Module 1: Health Information Management and Information Technology Services

Welcome to
Health Information Management and Information Technology Services

 

Information is what drives the health care delivery industry. Health Information Management (HIM) deals primarily with information that is created during the diagnosis and treatment of individual patients. Whether paper-based or computer-based as in the electronic health record (EHR), a medical record contains information that describes all aspects of a patient's care. All health care providers (e.g.- physicians, nurses) require medical information in order to treat patients effectively and efficiently. The medical record serves as a invaluable source of communication between care-providers, protects the legal interests of the patient and provider, and is an important means of substantiating the "medical necessity" for the healthcare services provided in order for the provider to receive reimbursement from insurance companies or other payers of healthcare claims. Medical records also provide data for medical research in order to improve the quality of patient care, serve to educate healthcare providers, and are a resource to study and improve the provision of public health.

This module places specific emphasis on the Master Patient Index, or MPI, to highlight the necessity of HIM and IT working together to facilitate quality patient care. The articles and simulation activity will give you a sense of the importance of the index as well as how it is supported by both departments. 

Information technology (IT) provides computing hardware, software, and data transmission technology for all industries, including healthcare. It is only appropriate that healthcare data and information are managed through the use of computers and computer technologies because the healthcare industry is information intensive. Therefore, HIM students must possess a fundamental knowledge of computer-based information systems and promote the security of Protected Health Information (PHI) within that environment. Due to the emergence of Integrated Healthcare Networks (IHNs), Managed Care Organizations (MCOs), and Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIOs), healthcare data is shared by providers, purchasers of care, manufacturers, and vendors that have come together under the umbrella of a common and significant interest - that of a network serving a particular population of healthcare consumers. HIM and IT form the framework with which these integrated delivery systems are developed and managed.

Healthcare Informatics merges HIM with IT.