What is health information management?

If you’ve ever been seen by a doctor, shopped for medicine at a pharmacy or purchased health care insurance, you’ve been influenced by the work of a health information management (HIM) professional. HIM professionals connect the people, processes, technology, data and information security that makes our health care industry work.

Careers in HIM can be found at the intersection of medicine, science, business and information technology. HIM graduates work with cutting-edge technology; manage people, processes and systems; massage big data to find health care solutions; and serve as educators and advocates throughout the industry. Ultimately, they are gatekeepers who keep our medical information safe, complete and accurate.

A degree in health information management will prepare you for a variety of jobs within multiple career paths. The American Health Information Management Association lists more than 60 job types for HIM professionals on its website. Because HIM professionals are in high demand, graduates are able to find work in every geographic region of the country. Salaries for HIM professionals vary based on the job and the geographic location where it is located. Salary guides are available on the AHIMA and ADVANCE for Health Information Professionals websites.

Traditional and non-traditional

Health information managers work in a variety of job settings. While many HIM professionals work in traditional settings such as hospitals and clinics, others work in less-traditional environments such as accounting firms, insurance companies, information systems vendors, government agencies, pharmaceutical research companies and more.