Linda Kloss, the CEO of the American Health Information Management Association, will step down effective March 31, 2010, the organization announced Friday.
Kloss has led AHIMA for 15 years, during which membership, revenues and national influence have all experienced substantial growth, AHIMA directors said. The board of directors has initiated a national search for her successor.
"Serving as AHIMA's CEO has been a privilege and the high point of my career," Kloss said. "It has been an honor to work with so many able and dedicated members, volunteers and staff. We have seen huge progress at AHIMA and in the role of health information management in our industry. I am proud of what we have accomplished together."
Kloss, who has been AHIMA's CEO since 1995, said she intends to continue her career-long commitment to improving health information and will explore ways she might contribute in these critical times during the coming months.
AHIMA President Vera Rulon said the board of directors is committed to focusing on meeting AHIMA's strategic goals while planning for a smooth transition of executive leadership. "We thank Linda for her leadership of AHIMA over the years and for working with the board over the coming months to make certain we accomplish a smooth leadership transition by the spring of 2010," Rulon said.
The association serves 53,000 members with leadership in advocacy, education, certification and lifelong learning. Led by Kloss, AHIMA has initiated healthcare industry projects in both the public and private sectors, while affiliates such as the AHIMA Foundation and the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education support its mission to "improve healthcare by advancing best practices and standards for health information management and (serve as) the trusted source for education, research and professional credentialing."
