Australian health info managers want more investments in analytics, auditing software: survey
23 Aug 2022
Health information managers in Australia want their hospitals to invest more in analytics and auditing software, reflecting their desire for high coding quality and professional evolution that is inclined to analysis.
This is according to a recently published
survey report
by Code Focus, the coding and clinical auditing arm of IT consultancy firm Data Agility.
Its survey gathered responses from 87 HIMs to gain their insights about health information systems (HIS) departments and hospital data quality.
FINDINGS
The survey found that about a third of all respondents want their hospitals to invest more in analytics and/or auditing software. According to Code Focus, senior management will see better business outcomes by providing HIMs with tools for analysing data and coding quality.
The report has also identified the top three causes of poor coding quality in HIS departments: incomplete clinical documentation; variations in coding standards interpretations; and pressure caused by quota to HIMs and clinical coders.
Code Focus pointed out a large difference in opinion about the adequacy of staff in the HIS department. Only 45% of managers claim they are adequately staffed, compared to 71% of directors who believe the same.
Another point of disparity in views among staff and leadership is on training and education with 88% of directors believing that their HIMs are getting enough training compared to 53% of managers. This means a considerable portion of respondent managers (47%) are not satisfied with their training, which points to a "strong desire for further education from managers but isn’t reciprocated by directors," the report claimed.
While most HIS directors believe their HIMs receive enough training, none of them believes they attend six or more webinars each year, indicating their lack of awareness of the amount of training and education required for continued professional development, the report stressed.
Furthermore, when asked about what they think will be their biggest challenge by the end of 2023, HIS directors said it is the use of cloud computing while managers and officers believe it's the increasing volume of data.
Meanwhile, the report also found a link between the two major reasons for satisfaction and dissatisfaction with their HIS – investment in HIT and training. For example, the pressure to meet quotas is a big cause of dissatisfaction for HIMs in large hospitals while it is not the case for those in small and medium-sized hospitals.
To drive better business outcomes and have a more satisfied HIS workforce, Code Focus suggests three things:
Provide continuing education and training programmes for HIMs;
Invest in health information technologies; and
Maintain clear communication across the organisation.
"There’s a disconnect between directors and HIS department managers on how much work goes into high-quality coding. The medical record has evolved, and so too has the role of the HIM. HIMs are no longer clerical support to hospitals. Instead, they work with software, policies, and processes to ensure high-quality coding which leads to better business outcomes," Code Focus noted.
THE LARGER TREND
In recent years, public health systems across Australia have been taking steps to upgrade their respective HIS, particularly their EMR platforms. Just last week, the
Northern Territory government
commenced the rollout of its Acacia patient health record system with a go-live at the Katherine Hospital. Earlier this month, the
ACT government
infused $35 million more for the full implementation of its state-wide digital health record system this year.
In other related news, information managers were found to be among the top earners in the Australian health industry, based on the latest insights provided by the jobs marketplace portal
SEEK
. Among roles, theirs is the second-highest average salary, which went up 20% year on year to A$113,880 (about $78,000).
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