, and industry dynamics and updates. The AHIMA provides online communities and libraries for the professionals to network, interact and assist each other in many ways. An interesting thing one discovers at the AMIHA website is its history. We find out that the concept of health care information management is not new. In 1928 the American college of Surgeons place the ground work for the HIM by organizing a record keeping establishment to ensure that the patient records were complete and of high quality. This establishment has had a few transformations. It changed its names quite a few times. In 1938, the establishment was referred to as the American association of medical record librarians (AAMRL). In this year, it created rules and certain standards for record keeping. In the 70s its name changed to American Medical record association and the professionals were notably more involved in the hospitals, health care facilities, and long term care institutions. Later called In the American healthcare information management association (AHIMA) went through restructuring process. The new roles of the association are to manage data not only from hospitals but health information and clinical data comprising the whole spectrum of health care. (AHIMA History, 2008) An interesting thing to note about the site for AHIMA is that, apart from demonstrating that it is a regulatory body for HIM professionals, it also provides information educational Associate and Baccalaureate HIM programs. This is a good means for interested professionals to explore their options and think about the opportunities in the future. The site also provides information about scholarships and grants. (Faculty and Dean Resources, 2008). The site has separate sections on career opportunities in the HIM profession. Along with guidance and direction on how certify ones self in HIM programs, it provides the opportunity for professionals to post resume, look at available jobs in the field, or search for jobs of their choice (Career Assist, 2008). It also provides reviews and statistics of the HIM work force data, like salaries, and other demographics of the jobs available. An interested professional can study the information before making a choice of profession. (Career opportunities in health information management, 2008) Certification is an important pillar in the healthcare profession. For HIM professionals to be valued properly, they must be certified. The AHIMA website allows a direct link to the commission on Accreditation for health informatics and information Management Education. This is an independent body that certifies institutions for degree granting programs in health informatics and information management. Knowing which institutions are accredited ensures that interested professionals only approach certified institutions for their future education. (Welcome to CAHIIM, 2008) An interesting thing to note was the AHIMA diversity management program. According to the mission statement, â€Å"The AHIMA Diversity Task Force will facilitate the Associations members ability to celebrate and promote diversity within the Association through education, mentoring, recognition, leadership and other programs.† DIVERSITY TASK FORCE. This task force ensures differences and diversity in points of view. The promotion of diversity enables maximum effectiveness and success of the institution. REFERENCES: AHIMA History, (2008). AHIMA. Retrieved February 24, 2008, from http://www.ahima.org/about/history.asp What is health information management (2007). Health information careers.com. Retrieved February 24, 2008, from http://himcareers.ahima.org/whatishim1.html Partner in the Delivery of Quality Healthcare (2008). AHIMA. Retrieved February 24, 2008, from http://www.ahima.org/about/about.asp Experts in Health Information Management ( 2008). AHIMA. Retrieved February 24, 2008, from http://www.ahima.org/about/about.asp Advocate for Health Policy (2008). AHIMA. Retrieved February 24, 2008, from http://www.ahima.org/about/about.asp Career opportunities in health information management (2008). AHIMA. Retrieved February 24, 2008, from http://www.ahima.org/careers/career_counseling.asp Career Assist (2008). AHIMA. Retrieved February 24, 2008, from http://careerassist.ahima.org/home/index.cfm?site_id=681 Welcome to CAHIIM (2008). CAHIIM. Retrieved February 24, 2008, from http://www.cahiim.org/ Faculty and Dean Resources, (2008). AHIMA. Retrieved February 24, 2008, from http://www.ahima.org/academics/