|
| |
Not What We Were in 1928: A New Professional Definition
Not What We Were in 1928: A New Professional Definition
by Lynda A. Russell, EdD, JD, RHIA
When was the last time you talked about using an "icebox," a "horseless carriage," or a "ditto
machine"? Just as time and innovation have changed our ideas about
familiar objects, they have also changed the definition of our profession.
HIM professionals have come a long way since the organization of the Association
of Record Librarians of North America was born in 1928. Now, AHIMA is eager
to share the newly approved "Professional Definition for Health Information
Management," highlighting the breadth of our expanding profession.
In this article, we’ll explore the roots of the new professional definition,
which can be found on the following pages.
Moving into the Future
Back in 1928, our association’s main goal was elevating "the standards of clinical records in hospitals,
dispensaries, and other distinctly medical institutions."1
Today, we have expanded our professional reach far beyond "standards
of clinical records" and "distinctly medical institutions."
We are a more diverse group, with different skills in a variety of care
settings across the healthcare spectrum and beyond.
As a result, we can no longer embrace the "traditional versus nontraditional" career dichotomy because
it no longer exists. The professional definition is not specific to any
HIM credential or employer type. It defines us collectively as professionals
with a wide variety of attributes and skills. It should be important to
all HIM professionals, because it is all of us.
Developed by the AHIMA Committee on Professional Development, the Joint Committee on Education, and the Board
of Directors, the definition will:
- enable us all to find ourselves in the definition regardless of our working environment
- ensure we recognize the many attributes we have to offer when seeking employment
- enable employers to recognize and appreciate our extensively varied knowledge base and skill set
- enable the general public to recognize and appreciate what it means to be a HIM professional
The Elements of HIM
The definition is centered around the words "health information management." For each of these
three words, the definition describes its "domain" the elements
it encompasses and examples of the ways HIM professionals make a unique
impact on the industry in each domain, including the activities and functions
they perform in each area.
The domain description for "health"
focuses on the many different kinds of data including clinical, epidemiological,
demographic, and financial data. Our unique impact on the value of this
data derives from our organizational skills, statistical knowledge, attention
to quality, and understanding of clinical costs and reimbursement rules.
The domain description for the word "information" addresses the forms in which data are maintained
and the media used to store that data. Our unique impact on the forms
of "information" includes managing enormous amounts of data,
summarizing data into useful reports, and developing uniform definitions
of clinical data. We also affect the media on which data is stored by
managing paper, constructing database content, and ensuring that legal
standards are applied when using new technologies.
"Management" in the HIM context describes our unique blending of knowledge of clinical, management,
and informatics principles. The domain description details the planning,
informatics, and technical concepts of managing health information in
which HIM professionals excel. The skills and functions used to accomplish
these concepts are discussed in terms of the unique impact the HIM professional
applies. Examples of this impact include influencing national and organizational
policy-making, improving data quality and accuracy, and protecting patients’
right to privacy.
Reflecting Our Diversity
The professional definition reflects all of us, regardless of how we are applying our knowledge. Many HIM professionals
have used their HIM expertise to move into diverse roles for which they
might not have been originally trained. As we continue to move into new
arenas and settings, we can use the definition to explain what we do and
our unique background and training. And we can use it as the basis for
future role development.
It is true as a profession, we are not what we were in 1928. And soon we will be saying, "we are not
what we were in 2001." We have shaped our profession by grasping
opportunities, rising to challenges, and creatively applying what we know
to ride the waves of healthcare change. We will always be much more than
what we were yesterday.
Health Information Management: Professional Definition
Acknowledgement
Thanks to Beth Hjort, RHIA, HIM practice
manager at AHIMA, who contributed to this article and supported the Committee
on Professional Development as it finalized this definition.
Note
1. Huffman, Edna K. Manual for
Medical Record Librarians. 5th ed. Berwyn, IL: Physicians’ Record
Company, 1963, p. 23.
Lynda Russell is EIS senior training
coordinator at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA. She can be
reached at lynda.russell@cshs.org.
|
[ About AHIMA
| Schools/Jobs
| Professional Development
| HIM Resources
| Foundation
| Help
| Site Map
]
|
Copyright © 2008 by the American Health Information Management Association. All rights reserved. No part of this site may be reproduced, reprinted, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the association. |
|
All contents, including images and graphics, on this Web site are copyrighted by AHIMA unless otherwise noted. You must obtain permission to reproduce any information, graphics, or images from this site. Permission must also be obtained to link to any of AHIMA's Web sites. To request permission, fill out the AHIMA Permissions Request or contact permissions@ahima.org. |
| |
Print page
