5 Tips for Success as a Remote HIM Professional

March 21, 2019

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Many roles within health information management (HM) can now be done remotely thanks to improvements in technology and the ability for healthcare organizations to effectively manage privacy and security in a virtual environment. As an HIM professional, there are a lot of reasons to love working remotely – no commute, control over your work environment, and even opportunities to advance your career by not having to work where you live. But remote work is not for everyone. There are some key traits that we have found remote workers must have. To be successful in a remote work environment, you need to be:

Disciplined
Self-motivated
Independent
Flexible
Focused
Strong Communicator
Organized
Technology Minded
Resourceful

As nice as it sounds to work in sweats after simply walking down the hall to get to your ‘office,’ working remotely can be challenging at times. We want to share some tips for working effectively – and happily – as a remote HIM professional.

Tip #1: Create a Productive Work Space

A welcoming, well-equipped home office is critical to your success. In addition to the basics – large desk, supportive chair, ample storage, high-speed internet, dual monitors, and the right lighting – create a personalized workspace that you want to go to every day. Pick a space filled with natural light, add pictures of family and friends, and make your office as calming as possible to maximize your productivity and minimize stress.

The only real way to keep remote work from taking over your personal life is to keep it in a separate room. Then when you are off you are off. If you do work all over the house, the lines become blurred and you mentally feel like you are always working.

Tip #2: Minimize Distractions to Maximize Productivity

Adopt the mindset that when you are in your home office, you are ‘on the clock’ and should be focused on working, just as you would be if you worked in a facility. Additionally, help your family and friends adopt that same mindset. It’s easy for them – and you – to think that since you are home, you can stop working whenever you want for a quick chat or to take care of some chores. And while sometimes the silence in a home office can be deafening, noise from music or a TV in the background can affect your concentration and comprehension, resulting in lower productivity.

Tip #3: Set a Schedule and Be Disciplined About Sticking to It

An easy way to avoid distractions is to set a schedule for your day, share it with your family and friends, and then stick to it. It’s important that you take breaks throughout the day. For example, it’s easy to work through lunch, which is not good for you physically or mentally. Develop a schedule that includes short breaks every couple of hours, plus a designated lunch break. Use that time to take a walk or fit in a workout. Read something non-work-related to give your mind a rest. Or use that time to visit with friends or do quick chores. Focusing on something else, even for a short period of time, will ultimately increase your productivity.

Tip #4: Stay Connected with Your Peers

When working remotely, it’s easy to feel like you are missing the benefits of co-workers who you can bounce ideas off. But that shouldn’t be the case. If you have a question or want to get another perspective, reach out to your team as if they were sitting right next to you. Many organizations who employ remote teams will give you access to a plethora of collaboration tools and channels such as instant messaging, online chat, and video conferencing. Use them to stay connected and informed.

Working remotely can be tough when facing technology challenges. Know how to submit a help ticket to your IT department and don’t forget about your internet service provider. Know where to call if you lose internet service.

Tip #5: Have Your Reference Resources Handy

Understanding the language of medicine is difficult and at times, downright cryptic. As an HIM professional, it’s critical that you know where to find answers when you encounter unfamiliar terms or concepts. Make sure you don’t waste valuable time looking for the resources by creating bookmarks in your Internet browser so you can quickly access online resources. If you use code books or hard copy references, make sure they are easily accessible – and it doesn’t hurt to highlight or bookmark the sections you use most often.

In addition to standard references, there are abundant resources available through webinars, articles, and online newsletters. For example, Ciox offers free Coding Round Table webinars. Take advantage of industry resources by signing up for a few mailing lists or following companies on social media. A great place to start is with your credentialing agency – AHIMA, AAPC or ACDIS.

Being successful as a remote HIM professional is easy if you set yourself up for success. Create an environment that allows you to focus on your work. Be disciplined about how you spend your time and avoid distractions. Stay connected to your peers and reach out for help. And finally, know where to turn for help, whether it’s IT support or a codebook. Doing all these things will allow you to meet productivity and quality standards and enjoy the benefits of working from home.

Spotlight on AnalyticsIQ: Privacy Leadership in State De-Identification

AnalyticsIQ, a marketing data and analytics company, recently adopted Datavant’s state de-identification process to enhance the privacy of its SDOH datasets. By undergoing this privacy analysis prior to linking its data with other datasets, AnalyticsIQ has taken an extra step that could contribute to a more efficient Expert Determination (which is required when its data is linked with others in Datavant’s ecosystem).

AnalyticsIQ’s decision to adopt state de-identification standards underscores the importance of privacy in the data ecosystem. By addressing privacy challenges head-on, AnalyticsIQ and similar partners are poised to lead clinical research forward, providing datasets that are not only compliant with privacy requirements, but also ready for seamless integration into larger datasets.

