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Rapid, technological change is revolutionizing our lives.Think for a second about your mobile phone. One decade ago – if you had one – you used it to make calls, and only calls. Now, we use phones to send text messages, e-mails, surf the Internet and read newspapers.
In healthcare, technological change is omnipresent. We have access to more data than ever, but more information only works when the data is accurate, secure and can be transformed into knowledge. Technological advancement carries great promise and great responsibility.
Consequently, there has never been a more important or exciting time to be a health information management (HIM) professional.
At the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), we are dedicated to managing, analyzing and transforming health information for quality patient care, research, data integrity and information governance. We empower your healthcare team with trusted information so they can make the best informed decision about your health. For this to happen, data must be up to date, relevant and managed effectively.
While many of our members manage traditional health information departments, others are moving into emerging positions. New challenges and opportunities abound, with the potential to affect the quality of health information, and, in turn, the quality and safety of healthcare.
For instance, fundamental changes in the U.S. healthcare delivery system are driving explosive growth in jobs related to electronic health record (EHR) implementation. We help lead the way in areas of policy making, informatics and law to explore legal and compliance issues associated with EHR implementation. We do this by making sure EHRs have safe, usable and high quality data and information.
Other exciting opportunities for AHIMA members include: assisting clinicians with documentation improvement during the patient’s stay; synthesizing backend data for analytics and decision support; continuing in jobs as compliance officers; using expertise in privacy and security to assist providers in avoiding data breaches; providing leadership in health information exchange; and, making sure updates in classification systems are timely and accurate. In addition, our members are implementing best practices for the governance of electronic health records so that health information can be trusted.
Since our mission is quality healthcare through quality information, AHIMA has been a leading advocate of implementing the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS. AHIMA has urged the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) not to extend the compliance date, and if there is a delay, it should not go beyond one year (Oct. 1, 2014).
On April 16-17, we gathered thought leaders under one convention roof for the ICD-CM/PCS Summit, the premier healthcare industry event dedicated to exploring the challenges and opportunities represented by the ICD-10 transition. Additionally, AHIMA sponsors ICD-10 academies among other high-impact, low-cost ICD-10 initiatives that benefit our more than 64,000 members and the greater healthcare profession.
Change, whether to ICD-10 or otherwise, can be scary, especially at the start.
Inertia is painless, but paralyzing: one day you wake up and realize a trend has passed you by.
This fall we will be hosting the inaugural Health Information Innovation Leadership Conference October 2 and 3 during the AHIMA Annual Convention and Exhibit in Chicago. We have assembled a cross-section of the most dynamic and creative individuals in the HIM field and beyond in order to inspire people to innovate at their own job and employer. Additionally, AHIMA is embracing change with forward-looking initiatives such as Reality 2016.
Reality 2016 is a proposed model for how the HIM profession can lead, grow and adapt to a rapidly changing healthcare environment. It promotes a path for HIM professionals to gain more educational and career options. AHIMA will seek input from our general membership about Reality 2016 at our annual convention in September.
Defining the changing HIM landscape inspired AHIMA to devise a way for HIM professionals to plot their careers. While coding is an important part of HIM, it represents only one of countless jobs available for people in the profession.
Now, there is place to connect the career dots. We are proud of our just-launched AHIMA Career Map, an interactive and visual representation of the job titles and roles that compose the scope of HIM and the career paths associated with them. Emerging roles can be added to the map as needed so the map will always reflect the current reality of HIM roles, pathways between the roles and connections to the direction in which the profession is moving.
Change is part of life. Better to make it your friend than your foe.
As Benjamin Franklin said, “When you’re finished changing, you’re finished.”
AHIMA and the HIM profession are just getting started.
