Dakota State celebrating 20th anniversary of HIM program

Written by Patt Germann of the Madison Daily Leader

When the first class of health information management students graduated from Dakota State College in 1978, the name of the program was "medical records technician."

It was a two-year program during which students spent two months in various area medical facilities learning the practical aspects of the job.

Now DSU offers a four-year bachelor's degree in the program.

Carol Thury Person was a member of the first class. The Sioux Falls Washington graduate said she wasn't sure what she wanted to do after high school, but thought she might be interested in medical records. She did some volunteer work in that department at Sioux Valley Hospital and decided to pursue a career.

"My original plan was to attend school out of state because no one had a program in South Dakota," said Person. "But it was that year (1975) that Dakota State implemented the program, so I enrolled there."

Person did her clinical at both Watertown hospitals and at Sioux Valley. When she graduated, she went to work at Sioux Valley, but only for the summer because she knew she wanted to go into management. She enrolled at St. Mary's College in Omaha to complete her bachelor's degree.

After that graduation, Person moved to Mitchell where she worked as director of medical records at St. Joseph's hospital (now Queen of Peace). She met her husband Todd in Mitchell.

When they made the decision to move to Sioux Falls, Person went back to work at Sioux Valley, serving six months as a transcriptionist before the position of assistant manager of medical records came open. She held that position until 4 « years ago when she became director of the department.

Many things to do with medical care have changed very rapidly in the past 20 years, and records is no different.

"The theories and needs of the profession are the same," Person said, "but how we meet those needs has changed dramatically."

The aspects of confidentiality, retrieval, and retention are the three mainstays of medical records. The use of technology has made those things much easier in some ways, said Person. Now, instead of a paper trail that a patient has to follow or drag around, information can and is called up electronically.

However, Person is quick to point out that paper has certainly not been eliminated from the equation. In fact, she said, with the complexity of procedures, so many more outpatient procedures and the legal ramifications of medical issues, the paper has probably increased. It's access to information that is easier.

"The things we always did by hand are now done electronically," Person said. "The care across the continuum is an exciting outgrowth of this. Caregivers can access materials from wherever the patient comes or goes. That's exciting."

Person said much of what is daily work and process for her was something she and her classmates would never have imagined would be possible.

"To put this in perspective," said Person, "we were the first class to ever be allowed to use a hand-held calculator for the national exam. Until then, all that calculating was done by hand on paper. And to even imagine having a PC on my desk was beyond comprehension."

Another development in her field is that people are able to work on transcription from their homes. Person has six employees in her department who work solely from homes. Information is transmitted by phone line in and out of the hospital.

Part of the fascination of the health information management field, Person said, is that without having to change careers, there are new developments and exciting things happening all the time.

"It's a field that offers you an opportunity to change, to support the clinical aspects of health care, and to work with people," said Person. "That's one of the things I enjoy about the management position I hold. I do work with people, not just data."

When she's not working, Person enjoys reading, walking, and family activities which include 11-year-old daughter Kate.

Person has stayed in touch with DSU through the years by serving on the advisory board and by working with students on their clinical experiences.