To provide a list of records with a principal diagnosis of myocardial infarction, what would the HIM director use?

A disease index is a systematic listing of diseases and health conditions, typically organized by diagnosis codes. This tool is critical for health information management as it allows healthcare facilities to track and retrieve patient records based on specific diagnoses.

When the HIM director needs to compile a list of records that specifically highlight patients with a principal diagnosis of myocardial infarction, the disease index is the most appropriate resource. It categorizes patient records based on diagnoses, enabling easy access to all cases of myocardial infarction documented within the facility.

The other choices serve different purposes; for example, a master patient index contains basic demographic information about patients and helps in identifying individual patient records but does not provide disease-specific insights. An operative index details surgical procedures performed but does not sort records based on diagnoses. A physician index lists records according to the physicians who treated or diagnosed the patients, which is also not geared toward retrieving records based on specific clinical conditions. Thus, using a disease index ensures the HIM director can accurately locate and list the relevant patient records for myocardial infarction.