Ethical leadership and why health information management professionals need to be involved. Commentary on Health information is central to changes in healthcare: a clinician’s view (Hoyle, 2019)

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-55
Author(s):  
Jennie Shepheard
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Information Management ◽  
Ethical Leadership ◽  
Health Information Management ◽  
Clinical Coding ◽  
Code Assignment ◽  
Episode Of Care ◽  
Coding Standards ◽  
Management Professionals ◽  
Ethical Oversight

Philip Hoyle presents a compelling argument for the significant and highly valued role that the management of health information plays in the Australian healthcare system and the delivery of health services in this country. However, he also brings to our attention the ill-defined nature of the ethical oversight of this very information. Hoyle uses words such as “honesty,” “commitment to beneficence,” “commitment to equity” and “respect for variation” when describing the characteristics of ethical leadership. He singles out health information management professionals – Health Information Managers (HIMs) and Clinical Coders (CCs) – as the key professional group who need to step up and seize the initiative, get conversations going, form partnerships, do research and publish findings, so the knowledge and insights that the health information management profession has the potential to offer are not only more widely known and understood but also more useful to others working in the healthcare arena. Hoyle calls on health information management professionals to step out from behind the scenes and take responsibility for the ethical use of the information they help produce. Hoyle’s words resonated powerfully with me, particularly with respect to the clinical coding workforce in Australia, which is made up of trained CCs and qualified HIMs. In a truly ethical environment, HIMs and CCs would not be asked to meet performance indicators for increased funding metrics or to change codes to avoid triggering certain indicators; they would simply be asked to ensure complete, accurate coding for every episode of care. This is what ethical leadership would look like. I am concerned about our clinical coding workforce. I am now asking, are our CCs and HIMs up to the task of taking back absolute and unchallenged ownership of their particular skill set, which makes them the keepers of the clinical coding standards and the experts in accurate and complete code assignment?

scholarly journals Perception of Health Information Management Professionals on the Importance of Computer System in Health Information Management in Obafemi Awolowo Teaching Hospital, Ile- Ife, Osun State, Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (7) ◽  
pp. 414-418
Author(s):  
Ayodele Kolawole Musa ◽  
Ogbonna Mary Aina ◽  
Ojo Phebean Opeyemi
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Information Management ◽  
Computer System ◽  
Teaching Hospital ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Health Information Management ◽  
University Teaching ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Management Professionals ◽  
Descriptive Survey

Healthcare system in this contemporary time is moving towards digitalization with respect to management of patients’ health information, this is however pertinent to achieve improved healthcare quality, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in hospital settings. The process therefore requires migrating from paper records to Electronic Health Records (EHRs) particularly in Africa where it has been a lingering challenge. However, adopting technology in the management of patient records will provide more accurate and details patient’s profile. This study therefore investigated perceptions of health Information Management Professionals on the importance of computer system in health information management in Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital ,Ile-Ife, Osun- State, Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was adopted and thirty (30) Health Information Management Professionals were randomly selected from Obafemi Awolowo Teaching Hospital.

scholarly journals Perception of Health Information Management Professionals on the Importance of Computer System in Health Information Management in Obafemi Awolowo Teaching Hospital, ILE- IFE, Osun State, Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (7) ◽  
pp. 314-318
Author(s):  
Ayodele Kolawole Musa ◽  
Ogbonna Mary Aina ◽  
Ojo Phebean Opeyemi
Keyword(s):  
Electronic Health Records ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Management ◽  
Computer System ◽  
Teaching Hospital ◽  
Health Information Management ◽  
University Teaching ◽  
Health Records ◽  
Management Professionals ◽  
Electronic Health

Healthcare system in this contemporary time is moving towards digitalization with respect to management of patients’ health information, this is however pertinent to achieve improved healthcare quality, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in hospital settings. The process therefore requires migrating from paper records to Electronic Health Records (EHRs) particularly in Africa where it has been a lingering challenge. However, adopting technology in the management of patient records will provide more accurate and details patient’s profile. This study therefore investigated perceptions of health Information Management Professionals on the importance of computer system in health information management in Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital ,Ile-Ife, Osun- State, Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was adopted and thirty (30) Health Information Management Professionals were randomly selected from Obafemi Awolowo Teaching Hospital. The result revealed that majority of Health Information Management Professionals agree that computer science is of high importance in Health Information Management as it was seen as critically important for effective clinical documentation and patients’ management care. It was recommended among others that governments at all level should provide adequate and updated facilities for hospitals to enhance effective Electronic Health Records (EHRs) with required training for Health Information Management Professionals.

A qualitative evaluation of clinically coded data quality from health information manager perspectives

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chelsea Doktorchik ◽  
Mingshan Lu ◽  
Hude Quan ◽  
Cathy Ringham ◽  
Cathy Eastwood
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Data Quality ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Management ◽  
Health Information Management ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Clinical Coding ◽  
Coding Quality ◽  
Quality Costs

Background: It is essential that clinical documentation and clinical coding be of high quality for the production of healthcare data. Objective: This study assessed qualitatively the strengths and barriers regarding clinical coding quality from the perspective of health information managers. Method: Ten health information managers and clinical coding quality coordinators who oversee clinical coders (CCs) were identified and recruited from nine provinces across Canada. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, which included questions on data quality, costs of clinical coding, education for health information management, suggestions for quality improvement and barriers to quality improvement. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed using directed content analysis and informed by institutional ethnography. Results: Common barriers to clinical coding quality included incomplete and unorganised chart documentation, and lack of communication with physicians for clarification. Further, clinical coding quality suffered as a result of limited resources (e.g. staffing and budget) being available to health information management departments. Managers unanimously reported that clinical coding quality improvements can be made by (i) offering interactive training programmes to CCs and (ii) streamlining sources of information from charts. Conclusion: Although clinical coding quality is generally regarded as high across Canada, clinical coding managers perceived quality to be limited by incomplete and inconsistent chart documentation, and increasing expectations for data collection without equal resources allocated to clinical coding professionals. Implications: This study presents novel evidence for clinical coding quality improvement across Canada.

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