WHAT IS HEALTH

INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
& Why Is It Important?
Individuals working in the healthcare industry all
around the world collect and generate a large amount of
health data on patients. Personal information and
private health data are included in the definition of
health information, as are linked payment forms and
transactions. Clinical notes, pharmacy data, and
outpatient care records are all examples of health
information that is protected.

The potential for medical records to be reliable, fast,

efficient, and usable has substantially expanded as
technology has progressed.

However, this increased the risk of personal data being

misused, sold, or accessed without permission.

It became vital to define medical/healthcare information

management when technical improvements outpaced
ethical and legal regulation.

The American Health Information Management

Association (AHIMA) was established to specify
and manage the education and training of
Registered Health Information Technicians (RHIT)
and Registered Health Information Administration
(RHIA) certificates.
Many legislations were passed in concert with this group
to support patient rights and HIM practices. Many
difficulties in this field were addressed by the Health
Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
and its associated Privacy and Security Guidelines. These
were bolstered by the Health Information Technology for
Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH), which
mandates emergency plans and contingency plans for
PHI health information management technology
systems.

This legislation also pushed to standardize several areas

of HIM, in addition to restrictions and obligations for
covered companies. Healthcare has recently begun to
migrate to value-based therapy, which reflects each
organization's role in total healthcare management.

To maintain patient information privacy and security,

healthcare providers and other HIPAA-covered
institutions must use health information management.
Medical coding and billing, as well as assuring
compliance with government standards and responding
to consumer requests for Personal Health Information,
are all part of HIM (PHI).

Medical records retention and conversion to digital

format are also part of this profession, as is the analysis
of healthcare trends and implementation of
improvements. Because healthcare information is used
in so many various areas throughout the healthcare
cycle, many organizations created HIM departments to
ensure that these vital criteria are met, as well as to
manage employee training and education.
Healthcare information managers work in hospitals,
clinics, and other healthcare-related enterprises all
around the world. Hospitals, dentists, pharmacies,
chiropractors, and third-party healthcare services are all
examples.

Every healthcare organization and connected business

requires HIM. Organizations have an ethical obligation
to preserve PHI in their possession, in addition to
regulatory standards that must be followed to obtain
certain rewards and avoid penalties.

Patient trust in a healthcare provider is impacted by

breaches, and patients may be hesitant to share crucial
information for fear of being exposed. Hackers can
potentially obtain payment information from patients,
resulting in identity theft and money theft. Both of
these factors may influence a patient's inclination to
seek treatment from a certain practitioner.

A focus on HIM also provides

several good benefits to a
company, such as the
opportunity for enhanced
efficiency and streamlining of
healthcare information system
access, as well as other essential
components of revenue cycle
management. In larger
businesses, a concerted effort to
standardize and efficiently
execute processes requiring PHI
will require a manager dedicated
to the task.
Benefits of HIM are as follows.
Organized & Coordinated Treatment Process
The Health Information System (HIS) is a technology-
based system that enables sharing of protected health
information (PHI) between organizations and providers
a breeze. Patients can also receive smooth and
coordinated therapy from healthcare providers thanks
to this approach. Patients with conditions that
necessitate cross-specialty care coordination and
extensive medical information management benefit the
most from HIS. Above all, it enhances the quality of
treatment provided to patients as well as their
outcomes.

Improved Patient Safety

Because Health Information Systems
provide quick access to patient data,
you can save all of the data and
distribute it across numerous
databases to improve patient safety.
You can also receive alert
notifications anytime there is a
problem with a patient's health. For
example, healthcare practitioners
may receive an alert from program
security regarding the potentially
negative impacts that patients may
suffer if they take a medication that
was not prescribed to them. You will
be able to avoid making any severe
errors as a result of the lack of
information available when making
judgments.
 Betterment in Patient Care
Health Information Systems collect and save patient
information, such as diagnosis reports, medical history,
allergy reactions, vaccinations, treatment information
plans, test results, and so on. This provides healthcare
providers with a comprehensive and organized
framework that allows them to interact with their
patients more effectively and deliver care to them more
efficiently.
Hassle-free Process of Performance Analysis
Health Information Systems provide many paths for
accessing staff performance, analyzing patient care, and
assessing your organization's efficiency and stability.
HIS lowers paperwork and converts all records to
computers. Based on your staff's skillsets, you can make
whatever decision you choose. You can also make
judgments based on previous performance details. With
HIS, your patients can provide feedback on the level of
care they are receiving from your team, allowing you to
keep track of their performance and assess the success
of your organization.

Transfiguration in Clinical Procedures

You can deal with any type of stressful circumstance for
your patients with HIS. You can see a visual
representation of the patient flow and what each
patient goes through throughout their encounters with
health care physicians, administrative staff, lab
technicians, and financial assistance. Paying close
attention to this can help you identify places where you
may make a difference.

Saving of Time
Health Information Systems not only save money, but
they also save time. HIS saves a large amount of time in
coordinating patient care and hospital management by
having all of the patients' information digitized and
personal activities automated.
 Circumvention of Medical Errors
You get glitch-free reports and information because
Health Information Systems keeps less paperwork and
makes everything digitized and automated. As a result,
a variety of pharmaceutical errors can be prevented,
and the safety of patients can be guaranteed.

Instant & Seamless Accessibility to Patients’

Details
According to a World Health Organization report, the
Health Information System gathers data from the
health industry and other related authorities, analyzes
data to guarantee the overall quality, usefulness, and
reliability, and translates the data into information for
health-related decision-making. And the more reliable
the data, the higher your chances of making an
informed decision, implementing a policy, enforcing a
regulation, conducting health research, training,
development, and monitoring service delivery.

Minimized Operational
Expense
HIS allows health organizations to
allocate resources in a planned
manner, potentially saving
significant amounts of money,
energy, and supplies. In a nutshell,
you may improve your healthcare
service while saving a significant
amount of money.

Improved Patient Satisfaction

By providing value to the clinical process, health
information systems not only make healthcare
professionals' and administrators' jobs easier, but they
also boost patient happiness. Patients can trust your
service, and once you establish yourself as a
trustworthy name in your field, you will attract more
clients and get a significant return on investment.