Course Catalog

Health Information Specialist - HMC1 Technical Certificate of Credit


Campus Locations: High School

Health information management (HIM) is the practice of acquiring, analyzing, and protecting digital and traditional medical information vital to providing quality patient care. It is a combination of business, science, and information technology. HIM professionals are trained technology applications and understand the workflow in any healthcare provider organization. They are vital to the daily operations management of health information and electronic health records (EHRs). They ensure a patient's health information and records are complete, accurate, and protected. Health information management (HIM) professionals work in a variety of different settings and job titles and they connect clinical, operational, and administrative functions. HIM professionals work on the classification of diseases and treatments to ensure they are standardized for clinical, financial, and legal uses in healthcare. Health information professionals care for patients by caring for their medical data. They are responsible for the quality, integrity, and protection of patient's health information.

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 or college transcripts showing successful completion of 60+ semester credits or 72+ quarter credits
  • Submit official college transcripts, if applicable
  • Present acceptable ACCUPLACER, ACT, ASSET, COMPASS, PSAT, or SAT scores or GED score of 145 or higher or have one of the following: an associate degree or higher or have a HOPE GPA of 2.6 after the completion of 10th grade. 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.
Curriculum Outline (10 hours)
Occupational Courses 10
HIMT 1100

Weekly Contact Hours: Lecture - 2 Lab 2 - 2 Lab 3 - 0 Pre-requisite(s): Program Admission Co-requisite(s): None This course focuses on orienting the student to health information management. Topics include introducing students to the structure of healthcare in the United States and its providers, and the structure and function of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).

3
HIMT 1200

Weekly Contact Hours: Lecture - 2 Lab 2 - 2 Lab 3 - 0 Pre-requisite(s): Program Admission Co-requisite(s): None This course focuses on the study of legal principles applicable to health information, patient care and health records. Topics include: working of the American Legal System, courts and legal procedures, principles of liability, patient record requirements, access to health information, confidentiality and informed consent, the judicial process of health information, specialized patient records, risk management and quality assurance, HIV information, and the electronic health record.

3
HIMT 1250

Weekly Contact Hours: Lecture - 1 Lab 2 - 2 Lab 3 - 0 Pre-requisite(s): None Co-requisite(s): None This course provides a study of content, storage, retrieval, control, retention, and maintenance of health information. Topics include: health data structure, content and standards, healthcare information requirements and standards.

2
Choose One of the Following (2 Hours) 2
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
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
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