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Archana Mayandi: Insights from a Health Information Management Practicum Student in Qatar

Published On: December 18, 2024

HIM Practicum Qatar

After beginning my career as a Medical Coder in 2008 with American healthcare projects outsourced to India, I have more than eight years of medical coding and claims processing experience in Qatar. The broader aspects of health information management and its significant role in enhancing the quality of healthcare delivery fascinated me to enrol in the DHIM program at Ashton College. 

Opportunity to Complete My Practicum in Qatar

Staying and working in Qatar for a few years opened my eyes to what health care organizations such as Primary Health Care Center (PHCC) do. Networking with experts and showcasing my experience helped me get this opportunity. I was optimistic but also concerned at the same time. The healthcare system in Qatar is organized very differently from Canada.  

Comparing the Healthcare Systems of Canada and Qatar

Public healthcare services are provided through two organizations in Qatar: 

  • The Primary Health Care Center (PHCC) – which runs 31 regional centers (Outpatient Clinics) across the country. 
  • The Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC)– which runs public hospitals, community clinics, and the national ambulance service. 

The main differences that I found in the healthcare system between Canada and Qatar include: 

  • Canada's healthcare system is publicly funded in accordance with the Canada Health Act. This means that healthcare services are issued by each province and territory and funded by the provincial and federal governments. These services are free at the point of care, primarily funded through taxation whereas in Qatar, the healthcare system is predominantly funded by the government through the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH). It is subsidized, and Qatari citizens obtain many services for free or at nominal costs; however, expatriates may need health insurance or pay out-of-pocket fees. 
  • The Canadian system aims to offer the best possible service to a multicultural, multilingual demographic. A patient-centered approach remains the biggest focus in Canada. Cultural norms, including specific preferences regarding gender within healthcare, have a significant influence on the delivery of services in Qatar. For example, female patients may prefer to be attended to by female healthcare providers. 
  • Due to decentralized management, Canada is advanced with its EHR systems yet faces few challenges in integration across provinces. Qatar, on the other hand, has a well-centralized and integrated EHR system. Various organizations such as HMC and PHCC implemented systems such as Cerner to facilitate real-time data management.

My Key Responsibilities

My normal days include shadowing operations for data quality, record management, and statistics. As part of record management, my work includes ensuring that patient charts are complete and looking over data trends in the clinical documentation improvement team. One of the main responsibilities is to make sure that HIM standards are followed and to help improve documentation. 

The Skills and Knowledge Gained from the DHIM Program

Having a background in database management, health information legislation, and clinical documentation improvement has proven beneficial. The work I’m doing in my practicum aligned directly with what this course was about, which is specifically extracting healthcare quality data to pair it up with analysis and how that affects healthcare outcomes. 

Adapting to Health Information Management in Qatar

I had to get familiar with a different style of work in Qatar. Adapting to communication styles in a diverse team also took some time for me to learn. However, I have gained a wider outlook on HIM that has extended my understanding of its role. I have learned how data is streamed into centralized health systems and used to guide public health strategies. 

Most Rewarding Aspects of My Practicum

Collaborating with other professionals to improve documentation standards has been rewarding. It's nice to see the effect good documentation has on patient care, and consequently, healthcare outcomes. 

Advice To Other Students

Be open-minded and adaptable. You will find that networking and showing off your abilities to others will open many doors. Take all chances to broaden your scope. These experiences are great ways of learning and worth the trouble. 

Future Goals

My interest in Global Health Information management keeps blossoming from this special experience. I wish to carve out a leadership position, which shall enable me to contribute to improving standards for health data. 

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