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  5. Healthcare Access Associate - HA51

Healthcare Access Associate - HA51 Technical Certificate of Credit

Campus Locations: High School

Healthcare access services (also referred to as patient access services and front line staff) is the department and staff of the hospital performing common functions and processes related to handling protected health data and assisting the patient through their service experience. The Healthcare Access Services Department takes care of the patient's needs from the time the patient initially contacts or presents to the hospital, clinic, or physician's office for services, and continues until the time the patient receives medical/mental health services. This curriculum focuses on knowledge, skills and competencies related to: identifying and collecting quality data, understanding electronic health records, interpreting medical terminology, meeting healthcare reimbursement insurance system guidelines and collecting upfront payments to help increase the organization's revenue cycle performance. The program also presents the student with a body of knowledge instilling customer service excellence through effective communication in the healthcare environment. Students learn how to follow standard policies and procedures pertinent to scheduling, insurance authorization and verification, registration and admissions, point of service collections and other skills required for the Healthcare Access Associate. The program is designed to encourage professional growth in the field and prepare the student to sit for the National Association of Healthcare Access Management (NAHAM) exam for certification as a Certified Healthcare Access Associate (CHAA).

Requirements:

  • Submit a completed application and application fee
  • Be at least 16 years of age
  • Submit official high school transcript or High School Equivalency transcript
  • Submit official college transcripts, if applicable
  • Present acceptable SAT or ACT scores taken within the last 60 months, or acceptable ACCUPLACER, COMPASS or ASSET scores taken within the last 60 months. Documentation on a college transcript of successful completion of appropriate courses from a regionally accredited college or university may be accepted in lieu of test scores
  • American Heart Association Provider CPR Certification, physical examination, up-to-date immunizations, criminal background check and drug screen required prior to start of clinical rotation.
Curriculum Outline (22 hours)
General Core Courses 6
ENGL 1010

Weekly Contact Hours: Lecture - 3 Lab 2 - 0 Lab 3 - 0 Pre-requisite(s): Diploma Level Reading and Writing Scores OR READ 0090 and/or ENGL 0090 w/ a “C” or better Co-requisite(s): None Emphasizes the development and improvement of written and oral communication abilities. Topics include analysis of writing, applied grammar and writing skills, editing and proofreading skills, research skills, and oral communication skills.

3
MATH 1012

Weekly Contact Hours: Lecture - 3 Lab 2 - 0 Lab 3 - 0 Pre-requisite(s): Diploma Level Math Scores or MATH 0090 w/ a “C” or better Co-requisite(s): None Emphasizes the application of basic mathematical skills used in the solution of occupational and technical problems. Topics include fractions, decimals, percents, ratios and proportions, measurement and conversion, geometric concepts, technical applications, and basic statistics.

3
Occupational Courses 16
ALHS 1090

Weekly Contact Hours: Lecture - 2 Lab 2 - 0 Lab 3 - 0 Pre-requisite(s): None Co-requisite(s): None Introduces the elements of medical terminology. Emphasis is placed on building familiarity with medical words through knowledge of roots, prefixes, and suffixes. Topics include: origins (roots, prefixes, and suffixes), word building, abbreviations and symbols, and terminology related to the human anatomy.

2
BUSN 1015

Weekly Contact Hours: Lecture - 4 Lab 2 - 0 Lab 3 - 0 Pre-requisite(s): ALHS 1090 Co-requisite(s): None This course is designed to increase efficiency and streamline administrative procedures for insurance coding and billing. Topics include documentation in the medical record, diagnostic code selections, types of insurance, Medicare compliance policies related to documentation and confidentiality, and HIPAA and other compliance regulations.

3
HIMT 1105

Weekly Contact Hours: Lecture - 3 Lab 2 - 0 Lab 3 - 0 Pre-requisite(s): ALHS 1090 Co-requisite(s): None Provides comprehensive coverage of healthcare access service roles and processes employed in healthcare settings. Emphasis is placed on the knowledge and skills needed to competently interact with healthcare most valuable customer - the patient while following business policies and procedures. Topics include: role of healthcare access services staff and the impact on national patient satisfaction scores; professional ethics and cultural considerations; professionalism and competency; customer service excellence; meeting insurance payer guidelines; compliance standards for handling and protecting health information. Prepares student as candidate for NAHAM's Certified Healthcare Access Associate exam.

3
HIMT 1150

Weekly Contact Hours: Lecture - 1 Lab 2 - 4 Lab 3 - 0 Pre-requisite(s): None Co-requisite(s): None Designed to provide students with computer and software skills used in medical offices. Topics include hardware and software components of computers for medical record applications; database software and information management; specialized information management systems in healthcare; methods of controlling confidentiality and patient rights; accuracy and security of health information data in computer systems as well as future directions of information technology in healthcare.

3
HIMT 1205

Weekly Contact Hours: Lecture - 2 Lab 2 - 0 Lab 3 - 0 Pre-requisite(s): HIMT 1105 Co-requisite(s): None This course provides students with the opportunity to prepare for the national Association of Healthcare Access Management's (NAHAM) Certified Healthcare Access Associate (CHAA) certification exam. Course is designed to provide review of skills needed to prepare for the CHAA credential exam. CHAAs are healthcare access associates who ensure quality of data collection and security of data, and customer service. CHAAs use computer applications to schedule services and analyze data to determine patient financial responsibility. Course provides comprehensive practice multiple choice test databank (300+ questions). Topics include: review of content specific to the healthcare access services' field and test-taking strategies.

2
Choose One of the Following (3 Hours) 3
COLL 1010

Weekly Contact Hours: Lecture - 2 Lab 2 - 0.5 Lab 3 - 2.5 Pre-Requisites: None Co-Requisite: None This course is designed to assist the learner to acquire skills necessary to achieve academic, personal, and professional success and to improve student retention. Areas of importance include Getting off to a Good Start, Learning and Personality Styles, Time and Personal Financial Management, Stress Management and Wellness, Studying and Test Taking Skills, Communication Skills, Career Planning and Goal Setting, Computer Applications/Technology Skills and Employability/Professional Skills.

3
COMP 2000

Weekly Contact Hours: Lecture-3 Lab 2 - 0 Lab 3 - 0 Pre-Requisites: Program Admission Co-Requisite: None This course provides an introduction to computer applications for the development of analytical and problem-solving workplace skills. The course introduces the fundamental concepts, terminology, and operations necessary to use computers. Topics include file management, word processing software, database software, spreadsheet software, and presentation software skill development. The course also introduces terminology related to computer hardware, computer networks, and social and ethical concepts.

3
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