Health Information Management Professionals

professional practice experience

Externship or internship.

Cancer registrars

Collects cancer data from a variety of sources and reports cancer statistics to government and health care agencies (e.g., state cancer registries); also called tumor registrar.

CTR

Certified Tumor Registrar

National Cancer Registrars Association (NCRA)

administers the CTR examination to mark achievement, foster professional pride, and provide national recognition in the recruitment and retention of registry personnel. Once certified, requires CTRs to pay an annual continuing education maintenance fee and to submit proof of continuing education hours every two years (so that individuals remain up-to-date in the fields of oncology and cancer registry management).

National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR)

initiated by the 1992 Cancer Registries Amendment Act, aids in improving cancer registries and has expanded employment opportunities for cancer registrars.

coding and reimbursement specialist

Acquires a working knowledge of CPT and ICD-10-CM coding principles, governmental regulations, and third-party payer requirements to ensure that all diagnoses, services, and procedures documented in patient records are coded accurately for reimbursement, research, and statistical purposes; also called coding specialist.

Chief Information Officer (CIO)

Person responsible for the overall technological direction of an organization.

Chief Knowledge Officer (CKO)

Person who leads the development, management, and sharing of knowledge within an organization.

health information managers

Expert in managing patient health information and medical records, administering computer information systems, and coding diagnoses and procedures for health care services provided to patients.

Certified Health Data Analyst (CHDA)

Credential validating an individual’s expertise in health data analysis.

Certified Documentation Improvement Practitioner (CDIP)

Credential validating an individual’s knowledge and competency in ensuring that health record documentation captures the clinical information necessary to fully document patients’ health care diagnoses and treatments.

clinical documentation improvement (CDI) program

Helps health care facilities comply with government programs and other initiatives with the goal of improving health care quality.

Certified in Healthcare Privacy and Security (CHPS)

Credential validating an individual’s competency in health care data and information privacy and security issues.

Certified Healthcare Technology Specialist (CHTS)

Credential validating an individual’s understanding of technologies and procedures relevant to information technology in the health care industry.

Certified Professional in Health Informatics (CPHI)

AHIMA certification that validates an individual’s knowledge of expertise to support and utilize health informatics.

health insurance specialist

Reviews health-related claims to determine whether the costs are reasonable and medically necessary, based on the patient’s diagnosis; also called claims examiner.

Health services managers

Plan, direct, coordinate, and supervise the delivery of health care; includes specialists who direct clinical departments or services and generalists who manage an entire facility or system.

reciprocity

Recognition of credentials by other entities.

Medical assistants

Performs routine administrative and clinical tasks to keep the offices and clinics of physicians, podiatrists, chiropractors, and optometrists running smoothly. (Do not confuse with physician assistants who examine, diagnose, and treat patients under the direct supervision of a physician.)

Medical transcriptionists

Transcribes prerecorded dictation, creating medical reports, correspondence, and other administrative documents. Uses a special headset to listen to dictation and a foot pedal to pause dictation while keying text into a personal computer (editing grammar as necessary).

Consultant

One who practices a profession. A general term that can be applied to any number of individuals with a wide variety of educational backgrounds, knowledge, and skills.

medical office manager

Coordinates the communication, contract, data, financial, human resource, health information, insurance, marketing, and risk management operations of a provider’s office; also called medical office administrator.

Medical staff coordinators

Responsible for managing the medical staff office functions and assisting with physician credentialing process.

privacy officer

Oversees all ongoing activities related to the development, implementation, maintenance of, and adherence to the organization’s policies and procedures covering the privacy of, and access to, patient health information in compliance with federal and state laws and the health care organization’s information privacy practices.

quality manager

Coordinates a health care facility’s quality improvement program to ensure quality patient care, improve patient outcomes, confirm accreditation/ regulatory compliance, and prepare for surveys.

risk manager

Responsible for gathering information and recommending settlements concerning professional and general liability incidents, claims, and lawsuits.

utilization manager

Responsible for coordinating patient care to ensure the appropriate utilization of resources, delivery of health care services, and timely discharge or transfer; also called case manager.

Vendor salespersons

Manages a company’s sales for a given territory, provides information about available consulting services, and demonstrates products to potential customers.

professional practice experience supervisor

Individual to whom the student reports while completing the professional practice experience at a health care facility.

listserv

Internet-based or email discussion forum that covers a variety of topics and issues.