HIMAA has opened national Health Information Management Week (17-23 August) with a focus on the transformation of the profession to meet the changing needs of the Australian healthcare system.
The peak body for health information management says the profession is evolving in response to workforce needs, education pathways and growing expectations around data quality, integrity, governance, artificial intelligence and emerging digital health technologies.
Last year, following sector consultation, HIMAA published a professional identity statement defining health information management professionals as health information managers, clinical coders and clinical documentation specialists and recognising their specialist expertise across classification, clinical documentation, privacy, digital health, governance, funding and performance information and research.
HIMAA CEO Sallyanne Wissmann said, “Health information management work is central to data quality, integrity, privacy, governance, classification, clinical documentation and digital health systems – all areas increasingly important to Australia’s changing healthcare environment.”
She said specialist skills were required to govern, protect, interpret and apply health information across an increasingly digital, data-driven healthcare system.
The profession combines specialised knowledge, ethical practice and service to others as health information becomes more complex, connected and central to care.
“Trusted and timely health information enables optimal care and informed decision-making, making the profession critical to patient outcomes and health system performance.”
The statement positions health information management professionals as stewards of trusted health information across care, government, research, education, health technology and system performance.
“The identity statement makes clear that this is not a narrow or static profession,” Ms Wissmann said. “It brings together health information managers, clinical coders and clinical documentation specialists, and recognises the diverse areas of expertise that now underpin high-quality, safe and sustainable healthcare.”
As health services adopt new digital platforms, analytics tools and artificial intelligence, HIMAA said these professionals help ensure health data is fit for purpose, governed appropriately, clinically meaningful and used to support better decisions.
HIMAA is using national Health Information Management Week 2026 to encourage employers, policymakers, educators and health leaders to recognise the profession’s contribution and help build clear education, career and workforce pathways for the next generation of health information management professionals.
“Health Information Management Week is an opportunity to celebrate a profession that is essential to safe, connected and data-informed healthcare,” Ms Wissmann said.
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