History of CIM’s


History of Clinical Information ManagersOver the last decade several factors have been influential in the development of this ancillary medical staff position. Contemporary physicians face unprecedented challenges stemming from the concurrent rise of patient volumes, non-clinical responsibilities, and documentation requirements. These new difficulties are thrown into sharp relief by the backdrop of continuous demand for timely, cost-effective, and superior quality healthcare. As a solution clinicians across the nation are implementing programs for Clinical Information Managers (CIMs) or certified Medical Scribes. The exceptional value of a CIM program stems from the variety of advantages for physicians, patients, department staff, and the entire hospital facility.

Many hospitals have already attempted a solution to contemporary difficulties by transitioning to Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system. However EMR systems require markedly increased time for data-entry and management. With ever increasing patient-volume, physicians are progressively short of time to manage such clerical tasks. Additionally the nature of an EMR system creates a physician model of practice that can be deemed as care-then-document; wherein the physician must devote additional time to documentation of the care that has already been provided. This model contains the fundamental inefficiency of committing clinically-specialized physicians to performing the non-clinical tasks of clerical documentation.

While the pool of literature regarding EMR systems is expansive, the literature surrounding CIM’s is limited at best. The goal of the ACCIM is to moderate the contemporary role of Clinical Information Managers across the country. By setting forth standards of practice, training requirements, accreditation, and core quality measures, the ACCIM provides the groundwork for sustainable CIM excellence throughout the industry.

This ACCIM suggests that a CIM offers a viable alternative to the current care-then-document model. By streamlining the physician’s time to include more direct clinical care and fewer clerical tasks, introducing well-trained CIM’s can lead to numerous improvements in the efficiency and efficacy of our nation’s healthcare system. Such benefits include an increased number of patients evaluated per hour, decreased wait-times, greater continuity of care, and more accurate medical-legal documentation for both hospital billing and physician protection. The comparatively small cost of a CIM program sets the stage for CIM’s to establish a new standard of practice in medical care.