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Susan Fenton, PhD, RHIA, FAHIMA

Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Academic and Curricular Affairs

Susan Fenton, PhD, RHIA, FAHIMA, joined UTHealth School of Biomedical Informatics (SBMI) on June 1, 2013 as an assistant professor of biomedical informatics. She came to SBMI from Texas State University in San Marcos, where she was an assistant professor and co-director of the Institute for Health Information Technology. In August 2014, Fenton transitioned into the role of associate dean for academic affairs, taking over the management responsibilities for the Office of Academic Affairs and helping the school acquire health informatics and information management education accreditation from CAHIIM for the applied health informatics program. Effective September 2016, Fenton is now a biomedical informatics associate professor.

Fenton’s research interests include workforce development, data management, ICD-10 implementation and health care associated infections. Her interest in workforce development was limited to health IT professionals, but she sees a huge need to develop new methods for healthcare professionals to learn how to use information technology effectively. As for health care associated infections, Fenton has a new project working with an industrial engineer who identifies failure points that result in HAIs. After the failure points are identified, they will determine the impact of the failure points on EHRs and documentation.

“I love to teach students the power of data, as well as how information technology can be implemented effectively to support operations.”

Contact

 SBMIAcademics@uth.tmc.edu
Phone: 713-500-3591
Fax: 713-500-3929

Staff Support

 Blanca Torres
Phone: 713-486-0114


Education

  • PhD, Health Services Research, 2007, Texas A&M University
  • MBA, Business Administration, 1990, The University of Houston
  • BS, Health Information Management, 1987, The University of Texas Medical Branch

Areas of Expertise

  • Workforce development
  • Data management
  • ICD-10 implementation
  • Health care associated infections

Courses Taught


Publications

Textbooks:

  1. Fenton, S.H., and Biedermann, S., editors, Introduction to Health Informatics, American Health Information Management Association, 2013. (In press.) Sole author of 2 chapters, co-author on 4 chapters

 
Chapters in Books:

  1. Fenton, S.H., Wang, T., Moczygemba, J., Myers, D., and Biedermann, S., “Health Information Management”, in Hospitals: What They Are and How They Work, 4th edition, edited by Donald J. Griffin, Jones-Bartlett, 2012, pp. 201-212
  2. Fenton, S.H. and Greene, M., “Clinical Classifications and Vocabularies”, in Health Information Management: Concepts, Principles, and Practice, 2nd edition, edited by Kathleen M. LaTour and Shirley Eichenwald, AHIMA, 2006, pp. 305-342
  3. Fenton, S.H., “Software Development and Implementation”, in Ethical Challenges in the Management of Health Information, edited by Laurinda B. Harman, Aspen Publishers, Inc., 2001, pp. 215-227
  4. Fenton, S.H., Lloyd, S., “Managing the Transformation from Paper Record Systems”, in Electronic Health Records: Changing the Vision, edited by Gretchen F. Murphy, Mary Alice Hanken, and Kathleen A. Waters, W.B. Saunders Company, 1999, pp. 548-560
  5. Fenton, S.H., “Capturing Data in Ambulatory Care Settings”, in Computerizing Large Integrated Health Networks: the VA success, edited by Robert M. Kolodner, Springer-Verlag New York Inc., 1997, pp. 148-154

 
Refereed Journal Articles:

