From the August 2017 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
Here I could see how workflow and processes are essential to compiling an EHR. Several of the tasks listed in Domain 4 of AHIMA’s Certified Professional in Health Informatics (CPHI) outline deal with “workflow processes.” A workflow refers to the sequences of steps in a process. Process refers to the manner in which work is performed to achieve a particular result. (Amatayakul, 2017)
In both of these cases, the flow of diet order origination and execution seemed to have faced a number of obstacles. Would a carefully mapped out workflow and process map have prevented a six-hour delay in the delivery of gelatin or was this an outlier? Is the simultaneous use of both paper documents and the EHR adding steps in the workflow and process of the staff in the outpatient surgical areas? Was a workflow study completed after the implementation of the EHR to determine if time and resources were being utilized most efficiently and effectively?
This is where health informatics, in our evolving, technological world, can play a bigger role . It is the health informatics professional’s job to carefully evaluate the workflow processes and improve them with the use of health information technology. These two real world examples paint a picture beyond the paper definition of “health care informatics.” The health informatics professional’s job is to ensure all the pertinent health care information is collected and entered correctly, is comprehensive, accurate and available for healthcare decision-makers, creating the most seamless workflow and quality of care for everyone involved.
Health care information has been a fundamental component of AHIMA’s mission since 1928 when the Association of Record Librarians of North America (ARLNA) was first formed at the request of the American College of Surgeons to impart standards in clinical records. While the format of these records has changed, the job of the health information management professional is still to know where and when this information is collected, how it is being used and where it is shared and stored.
About the author: Patty Buttner, RHIA, CDIP, CHAS, CCS, is a director of HIM Practice Excellence for AHIMA. She provides professional practice expertise to AHIMA members. She authors and provides technical reviews for AHIMA publications and articles on ICD-9-CM, CPT and ICD-10-CM/PCS topics and clinical documentation improvement (CDI). Buttner serves as faculty for CDIP Exam Preps and Academies, CDI Academies, CHDA Exam Preps and ICD-10-CM/PCS Academies.Back to HCB News
