AHIMA CONGRATULATES SECRETARY THOMPSON ON APPOINTMENT OF NATIONAL HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY COORDINATOR

CHICAGO, May 7—A major step towards achieving a fully electronic and interoperable healthcare system was met yesterday with the Department of Health and Human Services announcement of the appointment of David J. Brailer, MD, PhD, to national health information technology coordinator.

“This appointment tells us that the federal government is serious about bringing the healthcare industry fully into the information age,” says Linda Kloss, RHIA, CAE, executive vice president and CEO of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). “Dr. Brailer will play a key role in providing the leadership necessary to ensure that public and private sectors of the healthcare industry move forward together to create a health information infrastructure that is uniform, interoperable, and accountable. He is an effective communicator and collaborator, both of which are essential skills to lead this initiative”

AHIMA, through its electronic health information management (e-HIM™) initiative, is committed to accelerating the migration to a fully electronic health information environment. “We look forward to bringing the expertise of our 52,000 members to support the move to a local and national health information infrastructure,” adds Kloss.

AHIMA is the national association of health information management (HIM) professionals. AHIMA's 52,000 members are dedicated to the effective management of personal health information needed to deliver quality healthcare to the public. Founded in 1928 to improve the quality of medical records, AHIMA is committed to advancing the HIM profession in an increasingly electronic and global environment through leadership in advocacy, education, certification, and lifelong learning. For information about the association, go to www.ahima.org.