AHIMA Health Informatics and Information Management (HIIM) Domains

Detailed information concerning continuing education activities can be found in AHIMA’s 2024 Recertification Guide.

You can also learn more by visiting the AHIMA website for recertification.


* Visiting AHIMA exhibits at a state meeting—up to two (2) CEUs per meeting

* Business meetings do not count as a CE 

Explanation of CEU Hours:

Calculation of CEUs is based upon clock hours. Half (0.5) CEUs are given for every thirty (30) minutes of attendance or participation that is fixed in length.  A session lasting thirty to forty-four (40-44) minutes will be accepted for half (0.5) CEU credit; a session lasting less than thirty (30) minutes will not be accepted for CEU credit. CEU credit should be calculated according to the following method:

 

Session Length

CEU Credit

0 - 29 minutes

O CEUs

30 - 44 minutes

0.5 CEUs

45 - 89 minutes

1 CEU

90 - 104 minutes

1.5 CEUs

105 - 149 minutes

2 CEUs

150 - 164 minutes

2.5 CEUs

165 - 209 minutes

3 CEUs

210 -  224 minutes

3.5 CEUs

225 - 269 minutes

4 CEUs

 


 

Domain Names:

Data Structure, Content and Information Governance

Information Protection: Access, Disclosure, Archival, Privacy and Security

Informatics, Analytics and Data Use

Revenue Cycle Management

Health Law and Compliance

Organizational Management and Leadership

Clinical Foundations

Evolving Topics


Descriptions of the Domain Names:

Data Structure, Content, and Information Governance

Data content, structure and standards helps create the framework for an optimal health record and effective information exchange between healthcare providers. This is achieved by establishing clear guidelines for the acceptable values, data sources, and how information is technically captured, processed, accessed, archived/ stored, and retrieved for specified data fields. It focuses on information systems, informatics principles, and information technology as it is applied to the continuum of healthcare delivery.

Examples:

a. Principles and applications of classification, taxonomies, nomenclatures, terminologies, clinical vocabularies, content related to diagnostic and procedural classification and terminologies, such as: ICD-10-CM/PCS, ICD-10-O, ICD-11, CPT, HCPCS, SNOMED, DMS-V, ICF.

b. HIIM Software applications: Encoders, Groupers, Computer Assisted Coding tools, speech recognition, CDI and ROI applications, EHRs

c. Technology design, architecture, and infrastructure: Cloud technologies, interfaces, encryption, firewalls, operating systems, patient and physician portals

d. Standards: HL-7, UHDDS, HIPAA

Information Protection:  Access, Disclosure, Archival, Privacy and Security

Establish, evaluate, and maintain policies and protocols for protecting healthcare information to govern systems and processes that generate, collect, store, transmit, use, archive, and disposition of data and information.

Examples:

a. Healthcare law and regulations and terminology related to access, disclosure, archival, privacy and security
b. Policy and procedure development, evaluation and maintenance for the following:

• Privacy, security, and confidentiality
• Record and data access and disclosure management
• Data security
• Data archiving
• Patient portals
• Release of information

c. Security and privacy risk assessment, analysis, mitigation and management
d. E-Discovery
e. Business continuity planning such as off-site storage, servers and backup systems
f. Personal health information

Informatics, Analytics, and Data Use

Defines how health information is manipulated and utilized by the organization and shared to external entities, including but not limited to: budgeting projections, long-term service line planning, forecasting healthcare needs of an organization’s patient population, resources used, etc. Data analysis is the process of transforming data into information for decision-making.

Examples:

a. Manipulation of available data
b. Record tracking
c. Data quality assessment (validity, reliability, completeness, timeliness and accuracy)
d. Data (internal and external) importing and exporting
e. Data exploration and mining
f. Statistical analysis of healthcare data
g. Data display and reports
h. Data extraction and transmission to internal and external entities (billing, registry reporting, quality measure reporting, vital statistics, statewide administrative databases, etc.)

Revenue Cycle Management

Management and oversight of all business, administrative and clinical functions that contribute to patient revenue from point of entry through payment and adjudication. This may include insurance processing, registration, eligibility, claims management, billing, collections, and denials.

Examples:

a. Payment methodologies and systems
b. Billing processes and procedures
c. Bill scrubbers, MCE and NCCI
d. Local and national coverage determinations
e. Insurance models and trends
f. Interaction with payers (insurance plans)
g. Appeals and denials management
h. Revenue collection from patients
i. Cost reporting, budget variances, budget speculation
j. Cost benefit analysis
k. Payer Contracting
l. Case Mix Management
m. Value based purchasing programs
n. Hospital-acquired conditions and POA
o. Clinical documentation improvement—reimbursement focus

Health Law and Compliance

The process of establishing an organizational structure that promotes the prevention, detection, and resolution of instances of conduct that do not conform to federal, state, or private payer healthcare program requirements or the healthcare’s organization’s ethical and business policies.

Examples:

a. Healthcare law and regulations related to coding, clinical documentation, billing and data reporting
b. Industry endorsed ethics, guidelines and directives related to coding, clinical documentation, billing and data reporting
c. Policy and procedure development, evaluation and maintenance related to billing, coding, clinical documentation, data reporting
d. Accreditation standards, policies and procedures
e. Patient safety
f. Risk management

Organizational Management and Leadership

Utilizing skills and tools to manage, guide, improve operations, provide innovative solutions based on health data, proactively offer knowledge and decision support expertise, and support patient safety and quality initiatives which ultimately lead to greater trust and transparency within organizations and healthcare in general.

Examples:

a. Professional and practice-related ethical issues
b. Managed care operations
c. Negotiation techniques
d. Workflow reengineering, workflow design techniques
e. Leadership development
f. Performance improvement models
g. Training and development
h. Work design
i. Employee hiring and retention
j. Effective communication
k. Managing remote staff and functions
l. Lean management systems
m. Project Management

Clinical Foundations

Understand human anatomy and physiology; the nature of disease processes; and the protocols of diagnosis and treatment of major diseases, to include common drugs and laboratory and other tests used for the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Practice the ability to apply this knowledge to the reading, coding, and abstracting of medical information to support quality patient care and associated databases.

Examples:

a. Medical terminology
b. Anatomy and physiology
c. Pathophysiology
d. Pharmacology
e. Diagnostic and laboratory testing
f. Ancillary services
g. Telemedicine
h. Medical and surgical procedures

Evolving Topics

Emerging topics that arise as part of the healthcare ecosystem as it transitions to keep pace with new regulations, technologies, and other changes in the industry.

Examples:

a. Coding and Revenue cycle
b. Risk Adjustment Factor (RAF)
c. Hierarchical Condition Category (HCC)
d. Pay for Performance
e. Informatics (Computer Assisted Technology (CAT)
f. Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR)
g. Unified Medical Language System (UMLS)
h. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
i. Regulations with new technology

Have more questions? Submit a request

0 Comments

Please sign in to leave a comment.