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▷ HIM EDUCATIONEntry-level EHR Training Classes LaunchHoping to reduce health disparitiesthrough health IT, the AHIMAFoundation has partnered withacademia and government to create aseries of training programs that fosterwell-educated health IT professionals ableto implement EHR and other IT systemsin small and rural provider offices.Launched as part of AHIMA’s HIM Jobsfor America initiative, the courses offerspecific training in HIM and health IT—a career in high demand. No academicpre-requisites are required to take thecourses, meaning individuals interestedin a second career can attend the coursesas an entry into HIM/HIT.Courses Designed toDevelop SkillsThe 12-week courses will be offeredin three areas: Implementation of theElectronic Health Record, Privacy, Security,and HIE, and EHR Systems Analysis andWorkflow Design, according to CherylPlettenberg, RHIA, EDD, HIM programchair at Alabama State University. TheImplementation of the Electronic HealthRecord course will teach the basicson installing and using an EHR in theprovider environment. The Privacy,Security and HIE course will providea crucial foundation in principles andpractices around both protecting anddisclosing electronic health records. Andthe EHR Systems Analysis and WorkflowDesign course will teach students themore technical aspects of the EHR systemand how to design work processes in anEHR. All of the courses will have federalhealth IT meaningful use incentiveprogram information integrated into in thecoursework. Certificates will be issued tostudents who successfully pass the coursesand each final exam.A Partnership for SuccessThe education courses were developedthrough a joint partnership between theMississippi Institute for the Improvementof Geographic and Minority Health,the Delta Regional Authority, and theAHIMA Foundation. Alabama StateUniversity served as lead developer of theeducation curriculum. Offered throughAlabama State University, TougalooCollege, and Louisiana Tech University,the goal is to develop HIT expertise inthe Delta region—a typically underservedarea where it has been difficult for smalland rural providers to find assistance inimplementing and utilizing EHR systems.However, the online courses are openfor anyone in the country interested inenrolling, Plettenberg said. Studentscan select their school of choice for theonline instructed lead courses. The firstcourse will be launched this spring. Moreinformation will soon be available on theAHIMA Foundation’s Web site.Working to Achieve a GoalBy increasing the use of EHRs in ruraland underserved areas, the countrywill move one step closer to the goal of“one health record,” Plettenberg said.A national goal has been developed bythe Department of Health and HumanServices to give providers the ability toelectronically exchange health recordsacross the country. EHRs are a keyelement to that goal.“A physician in New York wantssomething from Tuscaloosa, AL, he typesit in a health information exchange andhe can get it. That is the final goal of all ofall of this, and to do that you have to trainthe providers and their staff,” Plettenbergsaid. A second goal is to allow people anentry point into the health IT workforce.“This is a beginning, entrance-levelstart for people,” Plettenberg said. “Theywill not start out as managers, but theycertainly will be able to go in and work inphysician offices and other settings, do thisinput, and understand what this means.”HIM Jobs for America was launchedin October 2011 as a sustained effort tosupport American employment and helpimprove the healthcare of underservedAmericans in communities acrossthe country.AHIMA’s “HIM Jobs for America”Initiative includes a legislative platformthat addresses:• A tax credit that provides incentivesfor employers that provide training toprepare credentialed HIM practitionerswith the core job skills demandedby an integrated electronic healthinformation system.• A tax credit that provides incentivesfor employers that provide retrainingand/or additional training to currentHIM workers that prepares them tocontribute to the development andoperation of an electronic healthinformation environment.• HIT Pro competency exams, whichconfirm that workers’ experiencesand skills satisfy the nation’s needfor health IT. Employers wouldreceive equal credit for all their HIMprofessionals who pass the exam in lieuof formal training.• Expanding and funding baccalaureateand graduate-level curricula to furthereducate the next generation of HIMprofessionals through incentives toaccredited state and land-grant collegesand universities as well as scholarshipsfor students who pursue an HIM degreeat or beyond a baccalaureate degree.Learn more about AHIMA’s HIM Jobsfor America initiative by contacting theAHIMA Foundation. v6 ▷ PAGEAHIMA ADVANTAGE