Program Description
This program is designed for students wanting to complete an AAS Degree in Health Information Technology and enter the workforce. Students explore the medical information and records industry. With an AAS degree in Health Information Technology, students can enter a career as a health data analyst, insurance claims analyst, records technician specialist, release of information specialist, coder, patient information coordinator, or supervisor. Students may pursue careers in hospitals, physicians’ offices, nursing-care facilities, outpatient care centers, home-health-care services, public health departments, or insurance firms. Students learn how to acquire, analyze, and protect digital and traditional medical information. Students will learn the science of health information management plus the background they will need regarding legal, ethical, medical, and financial areas. Download the HIT Information Packet. Accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics & Information Management (CAHIIM).
Learn more about this program.
What You Will Learn
Upon completion of the program you will be able to:
1. Identify the various health care organizations and describe their systems of health care delivery, including licensure and accreditation requirements
2. Describe the categories of the health workforce and address education, licensing, certification requirements, and areas of expertise
3. Identify and describe Health Information Management (HIM) department functions, services, and roles and responsibilities of the HIM professional in various health care settings
4. Describe the development of a Health Information Management (HIM) professional, including education, certification, areas of expertise, and the AHIMA Code of Ethics
5. Describe the consequences of a breach of healthcare ethics
6. Develop documentation requirements for acute care, ambulatory care, long-term care, hospice care, mental health, and home health care
7. Identify the use and users of patient data and describe the sources of data and how it may be collected and disseminated, including secondary data sources
8. Describe computer networks, document imaging, data security, and voice recognition technology as they relate to the electronic health record
9. Describe a plan for active and inactive record storage in compliance with regulations and accreditation standards and monitor any changes of retention requirements
10. Differentiate the roles and responsibilities of various providers and disciplines, to support documentation requirements throughout the continuum of healthcare
11. Understand the interrelationships of different types of organizations, services, and personnel across the health care delivery system
My Academic Plan: Full-Time
Courses are displayed in a full-time sequence showing the fastest path to your degree. For more information, please see your Academic Advisor.
Accelerated Full-Time: Spring Start: If taking the Health Information Technology program as part of the accelerated full-time program, HIT courses start in Fall semester. It is required General Education courses are completed prior to starting the accelerated full-time program in Fall. The plan below shows all 17 credits of General Education in Spring semester. If you prefer to take less credit hours, you can split the 17 credits in Summer and Spring semesters prior to starting the accelerated full-time program in Fall. Follow the pathway below to complete your AAS degree within 4 semesters (less than 2 years). This pathway may be accelerated by applying transfer credit and/or credit for prior learning.
Spring Semester 1
Fall Semester 2
| HIT 1001 | Health Information Management Science | 3 |
| HIT 1005 | Principles of Healthcare Reimbursement | 3 |
| HIT 1011 | Health Data Management & Information Systems | 3 |
| HIT 1022 | Workflow Fund of Healthcare | 3 |
| BIO 1006 | Basic Anatomy and Physiology | 4 |
| HPR 1032 | Disease Process and Treatment | 5 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 21 |
Spring Semester 3
Summer Semester 4
| HIT 1088 | Health Information Practicum I | 2 |
| HIT 2089 | HIT Capstone Course | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 5 |
My Academic Plan: Part-Time Start/Full-Time Finish
Courses are displayed in a part-time sequence providing flexibility for the working professional. For more information, please see your Academic Advisor.
Part-time Start/Accelerated Full-time Finish: Fall Start: If taking the Health Information Technology program as part of the accelerated full-time program, HIT courses start in Fall semester. General Education courses must be completed before you start in the accelerated full-time program in Fall. The plan below splits the 17 credits of General Education credits into two semesters, Fall and Spring, prior to starting the accelerated full-time program in Fall. Follow the pathway below to complete your AAS degree within 5 semesters (2 years). This pathway may be accelerated by applying transfer credit and/or credit for prior learning.
Fall Semester 1
Spring Semester 2
Semester Note: If you have previously completed Anatomy and Physiology courses, please meet with the Program Director to discuss possible course substitutions.
Fall Semester 3
| HIT 1001 | Health Information Management Science | 3 |
| HIT 1005 | Principles of Healthcare Reimbursement | 3 |
| HIT 1011 | Health Data Management & Information Systems | 3 |
| HIT 1022 | Workflow Fund of Healthcare | 3 |
| BIO 1006 | Basic Anatomy and Physiology | 4 |
| HPR 1032 | Disease Process and Treatment | 5 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 21 |
Spring Semester 4
Summer Semester 5
| HIT 1088 | Health Information Practicum I | 2 |
| HIT 2089 | HIT Capstone Course | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 5 |