Health Information

Introduction to health record practice and the health information profession. Students will study health record, functions, content, documentation, purposes, and users including secondary data sources and data sets. Students will be introduced to legal and ethical issues, including data privacy, confidentiality, and security standards. Students will explore ethical issues in health information management. Students will use virtual lab software applications. Web-based instruction. Prerequisites and/or Corequisites: None. (F, O)

Emphasis on the specific disease processes affecting the human body systems via an integrative approach to specific disease entities, including the study of causes, diagnosis, and treatment of disease. The study of drug actions, including the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of drugs by the body. Emphasis on most commonly prescribed drugs, the drug formulary, and on matching drugs to common conditions and correlating lab findings. Web-based instruction. Prerequisite: BOTE 171. (S, O)

A study of health information management (HIM) in various healthcare settings. Includes an overview of each healthcare setting and specific documentation requirements, regulatory issues, reimbursement, information management, quality assessment, utilization management, risk management/legal issues, the role of the HIM professional and future trends related to each setting. Prerequisite: HIT 176. (S, O)

An introduction to the basic coding guidelines using the current ICD coding classification system. Students will practice the application of diagnosis and procedure codes, validating coding accuracy using clinical information found in health records. Current regulations, established guidelines, and ethical principles will be studied and applied to coding cases. Encoder systems and software are used. Web-based instructon. Prerequisites: BOTE 171, BIOL 220. Corequisite: HIT 180, BIOL 221. (S, O)

An introduction to the basic coding guidelines of the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) nomenclature. Students will practice the application of CPT/HCPCS codes, validating coding accuracy using clinical information found in the health record. Current regulations, established guidelines, and ethical principles will be studied and applied to coding cases. Encoder systems, computer assisted coding, and software are used. Web-based instruction. Prerequisites: BOTE 171 or BIOL 220. Corequisite: HIT 180, BIOL 221. (S, O)

A virtual internship following completion of all first year courses. Provides reinforcement and application of concepts studied in the first year with hands-on experience simulation using actual health records and software applications. Web-based instruction. Prerequisites: All first year HIT program courses. (Su, O)

A virtual professional practice experience emphasizing practice with clinical code assignment using a variety of health record types/encounters. Focus on acceptable coding practices, clinical code assignment, and billing methodologies. Emphasis on building speed and accuracy. Encoder technology including coding reference software applications will be used. CCA examination preparation and career exploration will also be covered. Anticipated 40 hours of coding and additional time spent on related projects and case studies. Prerequisite: All program courses. (F, O)

Students will review the basic coding guidelines and will practice the application of diagnosis and procedure codes. Application of ICD-10-CM/PCS, Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) and HCPCS codes. Validating coding accuracy using clinical information found in health records. Ethical coding standards will be applied and promoted while adhering to current regulations and established guidelines in code assignment. Encoding technology including coding reference software applications will be used. Web-based instruction. Prerequisites: HIT 184 and HIT 185. (F, O)

The study of health law, privacy, security, confidentiality, access, release, and ethical issues. Application of healthcare legal terminology, concepts, and principles to legal documents related to the practice of health information management. Health records and health information software applications are used. Web-based instruction. Prerequisite: HIT 176. (S, O)

A study in the basics of statistics and data analytics. Application of descriptive statistics and data analysis in healthcare settings. Advanced data analysis techniques will be explored. Software applications will be used for organization, analysis, and presentation of data. Web-based instruction. Prerequisite: HIT 176. (F, O)

Practical instruction in management principles from a health information management perspective with both theory and practice examples. Leadership roles, including strategic planning, financial management, and information governance will be studied. Teamwork, communication, change management, work design and process improvement are also covered. Staffing, productivity, federal regulations and laws, training and development, cultural diversity and ethics will be examined. Web-based instruction. Prerequisite: HIT 176. (F, O)

A study of the principles of performance improvement models, utilization management, and risk management in healthcare. Other topics include credentialing, medical staff services, and committees. Laws, accreditation and regulatory standards will be discussed. Software applications will be used. Web-based instruction. Prerequisite: HIT 176. (F, O)

A study of healthcare payment systems and their effects on the US healthcare delivery system. Functions and history of each major payment system are studied. Compliance strategies, clinical documentation improvement, fraud surveillance measures, and reporting requirements will be discussed. Ethical standards of practice will be applied and promoted. Organization, analysis and presentation of data using software applications. Web-based instruction. Prerequisites: HIT 176, HIT 184, HIT 185. (S, Su, O)

An in-depth study in the application of diagnosis codes to higher-level case scenarios using the current classification systems, including diagnosis and procedure coding reviews. Prospective payment systems and SNOMED will be studied. Coding compliance and ethical coding practice reinforced. Grouping system application and encoder software will be used. Web-based instruction. Prerequisites: HIT 176, HIT 184, HIT 185. (S, Su, O)

Introduction to systems and common software applications and their use in healthcare informatics including data quality, database architecture and design, health information exchange, data storage and retrieval. System evaluation and acquisition and project management will be discussed. Use of PHRs and patient portals will be explored. Web-based instruction. Prerequisite or Corequisite: HIT 176. (F, O)

An in-depth study in the application of procedure coding to higher level case scenarios using current classification systems, including diagnosis and procedure coding reviews. Procedure based payment systems will be studied. Coding compliance and ethical coding practice reinforced. Grouping system application and encoder software will be used. Web-based instruction. Prerequisites: HIT 176, HIT 184, HIT 185. (S, Su, O)

A course designed to meet special departmental needs during new course development. It is used for one year after which time the course is assigned a different number.

A virtual and onsite internship following completion of all program courses. Provides hands-on experience with technical skills in an online environment designed to simulate the activities that would be completed in an HIM setting. Certification examination preparation and career preparation are covered. 40 hours are with hands-on experiences are completed at a(an) health information/health information-related site. Prerequisites: All HIT program courses. (S)

A course designed to meet special departmental needs. (F, S, Su)