 |
|
 |
TRAITS
for
Success |
 |
highly organized
good administrative skills
ability to concentrate for
extended periods
excellent communication
skills |
|
|
 |
 |
|
| medical
record is the permanent history of a patient's healthcare, including
medical |
| history,
diagnoses, treatments, test results, and notes of doctors, nurses and
other |
| health professionals. Health information administrators (HIAs)
are responsible for |
|
managing this important health information so that it meets legal,
administrative, and |
| medical requirements. HIAs
work in a dynamic profession that is a unique blend of |
|
medicine, business, computer systems, and the law. They must
maintain high ethical |
|
standards to guarantee the confidentiality of personal health
information. These |
|
professionals also play vital roles in creating systems to properly
organize, analyze, |
|
preserve and store large numbers of records, both paper-based and
electronic. These |
|
systems help hospital administrators manage costs and revenue,
physicians assess |
| health care quality, and
accrediting agencies evaluate health care delivery. HIAs also |
|
establish department policies and procedures, formulate budgets,
ensure proper |
| reimbursement amounts and oversee adherence to regulations.
Finally, HIAs hire, |
| supervise, motivate, evaluate and manage employees. |
|
|
|
Average Starting Salary $41,579
|
| |
| Work Environment |
| Clinics |
| Colleges and universities |
| Health maintenance
organizations |
| Home health agencies |
| Hospitals |
| Information systems
vendors |
| Insurance companies |
| Law firms |
| Long-term care facilities |
| Mental health facilities |
| Pharmaceutical companies |
| Public health departments |
| Research institutions |
| State and federal health
agencies |
| |
|
| |
| Academic Requirements |
| A college preparatory
diploma is |
| required. Most
bachelor degree |
| granting programs require
students to |
| complete two years of
prerequisite |
| courses before entering
the health |
| information
administration program |
| which lasts an additional
two years. |
| Students who have already
earned a |
| bachelor's degree in
allied health, |
| nursing, or business
administration |
| may earn a
post-baccalaureate certificate |
| through a one-year
program. To be hired |
| as a head of a
department, experience |
| is usually required. |
| |
|
| |
| Licensure, Certification and |
| Registration |
| Upon meeting the
requirements of |
| the American Health
Information |
| Management Association
and passing |
| a national certification
examination, |
| health information
administrators |
| become Registered Health
Information |
| Administrators (RHIA).
Licensure is not |
| required in Georgia |
| |
| Professional Organizations |
| American Health
Information |
| Management
Association |
| (312) 233-1100 |
|
www.ahima.org |
| |
| Georgia Health
Information |
| Management
Association |
| (770) 926-0769 |
|
www.ghima.org |
|
|
|
|
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS |
|
Bachelor's Degree
Macon State College
Medical College of Georgia
Advanced Certificate
Medical College of Georgia |
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