Canada Health Infoway and the Canadian College of Health Information Management: Strengthening standards and certification in support of data literacy in Canada
Canada Health Infoway (Infoway), the Canadian College of Health Information Management (CCHIM, or the College), and the Canadian Health Information Management Association (CHIMA) continue to strengthen their long-standing partnership by announcing Infoway’s endorsement of CCHIM’s standards and certifications.
CCHIM is the accrediting body for academic institutions and certifying body for health information professionals in Canada. Its new standards frameworks combine remodelled professional certifications with micro-credentials for an expanding audience of new and existing professionals such as doctors, researchers, technology workers, health information management (HIM) professionals, and more. Infoway’s recent report, the Shared Pan-Canadian Interoperability Roadmap, recognizes the need for modernized standards and certifications to support a workforce working with health data to ensure it can be accessed securely and privately wherever patients receive care. The modernized standards from the College support general and specialized knowledge, enabling a wide range of professionals to gain knowledge in data quality, ethics, interoperability, analytics, privacy, and information governance.
“Infoway understands the importance of having certified health information professionals to help drive towards a modern and well-connected health system that allows seamless health information exchange among healthcare providers and improves citizens’ access to their health data,” says Michael Green, President and CEO, Canada Health Infoway. “That’s why Canada Health Infoway is pleased to support and endorse the Canadian College of Health Information Management’s modernized academic accreditation and professional certifications.”
“Canada Health Infoway’s endorsement of the College’s academic standards and professional certifications signifies that our goals to advance interoperability in Canada are linked to the literacy of our workforce,” says Jeff Nesbitt, CEO and Registrar of CHIMA and the College. “Professional certifications foster a learning health system, human resource capacity building, and public trust.”
About Canada Health Infoway
At Canada Health Infoway (Infoway) we believe a more connected and collaborative system is a healthier system, and we work with governments, health care organizations, clinicians and patients to make health care more digital. We are working to ensure that everyone is able to access their personal health information, book appointments, get prescriptions, view lab test results and access other health services, online. We’re working with our partners to transform the health system because we know that digital in health can be as transformative as digital has been in other aspects of our lives. We’re an independent, not-for-profit organization funded by the federal government. Learn more at www.infoway-inforoute.ca/en/.
About CCHIM
The Canadian College of Health Information Management is a national, not-for-profit organization that sets the accreditation standards for educational institutions and certification standards for health information professionals in Canada. Learn more at www.cchim.ca.
About CHIMA
CHIMA is a national organization that represents over 5,800 members across the country. It advocates for the profession, monitors industry trends, develops and facilitates continuing education, creates networking opportunities, and connects members with employment opportunities in health care and other sectors. Learn more at www.echima.ca.
