Iredell Memorial Welcomes New Director of Health Information Management

Iredell County, NC – Iredell Health System is pleased to announce Cara Nielsen, RHIT, as its new Health Information Management Director and Privacy Officer.

Nielsen has over 20 years of experience in the healthcare field. Starting in 1999, she became a medical transcriptionist and eventually went on to run that company. It was in that position where Nielsen realized healthcare was where she was meant to be. Afterward, she came to Iredell Health System, working as a transcription coordinator, a records management coordinator, and later, a clinical systems analyst in the information technology department. Nielsen left Iredell for a short time and in 2019, came back to become the Health Information Management Quality Data Manager.

As Health Information Management Director and Privacy Officer, Nielsen will manage her department as well the integrity, security, accuracy, and privacy of the organization’s data and medical records.

“Health information management touches almost all areas of the hospital. We are responsible for overseeing tumor registry, coding, denials management, records processing, HIPAA and privacy, and release of information,” she said.

 Her team is also tasked with fixing errors in patient charts and ensuring medical records are complete, concise, and correct.

In her new role, Nielsen hopes to serve as a loyal partner for all of the departments at Iredell.

“There’s a lot of technological advances that we are trying to implement. So, I am excited about embracing those advancements for the betterment of not just our department, but the entire organization,” said Nielsen.

Nielson earned her associate’s degree from Central Piedmont Community College before receiving her bachelor’s degree in health information management from Western Governor’s University.

She is originally from California but currently resides in Mooresville. Nielsen enjoys playing tennis and completing home improvement projects. She has two grown children, Joshua and Megan.

About Iredell Health System Iredell Health System includes Iredell Memorial Hospital; Iredell Mooresville; Iredell Home Health; Iredell Wound Care & Hyperbaric Center; Community and Corporate Wellness; Occupational Medicine; the Iredell Physician Network and more.

Iredell Memorial Hospital is the largest and only nonprofit hospital in Iredell County. The comprehensive healthcare facility has 247 beds; more than 1,700 employees; and has 260 physicians representing various specialties. Centers of excellence include Women’s and Children’s; Cardiovascular; Cancer; Surgical Services and Wellness & Prevention. The Health System’s newest campus, Iredell Mooresville, is home to the area’s only 24-hour urgent care facility, as well as an ambulatory surgery center, imaging center, rehabilitation services, and physician practices. The mission of Iredell Health System is to inspire wellbeing. For a comprehensive list of services and programs, visit www.iredellhealth.org.