What are some of the benefits of licensure, certification, and registration for health information management (HIM) professionals? What are some of the benefits to the public?
Define each of the terms above: licensure, certification, and registration. Then, link them with biblical passages that can support the definitions and how they are used within the field.
Being a credentialed professional reflects one’s training, competence, and fitness to provide HIM services.
Defend why being credentialed is important both ethically and biblically. Incorporate Scripture and scholarly references as applicable to the HIM profession.
Health information is the data related to a person’s medical history, including symptoms, diagnoses, procedures, and outcomes. Health information records include patient histories, lab results, x-rays, clinical information, and notes. A patient’s health information can be viewed individually, to see how a patient’s health has changed; it can also be viewed as a part of a larger data set to understand how a population’s health has changed, and how medical interventions can change health outcomes.
Health information management (HIM) is information management applied to health and health care. It is the practice of acquiring, analyzing and protecting digital and traditional medical information vital to providing quality patient care. With the widespread computerization of health records, traditional (paper-based) records are being replaced with electronic health records (EHRs). The tools of health informatics and health information technology are continually improving to bring greater efficiency to information management in the health care sector. Both hospital information systems and Human Resource for Health Information System (HRHIS) are common implementations of HIM.
Health information management (HIM) professionals work in a variety of different settings and job titles. They often serve in bridge roles, connecting clinical, operational, and administrative functions. These professionals affect the quality of patient information and patient care at every touch pointin the healthcare delivery cycle. HIM professionals work on the classification of diseases and treatments to ensure they are standardized for clinical, financial, and legal uses in healthcare. Health information professionals care for patients by caring for their medical data.
Health information management professionals plan information systems, develop health policy, and identify current and future information needs. In addition, they may apply the science of informatics to the collection, storage, analysis, use, and transmission of information to meet legal, professional, ethical and administrative records-keeping requirements of health care delivery. They work with clinical, epidemiological, demographic, financial, reference, and coded healthcare data. Health information administrators have been described to "play a critical role in the delivery of healthcare in the United States through their focus on the collection, maintenance and use of quality data to support the information-intensive and information-reliant healthcare system".
Health information technology (HIT) refers to the framework used to manage health information, and the exchange of health information in a digital format. Professionals who work in HIT are focused on the technical side of managing health information, working with software and hardware used to manage and store patient data. HIT professionals are usually from information technology backgrounds, and provide support for EHRs and other systems HIM professionals use to secure health information. As technology advances, HIT professionals are necessary to ensure the electronic data HIM professionals manage is maintained and exchanged accurately and efficiently
Health Informatics (HI) is a science that defines how health information is technically captured, transmitted, and utilized. Health informatics focuses on information systems, informatics principles, and information technology as it is applied to the continuum of healthcare delivery. It is an integrated discipline with specialty domains that include management science, management engineering principles, healthcare delivery and public health, patient safety, information science and computer technology. Health informatics programs demonstrate uniqueness by offering varied options for practice or research focus.
There are four major focus research areas in informatics education reflecting various disciplines:
Credentialing: The process used to establish the
qualifications of professionals, organizational members, or
organizations and to assess their background and legitimacy to meet
predetermined and standardized criteria. Individuals,
organizations, processes, services, or products may be
credentialed.
Licensure: A process by which a governmental
agency grants time-limited permission to an individual to engage in
a given occupation after verifying that he or she has met
predetermined and standardized criteria (usually education,
experience, and examination).
In most cases, the terms “licensure” and “registration” are used interchangeably. An example of this credential would be a registered architect or licensed interior designer.
Certification: A voluntary process by which a
nongovernmental agency grants a time-limited recognition to an
individual after verifying that he or she has met predetermined and
standardized criteria.
Examples of certification programs are those offered by AAHID, ACHA, American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), EDAC, and GBCI (LEED). While it offers credentials for individuals, GBCI actually uses the term “certification” for its building credential program, which does not fit the traditional definitions described above.
Certificate: A voluntary process by which a person
or organization acquires a document serving as evidence, or as
written testimony, of status, qualifications, privileges, or the
truth of something.
Accreditation: A voluntary process by which a
nongovernmental entity grants a time-limited recognition or
credentials to an organization after verifying that predetermined
and standardized criteria are met.
