HIM 350 Module 1 Discussion Example

Reviewed by Delia Ravenscroft, MSN, RN

This HIM 350 Module 1 Discussion sample opens a course on healthcare communication technology with a change most students lived through. It is written for SNHU HIM 350 (HIM-350), and the BS Health Information Management course opens by looking at how technology now carries conversations between patients and care teams. The writer, a composite health information coordinator at a rural community behavioral health agency, describes therapy visits moving from almost entirely in person to 48% video or phone within a few years. National data show that mental health led that shift, a research review shows telehealth works well for many mental health services and survey research shows that people with less education and income use digital health tools less. The post asks classmates who in their settings gained or lost.

CourseHIM 350 Communication and Technologies
ModuleModule 1
Paper typeBS Health Information Management discussion post on communication technology in healthcare
LengthAbout 340 words, 3 pages
FormatAPA 7 student paper
SchoolSouthern New Hampshire University
ProgramBS Health Information Management
UpdatedSeptember 2026

Free sample paper for HIM 350 Module 1

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Module One Discussion

Therapy Moved to a Screen, and Not Everyone Followed

Before 2020, almost every therapy session at Sandstone Behavioral Health happened in one of our six clinic offices across three rural counties. Today about 48% of therapy visits happen by video or phone. As the health information coordinator, I see the change in our records: new visit types, consent forms signed electronically and documentation that now includes where the client was located during the session. I also see which clients stopped showing up.

What this page is doingThe writer introduces the shift and its visibility in the record.
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Our experience matches national patterns. Patel et al. (2021) analyzed outpatient visits during the pandemic and found wide variation by specialty, with psychiatry relying on telemedicine far more than almost any other field, around two-thirds of visits in the early months. Behavioral health lends itself to video because much of the work is conversation. Shigekawa et al. (2018) reviewed the research on telehealth before the pandemic and found the strongest evidence of effectiveness in mental health, along with support for some chronic disease management, though evidence on costs was mixed.

Yet the benefits did not reach everyone equally. Kontos et al. (2014) used national survey data to show that people with lower education and income were less likely to use online health tools, such as communicating with providers electronically. At Sandstone, clients in the most remote parts of our service area often lack broadband, and some older clients do not use smartphones. Phone sessions filled part of the gap, but our no-show rate for video visits is higher among clients on Medicaid than among those with commercial insurance. Technology made it easier for some clients to keep appointments and harder for others. Our clinicians also tell me that some conversations, especially about trauma or safety at home, are harder on video when a client has no private room to talk from.

What this page is doingResearch explains both the shift and its uneven reach.
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I want to learn how to choose communication tools that widen access rather than narrow it. For classmates: in your workplace, who benefited most from video or digital communication, and who struggled? What was done to help them?

What this page is doingA goal about widening access leads into a question on who gained and who struggled.
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References

Kontos, E., Blake, K. D., Chou, W.-Y. S., & Prestin, A. (2014). Predictors of eHealth usage: Insights on the digital divide from the Health Information National Trends Survey 2012. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 16(7), Article e172. https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.3117

Patel, S. Y., Mehrotra, A., Huskamp, H. A., Uscher-Pines, L., Ganguli, I., & Barnett, M. L. (2021). Variation in telemedicine use and outpatient care during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Health Affairs, 40(2), 349-358. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2020.01786

Shigekawa, E., Fix, M., Corbett, G., Roby, D. H., & Coffman, J. (2018). The current state of telehealth evidence: A rapid review. Health Affairs, 37(12), 1975-1982. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2018.05132

What the HIM 350 Module 1 instructions ask for

HIM 350 starts with a prompt about technology and the way patients and care teams now talk to each other. Keep the first post near 350 words, cite a pair of journal articles in APA 7 and come back later to answer classmates. Anchor the post in one change you have watched happen, lay out what research says about its use and effectiveness and ask who gains and who is left out. Mention how the change shows up in the record, since documentation is the lens health information professionals bring, and end with a question peers can answer from their own settings. HIM 350 graders notice clean headings in HIM 350 papers. HIM 350 names and dates need checking before HIM 350 submission. HIM 350 prompts vary by term, so recheck HIM 350 directions.

How this HIM 350 Module 1 discussion example is built

A health information coordinator at a rural behavioral health agency describes therapy moving from nearly all in-person visits to 48% video or phone. Patel and colleagues' data showing psychiatry's heavy use of telemedicine and Shigekawa and colleagues' finding that evidence is strongest in mental health explain the shift. Kontos and colleagues' digital divide research, together with broadband gaps and higher video no-shows among Medicaid clients, shows the uneven reach. The post notes new documentation elements and asks classmates who gained and who struggled. HIM 350 students can reuse this structure for HIM 350 work. HIM 350 claims here trace to cited HIM 350 sources. HIM 350 readers can adapt each section to HIM 350 data.

Where the HIM 350 Module 1 rubric puts the points

Instructors grading this first HIM 350 post usually weigh four things: whether the chosen change is a good illustration, whether the studies are reported correctly, whether both benefits and costs appear and whether the writer connects the change to records and documentation, with peer replies scored as well. The strongest posts give precise findings, name the groups affected differently and notice new documentation elements. A question that asks classmates to compare winners and losers in their own workplaces draws the most useful responses. HIM 350 marks favor careful formatting across HIM 350 sections. HIM 350 citations keep every HIM 350 argument credible. HIM 350 instructors weigh evidence heavily in HIM 350 grading.

HIM 350 Module 1 help: the mistakes that cost points

First communication technology posts lose points when they praise technology uncritically, describe changes without evidence or ignore patients who cannot use new tools. Another frequent gap is overlooking what the change means for records and documentation. Choose a concrete change, explain it with research, weigh benefits and gaps and connect to health information work. If your prompt focuses on a different technology, such as patient portals or secure messaging, send it with your HIM 350 notes so the post fits. HIM 350 drafts start well from a HIM 350 outline. HIM 350 feedback already received guides HIM 350 revisions. HIM 350 rubrics posted in Brightspace clarify HIM 350 expectations.

Get HIM 350 Module 1 written to your instructions

Share the HIM 350 Module 1 prompt and a communication change you have seen in healthcare. The post will describe it concretely, explain it with research, weigh who benefited and who struggled and connect it to documentation, within 24 to 48 hours, free the first time. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Southern New Hampshire University document.

More HIM 350 papers and related BS Health Information Management samples

HIM 350 Module 1 questions, answered

Where can I find a free HIM 350 Module 1 Discussion sample?

The full HIM 350 Module 1 post is here, describing how video visits reshaped a rural behavioral health agency and who was left behind.

Which specialties used telemedicine most during the pandemic?

Patel and colleagues found psychiatry relied on telemedicine far more than most specialties, around two-thirds of visits early on.

Does telehealth work for mental health care?

Shigekawa and colleagues' review found the strongest evidence of telehealth effectiveness in mental health.

What is the digital divide in healthcare?

Differences in access to and use of digital health tools, often by income, education, age and location.

How does telehealth change health records?

Records must capture visit modality, patient location, consent and technology problems that affect the session.