About HIMANYC

The Health Information Management Association of New York City, Inc., serves the five boroughs of New York City: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island. Our mission is to promote the art and science of health information management through education and networking.

HIMANYC has a rich history dating back to 1928 when it was formally called the Association of Medical Record Librarians of Greater New York. Sylvia Barteau of Bellevue Hospital was elected its first President and served until 1931. At that time, the Association served members of New York City, Long Island, Upper New York State and New Jersey.

In 1971, the Association was re-named the Greater New York Medical Record Association (GNYMRA). Subsequently, many localities, such as Long Island (1978), voted to form their own component associations.

In 1991, The Association’s name was changed to Health Information Management Association of New York City. This move was in keeping with the name changes made by the national (AHIMA) and state (NYHIMA) associations and to better reflect the role and responsibilities of the HIM professional. In November of 2003, HIMANYC celebrated it’s 75th Anniversary! For additional information on the many benefits of joining the association, print the brochure available to the left of this page.

The Dr. Lew A. Hochberg Fund

There are numerous stories of HIM individuals who give back to the profession; this is a story of a woman who, as a result of receiving an operation that extended her life, gave back to her profession to honor the doctor who performed the surgery.

Beatrice Gabin Zabell was born in 1917; at the age of 19, Beatrice developed lung cancer. During a time in medicine where the survival rate for cancer was minimal, Dr. Lew A. Hochberg removed one of Beatrice’s lungs. The success of the operation, rare at the time, allowed Beatrice to finish nursing school, marry Emil Zabell in 1946, and have a son, Sandy Zabell. She later became a HIM professional.

After Dr. Hochberg’s death in 1966, Beatrice established the fund to honor him. The fund was originally created to loan money to students in HIM programs. Given the changes in the field and educational programs, the use of the fund was changed too. The funds are currently being utilized to pay for RHIT exam fees for graduates from New York City HIT programs.   When Beatrice started this fund she had no way of knowing how many individuals, whom she would never meet, she would help. HIMANYC thanks Beatrice, her family and Dr. Hochberg for demonstrating a great example of giving back.