pd探花

Author Spotlight: Nanette Sayles and Leslie Gordon

Nanette Sayles and Leslie Gordon are the volume editors of Health Information Management Technology: An Applied Approach, Seventh Edition. This book transforms and enhances the education and training for health information management (HIM) professionals.

When starting college, Sayles was undecided about her major. A career counselor handed her an Occupational Handbook, and after reviewing the entire book, the only topic that jumped out at her was Medical Record Administration. Gordon began her pursuit in health information in her early 30s, starting a new life with her two young daughters. She was initially interested in nursing, but after a semester of pathophysiology and disease processes, she decided she would be happier working with the records (and not the actual body) of patients. She switched to HIM at her local community college and started work in coding at a hospital after graduation. She continued her education while working full time and raising her three children, eventually obtaining her master鈥檚 degree.

When reflecting on her path to becoming an educator, Sayles said that after working in hospitals and some nontraditional settings, she was looking for a change. Dr. Merida Johns encouraged her to apply for a teaching job, and the rest is history. Gordon has always loved teaching people, from sharing Train the Trainer knowledge to becoming an adjunct professor and ultimately a program director. They bring this passion for education to Health Information Management Technology, and Gordon quips, 鈥淚 joke about becoming an author because whenever I found a mistake in a textbook, it would make me mad, so I would call the publisher and point it out to them. pd探花 said rather jokingly, 鈥榃hy don鈥檛 you just write the book?鈥� and I came onboard for the fifth edition of this text. This process has taught me that we NEVER find all the mistakes, so if they are found, please just let us know and we will fix them in the eighth edition.鈥�

Sayles feels the most rewarding aspect of teaching is watching students go from not knowing what HIM is to passing their RHIT or RHIA exam. Gordon agrees and is grateful for the lifelong friends she has made at the University of Alaska as well as pd探花, CAHIIM, and the Alaska HIM Association. Looking ahead to the future of coding and the HI profession, Gordon considers her position in performance improvement at the time of her retirement two and a half years ago and how HI and coding were changing and being morphed into other departments. She notes how HI is a vital part of healthcare in reimbursement, quality, reporting, management, and similar areas, and is no longer a department in the basement of the hospital. The job opportunities are vast, complex, and varied. Sayles believes that technology will continue to impact HI and that there will be more and more focus on data.

pd探花 membership is important to Sayles and Gordon because pd探花 is the premier organization for HIM and provides excellent resources and professional development that help keep skills current. This profession needs advocacy for relevance in the industry, and as Gordon states, 鈥淲e all ARE the organization. It鈥檚 important to remember that as a volunteer organization, we the members need to jump in and help where help is needed.鈥