Example of this are Joint Commission, Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA), National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), Planetree, etc.
Credentialing programs
Many organizations in the healthcare and design industry offer different types of credentials. The following provides summary information about several programs that are relevant to those who are involved in planning, designing, building, renovating, or maintaining healthcare facilities.
The American Academy of Healthcare Interior
Designers
AAHID certifies the knowledge, skills, and abilities of healthcare interior designers. Board-certified healthcare interior designers are distinguished and qualified by demonstrated experience in the specialty of healthcare interior design and successful completion of a comprehensive exam. The AAHID appellation recognizes knowledge, skill, commitment, and excellence to the healthcare industry. Designers must first meet the prerequisite qualifications of the successful completion of the NCIDQ exam and of five years of demonstrated experience in healthcare interior design.
The American College of Healthcare Architects
The American College of Healthcare
Architects provides board certificatio
n for architects who practice as healthcare specialists.
Certificate holders include healthcare architects throughout the
United States and Canada with specialized skills and proven
expertise. Before earning the ACHA board certificate, healthcare
architects must document their experience and demonstrate their
skills through a computer-based examination. ACHA requires its
certificate holders to work towards the improvement of healthcare
architecture on behalf of the public, to practice in an ethical
manner, to maintain high standards of specialized continuing
education, and to add to the body of knowledge. In addition, ACHA
certificate holders must successfully complete 18 learning unit
hours each year, with 12 being specific to healthcare. Qualified
individuals are invited by the ACHA regents to submit an
application.
Evidence-based Design Accreditation and
Certification
The EDAC program, managed by The Center for Health Design, educates and assesses individuals on their understanding of an evidence-based design (EBD) process. The goal of the program is not to test people about their knowledge of current evidence, but instead teaches a process to identify and use available and credible research to inform design, and how to develop goals and hypotheses, gather data, and measure results to share with the industry. There are no prerequisites to sit for the EDAC exam, but the following are recommended:
Planetree Visionary Design Network (VDN)
Planetree’s VDN provides design firms the opportunity to differentiate themselves through the formal accreditation of their commitment to the design of healing environments. The credential establishes the firm as a specialist in evidence-based healthcare design following the Planetree philosophy and its core components of healing design. Firms complete a self-assessment and an application. Once the application is accepted, firm leaders are interviewed to discuss their organization’s commitment to healing environments, EBD, and principles of design excellence and innovation. This is followed by an on-site assessment of one project that reviews the physical environment as it relates to the Planetree model of care and key aspects of a healing environment.
Green Building Certification Institute
GBCI is an independent, third-party organization committed to ensuring precision in the design, development, and implementation of the processes used to increase and measure green building performance (certification) and green building practice (credentialing). Established in 2008 to administer project certifications and professional credentials and certificates within the framework of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating Systems, GBCI offers the marketplace the highest-level validation that LEED building certifications and LEED professional credentials have met specific, rigorous criteria.
The LEED Green Associate credential is suited for individuals who seek to showcase their general green building knowledge. To become a LEED Green Associate, candidates must demonstrate the following: involvement in supporting a LEED-registered project, current work or previous employment in a sustainable field of work, or completion of an education program in green building principles.
The LEED AP with specialty credential is for individuals who plan to work directly in the LEED certification process. To become a LEED AP with specialty, candidates must show documented professional experience on a LEED-registered project within the last three years, with verification through LEED online or employer attestation.
International Facility Management Association
(IFMA)
IFMA offers several credentials, including a Facility Management Professional (FMP) designation, which is a knowledge-based credential that will help to accelerate a facility manager’s transition into the profession. By earning the FMP credential, professionals can improve their knowledge, enhance their skills, and gain immediate credibility with employers, clients, and peers.
The Sustainability Facility Professional (SFP) is an assessment-based certificate program delivering a specialty credential in sustainability. By earning the SFP credential, facility management professionals can develop and gain recognition for their expertise in sustainable facility management practices while impacting their organization’s triple bottom line.
The Certified Facility Manager (CFM) credential sets the industry standard for ensuring the knowledge and abilities of practicing facility managers. The CFM exam is competency-based, testing what a person can do compared to standards that define the practice of facility management.
