AHIMA SAYS AHIC KEY TO ACHIEVING INDUSTRY CONSENSUS ON HEALTH IT ISSUES

CHICAGO, September 13—In a letter of support to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Michael Leavitt today, the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) applauds the Secretary’s leadership in appointing a highly esteemed panel of experts to the American Health Information Community (AHIC).

“To fully achieve our investment in health information technology, a collaborative consensus driven approach is needed to effectively address the myriad technical, legal, political, and operational issues inherent with industry-wide change of this scope and magnitude,” states Linda Kloss, MA, RHIA, AHIMA CEO. “The formation of the AHIC will increase the already exceptional level of progress being made under Secretary Leavitt’s leadership to advance the development of standards and the widespread adoption of health IT in order to improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of patient care in the United States.”

AHIMA, through its e-HIM® initiative, is committed to actively supporting the President’s national health information goals and the adoption and implementation strategies developed by HHS, AHIC, and the Office of the National Coordinator. The Association provides its industry-leading e-HIM® education and advocacy programs to support the effective use of information technology to manage patient information and healthcare data. “We look forward to bringing the expertise of our 53,000 members to support the move to an interoperable health information infrastructure,” adds Kloss.

To view AHIMA’s letter to Secretary Leavitt, visit the Association’s Web site at http://www.ahima.org/dc/AHICannouncement.asp. For more information about AHIMA’s e-HIM® initiative, including practice standards for areas that play an integral role in the transition from paper to electronic health records, visit the Association’s Web site at http://www.ahima.org/infocenter/ehim/.

AHIMA is the premier association of health information management (HIM) professionals. AHIMA’s 53,000 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.