Defining The Future of the Health Information Profession

By Angela Campbell, MSHI, RHIA, FAHIMA and Leah Grebner, PhD, RHIA, CCS, FAHIMA

The Health Information Continuum

Health Information roles are increasingly cross-sector, technology-enabled, and functionally interconnected, with substantial workforce activity occurring outside hospital settings and beyond federally classified roles. The health information (HI) profession has expanded beyond hospital-centered roles, yet it continues to rely on the labels “traditional” and “nontraditional,” which no longer reflect workforce realities.

Earlier this year we published Beyond Traditional and Nontraditional Roles: Reframing Health Information Practice Through the Health Information Continuum, introducing a new way to think about the breadth and evolution of our profession. The Health Information Continuum is a conceptual framework that reframes HI work around shared competencies and the health data life cycle, offering a more accurate and inclusive model for workforce description, education, and professional identity.

Our next step: We want to hear from you!

HI professionals and those who teach in CAHIIM-accredited programs are invited to participate in two quick surveys. Your participation will help create a more accurate picture of today’s HI workforce and inform workforce planning, education, career development, and future research.

HI Workplace Survey

We are conducting a nationwide survey to better understand where health information professionals work today and how our profession continues to evolve.

Whether you work in acute care, ambulatory care, payer organizations, public health, education, consulting, technology, research, government, or another setting—we want to hear from you!

Please take a few minutes to complete the survey and consider sharing it with your colleagues and professional networks.

• Takes just 5–10 minutes
• Open to all HI professionals
• Responses are anonymous and reported only in aggregate

Educator’s Survey

Do you teach in a CAHIIM-accredited program? Our companion survey focuses specifically on HI/HIM education and how CAHIIM-accredited programs are introducing students to the full range of career settings and pathways in the field today, and where there may be gaps between what’s taught and where the profession is actually heading.

Your input will help shape how the next generation of HI professionals is prepared for the full breadth of career opportunities in the field and will directly inform future curriculum resources tied to this research.

Please take a few minutes to complete the survey, and if you know a program director or fellow educator who should weigh in, please share it with them.

• Takes just 5–10 minutes
• Open to program directors and faculty at CAHIIM-accredited HI/HIM programs
• Responses are anonymous and reported only in aggregate
• Closes August 30, 2026

Thank you for your participation!

About the Authors:

Angela Campbell, MSHI, RHIA, FAHIMA
Angela Campbell is an Associate Professor of Health Information Technology at San Juan College with a career spanning more than three decades across provider, payer, and consulting environments.

Angela’s work focuses on how health information is created, managed, and used across healthcare settings. She is especially interested in helping students and professionals understand the full scope of the field through the health information continuum, from documentation and coding to governance, analytics, and strategic use.

In Angela’s academic role, she plays an active role in curriculum development, support accreditation efforts, and design learning experiences that prepare students for today’s workforce. Mentoring students and emerging professionals as they navigate certification and career paths is a key part of that work. Angela integrates emerging technologies into the classroom while maintaining a strong focus on data quality, compliance, and responsible use.

Angela is actively involved in the profession through AHIMA and ILHIMA, contributing to work related to competencies, ethics, and workforce development and has presented at state and national meetings, sharing perspectives on education, the evolving role of health information, and emerging topics shaping the field.

Angela can be reached via LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/angrcampbell

Leah Grebner, PhD, RHIA, CCS, FAHIMA

Leah Grebner, PhD, RHIA, CCS, FAHIMA has more than 30 years of experience in the Health Information Management career field. Her diverse background includes acute care inpatient and outpatient, home health, skilled nursing, physician office, and consulting in a variety of settings. She enjoys sharing her passion for this career field, not only through teaching, but also by volunteering with professional organizations at the regional, state, and national

Leah’s greatest area of passion in the Health Information Management field is provision of education to the public regarding personal health records and health literacy. Leah enjoys being actively involved in professional organizations, giving presentations, and writing for both professional and layperson audiences.

Leah was awarded the Literary Legacy Triumph Award by the American Health Information Management Association in 2012 and she delivered her first international presentation, “Promoting Student Success and Engagement Through Mentoring, Professional Association Involvement, and Networking” at the 17th Congress of the International Federation of Health Information Management Associations in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in May 2013.

Leah can be reached via LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/lgrebner

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