FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                 

For more information, please contact:

Zakevia D. Green, MSHA, RHIA
Assistant Dean, Health Information Management
(703) 822-6580
zgreen@nvcc.edu

Health Information & Technology Week:  November 4 – 10, 2007

Northern Virginia, -- With each passing year, health information—and the technology that drives it—becomes an even larger part of our overall American healthcare system. From online patient billing to real-time test results, health information and technology drives, defines, or determines a greater percentage of healthcare’s overall annual “progress.” Health Information Management (HIM) is defined as the study of the principles and practices of acquiring, analyzing, and protecting digital and traditional medical information vital to providing quality patient care. A career in HIM places you right where the expanding arena of healthcare meets the cutting edge of technology.

Health Information Management (http://himcareers.ahima.org/) serves as the vital component to the US healthcare industry. HIM professionals are referred to as experts in managing patient health information and medical records, administering computer information systems and coding the diagnosis and procedures for healthcare services provided to patients. HIM professionals play a critical role in maintaining, collecting and analyzing the data that doctors, nurses and other healthcare providers rely on to deliver quality healthcare.

An occupation that is unlikely to be profiled on a TV hospital drama, but this behind-the-scenes healthcare profession is in the spotlight and one of the fastest growing fields in the U.S. Also contributing to the increase demand for these health data experts is the passage of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which includes provisions for the privacy and protection of patient health information.  HIM offers more than 125 different job titles with more than 40 different work settings which cater to each and every aspiring and acting HIM professional. The US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos103.htm ) expects the HIM profession to grow much faster than average by 2014- making it one of the fastest-growing health occupations.  The high number of available jobs means immediate opportunities for recent graduates, strong prospects for long-term career advancements, and higher than average industry salaries. On top of strong job prospects, the field offers competitive salaries. New HIM graduates with an associate's degree can earn $20,000 to $30,000 annually (http://www.ahima.org/careers/tools/HIMfacts.doc).
More than half of new health information management graduates with a bachelor's degree start with salaries in the $30,000 to $50,000 range. Five years out, many are earning $50,000 to $75,000.

The Medical Education Campus (MEC) is pleased to announce that Zakevia Green, RHIA as the new Assistant Dean of the Health Information Management program. Jacqueline Gibbons, RHIA has also joined the MEC as a new full-time faculty for the HIM program. We are pleased that David Munch, RHIA  will remain on board as full-time teaching faculty. These faculty members bring to Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) a wealth of experience, knowledge, expertise, and excitement for the fast growing and important field of Health Information Management.

The Health Information Management (HIM) and Clinical Coding Specialist (CCS) Certificate program invites you to help celebrate Health Information & Technology Week 2007, held during the week of November 4th thru November 10th 2007, at NVCC Medical Education Campus. This is the first time the HIM program will honor Health Information & Technology Week so please mark your calendars to make this a successful event. Information flyers will be posted around campus in the weeks to come. This year, the American Health Information Management Association’s 18th annual spotlight on the spirit and spark of innovative healthcare information and technology is titled, “Accuracy you can count on, information you can trust”.