HIM Role HIM Director

7/29/2019 HIM Role HIM Director

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HIM Role Profile: Health Information Management Director

Evan May

HIM 317

University of Illinois at Chicago


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The position of Health Information Management Director is a management role

with diverse responsibilities, requiring a broad and accurate knowledge about a variety

of different topics within the health informatics and health information management

fields. As the individual tasked with the responsibility of leading a team of HIM

professionals, the HIM director must promote best practices and strive for compliance

throughout the services provided by the organizations health information management

department.

Individuals employed as directors of HIM typically spend their time working in the

offices of the Health Information Management department. This is a role typically

employed within an integrated healthcare delivery system, or other healthcare provider

setting. As we observed in our site visit to the University of Illinois Hospitals HIM

department, the office environment was separated into several compartmentalized

areas of specialized document processing equipment, as well as filing shelves, and

individual cubicles separated by specific function; this is all the design of the HIM

director. During the course of the work day, the HIM director will spend time in the

offices working with HIM professionals, however they will also typically be required to

participate policy-making or strategic planning meetings with executives and other

department officials.

The director of the HIM department has a variety of daily responsibilities to

ensure the department is functioning properly, compliantly, and efficiently. On a day to

day basis, the HIM director must carry out tasks relating to strategic planning, quality

management, compliance, and human resource management. This position also

requires active engagement with committees and task-groups throughout the hospital


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such as the Medical Staff/Medical Records Committee, hospital-wide Performance

Improvement Committee, Documentation Improvement Committee, and enterprise-wide

Electronic Health Record related Committees (HIM Director Job Description). Serving

on these committees, the HIM director is responsible for representing the department

and ensuring that policies created will be congruent with its functioning and standards.

In addition, HIM directors are responsible for managing contracts with vendors for

outsourced HIM services. When it is determined that there is a need for an outsourced

service, the director must initiate the necessary processes, and ensure proper

implementation and review of the services to make sure the current and future needs of

the department are met. Additionally, the director must ensure the department maintains

adherence to compliance standards. As policies are changed and rewritten, the director

must make sure their department is updated accordingly. Collaborating with other

hospital officials in Risk Management, IT, and HR, the department director works to

minimize the risk of privacy and security breaches. In addition, they help to mitigate

damages caused by these breaches, and help to resolve any related issues. The

director position is also responsible for the human resource management of the HIM

department. They must maintain an adequate number of staff members to maintain the

delivery of efficient and effective HIM services. In accordance with hospital policy, the

HIM director is required to complete the necessary procedures for the search, interview,

hiring, and training processes of new employees. In addition, the director is tasked with

the responsibility of maintaining a positive working environment for staff, working to

motivate and empower successful workplace performance.


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The HIM director is responsible for a wide variety of tasks pertaining to the

management of the department. From IT to human resources, it is important that the

director is knowledgeable about the proper topics they will be responsible for in their

position. Hospitals seeking to hire HIM directors typically require a Masters, Bachelors,

or Associates degree in Health Information Management or a related field. While this is

a wide rage of educational experience, this factor is often dependant on the size of the

organization. A larger 600 bed facility will likely seek a more educated and experienced

candidate than a smaller 100 bed clinic for instance. A hospital equipped to handle

more patients will often have a larger HIM department to serve the patients and

hospitals information needs. Typically a large department will come with greater

responsibilities, and these are often better served by a more experienced individual.

Additionally, RHIA or RHIT certification is imperative for this position. As a Registered

Health Information Technician/Administrator, an individuals skills in managing patient

health information and medical records, computer information system administration,

patient data collection and analyzation have been tested and proven by the AHIMA. In

addition to proper certification, HIM directors typically must also have supervisory

experience. Since this individual will be responsible for the staff of the entire HIM

department, many hospitals seek a candidate that has proven experience in the leading

and coordination of multiple employees. The HIM director is also often required to have

5-10 years of experience working in the health information field. This position requires a

broad scope of HIM knowledge; a good candidate for HIM director will may dealt with

many of the issues that will be encountered in the future, and thus have a better idea on

how to best solve them.


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The role of HIM director is a well-respected position within the hospital

organization. Their position as the lead of the department is the result of hard work and

demonstrated experience in the field. According the the AHIMAs 2008 salary study, the

average HIM director is paid $74k/year, a very attractive salary well above the US

average. For an HIM director, there exists opportunity for advancement in several

different avenues. Many choose to move to positions managing larger HIM departments

at larger organizations, while others with business background have chosen to explore

executive roles such as Chief Information Officer.

While it is clear that the role of HIM director is a very diverse, challenging role, I

believe it is a position that can be rewarding and educating at the same time. The

director has a variety of responsibilities, each essential in providing the highest quality

information services to the hospital and the patients it serves. A hospital with an efficient

health information department benefits on a variety of different levels from cost

containment to patient satisfaction. However, in order to realize these important

benefits, it is critical to place a properly equipped individual at the helm of the

department.


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References

LaTour., Maki., & Oachs. (2013). Health Information Management Concepts,

Principles, and Practice . Chicago: AHIMA Press.

HIM Director Job Description. AHIMA Job Description Database. Retrieved

August 3, 2013, from

www.ahima.org/downloads/pdfs/resources/HIMDjobdesc.pdf

RHIA Certification.American Health Information Management Association.

Retrieved August 2, 2013, from http://www.ahima.org/certification/rhia.aspx

2008 Salary Study.American Health Information Management Association.

Retrieved August 4, 2013, from

http://www.ahima.org/membership/salarystudy08.aspx

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HIM Role HIM Director