Brianna Kelly, MBA, RHIA
Biography
Brianna Kelly, MBA, RHIA is currently a Senior Population Health Manager at Lumeris working with Hackensack Meridian Health, one of the largest healthcare systems in New Jersey. She comes from a family of health professionals and has been involved in the healthcare field for over 16 years. She started her HI career in an acute care hospital as a supervisor of the HIM department and has since branched out into non-traditional roles. She began her vast background in healthcare transformation at the New Jersey Innovative Institute (NJII) who were part of the pioneers of value-based care. She obtained her graduate degree from New Jersey Institute of Technology and has extensive expertise in healthcare technology. She has been president of NJHIMA and served on the board since being an HIM student in many roles throughout the years. She co-chaired AHIMA’s awards committee in 2024 and remains on the committee until the end of 2025. In addition to her board and committee roles, Brianna has mentored students, served on her local community college’s HIM advisory board, and has been an item writer and reviewer for the RHIA exam.
Position Statement
AHIMA's core values are Integrity, Bold, and Inclusive. How would you incorporate these into your service if elected as House of Delegates Speaker-elect?
AHIMA’s core values align with my own, and I will continue to use these values as a foundation if elected as Speaker-elect of the house. My career has been built on integrity and inclusiveness. Upon my first exposure to this profession, I was challenged during the pursuit of my educational career to remain consistent, persistent, and to do the right thing even when it was difficult. Originally a nursing student, I had to make the hard decision to leave an out of state University due to financial cost. Being determined to graduate on time and after some self-reflecting, it led me to the doorstep of my local Health Information Management program. Since day one I was welcomed into Health Information with open arms, and that inclusivity really spearheaded my drive and passion for the field that remains today. We as HI professionals must adhere to strong ethical principles always. From privacy to security, ethics are at the core of what we do every day. If elected as House of Delegates Speaker-Elect, I can promise to continue to be morally responsible. I will ensure that the integrity of the house is upheld by communicating information clearly, concisely, and truthfully as liaison to the AHIMA board of directors. I will also strive to foster an environment to encourage collaboration, ideas, and opinions of all delegates. If elected, my role as Speaker-Elect would be to drive inclusivity, as this is something I am very passionate about. As a former delegate myself, I recognize that great solutions come from diverse perspectives that can be unified under one voice.
While boldness is not a character trait that I lead in all facets of my life, it has become essential to the success of my career. In a career where you cannot be afraid, boldness has become one of my core values, pushing me to ask questions and constructively challenge uncertain situations. I have learned to be willing to take risks, to stand on my own, and to step outside of my comfort zone for the betterment of the HI profession. As Speaker-elect I will continue to embody these characteristics and ensure I bring the same energy with me to the house. Health information is multifaceted and has transcended beyond just record management. We now need to speak up, advocate, and be bold not only for patients, but for providers, healthcare institutions, and beyond. There has never been a time when transformation and resilience has been needed more. Our voices need to be concerted now more than ever as sweeping change comes at all directions from legislative branches to new technologies like artificial intelligence. Together, we must leverage trusted and protected information to connect people, networks, and ideas.