e-HIM®
The health information management (HIM) field was established in 1928 to elevate the standards of clinical records to improve patient care. While this remains the central focus, e-HIM® looks ahead and embraces the benefits that will accrue when healthcare comes fully into the electronic age. The future state of health information is electronic, patient-centered, comprehensive, longitudinal, accessible, and credible.
HIM professionals now serve in a broad range of roles that involve planning, organizing, and managing clinical content, integrity, accessibility, use, and protection in the transition from paper to electronic records and the management of electronic content (that is, a transition from HIM to e-HIM®).
AHIMA is developing new practice guidance through the e-HIM® initiative to assist with this transition. The e-HIM® initiative was undertaken in order to advance HIM practice to fully utilize standards-based technology and adopt best practices. The importance and expectation of having better ways and means to understand, organize, and analyze health data will increase as the automation of health information continues.
More information on the e-HIM® initiative:
AHIMA has a variety of resources on important e-HIM® topics, including for example electronic health records and health information exchange. In the left navigation menu, expand "Resources Home" to see a complete list of HIM and e-HIM® topics. Or navigate to the web pages linked below for information on e-HIM® roles and best practices.