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National Health Information Week is Nov. 4 - 10 Long gone are the days when a job in Medical Records meant stacking patient records on shelves and retrieving them if the patient should be unfortunate enough to require readmission to the hospital.     This area is now referred to as Health Information Services (HIS) to better reflect the enhancement of technology and the expansion of duties. The work areas comprising HIS are: Abstraction and Analysis; Coding; Chart Completion; Imaging; Transcription; File Maintenance; MPI; Data Collection (for submission of birthing information to DHEC); and Release of Information.   Health Information Services also plays a vital role in the financial status of MUHA.    The records of discharged patients receive a diagnostic/procedure code within 4 days of discharge. The outpatient records processed by HIS are completed within 10 days.    The diagnostic/procedure codes assign a level of acuity and severity. This often drives the amount of reimbursement the hospital receives. Once the records are coded, Hospital Patient Accounting can release the bills to the insurance carriers for payment.    Insurance carriers often request documentation of care rendered. The staff  responsible for release of information (ROI) must assure that consent is provided for the release and then the copy service forwards requested documentation so MUHA can receive payment. Reimbursement takes from a few weeks to several months.