I’m working on a health & medical Discussion and need a sample draft to help me study.

Please Draft a response to another students original discussion Board Post. Here is the students post you are replying too:

Roles and Functions of Health Informatics Professionals

The U.S. healthcare system is classified as a massive, complex system, spending more on healthcare than any other industrialized country (Braunstein, 2014; Otokiti, 2019). Rapid growth in healthcare is projected to continue due to an aging population, technological advances, social determinants, and the management of chronic disease (Otokiti, 2019; Shanholtzer & Ozanich, 2016). As the demand for healthcare continues to surge, the need for health information management and informatics professionals will also rise (Fridsma, 2018; Shanholtzer & Ozanich, 2016).

For this discussion board forum, the importance of health informatics professionals will be defined. The skills set required to work in this field and opportunities for career growth will be discussed. Lastly, the use of informatics to improve the quality of healthcare will be explored, and biblical principles will be applied.

Importance of Health Informatics Professionals

Health informatics is defined as, “the practice of information and knowledge management across clinical healthcare and public health domains” (Shanholtzer & Ozanich, 2016, p. 67). As the healthcare industry transforms, particularly with the implementation of government-mandated electronic medical records, the demand for health informatics professionals has increased (American Medical Informatics Association, 2021b; Shanholtzer & Ozanich, 2016). These professionals manage healthcare data to improve patient care. Otokiti (2018) stressed the importance of health informatics professionals as they are tasked with the following: improving patient health literacy, training healthcare professionals on using health information systems, managing large data sets, generating accurate and timely clinical information, and promoting interoperability for the exchange of patient data. Furthermore, a health informaticist expands on the basic management of health information by implementing technical skills to engage in the aggregation and analysis of data (Shanholtzer & Ozanich, 2016). Through data mining, health informatics professionals can generate reports focusing on patient populations, outcomes, benchmarking, and predictive analytics to improve patient care (Fridsma, 2018; Kokol et al., 2018; Shanholtzer & Ozanich, 2016).

Unique Skills Required and Opportunities for Advancement

Health informatics professionals can hold an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate degree. In addition, these professionals can obtain a variety of professional certifications, participate in professional practice experiences, or partake in continuing education courses to promote professional growth (American Medical Informatics Association, 2021b; Shanholtzer & Ozanich, 2016). Additional factors which complement the skills of health informatics professionals are having a background in healthcare and excelling at communication, as interactions with other healthcare workers are required daily (Shanholtzer & Ozanich, 2016).

Opportunities for career advancement and professional growth are endless for health information management and informatics professionals (Braunstein, 2014; Shanholtzer & Ozanich, 2016). At the entry-level, individuals with an associate degree can serve as health information specialists, or release of information coordinators, to name a few. Professionals with a bachelor’s degree often work as department managers or compliance officers (Shanholtzer & Ozanich, 2016). A degree in health informatics is typically completed at the graduate level. Master’s and doctoral program graduates can hold a position such as a vice president, department chair, or chief officer (American Medical Informatics Association, 2021a; Shanholtzer & Ozanich, 2016). As technology and healthcare advance, health informatics opportunities will continue to grow.

Promoting Quality of Care

Health informatics professionals have the opportunity to revolutionize the U.S. healthcare system through the management of healthcare data. As noted in the article, Using Informatics to Improve Healthcare Quality, Otokiti (2018) noted that “to improve healthcare, at the least possible cost through participatory and personalized medicine and to ensure optimum predictive and preventive care, all stakeholders must be actively involved in the digital revolution” (p. 428). Through data analysis, quality improvement processes can be identified, as measurements of performance are vital to improve population health, reduce healthcare costs, and improve the patient experience (Otokiti, 2018; Shanholtzer & Ozanich, 2016).

Biblical Integration

Advances in health information technology have led to the implementation and advancement of knowledge transfer through electronic health records. Benefits associated with the use of electronic records include improving communication and promoting continuity of care. God gives one wisdom and the knowledge to do good. By promoting the use of electronic medical records, healthcare leaders have the opportunity to serve God by focusing on improving one’s health status through more efficient means of communication. “A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength” (Kings James Bible, 1769/2017, Proverbs 24:5).

References

American Medical Informatics Association. (2021a). Informatics academic & training programs. Retrieved April 11, 2021, from https://www.amia.org/education/programs-and-courses

American Medical Informatics Association. (2021b). Why informatics? Retrieved April 12, 2021, from https://www.amia.org/why-informatics

Braunstein, M. L. (2014). Contemporary health informatics. AHIMA Press.

Fridsma, D. B. (2018). Health informatics: A required skill for 21st century clinicians. BMJ, 362, 1-2. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k3043

King James Bible. (2017). King James Bible Online. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/ (Original work published 1769)

Kokol, P., Saranto, K., & Blažun Vošner, H. (2018). EHealth and health informatics competences. Kybernetes, 47(5), 1018-1030. https://doi.org/10.1108/k-09-2017-0338

Otokiti, A. (2019). Using informatics to improve healthcare quality. International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 32(2), 425-430. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijhcqa-03-2018-0062

Shanholtzer, M. B., & Ozanich, G. W. (2016). Health Information Management and Technology. McGraw Hill Education.Instructions for when replying to another persons post include the following:

For your replies, respond to 2 classmates, identifying at least 1 strength and 1 weakness in each classmate’s reasoning.