Health Information Management
Health Information Management Degree
Quality information is essential to all aspects of today's healthcare system. Health information management (HIM) is the body of knowledge and practice that ensures the availability of health information to facilitate real-time healthcare delivery and critical health-related decision making for multiple purposes across diverse organizations, settings, and disciplines.
- The HIM program opens many doors for graduates to enter.
- Employment is expected to grow faster than average
- Technicians with a strong background in medical coding will be in high demand
- Entrants usually have an associate’s degree
- Courses usually include:
- Anatomy and Physiology, Medical Terminology, Concepts of Disease
- Statistics, Research and Quality Improvement
- Computers. Information Technology, Healthcare technologies
- Legal Aspects of Health Information
- Management and supervision of health information functions
- This is one of the very few health occupations that does not require direct clinical contact with patients
- Technicians are responsible for the patient’s health information
- Technicians make sure that the charts are complete, all the forms are completely and properly signed and identified, and the proper information is put into the computer
- Some technicians specialize in coding patient information for insurance, research and healthcare quality improvement purposes
- Lifelong learning is a great approach to moving up the “corporate” ladder
AAS degree in Health Information Management
This degree enables graduates to take a national examination to qualify as a registered health information technician (RHIT). An RHIT is qualified at entry level to obtain employment in virtually any healthcare environment managing health data, ensuring standards are met for healthcare information, medical coding, reimbursement, healthcare statistics and research, quality management and performance improvement, legal and ethical aspects of health information, healthcare technologies and information systems, supervision and managing financial and physical resources.
College Credit Certificate in Medical Information Coding/Billing
This certificate requires those degree classes needed to code medical records in any healthcare environment. Hospital coding generally requires national certification. This certificate provides the graduate with the foundation necessary to prepare for these national examinations – CCS, CCS-P, CPC and CPC-H.
AAS degree in Office Administration: Medical Office Management Specialization
This degree provides the foundation needed to perform every non-clinical job in a typical physician’s office including medical record transcription and billing with an option to gain more knowledge in either of these subjects and it also provides a career path to managing a medical office.
College Credit Certificate in Medical Office Management
All of the credits in this certificate may be applied to the AAS in Office Administration: Medical Office Management Specialization. The certificate provides the basic foundation needed to obtain entry-level employment in a physician’s office as a receptionist, billing clerk or transcription assistant.
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