American Society of Healthcare Engineers
In an effort to develop leaders who work in unison to optimize the physical healthcare environment, ASHE offers two professional certifications: Certified Healthcare Constructor (CHC) and Certified Healthcare Facility Manager (CHFM). The CHC and CHFM designations provide a number of benefits to those who achieve them as well as to the entire healthcare industry. Eligibility requirements for each are a blend of education and experience.
National Council of Architectural Registration
Board
NCARB represents the architectural registration boards of the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and three U.S. territories (Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands). NCARB certification facilitates reciprocal registration for architects among all 54 NCARB member boards and 11 Canadian jurisdictions, and can be used to support an application for registration in other countries. Although certification does not qualify a person to practice architecture in a jurisdiction, it does signify that he or she has met the highest professional standards established by the registration boards responsible for protecting the health, safety, and welfare of the public. All registered architects are eligible to apply for the NCARB certificate and must meet education, experience, and examination standards. Any changes to these standards must be approved by an absolute majority of the council’s member boards.
National Council for Interior Design Qualification
(NCIDQ)
NCIDQ protects public health, safety, and welfare by identifying interior designers who have the knowledge and experience to create interior spaces that are not just aesthetically pleasing, but also functional and safe. An independent, nonprofit organization of state and provincial credentialing bodies, NCIDQ has issued professional certificates to competent interior design professionals since 1974. Interior designers who meet NCIDQ’s eligibility requirements for education and experience, and pass the rigorous NCIDQ examination are assigned a unique NCIDQ certificate number that attests to their qualifications for employers, state regulators, and the general public. In addition to developing and administering the examination, NCIDQ provides research and expertise that informs state and provincial licensing laws and regulations for the interior design profession. NCIDQ maintains minimum education and work experience requirements for eligibility to take the NCIDQ examination.
Conclusions
“To legally practice, an architect is required to be licensed in the jurisdiction where the project is located,” notes Stephen Nutt, AIA, NCARB, CAE, vice president of programs at the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards in Washington, D.C. “The NCARB certificate enables the architect to become easily and quickly licensed in all 54 U.S. jurisdictions so they are ready to serve the needs of their clients. Simply put, the NCARB certificate ensures their professional mobility.”
The others are credentials that qualify an individual’s knowledge and experience in a specialty area, such as healthcare interior design, healthcare architecture, evidence-based design, green design, and facility management. They complement and support one another, ensuring the highest level of competency in the healthcare design profession. Some, like AAHID, ACHA, ASHE, and IFMA’s credentials are specifically for facility and design professionals. Others, like EDAC and GBCI’s LEED credentials, provide qualification of additional knowledge, as they can be obtained by anyone in the healthcare and design industry.
“Having more than one credential shows the breadth of knowledge and experience that an individual has,” says Carlos Amato, AIA, ACHA, LEED AP, EDAC, chairman of the ACHA Certificate Holders Committee. “Because many of the credentials relate to one another, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to acquire a whole different skill set either.”
Most of the credentialing programs mentioned above have continuing education requirements and all have application and testing fees. As new credentialing programs have been introduced, some healthcare and design managers have had difficulty justifying the costs for their employees to achieve and maintain another credential.
“However, if they think about it as employee education, a credentialing program becomes a relatively low-cost way to support future growth and development,” says Jocelyn Stroupe, AAHID, IIDA, ASID, EDAC, president of AAHID. “That’s actually a good thing.”
What are some of the benefits of licensure, certification, and registration for health information management (HIM)...
THE HEALTH INFORMATION management (HIM) profession is nothing if not resilient. With every change in the process of health data collection, maintenance, and use, HIM professionals have adapted to industry transitions to ensure health information quality for effective decision-making. The most recent changes—triggered by the rapid implementation and use of electronic health record (EHR) systems and associated technologies—is yet another transition that requires the HIM profession to adapt. ms most recent change is unique because of its pace. Major changes...
THE HEALTH INFORMATION management (HIM) profession is nothing if not resilient. With every change in the process of health data collection, maintenance, and use, HIM professionals have adapted to industry transitions to ensure health information quality for effective decision-making. The most recent changes—triggered by the rapid implementation and use of electronic health record (EHR) systems and associated technologies—is yet another transition that requires the HIM profession to adapt. ms most recent change is unique because of its pace. Major changes...