Daniel Utech, MBA, RHIA, CHPS 
Manager, IT Business Partners & Application System Teams, Parkland, Dallas, TX 

Dan co-chairs the AHIMA Membership Advisory Committee and is an incoming member of the AHIMA Board of Directors 

Some say healthcare is a calling, while others view it as a job. The career path for many health information (HI) professionals often comes with several crossroads. My journey has spanned over a decade across multiple service industries. I often shifted between roles and organizations whenever I felt restless or unchallenged. 

My initial dive into healthcare was with the ambition of pursuing an education in neurosurgery. As part of this endeavor, I underwent training as a certified nursing assistant at a local skilled nursing facility. This role gave me firsthand experience of direct patient care. While invaluable, I realized bedside care wasn't my true calling. Instead of being discouraged, I saw it as a blessing in disguise. 

With guidance from my advisors at the College of St. Scholastica, I discovered the health information management (HIM) bachelor's degree. I was fortunate to already be at a college celebrated for its distinguished academics and dedicated HIM educators. They pushed me to my limits but always offered the necessary support. Their backing was essential, especially when times got tough, like when I had to retake my International Classification of Diseases coding course and even faced academic probation. During these testing times, I tried my best to balance my studies with working roughly 80 hours a week as a line cook across two restaurants. 

As graduation neared, I intentionally sought practicums that took me to diverse settings nationwide: from a county hospital in Albuquerque, NM, to AHIMA's government and policy office in Washington, DC. These experiences ignited a passion that has fueled my entire career. The HIM field allowed me to openly collaborate with leaders across the organization, streamline processes, ensure the delivery of accurate and high-quality information for business and clinical decision support, and champion zero-harm patient care. These roles solidified my commitment to the HI profession. 

I always stayed receptive to new opportunities, even if they were outside my comfort zone. Embracing unfamiliar tasks and roles fast-tracked my learning. I actively volunteered, both locally and nationally, in service to the profession that had enriched my life. With the encouragement of my mentor and the support of members of the New Mexico Health Information Management Association, I began my first role on a board as president. It also opened me up to the inner workings of AHIMA professional governance as a delegate in the House of Delegates. It was rewarding to see the impactful changes we could achieve at a local level and how we collaborate nationally with the HI community.  

Advocacy became second nature to me—be it at a family dinner, a corporate meeting, or the corridors of Congress. During an AHIMA Advocacy Summit, I connected with a fellow HI professional and we remained connected virtually for years through Words with Friends, which ultimately led to a job opportunity in Texas. 

This new chapter came with its set of challenges. It also ushered in many triumphs: I got married, completed my MBA, survived a pandemic, implemented the 21st Century Cures Act, served on the boards of the Dallas Fort Worth Health Information Management Association and Texas Health Information Management Associations, embarked on my PhD, and was elected as a director of the AHIMA Board of Directors.

As I gaze ahead, I'm eager to tackle emerging challenges, especially in the realms of artificial intelligence, patient privacy, and broadening access to information and care. I'm continually inspired by our tight-knit community and am honored to contribute to the evolution of our profession and the broader healthcare field. I still have much to learn, but I offer to all to be bold, talk to strangers, ask even if the answer could be ‘no’, and embrace discomfort. #AHIMAallYall