AHIMA receives award funding development of educational programs

The Commerce Department has granted $300,000 in funding to the American Health Information Management Association to develop educational programs, strengthen standards and promote the profession.

AHIMA is one of seven recipients of the 2013 Market Development Cooperator Program awards, selected by the International Trade Administration and given to not-for-profit industry groups that increase market demand for U.S. goods and services. AHIMA, which will match the award with a $600,000 investment, will use the funds to develop online educational content for health information management and technology, promote curriculum standards for health information education, and recruit international students to American universities for the health information management profession. According to the Commerce Department, the investments are expected to generate about $15 million in exports by U.S. companies over the next three years by increasing the competitiveness of the country's health information management industry.

“Our goal is to position the United States as the global leader in health information management and technology curriculum and education,” AHIMA CEO Lynne Thomas Gordon said in a news release. “The industry is expanding rapidly throughout the world, and having properly trained professionals is crucial to maintaining the integrity of health information, which will be increasingly transported and shared through advances in health technology.”

In June, the Department of Labor certified AHIMA's National Guidelines for Apprenticeship Standards, helping prepare the industry to meet the growing demand for health information management and technology professionals. AHIMA, now in its 85th year, represents more than 67,000 health information management professionals throughout the world with advocacy for research, best practices and effective standards.

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