Health information professionals: roles and responsibilities

Health information professionals are those who are involved in collecting, organizing and protecting the patients' data for providing better diagnosis and treatment for the patients, protecting the security and confidentiality of the patients and making it easy to share information as and when needed to authorized people electronically. They are the link between healthcare and technology and they are well-versed in both the fields. HIS is a growing field and the demand for this profession is likely to increase during the next decade because of the increase in aging population and advancements in technology. The average salary levels are high and it is likely to increase in the future because of the demand. Recognizing this increasing demand, more universities are offering courses for students to join this profession. All this makes it one of the top fields to work in during the coming decade.

Who are Health Information Professionals?

The changing demographics of the western world and increased interest on healthcare has necessitated an elaborate health care system that includes not just doctors and nurses, but also those who plan and administer it. One such group is the Healthcare Information Professionals (HIS) who plan and execute the information systems required for the field of health care. In a way, they integrate technology with health care and act as a bridge between the two fields.

They are also involved in collecting, analyzing and protecting information about patients to protect their privacy and to provide them the best medical treatment possible. This information includes medical history, past and current treatments given to patients, known allergies, doctor's notes, x-rays, lab test results, prescription for medications and anything else that is relevant to the patients' health.

Role and responsibility of a HIS

The Government of Alberta (2010) states the duties of a HIS to include:

Digitize the patient's information so that is available in an electronic form that can be transferred easily.

Translate a patient's medical information into a standard format based on the international classification system.

It is the HIS's duty to ensure that all the records of the patient are complete and accurate.

Secure and protect the patient's medical information and release it only to authorized persons under the provisions of the local laws and regulations.

Perform frequent quality checks on the data to ensure that it is accurate.

Collect additional information that can be used to better understand the existing information and also to create data about the general patient population.

Use computer applications and technology to present the existing data for research, planning and education.

The working conditions of HIS professionals are the standard week hours and they may have to work n shifts in places where the health record departments work for longer hours. This job is perfect for an individual who is organized, methodical and attention to detail with a keen interest in computers and technology.

Education

According to Dalrymple & Roderer (2010, p.46), "Health informatics remains outside the professional jurisdiction of an accreditation process similar to those exercised in established professional fields such as library and information science and the health professions themselves, but some professional groups are engaged in determining professional competencies and the educational pathways through which to attain the knowledge and skills expected of health informaticians."

The lack of established accreditation and education process is partly because it is an emerging and interdisciplinary field. However, a growing interest in this field as well as its growing importance to the healthcare sector and to the society at large has helped universities to design a course that will cater to the HIS professionals. Today, many universities offer undergraduate and graduate programs in HIS and include at least about 30% of informatics in courses related to medical, nursing and bio-informatics. This has gained significant importance after the passage of the healthcare reform legislation because the Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology provides grants for this course (Health information exchange, 2010).

According to a survey conducted in 2008, there are 175 institutions in the U.S. that offer this course at varying levels and when other countries are also taken into account, this number is close to 200 (Kampov-Polevoi & Hemminger, 2010). The American Health Information Managers Association recently started accrediting HIS professionals through its accreditation commission known as CAHIIM (Dalrymple & Roderer, 2010).

Salary and benefits

The salary earned depends to a large extent on the responsibility held by the individuals. In general, the more the responsibility, the higher the salary. In a survey conducted in 2008 by AHIMA, the average salary was $57,370. The salary for a IS/IT Director is $96,640, other director is $90,740, security officer is $83,000, consultant is $76,267, HIM Director is $73,376, compliance officer is $72,218, other officer is $66,491, privacy officer is $64,449, manager is $64,225, Data/systems analyst is $58,232, supervisor is $50,362, coding professional is $43,359, other technician roles is $43,042 and administrative support is $32,671 respectively. These salary levels are likely to increase as demand for HIS professionals increase in the next few years.

Employment

HIS professionals are employed by hospitals and clinics to maintain patient's records. They are also hired by research facilities and Government departments that are looking to gather information about patients to use them for further research, planning and analysis.

Importance and future outlook of HIS

"Changing healthcare and the advent of sophisticated information technology are impacting the way health information is generated, published, organized, accessed, communicated, shared and used. The effect can be felt in clinical, research and consumerism environment" (Cleveland, 2011, p.64). The importance of HIS professionals are increasing because of the crucial role they play in organizing information so that patients are given better treatment, in protecting the privacy of the patients by limiting the access to vital data and by making it easy to share as and when needed.

Though there are some concerns about security issues and breaches because of the digitization and electronic transfer, it is likely that that these concerns will be addressed with stringer security and compliance. These improved compliance techniques will help to provide better treatment for patients and reduce the chance of any leaks. This will also greatly reduce fines and penalties that go with data loss and increased patient confidence in the organization (Express Healthcare, 2011). At the core of these compliance and security process is the HIS and so, the importance of this role is sure to get a boost.