Certification - July 2008 - (Page 34)

INSIDE CERTIFICATION Certification Qualifies Expertise in Health Care IT Systems MATTHEW GROB Health care is arguably the most data-intensive industry in the world, with providers relying on millions of pieces of information to assess, diagnose and treat patients across the continuum of care. For that reason, health care IT (HIT) and management systems professionals — unlike their brethren in more traditional IT roles — need to not only have a firm grasp of the technology environment and the entire systems life cycle, but also the ins and outs of the health care environment. The rapid growth of health care information and management systems needs around the globe, along with President Bush’s goal for widespread adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) by 2014, has fueled greater demand for qualified HIT and management systems professionals, as well as a way to certify their levels of proficiency. The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) recognizes this need to codify, promote and validate a body of knowledge around health care information and management systems. In 2002, it launched a credentialing process that designates a qualified candidate as a Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CPHIMS). The CPHIMS program establishes standards for professional practice; creates a fair, valid and reliable examination process for professionals to demonstrate their knowledge and skills; and grants certification to those who meet the program’s standards. CPHIMS is intended for professionals responsible for planning, selecting, implementing, using and managing HIT and management systems. This includes CEOs, CIOs, COOs and other senior executives, as well as industry specialists such as directors, senior managers, management engineers, information systems technical staff, physicians, nurses, consultants, attorneys, financial advisers, technology vendors, academics and students. “Holding the CPHIMS, like other credentials, sets a baseline that fellow professionals understand,” said Jonathan D. Goldsmith, CPHIMS, FACHE, senior consultant at the International Bar Association. “Some may say a credential does not represent potential for future work, which is often true. However, it does represent a level of knowledge and understanding that immediately separates the ‘haves’ from the ‘have-nots,’ in first impressions and possibly later.” Beneﬁts of CPHIMS The value of the credential is indisputable from the perspectives of multiple stakeholders. For HIT and management systems professionals, it conveys that their knowledge and expertise have been validated by a reliable third party, thus providing enhanced opportunities in the marketplace. For health care organizations, it assures their staffs possess the ability to effectively select, design, implement and manage HIT and management systems solutions and is a factor in recruitment and retention. “CPHIMS is more than just an acronym after my name,” said Ali R. Birjandi, MBA, MHA, CPHIMS, vice president of operational performance improvement at ProMedica Health System in Toledo, Ohio. “It is a designation that I have the technical knowledge and the required experience to use it. The largest causes of technology-project failures have not been the technology, but with the experience of the people leading the change. My CPHIMS Certification lets others know that when I talk about new technology, I speak from a position of both knowledge and experience.” It also is used in professional development plans and is a requirement for promotion in related health care roles in the U.S. military. Edward T. Wright, MA, CPHIMS — deputy CIO and chief of customer support and clinical operations at General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital in Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. — said the Army allowed CPHIMS to be entered into 34 CERTIFICATION MAGAZINE July 2008 http://www.ibanet.org/ http://www.himss.org/ http://www.himss.org/ http://www.himss.org/ASP/certification_cphims.asp http://www.himss.org/ASP/certification_cphims.asp http://www.promedica.org/ http://glwach.amedd.army.mil/ http://glwach.amedd.army.mil/

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Certification - July 2008 Editor's Letter Contents Data System Virtual Village Tech Careers Dear Techie Academic Connection Look Ahead Troubleshooting Testing Your Foot in the Door: Certification at the Entry Level Analyzing the Societal Effects of YouTube Interface Spread the Knowledge: Becoming an IT Trainer Inside Certification Ad Index What We Like Endtag

Certification - July 2008

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