Diana Manos, Senior Editor
Diana Manos is Senior Editor for Healthcare IT News. Located in Washington, D.C., she covers policy and legislation issues surrounding healthcare IT. Follow Diana on Twitter @DManos_IT_News.
AHIMA celebrates health data analysis month
CHICAGO | September 4, 2012
The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) has announced it is recognizing the importance of health data analysts during Health Data Analysis Month this September.
With the adoption of electronic health records (EHR) and federal initiatives such as ICD-10-CM/PCS implementation, the healthcare industry continues to become more data-driven, pushing health data analysts into the spotlight, AHIMA officials said.
[See also: AHIMA charts course for protecting patient data.]
"Health information professionals are uniquely qualified to meet the needs associated with the increasing emphasis on healthcare data and analysis," said AHIMA CEO Lynne Thomas Gordon, in a written statement Tuesday. "This September, AHIMA celebrates these professionals and the value they provide to the healthcare community."
As health information moves to a fully virtual environment with most data captured in a structured mode, there is a greater need for professionals who are skilled in the field of data retrieval analysis and display, AHIMA officials said. Health information management (HIM) professionals have the skills to pull data from EHRs and transform it into information the healthcare industry can use to improve patient care.
Health data analysts will be called upon to provide their expertise, as the healthcare community moves from the ICD-9-CM/PCS classification system to ICD-10-CM/PCS, in translating the data between the classification systems, and mapping skills will be imperative to this transition.
"It's an exciting time to be a HIM professional," said Thomas Gordon. "The changing healthcare landscape is providing many opportunities for health data analysts."
[See also: AHIMA goes for global reach.]
As part of its celebration, AHIMA will highlight health data topics and education opportunities to help HIM professionals continue to strengthen their expertise. These topics include data mapping, health data analyst certification and information governance and stewardship.
Other opportunities AHIMA is offering include:
