Department of Health Information Management Assistant Professor Patti Anania-Firouzan
One of the most exciting aspects of attending a university is learning from faculty who have been part of the evolution of their profession since they were students themselves. Department of Health Information Management (HIM) Assistant Professor Patti Anania-Firouzan’s career in health data began in the late 1970s when she was a new undergraduate student at Pitt. She believes that her journey is similar to many people who found themselves in health records administration (HRA). She had come to the university hoping to become an elementary school teacher, but at the time that career was difficult for a young person to break into. As many an undergraduate can relate to, she pondered other academic options trying to find a career path where she felt she belonged.
“I was looking at the health sciences disciplines but I didn’t think I was cut out for direct patient care. Then I came across health records administration, as it was known at that time, and I said, ‘Well, this is something different. I'll give it a try.’ I learned about it and felt like that could be a good home for me.”
After graduating with a degree in HRA, Anania-Firouzan worked in a medical records department before joining a local company that ran statistics using a mainframe computer for hospitals across the country.
“When I started, the personal computer (PC) had just arrived in the business world,” she remembers. “The PC was this strange new device that some people feared and it was novel to have one in your department.
We transitioned from clients submitting their information on paper abstracts to submitting on a floppy disk for generating reports.”
Her job involved travel across the country, training clients on setting up and using their new computer systems. Anania-Firouzan also taught clinical coding classes to ensure their client hospitals were producing quality health data for better analysis and decision making.
Anania-Firouzan leading her Revenue Cycle class
Coming Full Circle to Teach at Pitt
Even though Anania-Firouzan loved her job and it exposed her to exciting developments in technology and health care data, she wanted to return to school for a master’s degree and perhaps revisit teaching to bring this exciting new world to students. Not only did she begin a master’s program at Pitt in Information Science, but she was also invited to join the HIM faculty in 1986.
“I was so excited to have the opportunity to join Pitt. I chose the master’s program to get into the information technology (IT) space because it was evident that the technology generation would continue to grow. I knew it would be more impactful in health care by providing greater efficiency, and ultimately, changing the way we worked.”
When she began teaching, one of her first roles was to develop a computer lab for HIM students in Pennsylvania Hall, where the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS) was located before moving to Forbes Tower. “Prior to my arrival, there was one computer on a desk with a clunky wooden case that was used to cover and ‘secure’ it by locking it down to the desk.” The new computer lab with 20 PCs enabled the HIM department to integrate technology into courses throughout undergraduate and graduate student curriculum.
Anania-Firouzan featured in the 1988 School of Health Related Professions (precursor to SHRS) newsletter
As technology advanced and the adoption of the electronic health record was incentivized by the federal government in 2009, Anania-Firouzan witnessed how Health Informatics (HI) brought health care data to a new level for improving patient outcomes. “The evolution and advancement of computers created the need for Health Informatics professionals and allows health care administrators and clinicians to work more efficiently, especially now with the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI). For instance, one of our faculty members is doing research on reviewing radiology imagery and how AI can do it with a lot more precision than the human eye, and it's amazing. That's one great example of how health IT impacts the quality of patient care.” She continues, “Although HI professionals aren’t patient-facing, their work behind the scenes is essential in today’s health care environment.”
Health Informatics Student Internships
The Pitt HIM Department has garnered a reputation in the health care community for its talented and professional students who are often recruited early in their academic program for a job after graduating. Anania-Firouzan is the clinical education coordinator for HIM, supporting the all-important internships required for all undergraduates and those graduate students interested in an immersive experience.
Undergraduates enter the program in their junior year and at the onset, Anania-Firouzan introduces them to career resources to prep for resume writing and interviewing skills. In the fall, she relays that many organizations begin recruiting for interns for the following summer, so the HI program prioritizes preparing students for interviews. “Students realize that oftentimes internships put them on the path to getting a full-time position as they consider opportunities available. Many businesses have had success with our students and return each fall to recruit a new group which is a clear impression about our program, the students and their skills,” she says.
In today’s environment, students are working beyond health care organizations and more in the IT realm with IT vendors, consulting companies, research, health plans and government agencies. Anania-Firouzan says,
“Their work is in positions that we could never imagine 30 years ago and many new and exciting positions did not exist even 10-15 years ago. We have come a long way from having one computer physically locked down to students working in AI research, data science and the latest health care IT application developments.”
Their Success is our Success
Pitt HI students are thriving and in demand. Assistant Professor Kim Peterson found that 70% of its seniors already had a job secured after they planned to graduate in April 2023, which often comes from the internship opportunities assisted by Anania-Firouzan.
“Their success is our success,” she says. “It just makes you so proud to know that the work we do translates into success for our students. It really does mean a lot, and you feel good about helping them get to where they want to be. It's just so cool for the students to have the ability to come back to school senior year [after their summer internship] and already have an offer in hand.
When we see students transition to their first job it makes everything that we do worthwhile. We have a small program which enables us to get to know our students one-on-one and develop strong relationships. You see their goals and their passions, and you want to help them make it happen.”
Anania-Firouzan has seen immense change and growth of the profession over the years and acknowledges that alumni from the HIM department have been positive change agents and instrumental in embracing the digital age and she is excited to see what lies ahead.
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Published April 19, 2023