Workforce Development, From AHIMA, Profiles
Incoming President Aims to Ignite an Empowering Culture to Further Success of AHIMA
A native of Wisconsin, Mueller’s passion for healthcare bloomed early with her sights set on becoming a pharmacist. She enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a pre-pharmacy major but eventually decided to pivot to medical records administration.
“I spoke to the dean at the school and asked them what kind of healthcare jobs were out there,” Mueller says. “They had me take a skills assessment and asked if I had ever heard of a medical records administration program. I learned a little bit more about it and thought it was right up my alley. I was moving to North Carolina the next year, and so I enrolled in East Carolina University’s medical records administration program.”
Mueller eventually returned to Wisconsin, where she graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a degree in health information management. She then obtained her MBA in 2005. Mueller has since relocated to Sun Prairie with her husband, where she now works at the Wisconsin Hospital Association Information Center.
After graduating in 1996, Mueller became a member of her state health information management association in Wisconsin. Her years serving at the local level inspired her to join the AHIMA Board of Directors, of which she officially became a member in 2019.
“At that time, I was part of the new mission and vision statements process. The CEO was new, and we had a new strategic plan, so it was a very exciting time,” Mueller says. “It was also a challenging time, because my second two years of that term occurred during the pandemic. As my term was wrapping up, I really wanted to continue to see all of the success that was coming as a result of our strategic plan and other initiatives, so I threw my hat in the ring to become president and chair of the board.”
As she prepares for her term as president, Mueller plans to position culture as an important area of focus. To her, alignment between culture and strategy yield greater results for an organization.
“Research has shown that organizations that inspire the cultural norms of collaboration, innovation, and integrity are the ones that are the most successful,” Mueller says. “In fact, these norms have resulted in greater trust in, and commitment to, the organization. The key is figuring out the right mix of culture and strategy that will get us there.”
Beyond the culture focus, Mueller and the board will develop a new strategic plan to improve interoperability, increased access, stronger advocacy, and health literacy. These initiatives in particular hold personal significance for Mueller. With her father living in Nevada, roughly 1,700 miles away, Mueller works hard to facilitate the sharing and interpretation of medical information.
“My dad has nine different physicians. At appointments, he’ll get out his iPhone and take a picture of what the doctor gave him that day, and I do my best to piece it together,” Mueller says. “I’m trying to advocate for him and help manage his care six states away, all without easy access to a concise medical record or discharge report with essential facts. We have to do better than that.”
Mueller understands that meaningful change requires many hands. Her drive to broaden advocacy efforts and reinforce the importance of volunteerism will ensure streamlined implementation of her initiatives.
“AHIMA has set a bold vision for this ecosystem-wide change, but we cannot do it alone,” Mueller says. “Our strategic plan and vision require all of us, all health information professionals, to join together. Let’s find a way to ignite and excite ourselves, as well as the rest of our peers, so we may walk boldly toward our goals and dreams.”
Lauren Liacouras is a writer and editor with the Journal of AHIMA.