Mary Ellen Doran
301-657-1291
maryellen@amia.org

TWO LEADING HEALTH INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS JOIN FORCES ON PUBLIC POLICY

WASHINGTON, DC, June 21—The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) announced today that a Memorandum of Understanding has been established between them to join forces on a common public policy agenda.

“The members of our associations share the same vision and goals of an interconnected healthcare system and a deep understanding of the clinical and administrative work that is needed to get there,” says Linda Kloss, MA, RHIA, AHIMA CEO. “And we each bring to the partnership strong track records as effective advocates for sound national policies.”

AHIMA and AMIA are national professional associations engaged in advocating for sound public policy that benefits patients, health care providers, and society at large. The groups will advocate for policy that advances the scientific and applied bases of effective use of information technology to transform health care with greater safety, better outcomes, efficiency, and effectiveness. Other common areas of interest between the two associations include health information workforce issues, standards, and privacy and security of personal health information.

Collaborative work will include:

• Maintaining a common agenda for public policy priorities;
• Preparing and issuing joint position statements;
• Sponsoring events such as briefing sessions, visits to Congress or to members of the administration; and
• Sharing information among the 55,000 members of the two organizations.

Both organizations will appoint four representatives to sit on a joint public policy committee responsible for determining key strategic issues to be addressed in 2006.

One of the first action items on the joint committee’s agenda is to raise awareness among members of congress about the urgent need to support investments in education and training for health informatics and health information management (HIM) professionals in order to meet the demands of an increasingly global and electronic healthcare environment. “Our mandate with one another is to keep a clear focus on improving the quality and use of patient information and healthcare data in order tom improve our care system,” says Don E. Detmer, MD, MA, AMIA President and CEO. “AMIA and AHIMA have a long history of working well together in the policy arena and we are very excited about the prospects of this partnership.”

About AMIA
The American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) is an organization of leaders shaping the future of health information technology in the United States and abroad. AMIA is dedicated to the development and application of medical informatics in support of patient care, teaching, research, and health care administration.

About AHIMA
AHIMA is the premier 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 health care 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.