As the treatments that medicine offer have grown wider and more effective, the information collected has grown at the same pace, both in complexity and breadth. This information requires talented and trained professionals in two areas in order to be managed appropriately. Health informatics and health information management have grown as the two solutions to the problem of managing this data.
A Tale of Two Studies: HIM versus Health Informatics
Managing the collection and storage of health data needs two separate disciplines if it is to function appropriately. First, the systems that store this data must be built in such a way that will bring it together in a useful and sensible manner. This is the province of health informatics, a field that studies the creation and maintenance of databases. Hand in hand with this, health information management specializes in collecting patients' data and using the systems already assembled.
Safeguarding Health Records: Building the System
Health informatics is a branch of study within the wider field of informatics. In any of its branches, this field concerns itself with the establishment of systems to store data. It is important to understand that informatics does not focus on gathering the data with which it will work, nor does it attempt to take actions with that data. Rather, it is focused solely on the systems that present that data.
A good analogy for understanding the field is to think about a library. When books are sorted into the library, the first division is between fiction or non-fiction, then further into subjects within those categories: westerns, science, romance, art, and many others.
The best way to understand how informatics works is to look for the problem that needed to be solved: "how do I manage a collection of books?" then consider how this system addresses that problem, "by sorting them into rational categories." Likewise, a health informatics Professional will address the problem of designing and maintaining a system that will allow all the information gathered about a patient's health to be easily accessed, maintained, and cross-referenced.
The education required for a career in health informatics reflects this focus. While some background in health science is required, the education required will require a far greater depth of understanding in building and designing systems to store that data. As a growth from this, a health informatics professional will spend the greater portion of their time functioning in a support and advisory role, counseling their peers in health information management on how to make the most of the systems they have built.
And Now: Making The Systems Useful
Health information management (HIM) takes the systems for storing data and puts it all together. To continue the Library analogy, it is best understood as being the person who files the books away on each shelf, rather than the person designing the system for keeping them stored--the person building the bookshelves, for example. It may seem more glamorous to build these systems, but without the skilled workers working this data into the system, all the health data in the world is useless.
HIM professionals will see their coursework focused accordingly. The bulk of a typical HIM program focuses on understanding the various laws and practices that go into maintaining a database of patient data. This focus can range from studying best practices to a thorough understanding of the laws surrounding collecting and maintaining this data. A thorough understanding of HIPAA law will be a prerequisite to any career in HIM.
It is important to remember that an HIM position will require not only an understanding of how to operate the system from a user's perspective, but will also take the shape of a management position. Working in HIM, you will need to lead all of the nurses and doctors under you in the process of inputting the data with fidelity. As a result, leadership skills are not optional for a career in HIM.
Take the Leap into HIM with a Degree in Health Information Management!
If a career in health information systems appeals to you, perhaps you are wondering what should be the next step. Thankfully, ECPI University offers an Associate of Applied Science in Health Science with a concentration in Health Information Management. With our year-round schedule, you could have your degree in as little as 1.5 years. Get in touch with ECPI University today to take the first steps into your new program. This could be the beginning of an exciting new career. It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!
ECPI University Now Offering the Only CAHIIM-Accredited Health Information Program in Central Virginia http://t.co/b7ZnHoO5te via @PRWeb
— Paul Nussbaum (@prof_nussbaum) August 5, 2015
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Gainful Employment Information – Health Information Management - Associate’s
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