STEMFuse-HIMUnit 4

Education and Career Information

Careers & EducationThe medical field is ever expanding and many new careers are emerging as a

result of technology and community need.

Careers & EducationUnit 4 will cover:

• Career options in the Health Information Management (HIM) area.

• Educational requirements for HIM professionals.

• A Web Quest or Shadow Experience (or both) will allow students to gain greater understating of the career filed and be better prepared for future educational and employment opportunities.

New Career Roles

• The health information manager for integrated systems is responsible for organization wide direction of health information functions.

• The clinical data specialist is responsible for data management functions, including clinical coding, outcomes management, and maintenance of specialty registries and research.

• The patient information coordinator assists patients in managing personal health information, including personal histories, and release of information functions.

New Career Roles

• The data quality manager is responsible for data management functions that involve formalized quality improvement activities for data integrity throughout the organization, such as data dictionary and policy development and data quality monitoring and audits.

• The information security manager is responsible for managing the security of electronically maintained information, including the promotion of security requirements, policies, and privilege systems and performance auditing.

• The data resource administrator manages the data recourses of the organization, such as data repositories and data warehouses

New Career Roles• The resource and decision support specialist provides senior managers

with information for decision making strategy development.

HIM professionals are working in all of these types of roles and in a variety of organizations. The profession has truly evolved to e-HIM.

Health Information Management (HIM)

• Combines a profession in health care with information technology.

• Employment opportunities are available in different types of health care settings.

Depending on the academic program in which you enroll and your future health care professional aspirations, one or more of the career opportunities

may appeal to you.

HIM Careers

• Terminology modeler: Creates digital links among various terminology and classification systems.

• Personal health record liaison or consultant: Assists patients in compilation of their health records.

• Physician group consultant: Aids in the HER system implementation, auditing documentation practices, or assisting with revenue cycle management.

• Privacy officer: Expands beyond a single organization or enterprise as health information exchange organizations and health banks become more widespread.

HIM Careers

• Health records reviewer: Responsible for monitoring quality of health information and reconciling information within health record banks and monitoring records for quality.

• HIM director: Works with the design, development, and implementation of the electronic health record, monitoring, and reconciling interfaces, running electronic data integrity audits, and supervising a staff of employees in both virtual and on site medical information departments.

• Enterprise content and information manager: Manages an organization’s non clinical paper and electronic documents including developing systems to index and track the location of content and information within the organization.

HIM Careers

• Revenue cycle manager: Oversees all of the processes that make up the revenue cycle from documentation, coding, through billing to improve efficiency in the cycle.

• Health data analyst: Retrieves, analyzes, and reports health data using software and statistical techniques.

• Chief information officer: Responsible for evaluation and acquisition of clinical and nonclinical technological systems that best meets the needs of the organization.

HIM Careers

• Cancer Registrar: Works in collecting cancer data from a variety of sources and reports cancer statistics to government and health care agencies.

• Coding and Reimbursement Specialist: Works in assigning Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) and International Classification of Diseases (ICD) numbers from patient charts to accurately reflect patient services and correct reimbursement.

• Health Insurance Specialist: A health insurance specialist or claims examiner reviews health related claims to determine whether or not the costs are reasonable and medically necessary, based on the patients diagnosis.

HIM Careers

• Health Services Manager: These individuals plan, direct, coordinate, and supervise the delivery of health care. They include specialists who direct clinical departments or services and generalists who manager entire facilities.

• Medical Transcriptionist: Medical transcriptionist transcribe prerecorded dictation, creating medical reports, correspondence, and other administrative materials (e.g., committee minutes).

• Medical office manager: This person coordinates the communication, contract, data, financial, human resources, health information, insurance, marketing, and risk management operations of a provider’s office.

HIM Careers

• Medical Staff Coordinators: These individuals report directly to the health care facilities administrator, and are responsible for managing the medical staff office.

• Utilization manager (or case manager): Responsible for coordinating patient care to ensure the appropriate utilization of resources, delivery of health care services, and timely discharge or transfers.

HIM Careers

In 2010, health information management (HIM) professionals were working in 40 different settings under 125 different job titles, often serving in bridge

roles, connecting clinical, operational, and administrative functions.

HIM Careers

It is important to remember that the healthcare environment is continually changing. Therefore, the roles of the HIM professional will continue to evolve

to meet the needs of the healthcare delivery systems.

The future of the HIM field is bright. Individual members of the profession to be successful, will to commit to a lifelong learning process.

Health information professionals must continually update their skills so they can be ready to step in new job opportunities.

HIM Education

• The educational requirements for these roles vary from certificate programs to four year bachelor’s degrees.

• College- based health care management programs typically include coursework in medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, health information management, computer systems, health data collection, epidemiology, pathophysiology, abstracting, pharmacology, transcription, and coding.

HIM Education

It is important to research your prospective college to see if they have the appropriate accreditations for health care management programs.

• Health information technicians (HIT) earn an associate degree.

• A health information manager earns a bachelors degree from colleges or universities that are accredited through the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).

After graduating from an accredited program the individual can sit for the credentialing exam given by AHIMA. Today the AHIMA certification and

credentialing program encompasses several different types of credentials, including:

HIM Education

• Registered health information technician (RHIT)• Registered health information administrator (RHIA)• Certified coding associate (CCA)• Certified coding specialist-physician based (CCS-P)• Certified healthcare privacy and security (CHPS)• Certified health data analyst (CHDA)

HIM Education

Each of these credentials has specific eligibility requirements and a certification examination. To achieve certification from AHIMA, individuals

must meet the eligibility requirements for certification and successfully complete the examination.

HIM Education

Because the HIM profession is continually changing, certified individuals must demonstrate that they are continuing to maintain their knowledge and skill

base. To maintain their credentials, individuals who hold any AHIMA certification must complete continuing education requirements.

HIM Education

Activities include: attending workshops and seminars, taking college classes, participating in independent study activities, and engaging in self-

assessments.

Careers & Education Summary

The field of Health Information Management (HIM) offers many varied career opportunities and several educational paths to enter the profession, from

certificate programs to bachelor degrees.

Let’s start exploring!Is HIM right for you?