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AHIMA: Action Needed on HIM Ills


August 4, 2008

A growing shortage of qualified health information management professionals imperils the benefits that electronic health records, health information exchanges and other technologies can bring to help improve the quality, safety and efficiency of care, according to the Chicago-based American Health Information Management Association. The member organization issued a detailed policy statement on the challenges facing medical records departments and the need for industry and government action. What follows is the complete policy statement:

AHIMA regards the adoption and maintenance of electronic health records (EHRs), personal health records (PHRs), and the formation and utilization of health information exchange (HIE) networks as imperative to lasting improvements in the overall standard of quality healthcare delivered in the United States.

But achieving an effective electronic information infrastructure for healthcare delivery is more than a matter of technology deployment and growing the technology work force. Our future information infrastructure will indeed require technology, as well as staff who focus on information technology.

But there is a distinct need for a qualified workforce focusing on the underlying information management issues that are critical to the effective application of technology to sound information management and documentation principles.

HIM professionals possess the knowledge and skill sets to facilitate effective integration of technology in a way that meets care delivery needs as well as compliance, legal, public health, research, administrative, and policy needs.

The need for qualified HIM professionals to facilitate the transition, implementation, and ongoing management of health information systems that support the goals of a healthcare system focused on improved quality, safety, consumer empowerment, and cost-effectiveness of care is growing substantially.

At the same time, however, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the number of active HIM professionals will fall well below that necessary to accomplish this transformation, due to an aging workforce, coupled with an insufficient number of graduates and available HIM academic programs.

While the House of Representatives has twice passed legislation that would initiate investment in HIM education, the Senate has yet to act on such legislation. While this legislation is not a complete answer to long-term needs, Congressional action can move us forward toward that solution.

AHIMA calls upon leaders of the healthcare industry and federal and state governments to accept this challenge, and to support and fund the education necessary to ensure adequate numbers of HIM professionals are in place to provide access to accurate, complete health information in this transitional electronic environment.

Why AHIMA Supports the Position

* A major study by the Center for Health Workforce Studies at the University at Albany, State University of New York and funded by AHIMA’s Foundation of Research and Education (FORE) resulted in a series of reports that concluded:

* There are an insufficient number of certified professionals available to fill all the positions and roles requiring HIM competencies. Almost 75 percent of survey respondents indicated there are not enough qualified applicants to satisfy all the vacant HIM positions within their organization.

* Education is essential to adapting to HIM’s changing role. The report concluded that education that improves the “understanding of both architecture and application” of technology will be essential.

* The US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics projects HIM jobs as one of the higher growth health occupations in America. Each year the industry needs several thousand new HIM professionals to occupy new positions as well as existing ones left vacant by retirees and professionals leaving the field. Each year about 2,500 new graduates enter the HIM profession. The gap widens with each passing year; at the same time our needs for HIM expertise are dramatically increasing.

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