The Contemporary Guide to Health Information Management

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The Contemporary Guide to Health Information Management

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The Contemporary Guide to Health Information Management

Chris Simons, MS, RHIA 
Rose T. Dunn, MBA, RHIA, CPA, CHPS, FACHE 
Lynette Kramer, MA, RHIA 
Laura Jacquin, RN, MBA

Health information management is a rapidly changing field, and the HIM director’s responsibilities are expanding along with it. Directors must be well versed on a variety of topics, including The Joint Commission, coding, Medicare, HIPAA, the revenue cycle, and information management. In recent years, these traditional areas of focus have expanded to include inpatient and outpatient clinical documentation improvement (CDI), EHR management, and growing data analysis and application skills.

The Contemporary Guide to Health Information Management provides accessible, practical, road-tested guidance from authors with a wealth of experience in the field. This book is an all-in-one resource for established HIM directors looking for guidance on navigating a changing profession and newer HIM directors in need of expert advice on policies and programs.

Bring clarity and knowledge to the HIM director’s role and responsibilities through a deep understanding of the core HIM functions and areas of expertise, highlighting the connection between seemingly disparate topics.

This updated edition of The Contemporary Guide to Health Information Management offers information on the most recent changes that affect the HIM director’s role and the HIM department as a whole, such as: 

  • The impact of ICD-10 on coding quality and accuracy
  • Directing and managing the maturation of EHRs
  • Best practices for compliance with HIPAA
  • Collaborating with CDI and guiding its growth in outpatient departments
  • Analyzing the shift to integrated care delivery models


An appendix of downloadable sample forms, policies, and other tools are included.


Published: April 2018

Page count: 240 
Dimensions: 8.5” x 11” 
ISBN: 978-1-68308-718-2 

Table of Contents

  • Chapter 1: Organizing and Managing the Department Productivity Standards
  • Chapter 2: Understanding the Joint Commission, CMS, and Other Regulatory Agencies
  • Chapter 3: Improving the Revenue Cycle
  • Chapter 4: Performance Management
  • Chapter 5: Using the Medical Record as an Audit Tool
  • Chapter 6: Managing Release of Information
  • Chapter 7: Coding Management in an Evolving Environment
  • Chapter 8: Clinical Documentation Improvement
  • Chapter 9: Managing Transcription Staff and Process
  • Chapter 10: Training Staff and Drafting Policies on HIPAA Requirements
  • Chapter 11: Managing Electronic Health Records
  • Chapter 12: Managing Audits and Denials
  • Appendix

About the Authors:

Chris Simons, MS, RHIA, is a seasoned HIM director and privacy officer, having held that position in a variety of settings: hospitals, physician practices, psychiatric inpatient and outpatient facilities, and long-term care. She is currently the director of HIM and privacy officer for MaineGeneral Health in Augusta, Maine.

Simons is a cum laude graduate of Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania and received her post BA certification as an RHIA (then RRA) from Northeastern University in Boston. She also holds a master’s degree in Bioethics from Albany Medical College in New York. She has received certification in risk management from New England Healthcare Assembly, is designated as a microsystems coach, and has completed TeamSTEPPS training.

Simons’ special areas of interest are HIPAA, privacy, bioethics, patient rights, and quality/regulatory accreditation. She is a subject matter expert for Documentation and Reimbursement for Behavioral Health Services, published by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). Simons is an editorial advisory board member for HCPro’s HIM Briefings and regularly contributes a HIPAA Q&A column for the publication.

Rose T. Dunn, MBA, RHIA, CPA, CHPS, FACHE, is a past president of AHIMA and recipient of AHIMA’s 1997 Distinguished Member Award. She is chief operating officer of First Class Solutions, Inc., of St. Louis, a consulting firm focusing on HIM-related services, including coding support, coding audits, and operations improvement. Dunn also serves as an expert witness for release of information (ROI) lawsuits and advisor to organizations on ROI issues. Dunn is also an HIM Briefings editorial advisory board member.

Dunn is active in several professional associations, including the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), Healthcare Finance Management Association (HFMA), and AHIMA. She also holds fellowship status in ACHE, AHIMA, and HFMA and is certified in healthcare privacy and security.

Lynette Kramer, MA, RHIA, is a director at Prism Healthcare Partners, Ltd., in Chicago. She has more than 25 years of operations and consulting experience in HIM, performance improvement, and revenue cycle. Kramer contributes a regular column to HIM Briefings.

Laura Jacquin, RN, MBA, is a partner at Prism Healthcare Partners, Ltd., in Chicago. She is a seasoned healthcare executive with more than 25 years of healthcare management expertise in clinical operations and performance improvement. In addition to clinical practice, Jacquin has held senior leadership roles with several national and international consulting firms, providing consulting services involving hospital and continuum-based care coordination, care progression, and clinical optimization. Jacquin was responsible for the implementation of the CDI methodology at Wellspring Partners and for integrating the CDI initiative with all other service offerings, including revenue cycle, labor, non-labor, physician services, patient progression, and clinical services.