"Stakeholders across the industry are seeking swift, secure access to high-quality, privacy-compliant SDOH data to drive efficiencies and improve patient outcomes,” says Christine Lee, head of health strategy and partnerships at AnalyticsIQ.

“By collaborating with Datavant to proactively perform state de-identification and Expert Determination on our consumer dataset, we help minimize potentially time-consuming steps upfront and enable partners to leverage actionable insights when they need them most. This approach underscores our commitment to supporting healthcare innovation while upholding the highest standards of privacy and compliance."

Building Trust in Privacy-Preserving Data Ecosystems

As the regulatory landscape continues to evolve, Datavant’s state de-identification product offers an innovative tool for privacy officers and data custodians alike. By addressing both state-specific and HIPAA requirements, companies can stay ahead of regulatory demands and build trust across data partners and end-users. For life sciences organizations, this can lead to faster, more reliable access to the datasets they need to drive research and innovation while supporting high privacy standards.

As life sciences companies increasingly rely on SDOH data to drive insights, the need for privacy-preserving solutions grows. Data ecosystems like Datavant’s, which link real-world datasets while safeguarding privacy, are critical to driving innovation in healthcare. By integrating state de-identified SDOH data, life sciences can gain a more comprehensive view of patient populations, uncover social factors that impact health outcomes, and ultimately guide clinical research that improves health.

The Power of SDOH Data with Providers and Payers to Close Gaps in Care

Both payers and providers are increasingly utilizing SDOH data to enhance care delivery and improve health equity. By incorporating SDOH data into their strategies, both groups aim to deliver more personalized care, address disparities, and better understand the social factors affecting patient outcomes.

Payers Deploy Targeted Care Using SDOH Data

Payers increasingly leverage SDOH data to meet health equity requirements and enhance care delivery:

Tailored Member Programs: Payers develop specialized initiatives like nutrition delivery services and transportation to and from medical appointments.
Identifying Care Gaps: SDOH data helps payers identify gaps in care for underserved communities, enabling strategic in-home assessments and interventions.
Future Risk Adjustment Models: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) plans to incorporate SDOH-related Z codes into risk adjustment models, recognizing the significance of SDOH data in assessing healthcare needs.

Payers’ consideration of SDOH underscores their commitment to improving health equity, delivering targeted care, and addressing disparities for vulnerable populations.

Example: CDPHP supports physical and mental wellbeing with non-medical assistance

Capital District Physicians’ Health Plan (CDPHP) incorporated SDOH, partnering with Papa, to combat loneliness and isolation in older adults, families, and other vulnerable populations. CDPHP aimed to address:

Social isolation
Loneliness
Transportation barriers
Gaps in care

By integrating SDOH data, CDPHP enhanced their services to deliver comprehensive care for its Medicare Advantage members.

Providers Optimize Value-Based Care Using SDOH Data

Value-based care organizations face challenges in fully understanding their patient panels. SDOH data significantly assists providers to address these challenges and improve patient care. Here are some examples of how:

Onboard Patients Into Care Programs: Providers use SDOH data to identify patients who require additional support and connect them with appropriate resources.
Stratify Patients by Risk: SDOH data combined with clinical information identifies high-risk patients, enabling targeted interventions and resource allocation.
Manage Transition of Care: SDOH data informs post-discharge plans, considering social factors to support smoother transitions and reduce readmissions.

By leveraging SDOH data, providers gain a more comprehensive understanding of their patient population, leading to more targeted and personalized care interventions.

While accessing SDOH data offers significant advantages, challenges can arise from:

Lack of Interoperability and Uniformity: Data exists in fragmented sources like electronic health records (EHRs), public health databases, social service systems, and proprietary databases. Integrating and securing data while ensuring data integrity and confidentiality can be complex, resource-intensive and risky.
Lag in Payer Claims Data: Payers can take weeks or months to release claims data. This delays informed decision-making, care improvement, analysis, and performance evaluation.
Incomplete Data Sets in Health Information Exchanges (HIEs): Not all healthcare providers or organizations participate in HIEs. This reduces the available data pool. Moreover, varying data sharing policies result in data gaps or inconsistencies.

To overcome these challenges, providers must have robust data integration strategies, standardization efforts, and access to health data ecosystems to ensure comprehensive and timely access to SDOH data.

SDOH data holds immense potential in transforming healthcare and addressing health disparities.

With Datavant, healthcare organizations are securely accessing SDOH data, and further enhancing the efficiency of their datasets through state de-identification capabilities - empowering stakeholders across the industry to make data-driven decisions that drive care forward.