CHICAGO – January 5, 2021 – The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) recently sent a letter to President-elect Biden and his transition team calling for the incoming administration to consider the implications of health information as they begin to implement new health policies in 2021. AHIMA also sent a letter outlining these priorities to Congressional leadership of the 117^th Congress.

In the letters, AHIMA outlined a number of top priorities to health information professionals, including the need for a national strategy around patient identification; ensuring the US has a robust and well-funded public health system; strengthening individuals’ access to their health information; establishing strong standards around the collection of social determinants of health (SDOH) data; integrating clinical and administrative data; and bolstering the security of patient data in the healthcare system.

“Health information professionals are a key part of the healthcare ecosystem, and the importance of health information has never been more apparent than during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said AHIMA CEO Wylecia Wiggs Harris, PhD, CAE. “As the new administration and Congress sets its priorities for the first 100 days and beyond, it is imperative that it prioritizes healthcare, public health, and how these intersect with health information.”

Lauren Riplinger, AHIMA’s vice president of advocacy, public policy and government affairs, said the letters are a helpful way to highlight the importance of health information and the impact of health information professionals.

“As President-elect Biden takes office and the 117th Congress begins, AHIMA believes it’s important to share our perspective on pressing health issues facing our nation today,” Riplinger said. “We also want to highlight the critical role health information and health information professionals can play in seeking to address these vital issues.”

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About AHIMA
AHIMA is a global nonprofit association of health information (HI) professionals. AHIMA represents professionals who work with health data for more than one billion patient visits each year. AHIMA’s mission of empowering people to impact health drives our members and credentialed HI professionals to ensure that health information is accurate, complete, and available to patients and providers. Our leaders work at the intersection of healthcare, technology, and business, and are found in data integrity and information privacy job functions worldwide.