The quality indicator shown is the "Number of delinquent medical records by physician." The Health Information Management (HIM) department is responsible for the lifecycle of the health record, which includes managing the record completion process. HIM professionals analyze records for deficiencies, notify physicians of incomplete charts, and track the status until completion. When records are not completed within the timeframe specified by the medical staff bylaws (making them "delinquent"), it is the HIM department's operational responsibility to monitor, report, and initiate corrective actions, such as sending reminder notices and generating reports for the medical staff leadership.

A. Admitting: This department is responsible for patient registration and collecting demographic/insurance information, not clinical documentation completion.

B. Business Office: This department handles patient billing and the revenue cycle; while incomplete records can delay billing, they do not manage the record completion process itself.

D. Medical Staff Office: This office manages physician credentialing and governance. They may enforce punitive actions (e.g., suspension of privileges) based on HIM reports, but the primary responsibility for tracking and initiating corrective action on delinquent records lies with HIM.

1. Sayles

N. B.

& Trawick

M. A. (2021). Health information management: Concepts

principles

and practice (6th ed.). AHIMA Press. In Chapter 10

"Clinical Documentation and the Health Record

" the section on "Deficiency and Delinquency Record Systems" explicitly details the HIM department's role in managing

tracking

and reporting on incomplete and delinquent health records as a core function.

2. Johns

M. L. (2019). Health information management technology: An applied approach (6th ed.). AHIMA Press. Chapter 5

"The Health Record

" describes the process of quantitative analysis performed by HIM professionals to ensure record completeness and the procedures for managing the incomplete and delinquent record files

which is the basis for the quality indicator in the question.

3. LaTour

K. M.

Eichenwald-Maki

S.

& Oachs

P. K. (2021). Health information management: A strategic resource (6th ed.). AHIMA Press. Chapter 4

"The Complete Health Record

" outlines the HIM department's responsibility for ensuring compliance with documentation standards

including the timely completion of records by medical staff

and managing the systems that track deficiencies.