© 2010/2011

Priority: Prepared Workforce Eager for Change to eHealth

Rita A. Scichilone

MHSA, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P

AHIMA Global Services

© 2010/2011

Action: Interest, Incentive, Infrastructure

Representing more than 61,000 specially educated Health Information Management professionals in the United States and around the world, the American Health Information Management Association is committed to promoting and advocating for high quality research, best practices and effective standards in health information and to actively contribute to the development and advancement of health information professionals worldwide

Three Priority Points

1. Igniting interest in healthcare technology roles

2. Incentive development for influencing change

3. Infrastructure building for education

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Action: Igniting Interest

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• Health informatics and information management is critical for transformation of healthcare delivery

• Vision: Health records are electronic, patient-centered, comprehensive, longitudinal, accessible, user-friendly and reliable

• Policy must include promotion of HIT and HIM roles as a long-term satisfying career choice

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Action: Incentives Important

• Policies must incent people to choose or make a career change - include– Essential: Professional role clarity and recognition– Expectation : Compensation parity with other industries– Enhancement: Job descriptions developed to support higher

salary allocation– Equity: Comparable and improved compensation programs for

health informatics and information management faculty and trainers

• Success depends on compelling incentives

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© 2010/2011

Action: Infrastructure Building

Recommended Policy Inclusion• Intensive short courses – train more workers

faster with targeted skill sets• Well designed and accredited distance education

programs – assessment with certification• Standardization of curriculum • External support from governments/ministries • Leverage professional associations

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Action: Infrastructure Building

Recommended Policy Inclusion• HIM and HIT are symbiotic – technology

requires information management to sustain successful implementation

• Principles of the HIM discipline include stewardship of data content

• Technology creates the building but a steward is needed to manage the information created there

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© 2010/2011

HIM Core Model (Draft)

Health InformationGovernance and Stewardship

Health Data Capture and Maintenance

Health Information Resource Management and Innovation

Health Information

Analysis & Output

EDUCATION

POLICY

R E SEA R C H

S T A N D A R DS

© 2010/2011

HIMCore Model Component

s

Health Data Capture and Maintenance

Health Information Analysis and

Output

Health Information

Resource Management and

Innovation

Information Governance and Stewardship

HIM CORE MODEL

Establish health data capture and maintenance practices and procedures

Capture and maintain health data

Establish data analysis and reporting practices and procedures

Analyze, transform and report health information

Manage the health information environment

Innovate & adopt advanced health information management processes

Protect and assure the ethical use of health information

Govern the health information environment including cohesive policies, processes, decision-rights & responsibilities

© 2010/2011

Resources

• Building the Workforce for Health Information Transformation. (2006) Available from https://www.amia.org/files/shared/Workforce_web.pdf

• Statement on Health Information Management (HIM) as a Multi-National Profession (2008) Available from http://www.ahima.org/advocacy/positionstatements.aspx

• CAHIIM : Health Information Management and Health Informatics Accreditation . Available from http://www.ahima.org/downloads/pdfs/global/AHIMA%20Accreditation.pdf

• Joint Work Force: Health Information Management and InformaticsCore Competencies for Individuals Working With Electronic Health Records (2008) Available from https://www.amia.org/files/shared/Workforce_2008.pdf

• Public Health Training Opportunities http://www.cdc.gov/learning• US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality http://

www.ahrq.gov/fund/training/index.htm

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