powered by
Center for Curriculum and Transfer Articulation Not Found
Major: 3324
Effective Term: 2015 Fall   

Award: AAS
Total Credits: 67.5-71
CIP Code: 51.0707
Instructional Council: Allied Health (51)
GPA: 2.0
SOC Code:


Description: The Associate in Applied Science (AAS) in Health Information Technology program is designed to meet the increasing demands for professionally trained Health Information Technicians in health-care agencies such as clinics, hospitals, long-term care facilities, home health agencies, state health departments, and other organizations that compile or use health information such as large insurance agencies, medical research centers, and law firms. Additional Certificates of Completion (CCL) are available.

The program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (233 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 2150, Chicago, IL, 60601-5800). Graduates are eligible to apply to take the examination of the American Health Information Management Association for the designation RHIT - Registered Health Information Technician.

Suggested Course Plan Sequenced by Semester



Required Courses
+ BIO201 Human Anatomy and Physiology I 4
+ BIO202 Human Anatomy and Physiology II 4
BPC110 Computer Usage and Applications 3

EMT/HCC/RES109 CPR for Health Care Provider (0.5) OR
Current CPR certification at the health care provider OR
Professional rescuer level 0-0.5

+ HCC164 Pharmacology for Allied Health 0.5
+ HCC204 Clinical Pathophysiology 3
+ HCC208 Health Care Leadership 1
+ HIM101 Introduction to Health Information Management 1

+ HIM106 Legal Aspects of Health Information Management (3) OR
+ HIM106AA Legal Aspects of Health Information Management I (1.5) AND
+ HIM106AB Legal Aspects of Health Information Management II (1.5) 3

+ HIM140 Acute Care Documentation and Standards 2
+ HIM150 Health Care Data 2
+ HIM180 Introduction to Medical Billing and Reimbursement 2
+ HIM201 Health Information Statistics and Research 2

+ HIM206 Health Information Management in Alternative Care Settings (2) OR
+ HIM206AA Health Information Management in Alternative Care Settings: Long Term (1) AND
+ HIM206AB Health Information Management in Alternative Care Settings: Non-long Term (1) 2

+ HIM207 Health Information Organizational Resource Management 2

+ HIM209 ICD Coding (4) OR
+ HIM208 ICD-CM Diagnostic Coding (2)
AND
+ HIM210 ICD-PCS Coding and ICD Applications (2) 4

+ HIM211 Advanced Applications of Coding and Reimbursement 4
+ HIM212 CPT Coding I 2
+ HIM214 CPT Coding II 2
+ HIM217 Health Information Management Seminar I 1
+ HIM218 Professional Practice 1
+ HIM219 Health Information Management Systems 3
+ HIM220 Health Information Management Seminar II 1
+ HIM224 Advanced Professional Practice 1
+ HIM230 Quality Management and Performance Improvement 2
Credits: 52.5-53

