2017 AHIMA BALLOT PG 8 | STUDENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PG 11 | HOD UPDATE PG 14

continued on page 3

Through education, networking, and other forms of career development, HIM professionals not only advance their competencies and skills, but they also create paths to some of the healthcare industry’s most sought-after jobs. By reaching for these influential positions, HIM professionals also showcase their unique skillset within their organizations.

Past Success Creates New Paths

HIM professionals, especially coding professionals, should leverage the social capital they gained from successful ICD- 10 implementations to take advantage of new career opportunities, says Gloryanne Bryant, RHIA, CDIP, CCS, CCDS, a national coding director at an integrated delivery system and past president of the California Health Information Association (CHIA).

“I continue to see the need for higher-skilled coding professionals in the inpatient environment, particularly because of the complexities of ICD-10-CM/PCS,” says Bryant, who is also an AHIMA-approved ICD-10-CM/PCS trainer. She cites the increasing demand for professional coding auditors in many settings and clinical documentation improvement (CDI) specialists, who have advanced skills and knowledge.

Coding professionals who are interested in pursuing advanced
careers should have a strong grasp of technology, including
computer-assisted coding and other innovative tools. “In
this way, coding professionals can help develop these new
technologies, rather than simply use them,” Bryant says. “There
needs to be greater involvement and engagement with IT.”
Beyond advanced coding careers, Bryant believes that informatics
and data analytics present opportunities for HIM professionals.
In consideration of these other career paths, AHIMA staff and
members are collaborating to update the HIM career map, which
will include more roles in these areas.

No matter which career path HIM professionals choose, they should seek connections outside of their organizations as well as outside of HIM, Bryant says. This can help them learn to work with other disciplines and enhance their leadership and communication skills.

“Engagement through networking and volunteerism is essential for one’s career,” Bryant says. “These activities can help you gain greater exposure of your skill set, take advantage of new and different career paths, and provide individual growth,” she says.

Analytics, Informatics, and CDI

Interested HIM professionals may want to consider pursuing data analyst and business intelligence analyst roles, which are in high demand as healthcare leaders use data to make more