Beyond Coding: Preparing HI Professionals for the Roles of Tomorrow

After attending a few conferences this fall, one word kept coming to mind: momentum. There was a buzz, unlike any I’ve felt in years, driven by the excitement (and yes, some anxiety) surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) and the rapid transformation of our profession.

Everywhere I turned, I heard conversations about AI’s impact on the revenue cycle, clinical documentation, and data governance. Conference attendees asked tough, honest questions: Will AI replace me? How do I keep up? What will my role look like in five years? Those questions aren’t rooted in fear; they’re rooted in pride. Pride in the work health information (HI) professionals do, and a desire to remain at the heart of healthcare’s future.

At the same time, there was a new and encouraging tone to these discussions. Instead of viewing emerging technology as something happening to us, many are beginning to see it as something that we are uniquely positioned to shape. After all, no one understands the intersection of data integrity, compliance, and patient trust quite like HI professionals.

In almost every session and hallway conversation, certain roles surfaced again and again: data scientist, informaticist, and data steward. These titles once felt far removed from traditional HI work, yet today, they’re central to where the field is headed.

Think about it…data scientists analyze and predict. Informatics professionals connect and interpret. Data stewards protect and ensure quality. Those functions mirror the values that have always defined us: accuracy, accountability, and advocacy for the patient record.

The reality is that our profession is evolving faster than job titles can catch up with. Many HI professionals are already doing this work under different names, including analyzing workflows, designing dashboards, improving patient data quality, or guiding their organizations through interoperability and privacy challenges. What’s changing now is that technology is amplifying the importance of those skills and creating demand for them at every level of healthcare.

Tools for Advancing Your Career

At AHIMA, we recognize that embracing these new roles requires not just inspiration, but preparation. Through our 2026 Career Advancement Roadmap, we’re creating opportunities to help members build the knowledge and confidence to step into emerging areas such as AI, data science, and informatics.

The Career Advancement team is rolling out a range of new professional development opportunities that reflect where the profession is headed. This includes the reopening of the Certified Professional in Health Informatics (CPHI) Credential and prep course, a new webinar on “Understanding Implementation of Code Updates: An Overview & Tips for Facility and Pro-Fee Settings,” and two new foundational courses, Foundations in Release of Information (ROI) and Health Informatics Foundations, both designed to support their respective microcredential preparation.

We’re also developing resources focused on social determinants of health (SDOH), mobile health apps, and the patient portal, with webinars debuting this fall, plus an enhanced 42 CFR Final Rule resource featuring a decision tree for compliant disclosures.

On the AI front, AHIMA is finalizing AI email templates to help members advocate for inclusion in organizational AI initiatives and committees. A new revenue cycle management (RCM) and AI guide is in the works, along with updates to our AI Resource Hub and an interactive AI microsite that maps the patient journey through AI-enabled healthcare, emphasizing the human expertise behind every algorithm.

As we move forward, one question I’m deeply interested in exploring is: How do we identify and connect with HI professionals who have already transitioned into these new roles?

We know they’re out there working in data science teams, leading informatics initiatives, or guiding governance strategies within provider organizations, payers, and tech companies. Their insights are invaluable for showing the next generation what’s possible and helping AHIMA design education that truly meets the workforce where it’s headed.

If you’re an HI professional currently serving as a data scientist, informaticist, or data steward, or if your role has evolved to include AI, analytics, or governance, we’d love to hear your story. The Journal of AHIMA is the perfect platform to showcase how our members are shaping the future, one dataset, one insight, one ethical decision at a time.

The future of health information is bright, and it’s being built by us. Together, we’re not just keeping pace with change, we’re leading it.

Jennifer Mueller, MBA, RHIA, SHIMSS, FACHE, FAHIMA, FACHDM, is AHIMA Senior Vice President, Health Information Career Advancement.