HIM 440 Module 1 Discussion Example

Reviewed by Delia Ravenscroft, MSN, RN

This HIM 440 Module 1 Discussion sample explores the role of a health information manager when a department needs to change and the staff are not yet convinced. It is written for SNHU HIM 440 (HIM-440), a management course in which BS Health Information Management students first consider what managers actually do before tackling benchmarks and strategy. The composite health information director, two months into the job at a 290-bed hospital in central Pennsylvania, announced a productivity standard for remote coders and met open resistance at the next staff meeting. The post reflects on what went wrong, uses research on change management models, an example of Kotter's steps applied in a hospital and evidence about how leaders' behavior affects staff, and asks classmates how their managers introduced a change that stuck.

CourseHIM 440 Management of Health Information Services
ModuleModule 1
Paper typeundergraduate discussion post on the HIM manager's role in leading change
LengthAbout 340 words, 3 pages
FormatAPA 7 student paper
SchoolSouthern New Hampshire University
ProgramBS Health Information Management
UpdatedSeptember 2026

Free sample paper for HIM 440 Module 1

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Module One Discussion

I Announced a Standard and Lost the Room

Six weeks into my job as director of health information at Kettle Creek Medical Center, I announced at a staff meeting that inpatient coders would be expected to code a set number of charts per hour, adjusted for case complexity. Discharged accounts waiting on coding had reached $7.4 million, and I had the numbers to prove we needed a standard. By the end of the meeting, three of our most experienced coders had asked whether the hospital was preparing to outsource them. I had the right problem and the wrong approach.

What this page is doingThe writer describes the change that met resistance.
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This module's readings helped me see why. Harrison et al. (2021) reviewed how change management models are used in health care and found them applied widely, with Kotter's model the most common, although evidence of their effect was limited and they worked best combined with improvement methods. Kotter's early steps, creating urgency, building a guiding coalition and forming a shared vision, all come before announcing anything. I skipped to the announcement. Small et al. (2016) used Kotter's steps to introduce bedside shift handoff on a nursing unit and credited much of their success to involving staff in designing the change rather than presenting it finished. My coders were never asked how they thought productivity should be measured, though they know the case mix better than I do.

The manager's role is also about how people feel while change happens. Shanafelt and Noseworthy (2017) describe evidence that the behavior of a person's immediate leader, such as informing, inviting input, recognizing work and supporting development, is associated with that person's burnout and satisfaction. With turnover at 24% last year, our department cannot afford a change that drives more people out.

What this page is doingResearch explains the misstep and the manager's role.
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I have put the standard on hold. Next week, two senior coders and a remote coder will join me in reviewing a month of coding data to agree on fair measures by case type. For classmates: can you describe a change at your workplace that stuck, and what did the manager do before announcing it?

What this page is doingThe writer describes a revised approach and asks peers a question.
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References

Harrison, R., Fischer, S., Walpola, R. L., Chauhan, A., Babalola, T., Mears, S., & Le-Dao, H. (2021). Where do models for change management, improvement and implementation meet? A systematic review of the applications of change management models in healthcare. Journal of Healthcare Leadership, 13, 85-108. https://doi.org/10.2147/JHL.S289176

Shanafelt, T. D., & Noseworthy, J. H. (2017). Executive leadership and physician well-being: Nine organizational strategies to promote engagement and reduce burnout. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 92(1), 129-146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2016.10.004

Small, A., Gist, D., Souza, D., Dalton, J., Magny-Normilus, C., & David, D. (2016). Using Kotter's change model for implementing bedside handoff: A quality improvement project. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 31(4), 304-309. https://doi.org/10.1097/NCQ.0000000000000212

What the HIM 440 Module 1 instructions ask for

Week one of HIM 440 turns to what a health information manager is for, usually framed through leadership, change or the tension between results and people. Plan on roughly a page, citing a couple of peer-reviewed sources in APA 7, with replies to at least two classmates. Pick an actual or composite situation where a manager introduced change, describe what happened in specific terms and connect it to a named model or concept such as Kotter's steps, stakeholder engagement or leader behavior. Explain what the manager did well or poorly and what you would do differently. End with a question that asks peers for a concrete example from their own workplaces rather than a general opinion.

How this HIM 440 Module 1 discussion example is built

A new director at Kettle Creek Medical Center announces a coding productivity standard to cut $7.4 million in accounts waiting on coding, and experienced coders fear outsourcing. The post uses Harrison and colleagues to show that Kotter's model is the most common change model in health care, notes that its early steps come before any announcement and draws on Small and colleagues' bedside handoff project to show the value of involving staff. Shanafelt and Noseworthy link leader behavior to burnout, which matters with 24% turnover. The director pauses the standard, forms a coder working group and asks classmates about changes that stuck. A final line admits what the director would do differently.

Where the HIM 440 Module 1 rubric puts the points

Opening posts in HIM 440 tend to be assessed on insight into the manager's role, accurate use of management concepts, a specific example, appropriate sources and meaningful peer interaction, with APA 7 citations. Posts that stand out are honest about mistakes and show how a model explains them, rather than describing an idealized manager. Graders reward writers who connect people issues such as turnover and trust to operational results such as unbilled accounts. A revised plan with concrete next steps shows that reflection has turned into management thinking, which is the habit this course builds toward its strategic planning project at the end of the term. Brief, specific replies also count.

HIM 440 Module 1 help: the mistakes that cost points

First posts lose points when they define management functions in general terms, praise or criticize a manager without evidence, name a change model without applying its steps or ignore the staff side of change. Some posts also drift away from health information work entirely, which graders notice. If your prompt asks about a particular topic, such as delegation, remote supervision or ethics in management, include the assigned readings and the post will be built around them. Include your reply requirements too. Any custom version can swap in a story from your job and still move from situation to concept, evidence, lesson and question, as this Kettle Creek post does.

Get HIM 440 Module 1 written to your instructions

Share the HIM 440 Module 1 discussion prompt and a change you have seen a manager lead. Your post will describe it specifically, apply a named change model, draw on research about leadership and staff well-being and close with a question for classmates, delivered in 24 to 48 hours with the first request free. 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.

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More HIM 440 papers and related BS Health Information Management samples

HIM 440 Module 1 questions, answered

Where can I find a free HIM 440 Module 1 Discussion sample?

The full HIM 440 Module 1 post appears here: a new HIM director, a resisted productivity standard and what leading change requires of a manager.

What is Kotter's change model?

An eight-step approach that begins with creating urgency, building a guiding coalition and forming a vision before communicating and implementing change.

Why do staff resist productivity standards?

They may fear job loss, doubt that measures reflect case complexity or feel excluded from decisions about how their work is judged.

How does a manager's behavior affect staff burnout?

Research links leaders who inform, invite input, recognize work and support development with lower burnout and higher satisfaction.

What is the HIM manager's role in change?

To diagnose the need, involve the people affected, communicate a shared purpose and support staff through the transition.