  1. Fenton, S.H., “HIM: Changing Across the Nation and the World,” Perspectives in Health Information Management,” (Spring 2013): 1.
  2. Fenton, S.H., Joost, E., and Gongora-Ferraez, M.J., “Health Information Technology Knowledge and Skills Needed by HIT Employers,” Applied Clinical Informatics, 2012, 3(4): 448-461.
  3. Moczygemba, J. and Fenton, S.H., “Lessons Learned from an ICD-10-CM Clinical Documentation Pilot Study,” Perspectives in Health Information Management, (Winter 2012): 1-11
  4. Stanfill M., Fenton S.H., Williams M., Jenders R., Hersh W., “A Systematic Review of Automated Clinical Coding and Classification Systems.” Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association. (Nov/Dec 2010). 17(6); 656-651. doi:10.1136/jamia.2009.001024
  5. Hertelendy A., Fenton S.H., Griffin D., “The Implications of Health Reform for Health Information and Electronic Health Record Implementation Efforts.” Perspectives in Health Information Management, 2010 Summer, 7(Summer), 1e
  6. Hart-Hester S., Jones W., Watzlaf V.J., Fenton S.H., Nielsen C., Madison M., Arthur C., Marbury D., Rudman L., Patterson R., Reynolds R., Rudman W. “Impact of creating a pay for quality improvement (P4QI) incentive program on healthcare disparity: leveraging HIT in rural hospitals and small physician offices.” Perspectives in Health Information Management, 5, no. 14, Fall 2008, 1-13
  7. Giannangelo, K., Fenton, S.H., “SNOMED CT Survey: An Assessment of Implementation in EMR/EHR Applications”, Perspectives in Health Information Management, 5, no. 7, Spring 2008, 1-13
  8. Lloyd, S.S., Fenton, S.H., “Mentoring Health Information Professionals in the Department of Veterans Affairs”, Perspectives in Health Information Management, 5, no. 5, Spring 2008, 1-11
  9. Giannangelo, K., Fenton, S., “EHR’s Effect on the Revenue Cycle Management Coding Function.” Journal of Health Information Management 22, no. 1, Winter 2008, 26-29
  10. Fenton, S.H., Gamm, L., “Evaluation and Management Documentation and Coding Technology Adoption.” Perspectives in Health Information Management 4, no. 7, Summer 2007, 1-24
  11. Fenton, S.H., Badgett, R., “A Comparison of Primary Care Content in UpToDate and the National Guidelines Clearinghouse.” Journal of the Medical Library Association 95, no. 3, (July 2007): 253-257
  12. Fenton, S.H., Amatayakul, M., Work, M., “HIM Impact on EHRs: Newly Released Study Links HIM Professionals and Successful EHR Implementations.” Journal of AHIMA 77, no. 9 (October 2006): 36-40
  13. McBride, S., Gilder, R., Davis, R., Fenton, S., “Data Mapping.” Journal of AHIMA 77, no. 1 (January 2006): 44-48
  14. Giannangelo, K., Bowman, S., Dougherty, M., Fenton, S.H., “ICF: Representing the Patient Beyond a Medical Diagnosis.” Perspectives in Health Information Management 2005, 2:7 (November 2, 2005).

 
Non-refereed articles:

  1. Biedermann, S., Fenton, S.H., “Bootcamp and Beyond: A Research Journey.” Journal of AHIMA, 2012 August; 83 (8): 32-5
  2. Bronnert, J., Clark, J., Cook, J., Fenton, S., Scichilone, R., Williams, M., and Wilson, P., “Data Mapping: Best Practices.” Journal of AHIMA 82, no. 4 (April 2011): 46-52
  3. Kallem, Crystal, and Fenton, Susan H., “Needed: Data Content Standards.” Journal of AHIMA 78, no. 1 (January 2007): 60-61
  4. Fenton, S.H., “Skills for an e-HIM Environment.” Journal of AHIMA 77, no. 8 (September 2006): 70
  5. Fenton, S.H., Giannangelo, K., Stanfill, M. “Essential People Skills for EHR Implementation Success (AHIMA Practice Brief).” Journal of AHIMA 77, no. 6 (June 2006): 60A-D
  6. Fenton, S.H., “Structured or Unstructured? Options for Clinician Data Entry in the EHR”, Journal of AHIMA 77, no. 3 (March 2006): 52
  7. Fenton, S.H., “Public Health and e-HIM.” Journal of AHIMA, 76, no. 8 (September 2005): 64-5
  8. Fenton, S.H., Scichilone, R., Giannangelo, K., “Clinical Terminologies in the Electronic Health Record.” For the Record, 17, no. 18 (August 29, 2005): 30
  9. Fenton, S.H., Williams, M. “Getting to Know PubMed: An Overview.” Journal of AHIMA, 76, no. 3 (March 2005): 60A-D
  10. Rhodes, P.A., Bookstaver, S., and Fenton, S.H., “Implementing a Data Management Education Program” Journal of AHIMA, July-August 1997, 68(7), pp. 35-37
  11. Fenton, S.H., guest editor, Journal of AHIMA, April 1996, 67(4)
  12. Clayton, A.C., and Fenton, S.H., “Health Information Managers and Clinical Data Repositories: A Natural Fit.” Journal of AHIMA, April 1996, 67(4), pp. 48-52
  13. Fenton, S.H., “Making the Computer-based Patient Record Usable and User Friendly.” Journal of AHIMA, January 1995, 66(1), pp. 60-62
  14. Fenton, S.H., “Veterans Health Administration Develops National Health Care Plan.” Journal of AHIMA, May 1993, 65(1), pp. 67-68

 
Other Works

  1. Clark, Jill S., Fenton, Susan H., Fuller, Jan, Giannangelo, Kathy, Johnson, Kathy, Ruhnau-Gee, Becky, Scichilone, Rita, Ulmer, Stephen, and Wilson, Patricia. “Meaningful Use Vocabulary Toolkit,” American Health Information Management Association, 2010, http://library.ahima.org/xpedio/groups/public/documents/ahima/bok1_048346.pdf