CAREER SPOTLIGHT: Health Information Services
The Health Information Services (HIS) team includes Health Information Management Professionals, Medical Transcriptionists and Clerical staff who work in health centres throughout Prairie Mountain Health. This team is about managing healthcare data; collecting, storing, managing and transmitting a patient’s electronic medical records (EMR) in a professional, caring, and confidential manner.
Clerical Staff (Clerk III)
Clerk IIIs work in various areas within the HIS program, such as patient registration, switchboard and the records processing unit. The Clerk III Health Information staff are responsible for accurate and timely registration and processing of the admission/discharge/transfer (ADT) system while following the Provincial and Regional Registration Guidelines and practices. In addition, they process records, including secure storage, maintain the confidentiality of health information, and ensure all records are complete and accurate. This position also supports communication within and outside the facility. The switchboard is the communication hub of the facilities. In this area, they receive patient inquiries, page/communicate with health care providers, and operate the call centre for all Emergency codes within the facilities.
Education Requirements: Clerical staff in HIS are required to have a certificate in Medical Terminology. The Canadian Red Cross and Red River College offer Medical Terminology certificate programs.
Medical Transcriptionists
Medical Transcription changes voice-recorded reports into written texts that become a part of the permanent health record. Physicians and other health care providers dictate information gathered during patient encounters, and medical transcriptionists listen to the recording and transcribe it. These medical reports include clinical findings and therapeutic procedures in the health record and transmission to physicians and other healthcare facilities.
Education Requirements: All Medical Transcriptionists graduate from a recognized Medical Transcription Program. Check out Canscribe Career College or the Academy of Learning College offers the Medical Transcription certificate program as well as Medical Office Assistant (both needed if attending Academy of Learning College).
Health Information Management Professionals (HIMP)
Health Information Management Professionals provide services in all aspects of health records management. This includes data collection, disclosure, retention and the proper disposal of health information. The HIMP codes and summarizes all inpatient and same-day care health records accurately and efficiently. This is done by following the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) Standards and utilizing the appropriate Coding Classification System. This health data is transformed into information that can be analyzed and used to help in healthcare delivery, patient safety, and decision-making.
Education Requirements: All Health Information Management Professionals are graduates of a Health Information Management Professional Program and can be certified with the Canadian Health Information Management Association (CHIMA). The Canadian HealthCare Association (CHA Learning – online) or Red River College offers the Health Information Management Professional certificate program.
All of the functions within HIS are tied together with our Administrative Assistants and our Management team. The Health Information Services portfolio offers plenty of room for growth and career advancement and is currently recruiting for positions within our team!
Visit our Prairie Mountain Health careers page at https://www.pmh-mb.ca/careers.