An AHIMA white paper recommends more use of artificial intelligence and automation.
A white paper from a leading health IT education and advocacy group recommends more use of artificial intelligence and automation in healthcare to keep up with changing consumer demands.
"A Watershed Moment: Recommendations and Insights for the Health Information Profession to Meet the Emerging Needs of the Modern Healthcare Consumers," based on interviews with health system leaders, insurers, health technology companies, health information exchanges, academic institutions, patient advocacy groups, and trade associations, has been released by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).
"Health information professionals must be prepared to leverage and embrace new technology to meet the demands of consumers," Keith Olenik, AHIMA's chief member relations and service officer said in a press release. "It is essential for the healthcare industry to harness the infinite amount of data being captured today. Health information professionals can turn this data into valuable information, empowering consumers to impact their health and wellbeing."
The report makes five core recommendations to support the healthcare field and other organizations in meeting consumer expectations:
- Prepare the health information field for more analytical capabilities and roles.
- Prepare the profession to be increasingly involved in governance and management of healthcare data.
- Develop strategies and resources allowing health information professionals and clinicians to improve the user experience of consumers—and address the social determinants of health.
- Increase health information personnel participation in external advocacy and policy efforts.
- Prepare the health information field to be open to more direct future interactions with patients.
The report recommends that health information personnel coordinate closely with clinicians to improve the design and delivery of data capture. It also calls for increased advocacy to support improved processes and regulatory changes to ease the exchange of information between entities.
The white paper was prepared by Kaufman Hall, a healthcare consulting firm, at the request of AHIMA.
Scott Mace is a contributing writer for HealthLeaders.