With the approach of Health Information and Technology Week Nov. 4-10, Community Memorial Hospital (CMH) points out this is an ideal time to recognize the health information staff for the work they do.
At CMH, the Health Information Services Department is made up of 13 employees. The department functions available include: record assembly and analysis, record tracking and retrieval, medical transcription, clinical coding and data abstraction, release of Information/HIPAA practices, and filing/storage system maintenance.
What is Health Information Management (HIM)?
Health Information Management (HIM) is often known as the "medical record department" in a health care facility. The HIM profession originated in the 1920s and was created because of a need for accurate, complete data regarding the care and treatment of patients.
For many years Health Information professionals were considered the paper pushers - the ones who maintained large file rooms full of paper records. As information became available electronically and reimbursement grew dependent on accurate and complete coding, the HIM profession evolved into those individuals who managed "health information."
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Skills and responsibilities of an HIM professional include:
- Manage medical records and health information systems;
- Enhance the quality and uses of data within the health care industry;
- Analyze clinical and financial data necessary for decision support;
- Comply with standards and regulations regarding health information
- Protect the privacy and security of patient health information;
- Ensure health information is complete and available to legitimate users;
- Code and classify data for reimbursement, research and public policy.
Today, as health care continues to change and more emphasis is being placed on quality, patient safety, and reimbursement, the role and demand of the HIM profession continues to grow immensely.
HIM currently serves as the bridge between clinicians, finance, government, and regulatory agencies and plays an integral role in the transition to the Electronic Health Record (EHR).
More information about HIM can be obtained from the American Health Information Management Association Web site at www.ahima.org .
A portion of the information in this article was taken from www.ahima.org .
