INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN HEALTHCARE Information Systems in Healthcare



Information Systems in Healthcare

Introduction

Healthcare facilities include hospitals, clinics, dental offices, out-patient surgery centers, birthing centers, and nursing homes. These health care facilities have their own respective system which allows them to function as a separate unit altogether. They keep their own records, also they believe in keeping their patients information confidential. Moreover, Health care information management (HIM) is an integral part of these facilities as they typically run the show when it comes to managing the whole system.

Discussion

Health Information Management (HIM) professionals serve the health care industry with analyzing, managing and utilizing the vital information for the patient's care and making data accessible to healthcare providers. The information is therefore, stored in electronic data or in paper form, which is accessible, for the healthcare providers. Enhancing individual patient care through timely and relevant information is one of the primary goals for the HIM professional (Wenzler, 1998).

Moreover, Health Information management (HIM) has been recognized as an allied health profess ion since 1928. The Association of Record Librarians of North America (ARLNA) was formed only 10 years after the beginning of the hospital standardization movement. 'Else association's original objective was to elevate the standards of clinical record keeping in hospitals dispensaries, and other healthcare facilities (Wenzler, 1998).

The first annual meeting of the professional organization was held in Chicago in 1929. Since then, the organization and the professionals affiliated with it have been advocates for the official management of clinical records. First the records were written manually, where the professionals documented every medical requirement and change which was later on submitted to the healthcare givers. Now, since the advancement of technology, everything has changed and data is stored in electronic filed so that it is easily accessible to the health care givers.

American health Information Management Association (AHIMA)

The name of the organization has changed several times throughout the years to reflect the changing healthcare environment. Today the association is known as the American health Information Management Association (AHIMA). Still, the association's underlying purpose remains the same: to ensure the accuracy, confidentiality, and accessibility of health record' in every healthcare setting. This chapter provides an introduction to the history of the HIM profession. The mission of the actual organization is no less important today than it was in 1928. In fact, the role of HIM professionals is even more important in today's information- and technology-driven healthcare environment (Alpers, 2010).

Those entering the HIM profession benefit from the commitment and hard work of previous visionaries in the field, who understood what it takes to develop and maintain a profession. Today's HIM professionals must he equally committed to the original goal of “elevating standards for clinical records” as well as fulfilling the obligations of healthcare professionals (Alpers, 2010).

The healthcare industry will be working to answer these questions in the coming years, and HIM professionals are ideally positioned to lead the charge. HIM professionals have been designing and redesigning processes for ...