Working together to transform health and health care

Thomas H Payne, Doug B Fridsma
2016 JAMIA Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association  
Over the last 35 years, the use of informatics to inform better understanding of health and decision-making has grown exponentially. Today, informatics as a profession is at a tipping point. No longer is it just a special skill or viewed as having a "knack" for using data. Informatics is a full-fledged career path, and the key to realizing the goals of improving health and health care. That is why AMIA introduced a new 5-year strategic plan at the 2015 Annual Symposiumto support the
more » ... and its members in the next era of informatics. As stakeholders across the health and health care spectrum push for better outcomes, lower cost, and improved value, we now have a collective opportunity to expand and deepen the role of informatics in transforming health and health care. The 2015-2020 Strategic Plan was built from valuable insights shared by AMIA's leadership over time. Through this process, and in conversation with you, our members, we believe we have laid the groundwork and begun successful implementation to ensure informatics professionals have the training, expertise, and support needed to take an important seat at the table in improving health care delivery. OUR PATH FORWARD Informatics has always been at the forefront of bridging science and research into actionable insights. AMIA and its members unlock the most valuable evidence-based insights to improve health and health care by being the authoritative experts in applying data, information, and knowledge to transform care. Our work is a critical tie for the work of stakeholders across the health care delivery system to improve outcomes, lower costs, and promote the use of high-value services. Our workforce encompasses many job titles. We're nurses, doctors, chief officers, researchers, operational professionals, professors -and together we are committed to the vision of a world where informatics transforms and improves health. We realize that vision through informatics education, science, and practice. To accomplish our collective vision and mission, the 2015-2020 Strategic Plan focuses on three core directives. ADVANCING PROFESSIONAL GROWTH FOR OUR MEMBERS Our first directive is to support the current and next generation of informatics professionals. We are at the forefront of professional education and trainingfrom certification to leadership training, AMIA is committed to professional growth and multidisciplinary, interprofessional informatics leadership throughout our careers. We have already begun our work here with the development of Advanced Interprofessional Informatics Certification, a new certification for individuals who practice clinical and health informatics at an advanced level, and the AMIA Doctoral Dissertation Award, which honors the top doctoral dissertation in the field of biomedical informatics. Over the next few years, we will continue our work to provide members opportunities to grow professionally, no matter what their career level. Being a resource for our members anytime, every day is vital. We are working to launch a new Navigate AMIA online community to provide existing and new members greater ease and flexibility to increase networking and collaboration. CREATING IMPACT IN HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE Our second directive is to improve health and health care with the use of informatics' science, research, and practice in the United States and globally. We are engaging with policymakers and other thought leaders to continue to ensure the practice of informatics is embedded into the DNA of health care delivery and to elevate AMIA members as the go-to thought leaders and conveners for the field. We continue our work, building on past successes, including Institute of Medicine reports led by AMIA members. This year, our work with the creation of the electronic health record-2020 Taskforce immediately garnered policymakers' attention. The taskforce came together to explore, develop, and evaluate electronic health records and provide key recommendations for AMIA and its members when engaging with legislators and like-minded informatics leaders. With the success of this and other taskforces, we will be working to create others on topics most relevant to the ever-changing informatics field and the interests of members, such as precision medicine and measuring the quality of care.
doi:10.1093/jamia/ocv193 pmid:26912539 fatcat:fokdfa7e65fuzm24wbqxryf46y