Healthcare Information Management, Essay Example

There is an increasing demand for hospitals in Canada to adopt health information management (H.I.M) despite the slow start compared to other developed nations. The primary reasons for the slow adoption of H.I.M include the lack of knowledge, cost, value for investment, and lack of labor force to operate the healthcare technology. In this video, I will discuss a brief history of the H.I.M profession, the primary focus and the role of H.I.M professionals in the Canadian Health Sector, and career potentials for professionals with a background in H.I.M.

The professional field has been with us for a long time and often encompasses the collection, storage, retrieval, and use of patient medical records, similar to records in a library. As the Canadian Healthcare System continues to realize the benefits of incorporating technology in its operations, such as the modern electronic health record system, short for E.H.R.s, it creates an avenue for the profession to take root in the Canadian Health Sector. Implementation of E.H.R.s targets to replace the conventional paper chart system, thus transforming how hospitals deliver medical services to patients. Some E.H.R.s used in our hospitals include GlobeMed, Indivicare, and Juno E.M.R. therefore, the profession is focused on managing patient data to improve patient safety and provide quality care, thus improving health outcomes quicker.

Now that we understand what the profession is all about, the next question I will answer in this video is how significant is the profession in improving a hospital’s operational excellence? Healthcare institutions in Canada are slowly improving their healthcare operations by implementing E.H.R.s, an information management tool that improves the patient experience by allowing healthcare practitioners to keep track of the different dimensions of service quality. This means that with E.H.R.s, physicians maintain quality healthcare services compared to expected standards. This means that with E.H.R.s., physicians rapidly communicate medical records in an encrypted legible format, not only improving data retrieval but address issues such as medication errors and improve on the use of evidence-based practice.

Furthermore, this video will answer the last question: What are the career opportunities for a degree in H.I.M.? More than six career opportunities exist for individuals who study for an H.I.M. degree, and the demand in Canada continues to grow as more hospitals implement the use of E.H.R.s. Some career opportunities include health information manager, hospital data analyst, medical coder, outpatient coding compliance auditor, clinical documentation specialist, and medical data and systems administrator. Therefore as more and more healthcare institutions continue to use patient data, there is always an opportunity for a professional with a background in H.I.M.