2021 Update:

AHIMA’s Enterprise Strategic Plan


Wylecia Wiggs Harris, PhD, CAE
AHIMA Chief Executive Officer
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The COVID-19 pandemic affected every aspect of healthcare. Today,
changes such as increased use of telehealth, personal health records,
and devices that monitor our well-being are here to stay. And there
is a greater understanding of the value of trusted, readily available
data for research and public health.
Those who work and thrive in the health information space are
accustomed to an atmosphere of accelerated change. To ensure
we keep pace, AHIMA is creating an environment of expansion,
adaptation, and opportunity.
We understand that information is the currency of the modern
healthcare industry. Those who understand how it flows will shape
the future of the industry.
Inspired by our mission, “Empowering people to impact health,” and
our vision, “A world where trusted information transforms health
and healthcare by connecting people, systems, and ideas,” AHIMA is
living its 2020-2023 strategic plan to empower health information
professionals as a movement of everyday leaders and change
makers. With the help of our members and industry partners, we
are realizing our vision of improving and saving lives through health
information.
In this report, we share our progress. From advocacy and policy
work at the national levels to embracing new digital platforms for
education and collaboration, AHIMA is moving into its bold future.
We are strengthening our community and leading in uncertain times.
Health information has long been called a “profession without walls.”
Our talent is to act as trusted intermediaries for health information
and to support trusted data no matter where or when it is needed.
We see the people behind the data, and because of that we keep
health information human.
We are excited by the opportunities we see ahead of us, and we look
forward to joining with you in driving change in healthcare.
Wylecia Wiggs Harris, PhD, CAE
AHIMA CEO
Making an Impact Since 1928
For more than 90 years, AHIMA has been a healthcare leader. We provide education and professional
development resources to health information professionals and students, while advocating on behalf of
patients and the entire healthcare ecosystem.
Much has changed during that time, but our passion and expertise have remained constant. In recent
years, we’ve focused on critical issues, including social determinants of health (SDOH); the privacy and
security of patient health information; and properly matching patients to their health records.
Our policy statements on these and other topics speak to our beliefs on these issues:

Social Determinants of Health

We believe capturing SDOH data—information about the economic and
social conditions that influence the health and quality of life of individuals
and populations—helps healthcare providers create meaningful health
journeys for individuals and even entire communities. That’s why we
released a policy statement that states, “AHIMA supports the use of
public policy to encourage the collection, access, sharing, and use of
SDOH to enrich clinical decision-making and improve health outcomes,
public health, and health inequities in ways that are culturally respectful.”
We will continue to advocate for the collection and use of SDOH data.

Privacy and Security

All patients deserve to know their health data is protected and secure.
Our advocacy team uses its platform to bring attention to policies that
impact the privacy and security of patient health information. AHIMA’s
policy statement on health information held by HIPAA non-covered
entities states, “AHIMA supports the use of policy to address existing
privacy, confidentiality, and security gaps in the protection of health
information held by HIPAA non-covered entities … Federal privacy and
security baseline standards should be developed for the protection of
health information held by data holders outside of the scope of HIPAA.”

Patient Identification
AHIMA is a founding member of Patient ID Now, a coalition of healthcare
organizations representing a wide range of stakeholders committed
to advancing a nationwide strategy to address patient identification
through legislation and regulations. Failure to accurately match patients
to their data raises patient safety and quality of care concerns, as it can
lead to clinicians making decisions based on incomplete or inaccurate
information. AHIMA’s policy statement says, “AHIMA supports the
accurate identification of patients to enhance patient safety, while
also improving interoperability and the appropriate use of workforce
resources.”

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 AHIMA: The Leading Voice of Health Information
Our Mission
In 2019, the AHIMA Board of Directors, with input from other stakeholders,
developed this mission statement:

Empowering People to Impact Health

The data that comes with every healthcare experience–every
conversation, knee tap, and blood draw–generates essential information
that can significantly impact our personal and collective well-being.
The responsible collection, protection, and analysis of health information
allows practitioners to provide effective care, innovative economic
engines to run, researchers to make life-saving discoveries, and
individuals to maintain good health.

Our Vision
AHIMA’s vision statement highlights the critical role health information
will play in the future of healthcare.
A world where trusted information transforms health and healthcare
by connecting people, systems, and ideas.
Healthcare information has grown beyond its traditional and established
silos and it’s now everywhere. We wear it on our wrists, collect it on our
phones, and engage with it in our homes and workplaces. Advancements
in the healthcare space continue to surpass our expectations because
they are driven by a properly managed foundation of health information.
Using our deep understanding of health information, we lean into the
future and forecast where healthcare will move next.

