by Dr Ariffin Marzuki bin Mokhtar, MD, CPHIMS      

I work in a Tertiary Referral Center for Cardiothoracic and Cardiology that is the Institut Jantung Negara (or translated to English as the National Heart Institute) in Malaysia.

I became involved in information management in 2007, when I was asked to be part of a team that was then looking into the formulation of a minimal data set for our electronic patient record initiative. At the time, I was an anesthesiologist with no formal training in information management.

My involvement increased when I was again asked to be part of the EMR task force and a member of the Health Information Management Committee. During that period, I felt I was handicapped, since I had no formal training in health information management, and yet, I had to give vital input for decisions to implement IT applications in my hospital.

I learned about HIMSS AsiaPac at one of the conferences held here in Malaysia. Upon hearing about HIMSS and researching the CPHIMS, I realized the program offered a good way for me to gain knowledge and certification to contribute to the field mentioned above.

So, I took the intensive course at HIMSS11 and passed the exam in February the same year. Mind you, it took me two years to read up and prepare myself for the course and exam that I thought was really tough. The experiences I had gained in implementing a critical care information system in the Intensive Care Unit also contributed to my success on the exam.

Since passing and getting the certificate (that is hanging on my office wall beside my medical degree….), our CEO asked me to chair the Health Information Management Committee, review the previous SISP (strategic information systems planning) and formulate a new SISP for the hospital. Prior to this, I would not have had the confidence nor the knowledge to do both; but with the certification, I can do both with confidence.

Currently, my work deals with education and capability building for the institute, laying the foundation for an electronic medical record. Apart from my clinical responsibility to the patients, I now work with external consultants as an internal consultant for hospital management to safeguard IJN’s interest in IT and process improvement projects.

The HIMSS website and resources really help me out, especially the quality and process improvement sections in the Member Center. This is important, because I am also involved in quality and process improvement for IJN.

In short, the certification, in a short time, has given me knowledge that added meaning to the experiences I have in doing my daily work. That, in turn, makes me more productive and sets me apart from my other colleagues; it allows me to contribute effectively to the hospital.

Dr Ariffin Marzuki bin Mokhtar, MD, CPHIMS                                                                  Chair                                                                                                                                        Strategic Information System Plan 2011-2015 Taskforce                                                     Health Information Management Committee                                                                     Institut Jantung Negara                                                                                                               Kuala Lumpur