Health information management (HIM)
Health information management (HIM) professionals liaise with IT practitioners in order to capture, manage, and apply health data. Patients' data that constitute medical profiles or the medical history of patients is stored and used as a reference for future medication purposes. This paper focuses on the application of HIM practices and their impact on quality and safety of healthcare services.
HIM can be used for both internal and external healthcare applications. Internal applications have a direct impact on the patient's health while external applications are geared towards policy related issues such as licensing, insurance, auditing, research, education among others.
Internal application of HIM refers to all fields in patient care delivery and patient care management and support. This encompasses all activities that involve handling of patients and health facility management. HIM applications under this category are grouped into four sections that are; quality management, utilization review (UR) and utilization management (UM), risk management, and legal applications.
HIM application as a quantitative management tool is aimed at ensuring that all the information stored on a patient is comprehensive and covers all the medical history of the patient. Under this category, focus is given to medical issues that may affect the results of a medical procedure. Aspects of data include such allergies, medication history, and current medication that may cause contraindications in patients. Qualitative analysis, on the other hand ensures that all the records stored on patients are correct. Errors on patients' records such as typos in patients' names or medical record numbers (MRN) may lead to misdiagnosis which may trigger allergies or cause deaths.
HIM is an essential tool in auditing the usage of resources in a health facility. Review of resources usage is done under two categories; Utilization review and utilization management. Utilization review aims at validating the importance of heath care services provided to patients while utilization management focuses on the usage of resources by a health facility for the provision of health services (Ahima 44).
Application of HIM in medical operations prevents the occurrence of avoidable medical risks and provides for mitigation of damages caused by medical errors. Risk management is effected through planning, leading and controlling and organization's activities.
HIM can act as a source of valid source of evidence in the case of legal proceedings involving medical services offered to a patient.
Records maintained under HIM codes can safeguard patients against fraudulent medical charges such as overbilling, Medicare abuse and set the penalty for the violators.
According to Gibson and Covvey, external application of HIM sets the conditions of operation of health care providers (56). HIM ensure that all health care providers are licensed and accredited to provide medical services. The information also guides researchers in the medical field through studying of recorded health data.
Works Cited
Ahima. "HIM Functions in Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety." Journal of Ahima 82, no.8 (Aug 2011): 42-45.
Gibson, Candace J, and H D. Covvey. "Demystifying Ehealth Human Resources." (2011). Print.
