» WASHINGTON WATCH
Harman Receives Dorland Health People Award
Challenges in the Management of Health
Information, which guides HIM and
healthcare professionals on ethical issues
in this era of expansive health information.
Other Dorland awards
included practitioners in
behavioral therapy, case/
care manager, clinical
nurse, disability manager,
geriatric care manager,
healthcare educator,
hospice/palliative care
professional, medical
director, occupational
therapist, patient advocate,
pharmacist, public health
specialist, quality manager,
social worker, vocational
rehabilitation specialist,
and wound, ostomy and
continence nurse.
Dorland Health is a
leading publisher and
media company providing
education, training, tools,
information resources,
guidance, and practical
advice for practitioners and
specialists in the healthcare
field. View a complete list of finalists here.
AHIMA’s Director of Government Relations, Don Asmonga,MBA; Laurinda Harman,
PhD, RHIA, FAHIMA; and Gilbert Lee Hoffer.
AHIMA member and associate professor of the health information
management program at Temple
University Laurinda Harman, PhD, RHIA,
FAHIMA, received this year’s second
annual Dorland Health’s People Award in
the Ethics Category. The award ceremony
was held in October at the National Press
Club in Washington, DC.
During this luncheon, Dorland Health
recognized the best of the best among
those who deliver success and contribute
to quality healthcare in America.
AHIMA is proud to have one of its
legendary members bestowed with this
honor. Joining Harman at the luncheon
awards ceremony were her husband,
Gilbert Lee Hoffer, and AHIMA’s
Director of Government Relations, Don
Asmonga, MBA.
Prestigious Award
The Dorland Health People Awards
recognize those healthcare professionals
who are changing the culture of healthcare
to be patient and family focused while
providing access to consumers of
healthcare across the care continuum.
Harman was given the Ethicist Award
because of her definitive textbook Ethical
A History of Service
Harman has been on the front lines
of developing health information
management professionals for years and
insuring their understanding of the ethical
challenges facing the profession.
An HIM professional and educator for
over 40 years, Harman has directed
HIM programs at George Washington
University in Washington, DC, the Ohio
State University, in Columbus, OH, and
Temple University in Philadelphia, PA.
Her teaching and consulting
experience includes health information
systems with emphasis on ethical/
genetic implications, bioethics,
continuous quality improvement, and
organizational development.
Harman’s body of work leading to the
Dorland award includes research on
health information, social, ethical, and
legal implications of the use of genetic
information and genetic engineering
when making reproductive decisions, and
has resulted in several national and state
presentations on
this theme.
Harman has also
had several articles
published on this
topic. Harman has
made presentations
at international,
national, state, and
local association
meetings on the
topic of ethics and
health information
management.
Harman received
the AHIMA 2001
Triumph Legacy
Award for the first
edition of her book,
Ethical Challenges in
the Management of
Health Information.
In 2011, she received
the esteemed AHIMA
Educator award at
AHIMA’s National Convention and Exhibit
in Salt Lake City, UT. v
I was honored to
be nominated by
AHIMA for the
Ethicist Award and
to receive this award
from Dorland Health.
Health information
management and
ethics received
important recognition
and I look forward to
future publications
and presentations
that will highlight
the importance of
our profession, as we
face the increased
ethical complexities in
our electronic health
record systems.
”
