7-3 Final Persuasive Health Information Management Essay

Health Information Management
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Health Information Management
Health information management (HIM) refers to an exercise of acquiring, processing and safeguarding vital health information existing either in electronic or traditional formats that are important in the provision of adequate health care services. The advancement in computer technology has seen the traditional paper forms being replaced by the new digital and electronic health record management. The improvements in health information tools and the medical information technology continually improve efficiency in the administration of data. The typical implementations of HIM are seen in the hospital data systems and the clinical, personal information systems. HIM professionals have a mandate of planning and developing health policies that consider both the current and future needs of health records management. To enhance effectiveness and reliability, medical personnel apply the principles of informatics during the collection, analysis, storages, application and transmission of the relevant information in adherence to the professional, legal and administrative requirements. The essay seeks to prove that health information management plays a vital role in improving the quality of health care services provided in health centers either in rural or urban areas.
The HIM industry has evolved over time in its history dating back to the 1920s when the professional in the health sector realized that it was necessary to document the patient’s health information and was beneficial to both the patients and the health providers. By then the needed information that was stored was the patient’s details, health complications and the results of the treatment process. The enormous success realized after the original documentations, led to the widespread of the technique as the clinicians realized that, with a reliable medical history, it was easier to treat patients effectively. Over time, medical records became an important aspect pertaining the safety and quality of health services. Since the introduction of the medical information management system, paper documents were in use until the 1960s when the computer technology came to be. Computers bettered the administration of health records as it provided an additional feature whereby medical records could be shared over long distances in real time. It is true that medical records management improves the effectiveness of healthcare service delivery.
Methods through which HIM improves the Quality of Health Care
Medical record keeping addresses the challenge of data homogeneity between the various health departments ranging from the casualty, laboratory, and radiology among others. Patient information varies from race, language, ethnicity, health conditions, among others, and considering the diversities; it is essential to have a formal record of a particular patient that will act as the reference by all the various departments and easing healthcare administration (Agency for Health Care Research and Quality, 2014). Despite the data collection procedures varying from one department to another the information on race, language and ethnicity need to be collected by each en...