NEW RESOURCE HELPS INDUSTRY MAKE SENSE OF “UNIQUE VOCABULARY”
AHIMA pocket glossary explains more than 2500 healthcare terms, abbreviations, and acronyms

CHICAGO, September 26—Do you have hard time remembering what WHO stands for or who WEDI is? Not sure if a Snowflake Schema has anything to do with SNOMED? Are you confused by the URU principle? Or wondering about the difference between an EHR and an EMR? It’s not easy keeping PACE with the language of health information management (HIM) and health information technology (HIT) today. But now, thanks to a new resource guide, you can CHIME in rather than scratch your CHIN the next time a colleague needs to know what AHPB stands for ASAP. AHIMA’s new Pocket Glossary for Health Information and Technology AIMS to help CIO’s, RHIA’s, RN’s and other healthcare professionals get their vocabulary in SCHIP shape by explaining the concepts and terms that are commonly used in HIM practice.

“If you work in healthcare, chances are that just about everyday you run across a new acronym or term or maybe there’s one you’ve been using for so long you forgotten what it stands for,” says Ken Zielske, Director of Publications for AHIMA. “This pocket guide is designed to be a handy desk reference to help healthcare professionals quickly locate the meaning when they need it.”

These terms and concepts reflect the breadth of practice drawing from the fields of medicine, healthcare management, computer science and their application to health information management and technology. The glossary includes:

• More than 2,500 terms—from medicine, healthcare, computer science, management, HIM, and health information technology (HIT)—defined and cross-referenced
• Acronyms and a list of terms and synonyms to help with research, including database searching or Internet surfing
• Names and purposes of important HIM- and HIT-related organizations

All terms have been reviewed by HIM practitioners and educators for technical accuracy, content, and structure. Pocket Glossary for Health Information Management and Technology is available online at www.ahima.org/store or by calling (800) 335-5535.

With a retail price of only $20 ($16 for AHIMA members) you’ll be sure to see an ROI—that’s “return on investment” not “release of information”—after just a few uses.

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.