AHIMA Names New CEO
The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) has appointed a new CEO. Alan F. Dowling, PhD, will assume leadership in January, as current CEO Linda Kloss, RHIA, CAE, FAHIMA, prepares to step down. AHIMA released the following statement this morning:
The American Health Information Management Association's Board of Directors today announced Alan F. Dowling, PhD, will be the next chief executive of the 55,000-member health information management (HIM) leader. Dr. Dowling's extensive health information experience includes academia, systems management, strategic expertise, governance and corporate and not-for-profit executive leadership. He is scheduled to take office January 13, 2010.
"Dr. Dowling has a deep understanding of the complexity of issues facing our association, our members and our industry, as a whole. His experience in the areas of health information and informatics, as well as healthcare delivery systems, gives him keen insights into what will be vital to the next decade of health information management and technology," AHIMA board president Vera Rulon said. "He is the ideal person for the job ahead."
"I cannot imagine a more electrifying place to be right now than in the midst of the nation's actions to harness and manage health information and transform healthcare effectiveness," Dr. Dowling said. "We will be coming together at a time when the way has been pointed; yet there remains a wide and complex path that we must construct if healthcare information and informatics is to fulfill its potential and produce value for our society."
To that end, AHIMA is actively pushing the boundaries on several key fronts directly related to the universal expansion of electronic health records. Association activities--and activism-on matters such as recommendations for meaningful use, ICD-10 adoption, HIM workforce development, international HIM community leadership, personal health records and the protection of patients' health information rights form the spearhead of AHIMA's outreach agenda.
Dr. Dowling is an adjunct professor of information systems at Case Western Reserve University, having also lectured at Georgetown University, the American University of Beirut, Simmons College and the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he earned his PhD in healthcare management and management information systems.
Dr. Dowling succeeds out-going AHIMA chief executive Linda Kloss, who announced her resignation in July. The AHIMA Board then began a nationwide search that resulted in Dr. Dowling's appointment.
How do you feel about the announcement? What challenges do you think Dr. Dowling will face? What HIM issues should he tackle first? Leave your comments below!