Our Transformation Values

AHIMA’s members, Board of Directors, and staff seek to live the
organization’s transformation values each day.
Outcome focused, Agility, Quality, Audience Driven
As leaders at the intersection of healthcare, technology, and business, we
possess a uniquely comprehensive view of a resource that is critical to
meaningful health innovation. The accuracy, protection, and accessibility
of health information remains our priority as the definition of healthcare
continues to evolve.
 

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Proud Past, Exciting Future
Like nearly every organization and company, AHIMA was tested by the COVID-19 pandemic. Thankfully,
we came together as a profession and association, and health information professionals played a critical
role during an unprecedented and challenging time.
As the leading voice of health information, we play a key part in solving problems throughout the
healthcare ecosystem that ultimately benefit the most important objective of all: patient care.
• For our members, we’re making it easier than ever to connect with peers and resources that can
make a difference in their career. In early 2021, we launched our new social media platform, Access,
and it already has more users than our previous member communications platform.
• Through the AHIMA dHealth™ program, we’re helping providers determine which digital health
products (like apps) keep patient data private and secure. The 21st Century Cures Act Final Rule
made this program more critical than ever.
• We continue to advocate for patients in myriad ways, including the work we do as a founding
member of the Patient ID Now coalition.
• And we reach healthcare professionals around the world. In March 2021, we announced that we
had been accepted to join the G20 Health and Development Partnership, an influential advocacy
group that seeks to elevate health on the political agendas of governments within the G20.

“Volunteering for AHIMA has provided

me a sense of value in not simply
participating in a community, but
helping the organization’s evolution. I
appreciate AHIMA’s authentic interest
in my input, as well as the input of other
members.”
Susan Clark, BS, RHIT, CHTS-IM, CHTS-PW,
Chair of the AHIMA Advocacy and Policy Council

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Our Strategic Plan
AHIMA is presently executing a four-year strategic plan focused on three outcomes. The plan
was developed before the COVID-19 pandemic, and it presciently noted adaptation and flexibility
would be key qualities for the future of the association. AHIMA’s Board of Directors and executive
leadership have found the strategic plan an important resource as they work to enable agile and
market-driven decision making.

Outcome 1: Advance and advocate for the

1 creation and use of trusted information across
the evolving health continuum.
Outcome 1 positions AHIMA to be a thought leader, legislative and regulatory
authority, and industry convener around cutting-edge topics across the health
information lifecycle, both domestically and internationally. We aim to make an
impact by advancing the way accurate, quality information is created, stored,
protected, accessed, and used to improve care at all touchpoints across the health
continuum.
AHIMA has been a thought leader on many topics in recent years, including
information blocking. In the lead-up to the implementation of the information
blocking final rule, we published dozens of resources to help health information
professionals prepare for a regulation that affects virtually every healthcare
stakeholder.
As previously mentioned, we’ve also led the way to develop AHIMA dHealthTM and
advocated on Capitol Hill for regulations that would improve patient identification
and allow providers to deliver improved care.

“Health information professionals are as

critical as ever, and this strategic plan
helps AHIMA chart our exciting and
important future. We look forward to
continuing to bring this vision to life.”
Katherine Lusk, MHSM, RHIA, FAHIMA,
AHIMA 2021 President/Chair

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 Outcome 2: Equip professionals and students to
2 meet current and future industry health needs.
Outcome 2 responds to the market-driven shifts impacting the profession. AHIMA
is in a strong position as a provider of education materials, and we are focused on
doing all we can to help health information professionals, students, and educators
thrive and make a difference in an evolving ecosystem.
This outcome is AHIMA’s path to becoming the go-to resource, trusted advisor,
and preferred partner for professionals and organizations across the healthcare
industry. We are producing resources related to topics like telehealth, artificial
intelligence, and more as our professionals prepare for an exciting future.

“Education remains at the heart of

AHIMA’s vision, and I am proud of how
we’ve aligned our education program
with the advanced skillsets needed to
help health information professionals
make an impact today and in the years
to come.”
Tim J. Keough, MPA, RHIA, FAHIMA,
AHIMA 2022 President/Chair

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 Outcome 3: Drive strategic transformation and
3 renewed growth as a great partner and place
to work.
Outcome 3 sets the foundation for Outcomes 1 and 2. To make an impact in the
healthcare ecosystem, we must support our staff, partners, and other stakeholders.
Under the leadership of CEO Wylecia Wiggs Harris, PhD, CAE, AHIMA has
revitalized its team and brought in talented leaders and team members, including
Keith Olenik, MA, RHIA, CHP, AHIMA’s chief member relations and service officer.
Olenik is a former member of the AHIMA Board of Directors. Harris, Olenik, and
Amy Mosser, MBA, a longtime healthcare executive and AHIMA’s chief operating
officer since 2018, comprise the Association’s executive leadership team.
AHIMA has also collaborated with several companies and organizations, including
3M, Artifact Health, Wolters Kluwer, Moxe, and others.

