The health information management industry has been on a wild ride over the last year and a half. Between a world-upending pandemic and pending industry-regulating legislation, one thing remains constant: change. In the midst of it all, though, there’s still much to be thankful for about our industry. Check out our list of seven things to be thankful for in HIM in 2021.
- Technology & Digitization of Records
While snail mail, faxes, and CDs are still in the picture, we’re thankful to be in the age of the internet so patients and providers have faster access to medical records and health information. In the end, it’s all about enabling a better patient and provider experience in support of care. - Security & Compliance Guidelines
Technology has transformed our ability to access health information, and we’re thankful for the security and compliance guidelines that help us protect it. Whether legislation-driven or an industry best practice, guidelines and regulations help us prevent the mishandling of any patient information. After all, security and privacy are paramount! - Support for Audits
HEDIS or Risk Adjustment audit requests often include a massive pull list with an intimidating deadline. On top of these audits, the world keeps turning as typical day-to-day requests and tasks continue trickling in, and medical record departments can be challenged by this balancing act. Thank goodness you don’t have to do it alone! A vendor partner like ScanSTAT can quickly scale support to take the stress out of an audit request. - Easier Access to Reporting
Thanks to technology – like ScanSTAT’s STATus-View system – reporting on release of information processing is easier than ever before. Information on turnaround time by location, total requests processed in a given time frame, and billables and non-billables gives you key insights into challenge areas and successes. - Ongoing Education
Professional organizations like the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and the AHIOS Institute advocate for the protection and safe handling of patient health information through education and certification programming. We’re grateful for their continued guidance in our industry space. - Connection
We are thankful for each other! Client partners, vendors, industry experts, and other professionals all work together on a daily basis to support the efficient, accurate, and compliant release of patient information. Information sharing and collaboration makes us stronger as a whole. We’re in this together! - Making A Difference in Healthcare
Perhaps the most important thing we’re thankful for is the opportunity to make a difference in a person’s life. Whether it’s a person waiting for critical diagnosis results, a child needing their physical paperwork for school sports, or a military family transferring to a new base location, at one point or another just about everyone requires their medical records to be swiftly and securely shared with another provider, entity, or requestor in order to meet an important need. The secure transmission of health information is a crucial step in the patient care process, and it’s truly a privilege to be a part of it.