Chicago, July 08, 2022 -- AHIMA Foundation, in conjunction with the Institute for Healthcare Advancement (IHA), are proud to announce the availability of a new online continuing education opportunity to master the fundamentals of evidence-based health literacy practices and ─ at the same time ─ support AHIMA Foundation.
Comprised of 7 courses called micro-credentials, IHA’s assessment-based Health Literacy Specialist Certificate Program, available at https://www.healthliteracysolutions.org/learning-lab/certificate-program, offers a personalized and flexible approach to professional development with self-paced, online courses that can be taken in any order over the course of 6 months.
Participants may purchase any combination of the 7 micro-credentials, depending on interests and needs, and earn up to 33 AHIMA-approved continuing education units.
By entering AHIMA Foundation’s promotional codes at check-out, participants can receive AHIMA-member pricing and support AHIMA Foundation. All proceeds AHIMA Foundation receives from members and supporters who enroll in the courses will go directly to furthering Foundation programs, research, and projects.
“The health care system is dependent upon accurate and complete health data, which is the primary responsibility of health information professionals,” said Lakesha Kinnerson, MPH, RHIA, an Assistant Professor at Samford University where she serves as coordinator for their Bachelor of Science degree program in health informatics and analytics. “Understanding and applying health literacy principles is a natural complement to health information professionals’ roles in the health system. More education on these topics will positively impact patients through improved system design, data collection, analysis, and dissemination.”
Each micro-credential is assessment-based. Participants must pass a 50-question exam to receive a digital badge and a certificate of completion. After completing all 7 micro-credentials, participants also receive the Health Literacy Specialist (HLS) Certificate and digital badge.
“Health information professionals rely on their strong clinical foundations in medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, pathology and pharmacology to support improved clinical outcomes and understand and adhere to privacy, security and confidentiality standards for personal health information,” said Christi Lower PhD, CAE, RHIA, FAHIMA, Director of Academic Strategy and Workforce Development at American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). “Layering on additional knowledge of health literacy concepts gives an advantage toward job advancement or career transition to patient-facing roles — which are increasingly critical to support patient and caregiver engagement with their medical record and their care team.”
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