Critique of the AHIMA Code of Ethics

One of the most important gifts that God gave us is our life. Without it, we are nothing. And to show our appreciation for this gift, we should take good care of our life by staying healthy. Nowadays, healthcare is very expensive: from medicine to health information management. The professionals that are involve in health information management takes charge of the administration and progress of medical information systems of the patient to guarantee the safety, security and privacy of the information.

Much medical information contains several accounts that must be protected for the good of the individual concern and for the immediate family.

The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) is the premier association in the US which includes Health Information Management (HIM) professional from all parts of the country. These HIM professionals have proficiency in healthcare information technology which includes accreditation from the Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA). The responsibilities of the AHIMA members are not only providing service, protecting medical and social information, and assuring the privacy and confidentiality of these information but also to improve the quality of service in healthcare.

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To maintain the best service for the benefit of the patient, AHIMA provide its own code of ethics. This code of ethics will provide each HIM professional of the proper conduct each and every one of them should possess. AHIMA believes that this code of ethics is important for it will make this HIM practitioners the professional they should be. Professional in terms of having the values a good HIM professional should be.

This code is necessary for it provides the guidelines for the conduct that should be shown towards a conflict or situation.

It is the sole obligation of the HIM professionals to show actions that will mirror values and ethical principles. This Code of Ethics has 6 principles. Among those principles “is to determine the proper values that this task is based” and “gives HIM professional the option to weigh the circumstances under which they are involved” (AHIMA Code of Ethics). These principles will help them think of having the right decision that is needed. However, this code does not provide any specific event or situation wherein HIM professionals will have to follow.

They are still the one who will decide of the decision they will make. The code implementation lies to the one who reviews the task done by a HIM professional. If a HIM professional is being regarded as a violator of the code, it does not mean that he/she will have a legal responsibility. This still undergoes in a peer review process that will make it fair for both of the professional and the other party that regarded him/her of the violation. The AHIMA Code of Ethics does not have the solution to all the problems that will arise nor will assure the ethical and principal behavior.

Rather, it will set onward values that show the ethical meaning of the profession. On the other hand, the professional responsibilities do many heroic or sacrificial things to each professional. They act beyond the limits to make sure that they do their whole responsibility. Sometimes, individuals act through values of loyalty and service to others. They make themselves proud of the profession they have because of what they done to other’s lives. And this is to provide the people the need of protection of their medical and social information.

I know that this code of ethics will give me the chance to become one of the finest and trusted HIM professional in the future. This will help my character grow for better by providing the idea of having the right decision in certain disputes and problems. So, how this code of ethics would make me realize that this is for real? That this will help me once I became a HIM professional? It is up to us, future HIM professional, to be guided of these principles. And it is up to us to give our own heart and passion for service and protection of people’s lives. References

American Health Information Management Association. (2006). American Health Information Management Association Code of Ethics. Retrieved November 10,2007, from http://library. ahima. org/xpedio/groups/public/documents/ahima/bok1_024277. hcsp? dDocName=bok1_024277 College of Health Professions, Temple University. (2007). Health Information Management. Retrieved November 10, 2007, from http://www. temple. edu/chp/departments/him/ National Association of Social Workers. (2001). Code of Ethics. Retrieved November 10, 2007, from http://www. naswdc. org/pubs/code/default. asp