Catalog 2022-2023

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Health Information Management Technology

Essential Functions

The purpose of the essential functions list is to allow prospective students who are considering a career to be informed of the physical, emotional, and psychological demands related to training and employment in a field of study. These lists are provided to allow prospective students to make informed career choices by providing them with a summary of the physical abilities and personality traits that are generally required for the successful completion of a curriculum and result in employment in a field of study after graduation. The tasks below are from the American Health Information Management Association's Registered Health Information Technician (RHIR) domain and represent the program's essential functions:

Domain 1: Data Structure, Content, and Information Governance

Tasks

  • Apply health information guidelines (e.g., coding guidelines, CMS, facility or regional best practices, federal and state regulations)
  • Apply healthcare standards (e.g., Joint Commission, Meaningful Use)
  • Identify and maintain the designated record set
  • Maintain the integrity of the health record (e.g., identify and correct issues within the EHR)
  • Audit content and completion of the health record (e.g., validate document content)
  • Educate clinicians on documentation and content
  • Coordinate document control (e.g., create, revise, standardize forms)
  • Assess and maintain the integrity of the Master Patient Index (MPI)
  • Maintain and understand the data workflow
  • Create and maintain functionalities of the HER
  • Create and maintain EHR reports to ensure data integrity
  • Navigate patient portals and provide education and support

  

Domain 2: Information Protection: Access, Use, Disclosure, Privacy, and Security

Tasks

  • Manage the access, use, and disclosure of PHI using laws, regulations, and guidelines (e.g., release of information, accounting of disclosures)
  • Determine right of access to the health record
  • Educate internal and external customers (e.g., clinicians, staff, volunteers, students, patients, insurance companies, attorneys) on privacy, access, and disclosure
  • Apply record retention guidelines (e.g., retain, archive, or destroy)
  • Mitigate privacy and security risk
  • Identify and correct identity issues within the EHR (e.g., merges, documentation corrections, registration errors, overlays)

 

Domain 3: Informatics, Analytics, and Data Use

Tasks

  • Identify common internal and external data sources
  • Extract data
  • Analyze data
  • Report patient data (e.g., CDC, CMS, MACs, RACs, insurers)
  • Compile healthcare statistics and create reports, graphs, and charts
  • Analyze common data metrics used to evaluate Health Information functions (e.g., CMI, coding productivity, CDI query rate, ROI turnaround time)
 

Domain 4: Revenue Cycle Management

Tasks

  • Identify the components of the revenue cycle process
  • Demonstrate proper use of clinical indicators to improve the integrity of coded data
  • Code medical/health record documentation
  • Query clinicians to clarify documentation
  • Recall utilization review processes and objectives
  • Manage denials (e.g., coding or insurance)
  • Conduct coding and documentation audits
  • Provide coding and documentation education
  • Monitor Discharged Not Final Billed (DNFB)
  • Analyze the case mix
  • Identify common billing issues for inpatient and outpatient
  • Understand payer guidelines and requirements (e.g., LCDs, NCDs, fee schedules, conditions of participation)
  • Collaborate with clinical documentation integrity (CDI) staff
  • Review and maintain a Charge Description Master (CDM)
  • Describe different payment methodologies and different types of health insurance plans (e.g., public vs private)  
   

Domain 5: Health Law and Compliance

Tasks

  • Perform quality assessments
  • Monitor Health Information compliance and report noncompliance (e.g., coding, ROI, CDI)
  • Maintain standards for Health Information functions (e.g., chart completion, coding accuracy, ROI turnaround time, departmental workflow)
  • Monitor regulatory changes for timely and accurate implementation
  

Domain 6: Organizational Management and Leadership

Tasks

  • Provide education regarding Health Information laws and regulations
  • Review Health Information processes
  • Develop and revise policies and procedures (e.g., compliance, ROI, coding)
  • Establish standards for Health Information functions (e.g., chart completion, coding accuracy, ROI, turnaround time, departmental workflow)
  • Collaborate with other departments for Health Information interoperability
  • Provide Health Information subject matter expertise
  • Understand the principles and guidelines of project management