| The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) is a professional organization for the field of medical record management. Traditionally practicing in hospitals and to referring paper files and records, the field presently refers to all healthcare systems and types of media.
The organization traces its history back to 1928 when the American College of Surgeons established the Association of Record Librarians of North America (ARLNA) to "elevate the standards of clinical records in hospitals and other medical institutions." The organization has had three name changes in its history, all were justified with an e xplanation that reflected the progression of contemporary medical record use, practices and perceptions. In 1938 the association became the American Association of Medical Record Librarians (AAMRL). In 1970, the association became the American Medical Record Association (AMRA) and in 1991, the title American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) was adopted. Incorporation occurred in 1943 and became effective the next year. AHIMA's stated mission is to be the professional community that improves healthcare by advancing best practices and standards for health information management and the trusted source for education, research, and professional credentialing. As of 2011, the association has more than 61,000 members in four membership classifications. Each member subsequently belongs to a relevant state chapter. The association offers seven credentials pertaining to four areas of practice; HIM, Coding, Data Analysis and Privacy. Two credentials require formal education, the others are acquired by a combination of testing and work experience. AHIMA requires members obtain regular continuing education to maintain their credentials. The Journal of AHIMA has a circulation of 61,000 and publishes both peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed articles. The association's membership is overwhelmingly female. AHIMA describes its foundation as a sister organization and states the foundation has a charitable and educational nature. The foundation's stated mission is to be the pre-eminent foundation recognized for excellence in health information leadership, policy and research for the healthcare industry and the public. The foundation formulates and issues opinions, supports education, conducts research and compiles its contributions into the Body of Knowledge (BoK). |
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