Special to Iredell Free News
Iredell Health System has promoted Cara Nielsen, RHIT, to health information management director and privacy officer.
Nielsen has over 20 years of experience in the healthcare field. Starting in 1999, she became a medical transcriptionist and eventually went on to run that company. It was in that position where Nielsen realized healthcare was where she was meant to be.
Afterward, she began working for Iredell Health System as a transcription coordinator, a records management coordinator, and a clinical systems analyst in the information technology department. Nielsen left Iredell for a short time and in 2019, but returned to become the health information management quality data manager.
In her new role as health information management director and privacy officer, Nielsen will manage her department as well the integrity, security, accuracy, and privacy of the organization’s data and medical records.
“Health information management touches almost all areas of the hospital. We are responsible for overseeing tumor registry, coding, denials management, records processing, HIPAA and privacy, and release of information,” she said.
Her team is also tasked with fixing errors in patient charts and ensuring medical records are complete, concise, and correct.
In this role, Nielsen hopes to serve as a loyal partner for all of the departments at Iredell Health System.
“There’s a lot of technological advances that we are trying to implement. So I am excited about embracing those advancements for the betterment of not just our department, but the entire organization,” said Nielsen.
Nielson earned her associate’s degree from Central Piedmont Community College before receiving her bachelor’s degree in health information management from Western Governor’s University.
Originally from California, she currently resides in Mooresville. Nielsen enjoys playing tennis and completing home improvement projects. She has two grown children, Joshua and Megan.
About Iredell Health System
Iredell Health System includes Iredell Memorial Hospital; Iredell Mooresville; Iredell Home Health; Iredell Wound Care & Hyperbaric Center; Community and Corporate Wellness; Occupational Medicine; the Iredell Physician Network and more. Iredell Memorial Hospital is the largest and only nonprofit hospital in Iredell County. The comprehensive healthcare facility has 247 beds; more than 1,700 employees; and has 260 physicians representing various specialties. Centers of excellence include Women’s and Children’s; Cardiovascular; Cancer; Surgical Services and Wellness & Prevention. The Health System’s newest campus, Iredell Mooresville, is home to the area’s only 24-hour urgent care facility, as well as an ambulatory surgery center, imaging center, rehabilitation services, and physician practices. The mission of Iredell Health System is to inspire wellbeing. For a comprehensive list of services and programs, visit www.iredellhealth.org.