The Health Information Management team is a group of five who consider themselves a family within a family here at PMC. Made up by Kim Randrup, Tammy Strickland, Belinda Chase, Janet Kvernvik, and Abi Johnson, the HIM team wear multiple hats and handle large amounts of data every day in their work.

When asked what HIM entailed and what exactly is coding, the group had thorough answers, which is to be expected as they have a combined 69 years of experience in the field! In Health Information Management, they are responsible for getting information where it needs to go, whether it’s to doctors, to the public, insurance companies, different registries or to patients themselves.

They also handle medical records release which involves releasing information to patients, referring physicians, or even insurance companies. HIM might also release records for auditing purposes or legal cases. They are the gate-keepers of medical record information and they keep everything protected and ensure it is only going to the correct people and places.

The work is very detail-oriented, especially when it comes to coding, which makes up one part of HIM. Coding takes the language used in the hospital and clinic and transposes it to numbers for the billing side of things. The HIM team ensures that documentation and coding is accurate and that all records look good before going on to billing.

Since COVID, one of the big transitions for HIM has been that the team all went to a work-from-home department. In order to protect patient information at home, the team uses PMC computers that are password and fire-wall protected. Improvements in technology means everything is electronic now, so there is no need for printing any paperwork at home or keeping paper files in the office. They also communicate with account numbers, rather than names, so there is no readily identifiable information in their communication.

Another change, which also allows for more security, has been a new EMR, electronic medical record, which allows them to easily access needed information through the system. They also have a lot more codes which allows their coding language to be more specific, granting greater accuracy for billing. PMC transitioned to using the updated International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) codes for classifying diagnosis, symptoms, and procedures into a standardized language for medical care providers in the United States. This was a big change since it meant there were now about 70,000 procedure codes and 70,000 diagnosis codes, which is 19 times as many procedures codes and 5 times as many diagnosis codes compared to the earlier ICD-9 codes.

The biggest change to HIM may be Janet Kvernvik is retiring after 33 years, all of which she spent with HIM at PMC. She is ready for gardening, fishing, and finding out what her next adventure will be! Taking over for Janet is Kim Randrup who brings clinic expertise as well as a new HRIT certification (Registered Health Information Technician). The transition has been ongoing for a few months as there is a lot to learn, but Kim is up to the task!

▲ Health Information Management team members are the keepers of patient information and ensure billing codes are accurate prior to going to insurance companies From left to right: Kim Randrup, Janet Kvernvik, Belinda Chase and Tammy Strickland.

▲Janet Kvernvik, Tammy Strickland, Belinda Chase, and Abi Johnson in 2018 in the previous record archive room.