It’s Health Information Professionals Week and we’re celebrating the impact health information professionals have on the quality of patient care around the world. Read below as ScanSTAT employees share how health information makes the industry better for patients.
“As a health information professional, I’m proud to help people get their medical records so they can get the treatment they need. Thanks to these professionals, a patient can walk into a clinic or hospital and the person behind the counter can print out their records in a matter of minutes, or remote staff can provide patient records through fax, email or mail.”
– Randy Wasileski, Client Services Coordinator
“I’m proud to be a health information professional. I’m working on my second degree, have my RHIT through AHIMA and I’m currently preparing for my CHPS certification. This field creates so many opportunities in the healthcare industry. With advances in technology, the health information professional field continues to grow, improve and expand our impact on patient care.”
– Lindsey Miles, HIPAA Privacy Analyst
“When patients engage with a health information professional, they are typically experiencing a difficult time in their life and it makes me proud when we can provide them with quick, easy and seamless relief to an already stressful situation. In addition to ensuring providers have timely and complete information on patients to guarantee comprehensive treatment, health information professionals facilitate enablement activities for patients, including preferred parking permits, disability payments, workers compensation support, and more. Overall, health information professionals provide a valuable contribution to the patient experience by helping ensure that treatment documentation is comprehensive and readily available to providers.”
– Matt Rohs, President and CEO
“There are many reasons why I find joy and purpose in my career in health information. Most of all I value family. Knowing health information professionals play a part in helping someone live out a healthy, happy life with their family for years to come is an amazing feeling!”
– Marie Woodson, Senior Client Service Coordinator
“Working as a healthcare information professional is rewarding in so many ways. I look forward to coming to work daily because I know at the end of the day, I have made a positive impact. I feel as though the medical field keeps me challenged in my career as well as it gives me the opportunity to be a life-long learner with the constant changes. My favorite part of working as a healthcare information professional at ScanSTAT is not only that we have a direct impact on patients but also the other healthcare workers by assisting with their back office tasks so they’re able to focus more on direct patient care.”
– Jamie Becker, Client Service Manager
“One of the things that I am the proudest about being a health information professional is our unique opportunity to help patients and their families. Generally, something brings you to an HIM department – a family illness, a concern about your privacy, or wondering if your records were sent to fulfill a claim. Each one of these things is different and very overwhelming in its own way, and we are able to help either alleviate their worries or demystify the process. They’re small interactions but they’re all meaningful.
Health information professionals’ work underpins so much of the health care system, from transferring records to justifying claims and ensuring patient privacy. Our unique perspective allows us to see the larger picture and what changes we can promote to make the health care experience better for everyone. Health information professionals are working to reduce errors by advocating for a national patient identifier, promoting increased accessibility of substance abuse treatment records for the patients most at risk, and finding ways to increase the use of HIT in rural and other disadvantaged areas.”
– Elizabeth McElhiney, Privacy Officer and Regional Director of Client Services
***
For more information on Health Information Professionals Week, visit https://hipweek.org/.