My Academic Plans (MAPs) are designed by faculty and displayed in a semester format showing the fastest path to finishing your certificate or degree. While this is the ideal, you can take courses as your schedule permits. Contact an academic advisor regarding your scheduling needs.
In most cases, the courses you need are available on your selected campus. However, there may be times to complete courses online or travel to another FRCC campus. Location availability is indicated at the time of registration.
My Academic Plan
Program Description
The mission of the Health Information Technology Program at Front Range Community College is to prepare students with the technology skills and health information knowledge to become qualified as health information management professional technicians in all healthcare settings.
The vision of the Health Information Technology Program at FRCC is that all Health Information Technology students will successfully pass the American Health Information Management Association national certification examination to become credentialed Registered Health Information Technicians and obtain entry-level health information management employment.
- 77% of our HIT students complete the program and graduate
- 84% of our HIT graduates pass the Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) national examination on their first attempt. The National Pass Rate is 70% for the first attempt.
- 85% of our HIT graduates who pass the RHIT examination work in a healthcare related position
Getting into the Program
Admission Requirements
To get into the HIT program, the student must:
• Attend an Information Session prior to enrolling in the HIT Program or in the Medical Coding Certificate courses.
Held the second Wednesday of every month, 6:00 PM, Westminster Campus, on the A Level (follow the signs when entering the building).
• Have all General Education required courses completed prior to entering the program as a full-time student.
General Education required courses can be taken concurrently with the HIT courses for students entering on a part-time basis.
• Maintain a C or higher grade in all the program courses, including the General Education courses.
• Maintain a 2.5 GPA.
• Have no prior disqualifying criminal offense that would prohibit the student from working in healthcare. A Background Check is required prior to the Professional Practice Experience practicum.
• Be able to pass a required Drug Screen prior to the Professional Practice Experience practicum.
• Be willing to follow a professional dress code while attending HIT courses on campus.
• Be able to conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times as a representative of the HIT Program and FRCC.
A Health Information Technology job:
• Ensures patient health information is accurate, complete and available for patient care, research and data reporting.
• Adheres to patient privacy, security, and confidentiality laws.
• Combination of business operations, management, law, science, and technology.
HIT is right for the right student who:
• Wants to work in healthcare, but not directly with patients.
• Wants a career that offers diverse opportunities.
• Enjoys working with other professionals: physicians, nurses, administrators, executives, and lawyers.
• Wants to work on your own, with others, or a little bit of both.
• Maintains a C or higher grade in all the program courses.
• Maintains a 2.5 GPA.
What You Will Learn
Program Learning Outcomes
HIT Students will be able to:
1. Describe the development of the health information management (HIM) professional including education, credentials, areas of expertise, and application of the AHIMA (American Health Information Management Association) Professional Code of Ethics.
2. Analyze the various healthcare delivery settings and the health record content by setting.
3. Demonstrate understanding of the development of department policies and procedure as they apply to patient health records to ensure compliance with federal and state regulations and accreditation standards.
4. Evaluate and use critical thinking skills to improve workflow process.
5. Apply physical and technical safeguards to protect patient health information in each of the three types of health records: paper, hybrid, and electronic.
6. Explain how software technology is used in performing health information management processes.
7. Apply current regulations and guidelines when using the medical coding classification systems for proper billing.
8. Explain how a healthcare facility’s case mix index is used as a metric for the clinical documentation improvement program.
9. Explain how health information management professionals organize, collect and analyze quality data in a patient’s health record.
10. Distinguish the difference between primary data, secondary data, and information.
Health Information Technology professionals focus on health care data and the management of health information resources. Technology has vastly changed the HIT professional scope. Today Health Information Technicians collect, protect, integrate, manage, and analyze all types of health care data. Health information technicians are responsible for the accuracy, accessibility, quality, and security of patient data, both in the paper and electronic environments. The data is used for research, evaluation and improvement of health care services resulting in improved patient outcomes. Students will learn the science of health information management, including legal and ethical practices, medical sciences, data governance, and revenue cycles. Students are introduced to computer information systems. Medical coding students will become competent in abstracting diagnoses and procedures from health records and then assigning codes using the medical coding classification systems for proper billing and reimbursement.
Career Opportunities
Typical HIT positions include medical records technician, medical coder, release of information specialists, health data analyst, transcription editors, insurance claims analyst, patient information coordinator, revenue cycle specialists, and specialists in electronic health record implementation. Health information technicians are utilized in every health care setting, including hospitals, clinics, physician practices, long-term care, rehab facilities, outpatient care facilities, insurance companies, government agencies, law firms and pharmaceutical companies.
There will be an increased demand for health services as the population ages. The demand for HIT personnel is expected to increase by 15% from 2014-2024, much faster than average (US Bureau of Labor Standards). The trend for Colorado shows a 27% increase.
Health Information Technology offers career opportunities in the following traditional and non-traditional healthcare settings:
• Academic institutions
• Ambulatory clinics
• Ambulatory surgery centers
• Blood centers
• Chiropractic
• Coding agencies
• Compliance organizations
• Consulting agencies
• Data analysis organizations
• Dental offices
• Dialysis centers
• Disease specialty centers
• Governmental agencies
• Healthcare software companies
• Health departments
• Health information exchanges
• Health information organizations
• HIM service providers
• Hospital associations
• Information technology departments
• Insurance agencies
• Law offices
• Long term acute care hospitals
• Long term care organizations
• Outpatient behavioral health centers
• Pediatric hospitals
• Pharmaceutical companies
• Physical therapy and sports rehab
• Physician office practices
• Primary care associations
• Professional associations
• Public health agencies
• Rehabilitation organizations
• Short term acute care hospitals
• State agencies
• System vendors
• University health centers
AAS in Health Information Technology
First Semester
Courses should be completed in the order listed below. If you are unable to complete the entire semester list, complete as many courses in this sequence as your schedule allows.
| HPR- REQ | Medical Terminology Requirement:___________ | 1-2 |
| CIS 118 | Introduction to PC Applications | 3 |
| COM- GEN | Communication:___________ | 3 |
| ENG- GEN | English:___________ | 3 |
| MAT- GEN | Mathematics:___________ | 3 |
| PSY- ELC | Psychology Elective List: __________ | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 16-17 |
Second Semester
Courses should be completed in the order listed below. If you are unable to complete the entire semester list, complete as many courses in this sequence as your schedule allows.
| HIT 101 | Health Information Management Science | 3 |
| HIT 105 | Principles of Healthcare Reimbursement | 3 |
| HIT 111 | Health Data Management & Information Systems | 3 |
| HIT 122 | Workflow Fundamentals of Healthcare | 3 |
| MOT 125 | Basic Medical Sciences I | 3 |
| MOT 133 | Basic Medical Sciences II | 3 |
| MOT 135 | Basic Medical Sciences III | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 21 |
Third Semester
Courses should be completed in the order listed below. If you are unable to complete the entire semester list, complete as many courses in this sequence as your schedule allows. Upon completion of this semester and classes, you will earn your Health Information Technology Medical Coding certificate.
Fourth Semester
Courses should be completed in the order listed below. If you are unable to complete the entire semester list, complete as many courses in this sequence as your schedule allows.
| HIT 188 | Health Information Practicum I | 2 |
| HIT 289 | HIT Capstone Course | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 5 |