| Health Information Management (HIM) professionals are subject matter experts when it comes to the content and information contained within the medical record. As health care organizations implement electronic health record (EHR) systems, project owners frequently consider EHR implementations an IT project and either forget, or do not understand the knowledge that HIM professionals have. Consequently, HIM departments may not be involved in the transitional project plan, as they should be, from the beginning and ultimately, may not be equipped to meet the staffing and skill demands of the electronic health record environment. If the HIM department is involved at the organization level, it will make the departmental transition significantly more seamless.;There are no health care professionals who understand the importance of data integrity better than HIM professionals; therefore, it is more important now, than ever before, for HIM professionals to educate their executive leaders and IT decision leaders on the knowledge and capabilities that HIM departments hold. It is crucial to ensure that HIM representatives are at the table in the beginning stages of any EHR implementation. Utilizing effective change management and project management methodologies allows the HIM professional to tackle the technical challenges in addition to the cultural constraints of an implementation effort.;This project involves an assessment of the current skill set, knowledge base, department staffing, current workflow processes and procedures within a rural hospital's health information management department. The results of the assessment make it possible for the department staff to position themselves for a successful transition to electronic workflows. |
