What does HIIM stand for?
HIIM stands for Health Informatics and Information Management.
Discuss Resurrection University and the Health Informatics and Information Management field.
We’re an upper division university, meaning that when individuals enter into our program they start at their junior level. Individuals that qualify, that meet our prerequisites or they’re individuals that have completed a 2 year program, an associate program in the field of health iformation technology or they may be a post bac individual. They’ll enter in and we’ll pretty much make an assessment of courses they are required to take.
Health Informatics Information Management is a program that is designed for individuals that are interested in management of health information. We analyze information. We collect information. We disseminate information. We make sure that the health care practitioners at large have the best information available so that they can deliver the best care possible.
We’re everywhere. We’re in hospitals, we’re in acute care long term care, home health care, we’re in hospice, we’re in ambulatory care. Any type of health care studying at large we’re a part of.
Describe your specialty and why you chose to focus on this area of health?
As a practitioner because I had an opportunity to function in a number of different capacities I think my preferred one was quality improvement. When I worked in quality improvement it gave me an opportunity to work with all of the health care team at large. I got to work with the doctors, I got to work with the nurses, the social workers. I had to learn their language. I had to learn everything that one could possibly learn about a different discipline. And it put me in a position where I became an influential force in the delivery of health care at large. So it was a wonderful experience learning about all of them.
What career choices are available in the Health Informatics and Information Management field?
There are a number of credentials that one could pursue in this profession. I’m a registered health information administrator which is what RES, Resurrection University offers, but there are a number of … individuals can be RHIT’s which means retro health information technicians, a two year program or a certified coding specialist or a certified coding specialist-physician based. There are a number of wonderful opportunities in this profession.
