Breakthrough to excellence in the 21st century health information management practices: bridging the existing gaps

Abstract

Health information management practices involve the area of general administrative management that is concerned with achieving economy and efficiency in the creation, maintenance, use, evaluation and disposition of patients’ health records, during their entire life cycle. It is the application of the systematic and scientific control over recorded information that is required in the operations of healthcare organization’s business. Such control is exercised over the creation, distribution, utilization, retention, storage, retrieval, protection, preservation and final disposal of all types of patients’ health records/information within an organization. The healthcare provider makes an entry into the medical records with the actual occurrence of the event. The ability to maintain accurate and timely record is critical for the delivery of quality patient care which is the core of health records/information management practices1.