Our February HIMAA Board meeting kicked off the 2023 calendar year and work programme with great energy and enthusiasm, as always.
We have a diverse and wonderful team on the Board this year. Meet the Board Governance (himaa.org.au) on our Members website. First and foremost for our attention: our progress with the Strategic Plan for the upcoming twelve months. Education, the cornerstone to all professions, is a key consideration for the Board, be it the tertiary availability of suitable courses and access to these, our own HIMAA Education Services’ programs e.g. HLT50321 Diploma of Clinical Coding, or ongoing webinars and micro-credentialling considerations. We are reviewing all offerings to ensure we cover the entire membership community in continuous professional development. In addition, we are reviewing and will be consulting on our course accreditation process. Our students are our legacy. We need to prepare them with the appropriate skills and knowledge for the next generation of Health Information Management in the existing digital/electronic environment.
One of the many ways in which our profession can contribute to the wider health community is to ensure we are at the table for key topics. The Board has identified one such topic, namely the feedback being sought around Health Identifiers where we hope to help shape, with your contribution, this federal conversation. A number of other topics have come to our attention, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), and where this fits with our profession now and in the future? The Aged Care and Mental Health record management sectors, NDIS, and planning for pandemics, all of which have digital platforms and spaces where our skills can be readily used, are opportunities awaiting us. We want to be able to represent the profession in as many of these spaces as possible at the policy and strategy levels. We are curious to have your thoughts on forums where we can present and offer the skills and professionalism where our members excel. Write to me and the Board to let us know of such opportunities. Join our forums and committees to contribute to these discussions.
The 20th IFHIMA Congress and 40th HIMAA National Conference Committee is working hard to create a programme of both depth and diversity. Registrations have opened to allow you and your teams time to plan and budget for attendance. This event in Brisbane will be of interest especially to local members and our many international colleagues who share our professional passions. In addition to our current planning, we are reviewing the HIMAA policy on conferences for 2024 and beyond with a view to content of interest and inspiration.
Our CEO Jae and I are planning to visit as many branch events as we can this year. We would like to engage with your local health jurisdiction on matters of workforce, qualifications and skills. Drop me an email or plan a meeting with us to discuss any of these topics with your state/territory health departments.
Catherine Garvey
President
catherineg@himaa.org.au