AMIA AND AHIMA ANNOUNCE SUPPORT FOR 10,000 TRAINED BY 2010 ACT (H.R. 1467)
Key Legislation will provide federal funding for health information/informatics academic and training programs

CHICAGO, March 16—The American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) and the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) announced joint support yesterday for legislation that calls for a trained work force capable of innovating, implementing, and using health communications and information technology (IT). Introduced by Congressman David Wu (D-OR), HR 1467 or the ‘‘10,000 Trained by 2010 Act,’’ would authorize the National Science Foundation to award grants to institutions of higher education that would develop and offer educational and training programs for healthcare workers and professionals in applied health and medical informatics.

The House bill, introduced Friday, March 9, is co-sponsored by Reps. Ralph Hall (R-Texas), Barton Gordon (D- Tennessee), and John Gingrey (R-Georgia). It was referred to the House Committee on Science and Technology.

This news follows last week’s announcement that AMIA was awarded a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant to foster the development of applied clinical informatics as a medical specialty.

In 2005 AMIA created “10x10,” a program with a goal of training 10,000 healthcare professionals in applied health and medical informatics by 2010. Dr. William Hersh, Director of the “10x10” program at the Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) has been at the forefront of implementing this vision. Dr. Hersh served as a subject matter expert and source of information for Representative Wu and his staff as they crafted legislation to address the training needs of the nation’s healthcare work force.

“This legislation is critical for an adequate development of an informatics research infrastructure and educated work force necessary to achieve major improvements in the safety, timeliness, effectiveness, efficiency, and equity of care,” states Don E. Detmer, MD, MA, President and CEO of AMIA.

AMIA and AHIMA have been focused on developing the information management and informatics work force for some time. In recent years AHIMA has addressed work force issues by advancing an agenda for electronic health information management, creating a virtual educational laboratory to provide training for students, and developing a framework for education that encompasses the new roles required by the electronic workplace.

“We congratulate the sponsors of H.R. 1467 for their insight that a workforce capable of implementing and using health IT and managing electronic information to the required standards, is essential to meeting the goal of an improved, interconnected healthcare system,” adds Linda Kloss, MA, RHIA, CEO of AHIMA.

In 2005, AMIA and AHIMA co-hosted the first-ever summit to develop strategies that addressed work force challenges related to electronic health records (EHRs) and a nationwide health information infrastructure. The summit, “Building the Work Force for Health Information Transformation,” produced targeted recommendations for preparing the existing health work force to use technology tools and to ensure a sufficient number of well-qualified health information specialists and informaticians to achieve effective and lasting health IT transformation. The recommendations included federal support for health IT adoption and training, and legislation to increase funding for education programs.

“AMIA is dedicated to educating informatics professionals who develop health information technology and the healthcare professionals who use the technology so important to delivering safe, effective care” according to AMIA Board Chairman Paul Tang, MD.

For a copy of the summit report, “Building the Work Force for Health Information Transformation,” visit AMIA’s Web site at http://www.amia.org or AHIMA’s web site at http://www.ahima.org/emerging_issues/Workforce_web.pdf.

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About AMIA
The American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) is an organization of leaders shaping the future of health information technology in the United States and abroad. AMIA is dedicated to the development and application of medical informatics in support of patient care, teaching, research, and health care administration. Complete information about AMIA is available at: www.amia.org.

About AHIMA
AHIMA is the premier association of health information management (HIM) professionals. AHIMA’s 53,000 members are dedicated to the effective management of personal health information needed to deliver quality health care to the public. Founded in 1928 to improve the quality of medical records, AHIMA is committed to advancing the HIM profession in an increasingly electronic and global environment through leadership in advocacy, education, certification, and lifelong learning. For more information, visit www.ahima.org.