Health Information 101: What is Health Information Management?
Dec. 2, 2013
What do computers, healthcare and great jobs have in common?
Health Information Management. Chances are, you’ve never heard of this career field. Let’s change that.
Health Information Management (HIM) is the maintenance and care of health records in hospitals, physicians’ offices, clinics, health departments, health insurance companies and other facilities that provide healthcare or health record maintenance. The HIM professional plays a vital role in the smooth operation of the healthcare facility, as well as insuring the effective care and treatment of patients by providing accurate and accessible data. With the widespread transfer of traditional (paper) health records to computerized or electronic health records (EHR), the opportunities in this career field are tremendous.
The real story, however, lies in the growing need for employees to fill those roles. Healthcare providers find themselves struggling to keep up with the rapid changes in technology, and the federal government is providing billions of dollars in funding to get them up to date.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 21% increase in employment of medical records and health information technologists between 2010 and 2020.
· 67% of hospital executives reported that they were experiencing a shortage of HIT staff in a September 2012 survey by the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME).
· According to a study by the Alliance for Health Reform, the HIT/HIM workforce has to increase by 41,000 – or 38% – to serve the current healthcare infrastructure.
Concorde’s Health Information Management program addresses these needs with our Health Information Management Associate of Applied Science degree program. Offered completely online, the program can be completed in 20 months. Students benefit from Concorde’s graduate employment services, and the vast employer network that Concorde maintains.
Health Information Management. The business side of healthcare.