Have you ever wondered how your healthcare provider already knows your medical history or test results when they walk into your exam room? It’s not magic; it’s the result of the meticulous work of a team of data experts you rarely see.
Health information professionals work behind the scenes, managing patient data and ensuring that providers have the most accurate, up-to-date information they need to make informed decisions and deliver high-quality care.
Erin Smith, a hospital-based coding manager for WVU Medicine and an alumna of the WVU School of Medicine’s Health Informatics and Information Management program, is one of these professionals.
“I knew I wanted to work in healthcare and make a difference, but I wasn’t interested in direct patient care,” Smith said. “I quickly learned that health information and informatics is a great field to help patients without providing direct patient care.”
Health information professionals bridge healthcare, technology and data. They make sure health records are complete, accessible and secure. Whether you're visiting a primary care provider, getting lab results or being admitted to the hospital, their work ensures that your healthcare visits run smoothly.
In her role at WVU Medicine, Smith oversees a team of 60 inpatient coders responsible for reviewing patient charts across 25 hospitals. Her team assigns diagnosis and procedure codes to categorize patients, which determines hospital billing and assesses the quality and outcomes of care. This process ensures that the complete story of each patient's care is accurately captured.
Smith, who was already credentialed as a Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) and had been working in the field for over two decades, decided to return to school to pursue her bachelor's degree in Health Informatics and Information Management at the School of Medicine.
She wanted to earn her degree to be able to sit for the Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) certification, a credential awarded by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) to health information management professionals who have completed a CAHIIM-accredited program and passed the RHIA exam.
Smith credits the HIIM program with giving her a competitive edge in the field and preparing her for a management role.
“This program covers all areas of health informatics and information and truly prepares the students for a successful career,” she said. “They give you all the tools needed to succeed. I learned so much from this experience and the one that really stuck with me was the HIIM Management course taught by Dr. Lucci. It was a challenging class, but I learned valuable management skills that I use on the job every day.”
The School of Medicine has recently launched a program where professionals can leverage their existing RHIT credentials to gain more experience and earning potential through a fully online accelerated RHIT to Bachelor of Science in HIIM program.
Smith is a firm believer in the value this new program offers—especially for working professionals looking to grow.
“Pursuing the BS in HIIM is a great opportunity for personal and career growth,” she said. “The program gives students the opportunity to step outside of health information and opens new doors in various settings, including software companies, project management, clinical informatics and IT Management. Students in the program build skill sets to handle the growth and changes within technology and healthcare. The program is fully online, and the HIIM professors are great at understanding that many students work full-time.”
This new pathway will allow current health information management professionals to build on their experience and training to earn their bachelor’s degree fully online and at the in-state tuition rate, regardless of their state of residency.
If you hold an active RHIT credential and have earned an associate's degree from a Health Information Management program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM), you may qualify.
To learn more about the WVU HIIM program, visit medicine.wvu.edu/hiim/.
