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The Future of the Health Information Profession


Kristin Ashworth
HCMT 1005C-001
December 7, 2015

With the revolution of technology at its highest peak, the future of the health
information profession is different than how it was once perceived. The profession has
had to make many adjustments to keep up with the changes. The most highly advanced
change that is seen involves the electronic health record. The implementation of this
system is ongoing and will be for some time, this will give professionals a chance to
analyze the future and prepare for the changes that have to happen.
Nanette B. Sayles (2014) defines the electronic health record as healthrelated information on an individual that conforms to nationally recognized
interoperability standards and that can be created, managed, and consulted by authorized
clinicians and staff across more than one healthcare organization (pp. 128-129). The
EHR system offers many benefits. Accessibility and availability tend to be the most
convenient, a patient has access to that record when it is needed. The EHR will also offer
a support system for the clinicians treating the patient. It will give off alerts if certain
medications are prescribed or if an error has been made. Patients will be able to educate
themselves further with electronic access to their doctors orders. Another benefit is that
the patient will get to spend more time with the provider because they will be able to
exchange all information thats needed bedside. The electronic health record will prevent
the same test being ran multiple times, reduce the cost of retrieving paper records, and
reduce the cost of retaining all of the different types of information. Unfortunately there
are certain obstacles to overcome with this implementation as well. Those begin with the
cost of the system. Over time you will get more than what you paid for, but the initial
cost can be problematic for some facilities. When anything new comes along, there

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comes the responsibility of writing policies and procedures as to how it will function.
Another obstacle is trying to educate everyone that will be using this system so that they
are all abiding by the same standards. Finally, the cost of training can also be a burden
when the system is first implemented. Like the initial cost you will end up getting more
than what you paid for in the end, it just make take awhile to get to that point.
A health information professional practices acquiring and protecting medical
information. They are important for the daily functions of the electronic health record and
other new technology such as the health information exchange, computer assisted coding,
voice recognition software, and patient portals. The need for these professionals will
always be there, what their roles will become will be the difference. Some jobs may
become non-existent but this will only make room for the new jobs that are becoming
part of the health information profession. The new roles are reaching more areas of health
care than ever before. Along with hospitals and doctors offices, the roles are expanding
to government agencies, educational institutions, technology companies, and consulting
firms just to name a few. While the professionals will still focus on collecting, storage,
coding, processing, and analysis, importance is moving towards health data management,
privacy, security, and information exchange. This dynamic has put a larger focus on
education and skills than ever before.
One organization that has made sure education and skill level has become more
important is the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).
AHIMA, thinking of the future of the profession, developed three strategies to advance
the industry. The first strategy is for more professional development. Specialized
advanced certificates will be more in demand, this will require Bachelor and Master

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degree programs to broaden their curriculum. AHIMA is updating certificates and exams
to guarantee preparation for change. The next strategy is to prepare and educate. To
succeed at this it is going to take a higher than normal workload to implement the
changes, an increase in the number of professionals to guarantee longevity and quality of
information management, and making sure students are prepared by new developments
addressing the new environment. The final strategy is to hold leadership of HIM as a
high regarded profession. This can happen by letting patients know what they have
available to them now. With AHIMA being the driving force behind the future of the
health information profession, their goal is to have all health information electronic,
comprehensible, accessible, and credible.
The future of the health information profession depends on how facilities are
preparing for it now. They must be willing to invest in the next generation by means of
education, skills, and providing new policies and procedures that are up to date with the
latest technology. It will be a promising future as long as hard work is put in, because
this new era of technology will require more skills than in the past. If the future is going
in the direction that we are hoping for, facilities will see optimal cost savings, easy
usability, and superior universal access.

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Works Cited
Dimick, C. (2012, August 1). Health Information Management 2025: Current
Health IT Revolution Drastically Changes HIM in The Near Future. Retrieved
December 8, 2015, from
http://library.ahima.org/xpedio/groups/public/documents/ahima/bok1_049692.hcsp?
dDocName=bok1_049692
Embracing the Future: New Times, New Opportunities for Health Information
Managers. (2005). Retrieved December 8, 2015, from
http://library.ahima.org/xpedio/groups/public/documents/ahima/bok1_027397.hcsp?
dDocName=bok1_027397#development
Fahrenholz, C., & Russo, R. (Eds.). (2013). Documentation for health records
(pp. 309-311).
Health Information 101. (2015). Retrieved December 9, 2015, from
http://www.ahima.org/careers/healthinfo
Sayles, N. (2013). Health information management technology: An applied
approach (Fourth ed., p. 128).

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