Dana Ahern
Thanks to Dana Ahern, USC students can now schedule appointments and retrieve medical records online. Ahern, director of health information management at the University Park Health Center (UPHC), helped implement MySHR (My Student Health Record), a paperless point-and-click electronic records program.
Ahern, a registered health information administrator (RHIA), is responsible for ensuring patients’ privacy and making certain that student health records comply with regulatory standards. The new records system, she says, will help staff members do their jobs more efficiently.
“The new system has helped patient caretakers access patient data and has increased the level of patient care,” says Ahern. “It was really rewarding to see the student health care environment transition as a whole over the summer.”
Ahern earned her bachelor’s degree in health information management and her RHIA certification from Carroll College. Prior to coming to USC three years ago, Ahern worked at Century City Doctors Hospital — one of the first paperless hospitals.
“I like to be in an environment where I can have a direct impact on the development and growth of patients,” says Ahern. “At the UPHC, we get to help people become educated about health care in general. Many of our patients are learning to take care of themselves without their parents’ help for the first time.”
When she’s not working, Ahern enjoys playing tennis, hiking in the Santa Monica hills and spending time with her niece and nephews.