Managing Change Proactively within the Current HIM Professional Domain.

These words, spoken in 1867 by the British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, can equally apply to components of the broader society in the 21st Century. The observation is particularly appropriate for health information management and for the theme of this issue of the Journal (the changing health information service [HIS] work environment) and reflected in many of the papers included in the Issue. As professionals working in the area of health information management, we need to be progressive and adapt quickly to the constant changes that are fundamental to our discipline or we will be left behind. For example, Helen Cooper’s discussion of this issue from an educational perspective challenges Health Information Managers (HIMs) to consider that the change is not about ‘roles’; rather, it is about the evolving breadth, depth and scope of the discipline itself. Helen suggests that ‘we need to ensure currency of practical skills through ongoing education and training, undertake active succession planning for the next generation workforce and continue to ensure that the discipline retains relevance in a changing world’ (Cooper 2009). The formation of the Australian Health Informatics Education Council (AHIEC) provides a timely opportunity to review the current state of tertiary education and training for health information managers and informaticians. As you will see in this issue of HIMJ, the contributors provide inspiring examples of HIM careers that ‘boldly go where no one has gone before’ (Star Trek Next Generation 19872). How can we proactively manage change within our current professional domain? One