Investing in Health Information Education: Assess and Reassess for Success
Many health information (HI) professionals started 2023 by making resolutions and setting goals. And unfortunately, just weeks into the year, some of those best intended efforts may have already fallen by the wayside.
As HI professionals, a common resolution to not allow to slide is investing the time and resources in personal career growth over the next year as well as helping workplace teams and colleagues to build their knowledge and skills.
Training and development benefit both organizations and individuals. For employers, educational opportunities pay off through increased employee retention and engagement. At the same time, individuals may have improved job satisfaction as well as increased opportunities for career advancement.
Ongoing training and education are particularly important for HI professionals in an industry that is constantly changing. Look no further than the recent—or the next—CPT updates, bi-annual updates to ICD-10, and regular government updates and changing audit priorities to see the urgent need for coding professionals, and those who rely on their work, to be accurate and proficient based on the latest guidance. The data handled is critical for patient care, necessary for timely reimbursement, and key for research and study.
Employers across the industry currently face a shortage of coding professionals who are adept and knowledgeable. New graduates, at no fault of their own, may find that their scholastic requirements may not have fully prepared them to hit the ground running once on the job. Certainly, graduates are expected to have foundational knowledge, but bridging the knowledge gap between the academic world and a professional setting then falls either to employers or to the individual.
Maintaining ongoing proficiency in coding also lays at the intersection of employer-provided education and self-directed training that certified coders and other HI professionals need to satisfy continuing education requirements and advance their careers.
Ensuring Education Delivers Proficiency, Knowledge
Some organizations have the resources to provide robust, high-quality training to their teams internally. Others may suggest education delivered through associations like AHIMA or another outside partner. Still others may utilize a combined internal/external model. To balance, health information management (HIM) directors and leaders should be familiar with the best internal or external sources of education so they can direct their employees and colleagues appropriately.
In an era of tight budgets and pressures to maximize efficiency, a key challenge for HIM directors and leaders who oversee education programs is ensuring those investments achieve the desired return in terms of value, effectiveness, and desired outcome.
What is often missed is that the goal for employers and independent learners is similar: Finding education that delivers the proficiency and knowledge required for the current role while encouraging ongoing learning which allows individuals to grow and advance their careers.
To help both employers and individuals navigate a crowded education marketplace, a four-point approach when investing in education may be best:
- Identify the education gaps. Employers may want to engage internal or external auditors to better help understand where coding errors occur. An audit will identify specific gaps as well as help determine appropriate remedial actions to address the issues. Individuals might use a self-assessment to determine where to focus to improve their skill set.
- Identify solutions to address the gaps. As you might expect, some gaps may be easily remedied by employers using internal expertise and external resources. Other more extensive issues may require a broader, holistic approach and use of external expertise to ensure success. A pragmatic and realistic effort in identifying the gaps is critical in developing solutions that address the issues.
Independent learners seeking to improve their skills might review the AHIMA website which includes carefully curated education and training, specific classes, and other valuable resources including information on AHIMA credentials which can build expertise and demonstrate commitment to staying proficient in an ever-changing industry.
- Implement changes. Efforts undertaken in the first two steps will not occur without action. Progress—and success—will only happen when plans are implemented.
- Assess and reassess the results. Measuring the success of any program—be it an education program or other effort—ensures that the intended goal has been achieved. Periodic reassessment of education assures the content remains relevant and effective and may help provide any early signal that changes may be warranted.
One easy tool to ensure education programs are effective and meaningful is to poll students.
For example, it is key that every course include a survey at completion, measuring students’ perceptions of what they have learned and its relevancy to their day-to-day jobs. These surveys should also ask participants to self-identify as beginners or experts which can then be used to compare and align with the employers’ assessment and perspectives to help further develop the team.
Below is a summary of the results for all Haugen Academy courses in 2022.
More importantly, survey results can be carefully reviewed to inform and build future content to make sure clients and students get the most out of the learning experience.
Successfully keeping on top of the dynamic HI environment requires a diligent commitment by professionals and directors as well as employers. Fortunately, there are an abundance of effective HI training, development, and education programs available. The start of the new year is a good time to make a resolution to better understand what makes sense for an organization and take advantage of those opportunities.
Mary Beth Haugen is president and CEO of Haugen Consulting Group. Haugen Academy, a division of Haugen Consulting Group, partners with AHIMA to provide education. Learn more in the AHIMA Store.