“As patient-centric interoperability gains

momentum, it’s been great to work with
AHIMA to engage with health information
management professionals on this
important topic. We value AHIMA’s focus
on helping prepare their members—many
of whom we work with—for success. I look
forward to our ongoing collaboration as
we advance interoperability and secure
data exchange.”
Dan Wilson, Founder and CEO, Moxe

8 2020–2023 Enterprise Strategic Plan • ahima.org

 

10 Key Highlights from 2020

For AHIMA and so many other organizations, 2020 was a year of perseverance. At the beginning of the
year, we were excited to execute this strategic plan, not knowing all the challenges ahead. Thankfully,
our leadership, staff, and members came together to ensure AHIMA continued to make an impact in
the healthcare ecosystem. Here are 10 key highlights from 2020.
1. Our President-Elect Katherine Lusk, MHSM, RHIA, FAHIMA, participated in a briefing on patient
identification hosted by the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs. She highlighted
how health information professionals work to ensure the accuracy of health information and how
a patient matching strategy could improve the integrity of health information.
2. We created AHIMA.org/COVID19 as a one-stop-shop for the latest information during the
pandemic.
3. We developed two new COVID-19 CDI query templates to help CDI professionals ensure the
integrity and quality of a patient’s health record. Quest Diagnostics later announced they will
use the templates.
4. The HI Pitch podcast posted 11 pandemic-focused episodes in its COVID-19 series. The series
featured some of the podcast’s most listened-to episodes since its launch.
5. Ginna Evans, MBA, RHIA, CPC, CRC, FAHIMA, AHIMA’s president/chair, and AHIMA CEO
Wylecia Wiggs Harris, PhD, CAE, published a statement on racism and public health following
the death of George Floyd. “Once the initial shock has passed, as a country and world we need
a long-term strategy to address, with empathy and compassion, the social inequities that exist—
once and for all,” they wrote. “We recognize the historical inequities that perpetuate systems of
inequality, including their impact on health and healthcare.”
6. We teamed up with several healthcare organizations to form the Patient ID Now coalition. The
group is committed to advancing a nationwide strategy that addresses patient identification
through legislation and regulations.
7. The Journal of AHIMA continued its digital transformation, becoming a fully digital publication.
We also launched a redesigned AHIMA.org website, giving members a simplified, more user-
friendly online experience.
8. We released a patient matching white paper, A Realistic Approach to Achieving a 1% Duplicate
Record Error Rate.
9. We hosted AHIMA20, our first-ever virtual annual conference. The conference was later named
Virtual Event of the Year at the HITMC Awards.
10. AHIMA asked health information professionals to sign a Naming Policy Pledge and commit to
advocating for the importance of naming policies in healthcare organizations. More than 1,400
people signed the pledge.

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 AHIMA: The Leading
Voice of Health Information

2021 and Beyond

As we move into a post-pandemic landscape, we will continue
to do all we can to build and strengthen the health information
profession. There are many exciting developments at AHIMA as we
lean into our mission, vision, and transformation values.
• We joined the G20 Health and Development Partnership, an
influential advocacy group that seeks to elevate health on the
political agendas of governments within the G20.
• We introduced Access, a social media platform where
health information professionals can connect with peers and
important content.
• We announced AHIMA dHealthTM, a new platform and tool to
help healthcare providers and payers easily determine which
digital health products secure and protect patient data.
• Patient ID Now released a national framework that aims to
help the federal government to closely collaborate with the
private sector and with state, local, tribal, and territorial
public health authorities to create and implement a national
strategy around patient identification that protects patient
safety and privacy.
• We launched our Brand Builder toolkit, which features tools
that will help health information professionals develop and
improve their professional brands.
• AHIMA is working with the Office of the National Coordinator
for Health Information Technology to create a companion
guide for US Project@.

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Join Us!
We’re excited for the future of AHIMA and health information, and
we hope you will join us on this journey. No matter where you fit in
the healthcare ecosystem, we want to connect with you.

Health information professionals

In these changing times, careers in health information offer a path
forward. AHIMA-certified professionals are leading healthcare
organizations through meaningful innovation. In an industry that
values education and experience, AHIMA credentials are proof of a
robust education and an ongoing commitment to staying relevant
in a complex and evolving space. Learn more about becoming an
AHIMA-certified professional and becoming an AHIMA member.

Students
College students interested in becoming a health information
professional can join AHIMA. A student membership is a great way
to discover important resources, connect with others, and advance
your career. Learn more about student membership.

Collaborators
We enjoy working with companies to design a sponsorship
program that tells their story to an audience of health information
professionals. If you want to lean into the future and meet us
at the crossroads of healthcare, technology, and business, visit
AHIMA.org to learn more about advertising, exhibiting, and
sponsorship opportunities.

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Empowering People to Impact Health
© 2021 American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). All rights reserved.

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