AMA, AMIA, AHIMA, AMDIS, and others

The world of health IT is all about acronyms. You've got to keep them straight. Here are several that may get confusing if you say them too quickly because they all start with the letter "A" and they share some similar letters and words:

AMA = American Medical Association
AMIA = American Medical Informatics Association
AHIMA = American Health Information Management Association
AMDIS = Association of Medical Directors of Information Systems
ASHIM = American Society of Health Information Managers

Confusing, isn't it? Some health IT associations use the word "medical" while others use the word "health." Which should we use to stay consistent? HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) uses "healthcare" and spells it as one word. Many people spell healthcare as health care.

January is Health IT month here at  http://www.nonclinicaljobs.com and I'll be writing about each of these organizations over the next several weeks.