Health Informatics and Health Information Management

The Bachelor of Science in Health Informatics and Health Information Management (HIHIM), offered through the UW Evening Degree Program, is designed to develop skills necessary to administer information technology systems in the health care environment. This program prepares students for the Registered Health Information Administrator (R.H.I.A.) national certifying examination of the American Health Information Management Association. The UW School of Public Health and Community Medicine, nationally recognized for its work in improving health services delivery systems, sponsors the degree program.

Health Informatics and Health Information Management is focused on the collection, organization, use and evaluation of data in health care, a necessity for primary care delivery, public health and community medicine. HIHIM graduates learn skills to manage these data in primary support of:

• Direct care
• Prevention of disease
• Reimbursement for care
• Evaluation of the outcome of care
• Organizational planning and management
• Creation of knowledge bases
• Concurrent tracking of protocols for treatment
• Allocation and utilization of resources
• Basic and applied research

The HIHIM bachelor's program was developed to meet the need for health information professionals in a dynamic health care system. Health information systems are relying more on technology to become more efficient and effective. Teamwork is essential in the workplace, and is used in the educational preparation of HIHIM students. This program combines formal coursework with opportunities for community-based internships and projects. Faculty provides an atmosphere of learning, and supports professional development in the health information field.

Admission Requirements

• Completion of the HIHIM degree prerequisites and
• GPA of 2.5 or better

Prerequisites (with approved UW courses)

1. Statistics: STAT 220, STAT 311, QMETH 201, PSYCH 213, EDPSY 490 or equivalent
2. Anatomy & physiology with lab: ZOOL 118 & ZOOL 119 or equivalent
3. Introductory management: HRMOB 300 or equivalent
4. Introduction to computer applications and information technology: CSE 100, INFO 100 or equivalent
5. Pre-calculus: MATH 111 or equivalent
6. Medical terminology: Not offered at UW

Major Requirements

1. 57 credits in 400-level HIHIM courses
2. Other electives to bring total credits to at least 180.

For more information about this major, see http://depts.washington.edu/hihim/ or e-mail hihim@u.washington.edu.

Students that have completed a bachelor's degree may be interested in the HIHIM certificate program.

Courses

A limited number of these or similar courses will be offered each year (for course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog):

Health Informatics and Health Information Management (HIHIM)

Courses listed below are required for both degree and certificate students, except courses designated with an *, which are only required for degree students.

409 Disease Concepts for Managers (4)

410 Introduction to Health Care Systems and Health Data Systems (7)

412 Health Care Coding, Vocabulary and Revenue Cycle Management (5)

420 Health Care Computer Systems and Electronic Health Records (5)

421 Health Information Systems Analysis (5)

450 Organizational Theory in Health Facilities and Health Information Management (5)

454 Finance Concepts for Health Care Managers (5)

455 Professionalism and Leadership (5)

456 Quality Assurance and Research in Health Care (5)

460 Management Project I (3)

462 Management Project II - Capstone (3)

470 Legal Concepts for Health Fields (3)

480 Problem Solving and Decision Making in Health Information Management (4)

499 Independent Study (2) *

This major is not state-funded, and tuition is higher than the regular undergraduate rate.