THE SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT AND HEALTH INFORMATICS: OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH AND COLLABORATION

Health information management (HIM) and health informatics (HI) are two similar but distinct disciplines. They share a common goal in terms of using information technologies and information power to improve the quality and efficiency of patient care; contribute to disease prevention and treatment; and improve overall population health. HIM professionals are primarily focused on managing health information, and HI professionals are primarily focused on the technologies and systems that make health information management possible. The right combination of the breadth of knowledge HIM professionals possess and the depth of knowledge HI professionals bring into the various areas constituting the scopes of the two disciplines can strengthen an organization's potential and growth in a complex, fast-changing healthcare environment.