The Health Informatics and Information Management program in the Department of Nursing and Allied Health at Missouri Western State University is joining the American Health Information Management Association in celebrating the 25th annual Health Information Professionals Week March 16-22. This year’s theme is “Transforming Healthcare with Information.” As part of the week, HIIM is hosting a free conference for health information professionals on Thursday, March 20.
“We want to use this week to showcase the various aspects of the profession ranging from expertise in health information management, data integrity and analytics, privacy and security, to the very important part we can play in consumer advocacy and engagement and the promotion of personal health records,” said Marsha Dolan, professor and coordinator of the HIIM program. “We also want to highlight the many opportunities for graduates of our program. HIIM is one of the fastest growing fields in healthcare, and our efforts in ensuring the integrity of health information is vital to providing quality patient care.”
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, HIIM is one of the 20 fastest-growing occupations in the United States, with a projected growth rate of 22 percent over the course of the next decade. As many as 50,000 new jobs are anticipated by 2017.
Missouri Western offers a Bachelor of Science in Health Informatics and Information Management, transitioning in the past three years from a long-standing associate degree program to a bachelor’s degree. For more information, visit www.missouriwestern.edu/hiim.
The MWSU HIIM Class of 2014 is cohosting the March 20 spring conference with the Pony Express Health Information Management Association. Health information professionals from throughout the region will spend the day learning about the latest and best practices and regulatory information.
Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.