Essay On Health Information Management

1021 Words3 Pages

“Health information management (HIM) has been a health profession since 1928” (Sayles 4). The purpose of the HIM profession is “to ensure the quality, confidentiality, and availability of health information across diverse organizations, settings, and disciplines” (Sayles 4). Over several years the name of the HIM organization has changed. The association is now known as Health Information Management Association. In the HIM degree there are several different certification programs including: Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT), Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA), Certified Coding Associate (CCA), Certified Coding Specialist (CCS), Certified Coding Specialist-Physician based (CCS-P), Certified in Healthcare Privacy and Security (CHPS), Certified Health Data Analyst (CHDA), and Certified Healthcare Technology Specialist (CHTS). Having various certification programs means there are various job settings in the Health information management degree.
Registered health information technicians are professionals who guarantee the quality of medical records by verifying their completeness, accuracy, and proper entry into computer systems. They use computer applications to assemble and analyze patient data for the purpose of improving patient care or controlling cost. RHITs frequently specialize in coding diagnoses and procedures in patient records for reimbursement and research. Cancer registrars- compiling and maintaining data on cancer patients, is an additional role for RHITs. There are a variety of different healthcare settings when holding a RHIT certificate. Although most RHITs work in hospitals they can also work in office-based physician practices, nursing homes, home health agencies, mental health facili...

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...external. The eligibility requirements include one of the following: associate’s degree and minimum of five years of healthcare data experience, healthcare information management credential and minimum of three years of healthcare data experience, baccalaureate degree and a minimum of three years of healthcare data experience, healthcare information management credential and minimum of one year of healthcare data experience, and a master's or related degree and one year of healthcare data experience.
The Certified Healthcare Technology Specialist (CHTS) competency exams allow professionals and employers to capitalize on new technologies, procedures and careers. The CHTS exams assess the competency of individuals seeking to demonstrate proficiency in certain health IT workforce roles integral to the implementation and management of electronic health information.

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