Program Competencies
1. Relate the development, histology, and structure of the human body systems to their respective physiological functions. (BIO201, BIO202)
2. Enter and retrieve patient data using computerized health information systems. (BPC110, HIM101, HIM106, HIM106AA, HIM106AB, HIM140, HIM150, HIM201, HIM206, HIM206AA, HIM206AB, HIM211, HIM214, HIM218, HIM224)
3. Perform CPR at the health care provider level. (EMT/HCC/RES109)
4. Identify and describe the most frequently used drugs, laboratory tests, and clinical procedures used in health care. (HCC164, HCC204, HIM208, HIM209, HIM210)
5. Describe various types of, causes for, treatments of, and methods of preventing diseases of the human body. (HCC204)
6. Coordinate and participate on health information teams by using appropriate leadership and management techniques. (HCC208, HIM207, HIM224)
7. Describe and apply professionalism and ethical behavior as related to the health information and related professions. (HIM101, HIM180, HIM208, HIM209, HIM210, HIM218, HIM224)
8. Organize and maintain manual or automated systems for primary and secondary health information. (HIM101, HIM150, HIM219, HIM224)
9. Monitor record control within the organization. (HIM101, HIM218)
10. Prepare and apply policies and procedures used in health information management systems. (HIM106, HIM140, HIM150, HIM206, HIM206AA, HIM206AB, HIM207, HIM218, HIM224)
11. Release or withhold health information, following written procedures and federal and state guidelines. (HIM106, HIM106AA, HIM106AB, HIM180, HIM218)
12. Prepare health information for use in legal proceedings. (HIM106, HIM106AA, HIM106AB, HIM218)
13. Develop and evaluate policies and procedures designed to assure confidentiality and security of health information. (HIM106, HIM106AA, HIM106AB, HIM218, HIM219)
14. Follow policies and procedures to assemble, quantitatively analyze, and evaluate the quality of patient information. (HIM140, HIM150, HIM206, HIM206AA, HIM206AB, HIM218, HIM230)
15. Prepare documents and reports which reflect the status of a health information management service. (HIM140, HIM206, HIM206AA, HIM206AB, HIM207, HIM211, HIM217, HIM220, HIM224)
16. Gather and organize pertinent data for required committees and health professional credentialing. (HIM140, HIM206, HIM206AA, HIM206AB, HIM217, HIM218, HIM224, HIM230)
17. Identify and describe the regulators of health care and outline the role of federal, state, and local governments in providing health care. (HIM140, HIM206, HIM206AA, HIM206AB, HIM208, HIM209, HIM210, HIM212, HIM218)
18. Organize, gather, and evaluate data used in datasets, databases, indexes, and registers. (HIM150, HIM218)
19. Describe the major health care third-party payers in terms of programs offered, populations served, and reimbursement methodologies. (HIM180, HIM218)
20. Define and describe the roles of the coder and biller in third-party health care reimbursement. (HIM180, HIM208, HIM209, HIM210, HIM211, HIM212, HIM214)
21. Apply various nomenclatures and classification systems when coding diseases and procedures. (HIM208, HIM209, HIM210, HIM211, HIM212, HIM214)
22. Interpret and use source documents when coding diseases and operations. (HIM208, HIM209, HIM210, HIM211, HIM212, HIM214)
23. Code, sequence, and index diagnoses, procedures, and symptoms accurately. (HIM208, HIM209, HIM210, HIM211, HIM212, HIM214)
24. Collect health care information for administrative reporting, quality management studies, research projects, and educational programs. (HIM201, HIM217, HIM220, HIM224, HIM230)
25. Collect data for and compute health care statistics using manual or automated systems. (HIM201, HIM218)
26. Retrieve and enter birth and/or death certificate information completely and accurately. (HIM201, HIM218)
27. Monitor the accuracy, consistency, and completeness of health care statistics. (HIM201, HIM218)
28. Apply health information research and monitor compliance with research guidelines and regulations. (HIM201, HIM224)
29. Apply appropriate health information standards to enhance services provided by health information practitioners. (HIM207, HIM220, HIM224)
30. Plan, organize, and evaluate health information services. (HIM207, HIM224)
31. Maintain a systematic health information service work flow by using established quality, quantity, and space standards. (HIM207, HIM224)
32. Enter coding data into a computerized system to determine the appropriate payment group. (HIM211, HIM214)
33. Monitor coding and revenue cycle processes. (HIM211, HIM214)
34. Describe various computer applications and systems used in health information management. (HIM208, HIM209, HIM210, HIM211, HIM214, HIM219, HIM224)
35. Distinguish among financial, administrative, and clinical applications of computers in health care facilities. (HIM219, HIM224)
36. Follow organizational policies and procedures to meet the guidelines required for health care quality improvement programs. (HIM224, HIM230)
+ indicates course has prerequisites and/or corequisites.
++ indicates that any suffixed course may be selected.
MCCCD Governing Board Approval Date: March 25, 2014

All information published is subject to change without notice. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information presented, but based on the dynamic nature of the curricular process, course and program information is subject to change in order to reflect the most current information available.