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AHIMA Workforce Study ProjectAHIMA has commissioned the Center for Health Workforce Studies at the University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY) to assess current and future HIM workforce needs, shortages, and salaries. Reports from this study are now available by clicking "Reports" below. This $500,000 study is funded through the Foundation of Research and Education (FORE) and is supported in part by generous grants from AHIMA's Component State Associations, individual members, and the following corporate partners:   I Reports I Advisory Committee I Data Use Request I "Embracing The Future" (workforce summary report .pdf) HIM Front and Center: Work Force Study Puts Profession in Spotlight What will the HIM profession look like in years to come? Thanks to a far-reaching study launched by AHIMA, that question may one day be easier to answer. In January 2002, AHIMA announced the beginning of a major study to provide crucial information about the current and future HIM work force and its educational and professional development requirements. According to AHIMA leaders, the study comes at a momentous time for the profession. "We've known for some time--and the [US] Bureau of Labor Statistics has documented--a shortage in our field," says Linda Kloss, MA, RHIA, executive vice president and chief executive officer of AHIMA. "We have a lot of anecdotal information, but in terms of understanding the trends and the impact of the shortage, and being able to confidently transition from planning to action, we need hard data." AHIMA has commissioned the study to the Center for Health Workforce Studies (CHWS), part of the School of Public Health at the State University of New York at Albany. CHWS has conducted a variety of studies involving the supply, demand, and distribution of health professions throughout the US. The two-year project will provide a complete and accurate picture of the HIM employment environment. It also will describe the breadth of roles and functions performed in HIM today and forecast how they will evolve in the next five to 10 years. And, Kloss says, it will set the Association up with the survey mechanisms to continue collecting trend data after the formal study is complete. In Search of Answers for the Long Term Armed with the study findings, both AHIMA and its members will be able to position themselves for long-term success, says Paul Wing, PhD, director of the AHIMA work force study and deputy director of CHWS. Wing notes that while AHIMA staff and members have done a substantial amount of work to study various aspects of the profession, large-scale quantifiable data will make it easier to make good strategic decisions for the future. How will data help? To begin with, it will help HIM continue to respond to sweeping changes in the healthcare industry. "In the last five years, the whole process of delivering healthcare has changed dramatically," says Melanie Brodnik, PhD, RHIA, AHIMA President-elect and director and associate professor of health information systems at Ohio State University in Columbus. "It has caused incredible stress and strain, which has lead to a sliding decline in people wanting to pursue healthcare careers generally. At the present time, manpower in HIM is in the same situation." Fast-paced changes in technology and the role of HIM in many new and different types of environments have accelerated the demand for credentialed professionals. Out of necessity, healthcare organizations have filled HIM supervisory positions from the ranks of general managers and placed non-credentialed people in HIM staff positions. With the demand so far outstripping the supply, there is a concern that "over time, this may dilute the profession, erode established standards of work, and lead to fewer jobs for credentialed HIM professionals," according to Kloss. The work force study will help counteract those trends by substantiating HIM professionals' roles--and underscore their importance in healthcare. In addition to quantifying work force needs, the study will give AHIMA more comprehensive data on salary levels nationwide. This will enable the Association to be a more effective advocate of professional recognition and better salaries for members. What's more, AHIMA will be able to identify emerging career pathways--helping members plan their careers and take advantage of new opportunities--and set the direction for curriculum and accreditation policies that will prepare future HIM professionals. Finally, the study will provide AHIMA leverage in persuading colleges and universities to start--and support--HIM programs. "Based on the insight we gain, we'll have answers to questions such as: ÔAre our projections of future demands and work force needs on the right path? Are we preparing the right people? Is our educational process OK?'" explains Mervat Abdelhak, RHIA, PhD, department chair and associate professor of HIM at the University of Pittsburgh. Abdelhak is a former member of the AHIMA board of directors. FORE
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