Factors influencing students to enroll in health information management programs.

This nonexperimental quantitative descriptive-correlative research study was performed to describe the sources with the greatest influence on the participants' decision to enroll in a postsecondary educational program with the intent of working toward a career in health information management. Participants were asked, "Which sources have the greatest influence on an individual's decision to enroll in a postsecondary educational program with the intent of working toward a career in health information management (HIM)?" The study population was composed of matriculated students enrolled in accredited postsecondary schools offering an undergraduate medical billing and coding program at a brick-and-mortar campus in a two-county area of a South Atlantic state. The study found that an environmental source, specifically career job opportunities, was statistically significant as the greatest source of influence for these participants. This research aims to support efforts to provide the health information management subsector of the healthcare industry with a sufficient number of trained professionals to fill the identified need for trained HIM professionals, particularly medical coding specialists.

EHR triggers: a force for improved care--and revenue.

Certain process-of-care measures advocated by CMS on its Hospital Compare web site can provide a basis for identifying patients who should be screened for certain medical conditions for which they are at high risk. Automatic triggers built into an EHR can help physicians identify such patients and establish medical necessity for services that both improve patient care and increase revenue for the organization. Such screenings also can help determine at the time of admission whether a patient has a major medical complication or comorbidity, which--if undetected--could have serious payment implications.