OVERVIEW
What is a HIM Compliance Officer?
A HIM compliance officer is a highly detail-oriented healthcare professional who combines healthcare industry knowledge, technology experience, and compliance expertise to ensure that their organization is following all laws that govern healthcare information.
A HIM compliance officer’s number one priority is the observance and correct execution of laws and accreditation standards by every department or unit. This includes JCAHO and HIPAA compliance.
HIM compliance officers are educators in the sense that they are responsible for teaching their respective workplaces the ins and outs of healthcare legal requirements and setting up procedures that keep their organization within legal parameters.
RESPONSIBILITIES
What Does a HIM Compliance Officer Do?
A HIM compliance officer is the connecting link between a healthcare organization and the government regulations they're required to meet. They ensure patient information is safeguarded to the letter of the law, and carry an immense responsibility for the legal functioning of an organization.
Typical responsibilities include:
- Creating and implementing a corporate compliance program
- Reviewing and relaying all required regulatory documents
- Securely overseeing consent procedures and form signing
- Developing policies, procedures, and processes that comply with federal and state regulations
- Providing departmental guidance to healthcare units regarding their specific compliance requirements
EDUCATION & BEST DEGREES
How Do I Become a HIM Compliance Officer?
A bachelor’s degree in health information management, or a related field, and some level of accreditation is required in order to become a HIM compliance officer. A bachelor’s degree in this field is critical in giving you needed experience and training in healthcare software systems, regulations and laws, business practices, and more.
Typical work experience requirements include a minimum of 5 years of healthcare industry experience, ideally with some sort of leadership role. There is also an expectation that candidates have a demonstrated understanding of healthcare compliance program operations, fraud and abuse laws and regulations, and federal regulatory compliance requirements, such as Medicare and Medicaid.
Do I Need a Certification for this Position?
AHIMA, the American Health Information Management Association, is the leading voice of health information and data. They note that in addition to a bachelor's and/or master's degree in healthcare, HIM compliance officers are likely to need a certification in healthcare compliance designation. Some of those include:
Best Degrees for a HIM Compliance Officer
Health & Nursing
Health Information Management – B.S.
A program designed for future leaders in HIM....
A program designed for future leaders in HIM.
- Time: 61% of grads earned this degree in 36 months or less.
- Tuition: $4,085 per 6-month term.
- Courses: 36 total courses in this program.
Skills for your résumé that you will learn in this program:
- Medical Terminology
- Healthcare System Applications
- Health Information Law and Regulations
- Healthcare Project Management
- Data Analytics and Information Governance
This CAHIIM-accredited program makes you eligible for the RHIA exam.
The best degree for a HIM compliance officer is a bachelor of science in health information management. In fact, 92% of students who enroll in our program pass with their full accreditations and are ready to enter the healthcare workforce immediately, with the majority finishing their program in just 36 months.
How Much Does a HIM Compliance Officer Make?
$98,949
In 2023, the average annual salary for a HIM compliance officer was $98,949, according to ZipRecruiter. The field is very active, and top earners average closer to $172,500 annually. It can be an extremely lucrative and rewarding profession with great opportunity for advancement.
What Is the Projected Job Growth?
28%
According to the BLS, medical and healthcare service managers are projected to grow 28% from 2022 to 2032. As the healthcare system continues to lean on new and upcoming technological advances, there is a particular demand for managers with knowledge of healthcare information technology and tech-informed backgrounds.
SKILLS
What Skills Does a HIM Compliance Officer Need?
A health information management compliance officer needs a rounded-out set of technical, compliance, medical, and communication skills to be successful in their field. Some of those skills include:
- High-level knowledge of healthcare ethics, morals, and compliance
- Excellent listener with a high level of attention to detail
- Confidentiality and trustworthiness
- Mentoring, teaching, and training capabilities
- Technology proficiency with a willingness to learn new systems
- Willingness to learn new software as the industry continues to change
- Familiarity with healthcare administration, coding, billing, etc.
- Confident in decision-making
- Interpersonal skills with an interest in conversing with different people from unique backgrounds
- An ability to set and maintain an expectation of compliance in the workplace
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