Calling All Data Mongers—Consider a Career as a Health Data Analyst

By Lesley Kadlec, MA, RHIA, CHDA

If you are reading this blog post, you have probably already figured out that data analytics is complex. Understanding data analytics is like the proverbial peeling back of the onion skin, the more layers you take off, the more layers you find underneath.

In today’s healthcare environment where healthcare professionals are becoming more knowledgeable about managing digital processes through the application of health information technology, it has become essential for healthcare organizations to derive value from the wealth of clinical and operational data that is being collected, stored, and disseminated through the process of care delivery.

Health data analytics professionals connect distinct pieces of data and transform them into something understandable. They convert the data into information through developing reports and dashboards which healthcare organizations can then use to drive business decisions and optimize efficiency. Health data analysts who earn the AHIMA Certified Health Data Analyst (CHDA) designation achieve recognition of their expertise in health data analysis and demonstrate their mastery of this domain.

Healthcare executives are beginning to recognize that they require business intelligence for their day-to-day decisions. Examining how data interrelates enhances their ability to tie data to organizational performance and drive strategy. By applying the skills of data collection, reporting, and dissemination, health data analysts can ultimately optimize the delivery of care for the healthcare organization and lead the path to business intelligence.

Analytics will likely be a coveted “job of the future” in healthcare and will create a wealth of new opportunities for trained data analyst professionals who can apply their skills to the healthcare ecosystem.

So whether you are a data monger, a database diva, or a report writing aficionado, the future has never been brighter for health data analysts. The drive to deriving information from data will create unlimited potential for health data analysts, so now is the time to take your analysis skills to the next level by obtaining a CHDA certification.

Lesley Kadlec, MA, RHIA, CHDA, currently serves as a director of HIM practice excellence at AHIMA. In her role, Kadlec provides professional expertise on EHRs, transcription, and multiple facets of HIM operations in the hospital setting as well as large and small physician practices. She focuses on HIM standards, information governance, informatics, data analytics, and industry best practice. She advocates on current and emerging issues that impact various facets of HIM.