Health Information Management (HIM) Manager

Health Information Management (HIM) Manager
East Houston Medical Center – Baytown, Texas (Coming Soon)

East Houston Medical Center is expanding with a new Baytown, Texas campus described as a coming-soon facility built to support a rapidly growing community with modern, accessible healthcare focused on patient experience, efficiency, and innovation. East Houston Medical Center also presents itself as a patient-centered acute care hospital emphasizing compassionate care, modern facilities, experienced physicians, and coordinated support throughout the patient journey.

East Houston Medical Center is seeking a refined, experienced, and operationally strong Health Information Management (HIM) Manager to lead the medical records function for the incoming Baytown facility. This leader will establish and oversee HIM operations with exceptional attention to record integrity, privacy, regulatory readiness, documentation quality, and interdisciplinary collaboration in a hospital environment.

Position summary

The HIM Manager is responsible for the planning, organization, implementation, and daily leadership of the Health Information Management department for the Baytown campus. This role oversees chart completion, record analysis, release of information, document integrity, privacy practices, and HIM workflow performance while supporting physicians, nursing leadership, revenue cycle, compliance, and executive operations.

The selected candidate will play a key role in building department processes for a new facility, ensuring that all health information practices align with hospital policy, federal law, and Texas requirements governing protected health information and medical records access.

Essential duties and responsibilities

• Lead all HIM department operations, including record management, chart analysis, deficiency tracking, release of information, document imaging, record completion oversight, and data integrity activities.
  
• Develop and implement HIM policies, procedures, controls, and workflows for a new hospital campus to ensure compliant and efficient department operations.
  
• Oversee the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, and confidentiality of medical records in accordance with hospital standards and applicable legal requirements.
  
• Monitor physician documentation and chart completion practices to support record quality, delinquency management, and regulatory compliance.
  
• Partner with clinical, case management, quality, compliance, coding, and revenue cycle teams to support documentation standards, accurate data capture, and operational excellence.
  
• Supervise release of information processes and ensure proper authorization, disclosure controls, and secure handling of protected health information.
  
• Maintain departmental readiness for audits, surveys, accreditation reviews, and internal quality monitoring.
  
• Ensure HIM practices remain compliant with HIPAA privacy and security expectations and Texas privacy requirements under Health and Safety Code Chapter 181.
  
• Support education and accountability for providers and staff related to documentation standards, privacy, confidentiality, and medical record completion.
  
• Prepare and review HIM metrics, deficiency reports, record completion trends, and departmental performance indicators for leadership review.
  
• Assist with EHR workflow optimization, scanning standards, retention practices, and system-related process improvements affecting health information operations.
  
• Hire, train, coach, and evaluate HIM staff while fostering a culture of professionalism, service, and high performance.
  

Requirements

Minimum requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in health information management, Healthcare Administration, Business, or a related field required; a degree in HIM is strongly preferred.
  
• RHIA or RHIT credential required or strongly preferred based on organizational hiring preference; Texas HIM employers frequently seek one of these credentials for management-level roles.
  
• Minimum of 3 to 5 years of progressive HIM experience in a hospital or acute care setting preferred, including supervisory or management responsibility.
  
• Experience with chart completion, release of information, record analysis, privacy practices, and hospital documentation workflows required.
  
• Strong working knowledge of hospital accreditation and regulatory standards, including CMS and Joint Commission-related record keeping expectations, preferred for acute care leadership roles.
  
• Experience with electronic health record systems, document imaging platforms, and standard Microsoft Office applications required.
  
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams, implement new processes, manage deadlines, and collaborate effectively with physicians and hospital leadership required.
  

Texas-specific requirements and facts

For a hospital-based HIM Manager in Texas, the role should reflect both federal privacy obligations and Texas-specific medical records requirements. Texas covered entities that collect, use, or store protected health information are subject to the Texas Medical Records Privacy Act in Chapter 181 of the Texas Health and Safety Code, which adds protections beyond HIPAA in certain areas.

Relevant Texas considerations for this posting include:

• Knowledge of HIPAA privacy and security standards, including lawful use and disclosure of protected health information, is required for HIM leadership.
  
• Knowledge of the Texas Medical Records Privacy Act is required, including restrictions on disclosure, patient privacy protections, and compliance obligations for covered entities handling PHI.
  
• Familiarity with Texas medical record request and release practices is important, including authorization standards and state rules affecting fees and access processes.
  
• Understanding that Texas recognizes patient rights to access medical records and imposes privacy obligations on facilities handling health information is essential for compliant HIM operations.
  
• Experience maintaining confidentiality and proper release controls for sensitive records is especially important in Texas because state law may impose additional privacy expectations beyond HIPAA alone.
  
• Knowledge of CMS, Joint Commission, and hospital documentation standards remains important because these frameworks shape record completion, integrity, and survey readiness in acute care settings.
  

Preferred qualifications

• RHIA credential preferred for candidates leading a full HIM department in an acute care environment.
  
• Prior experience opening, stabilizing, or improving HIM operations for a new hospital, new service line, or growing facility preferred.
  
• Additional experience in coding oversight, clinical documentation integrity collaboration, audit response, or revenue cycle support preferred.
  
• Membership or engagement with the Texas Health Information Management Association may be beneficial for continued professional development within the field.
  

Core competencies

• Executive presence and professional judgment.
  
• Exceptional discretion with confidential information.
  
• Strong regulatory and operational insight.
  
• Ability to build systems, teams, and workflows in a start-up facility environment.
  
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  
• Detail orientation, accountability, and process discipline.