Objectives
The program in Health Information Technology teaches how to collect, analyze, monitor, maintain and report health data in accordance with established data quality principles, legal and information security standards and professional best practice guidelines. These functions encompass, among other duties, processing requests for the release of personal health information, the coding of clinical information, processing and using health data for clinical quality management, billing/reimbursement and compliance with patient privacy regulations.

Career Opportunities
Graduates of this program* may pursue careers as health information technicians in a variety of health care settings. Entry-level positions may include medical records technician, health information technician, patient information coordinator and reimbursement specialist.

*Many employers of health information technicians either limit their hiring, or give hiring preference, to candidates who are Registered Health Information Technicians (RHIT). In order for a student to become an RHIT upon graduation, the student must pass a certification examination for RHIT administered by the Council on Certification of the American Health Information Management Association (the Certification Exam). In order for a student to be allowed to take the Certification Exam to become an RHIT, the student must: (a) graduate from a program of study in health information technology that is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM); and (b) pay an examination fee, for which the student is solely responsible. At this time, this program is accredited by CAHIIM. Graduates of this program are eligible to take the Certification Exam to become an RHIT. A graduate of this program is unlikely to qualify for any employment opportunities involving the management of health information, unless and until he or she is able to pass the Certification Exam.

Admission Requirements
Refer to the Admission section of this catalog for information relating to Admission Requirements and Procedures for this program.

School Equipment
Students will have the opportunity to use the following school equipment as required throughout the program: computer systems, network hubs, patch panels, printers and other common computer peripherals. Refer to Student Equipment in the Online Course Information section of this catalog for information relating to the student equipment requirements for the distance education courses that are taught online over the Internet.

Class Size
Classes generally range in size from 15 to 30 students. Depending on the course subject matter, certain classes may contain a greater or lesser number of students.

Program Outline

To view a list of the course descriptions, please click here.