History of Informatics and Areas of Practice - Entity Ranking Term Paper

History of Informatics and Areas of Practice - Entity Ranking - Term Paper Example I will proceed to describe each group and give required reasoning as to why each is important to me. Discussion 1. AMIA The first to me is the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA, 2012). One of its missions is to provide information on the electronic health records, compliance and reimbursement. Rather recent in its development (1989), formed due to the merger of three older groups, the organization concentrates on the holistic study of informatics, with concentration on five specific areas. Translational Bioinformatics is basically that which deals with analyzing and finding new ways of storing medical data. Clinical Research Informatics involves the management of trials and discoveries related to health maintenance and disease prevention. Clinical Informatics is concerned with the application of information technology in the treatment arena. Other healthcare professionals, such as dentists and veterinarians, could also apply it in their work. Consumer Health Informatics is the branch concerned with the public information and education and also is responsible for EMR. Public Health Informatics is where the CDC would be involved, as it is mainly concerned with such things as infectious diseases and bioterrorism (AMIA, 2012). Therefore it can be seen that the AMIA is involved in all areas of informatics and, as it states in its own bylaws â€Å"AMIA aims to lead the way in transforming health care through trusted science, education, and the practice of informatics.† The core of their beliefs is the science of informatics, which in a nutshell is enhancing the health of the patients while providing the best in quality and safety of care through the use of information technology. As it is a nonprofit organization, most of its money can, therefore, be dedicated to promoting informatics. The AMIA also has its own journal, appropriately named the JAMIA. It should come as a little surprise that the American Medical Association (AMA) has coordinated wi th the AMIA to come up with a new specialty, Clinical Informatics (Dolan, 2011). Therefore, considering the arguments I have provided, I feel the AMIA should be recognized as first and foremost in importance of all informatics groups and the specific disciplines each represents. 2. HIMSS The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS, 2012) like the AMIA is a non-profit organization â€Å"exclusively focused on providing global leadership for the optimal use of information technology (IT) and management systems for the betterment of healthcare† (HIMSS, 2012). It specializes in the betterment of such areas as Home Health, as it is found patients respond much better in a comfortable environment such as the home. Clinical Business Intelligence uses informatics in the modernization and development of the medical practice, utilizing available statistical data to ensure better patient care. HIMSS is also heavily involved in the Electronic Medical Record conversion process in order for doctors and clinics to comply with federal law and simplify the healthcare professionals’ job. Other areas of concern for HIMSS are pharmaceutical informatics, medical banking (the business part of the medical business), and billing and paying. HIMSS is also