The Health Information Continuum: Why Every Health Information Role Matters

For years, health information professionals have heard careers described as either traditional or nontraditional.

Traditional roles were typically associated with hospitals and provider organizations, while positions in consulting, technology, payer organizations, public health, analytics, and education were often labeled nontraditional.

But does that distinction still make sense?

A recent article published in Advances in Health Information Science and Practice argues that it does not. The authors propose a new framework called the Health Information Continuum, which recognizes that health information professionals now work across a broad healthcare ecosystem rather than within a single setting.

Healthcare Data Flows Across the Continuum

Today’s professionals contribute to coding, auditing, CDI, revenue cycle, compliance, privacy, analytics, informatics, public health, education, research, and technology-enabled healthcare services.

While job titles and employers may differ, the underlying mission remains the same: ensuring health information is accurate, secure, accessible, and meaningful.

The Health Information Continuum shifts the focus from where professionals work to how they contribute to the creation, management, protection, exchange, analysis, and use of health data.

Why Language Matters

Calling some careers “nontraditional” can unintentionally imply that those roles are outside the profession’s core mission.

In reality, a health information professional working for a payer, technology vendor, public health agency, or consulting firm is applying many of the same foundational competencies used in provider settings.

These roles are not alternatives to health information practice; they are health information practice.

Looking Ahead

At Libman Education, we see this evolution accelerating as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into healthcare operations.

AI is changing how documentation is created, how codes are assigned, how claims are reviewed, and how data is analyzed. Yet organizations still need professionals who can validate AI-generated outputs, identify compliance risks, monitor data integrity, investigate denials, and ensure that healthcare data accurately reflects the patient story.

AI is making the Health Information Continuum more visible.

Clinical documentation, coding, CDI, auditing, compliance, analytics, informatics, and revenue cycle functions are becoming more interconnected than ever. As automation expands, the value of human judgment, critical thinking, and data stewardship continues to grow.

The future will belong to professionals who understand not only how healthcare data is captured, but also how it moves across the continuum and influences quality, reimbursement, compliance, population health, and strategic decision-making.

It’s time to retire the term “nontraditional role.” Every role that improves healthcare data and outcomes belongs on the Health Information Continuum.
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The article is based on the concepts presented in Beyond Traditional and Nontraditional Roles: Reframing Health Information Practice Through the Health Information Continuum by Leah Grebner, PhD, RHIA, CCS, FAHIMA, and Angela Campbell, MSHI, RHIA, FAHIMA, Advances in Health Information Science and Practice, 2026.

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