title: A shortage of health information management professionals: how would we know?
abstract: The introduction of computers, the expansion of health insurance coverage through employers and government programs, and the increased use of personal health information have created a demand for a new breed of qualified medical record and health information personnel. The health information management workforce, which is entrusted with accurately coding, maintaining, storing, managing, analyzing, and disseminating all personal health information created from health care encounters, is reportedly in short supply. Given the complexity in defining and enumerating the profession, it is challenging to determine if such a shortage exists. There is a lack of uniformity across scope of practice, job titles, educational paths, and credentials. We report selected findings from a study of the health information management profession in North Carolina illustrating the methodologic problems encountered when measuring the supply and demand of this workforce. A case is made that greater standardization across these multiple facets of the profession would be beneficial to the workforce, and we offer recommendations on how this could be accomplished.
authors.affiliation: North Carolina Health Professions Data System, Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-75990, USA. SandraB_Greene@unc.edu
authors.forename: Susan L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Dyson
authors.forename: Sandra B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Greene
authors.forename: Erin P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Fraher
mesh_terms: D002568:Certification / Q000592:standards; D003406:Credentialing / Q000592:standards*; D016208:Databases, Factual; D004517:Education, Professional / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D005568:Forms and Records Control / Q000592:standards; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D019451:Information Management / Q000592:standards; D007255:Information Services / Q000592:standards; D008297:Male; D008497:Medical Record Administrators / Q000193:education* / Q000600:supply & distribution; D009657:North Carolina; D012952:Societies; D000078329:Workforce