Health Information Technology
- Associate of Applied Science
Program Number:
Program Credits:
Estimated Total Cost:
Typical Start:
Managing medical information is a critical component of healthcare. The health information professional must be detail-oriented, comfortable with spreadsheets and databases, and have an interest in the healthcare field.
A health information technician collects, integrates, and analyzes healthcare data, manages information resources related to the delivery of healthcare services, codes medical information for research and insurance reimbursement, maintains patient confidentiality, and tracks information used in making clinical and business decisions.
Jobs for health information technicians are widely available in clinics, hospitals, long-term care facilities, insurance companies, and home care organizations.
*Please note that the delivery method for fall courses may change as the COVID-19 situation unfolds. Our goal is to ensure that teaching and learning happens in a safe environment. We will communicate updates as quickly as possible.
Health Information Technology 2017-2018 Graduation Employment Stats
| Graduates | 10 |
| Graduates Responding | 10 |
| Employed in Related Occupation | 7 |
| Employed in Non-related Occupations | 2 |
| Seeking Employment | 0 |
| Continuing Education | 0 |
| Not in Labor Market | 0 |
Salary Data - Related Employment
| Part Time | Full Time | |
|---|---|---|
| Responding | 0 | 6 |
| Average Hours Per Week | 40 | |
| Median Hourly Wage | $17.58 | |
| Hourly Wage Range | $14.60 - $22.87 | |
| Median Annual Salary | $36,565 |
Respondents in Related Occupations
- Billing Associate/Coder; Scenic Bluffs Health Center, Cashton, WI
- Health Information Technician 2; UWL Student Health Center, La Crosse, WI
- Healthcare Rec. Tech; Gundersen, La Crosse, WI
- Claims Coding Specialist; Quartz, Onalaska, WI
- Clinical Support Coordinator; LHI, La Crosse, WI
- Outpatient Coding Specialist; Tomah Memorial Hospital, Tomah, WI
Career Opportunities
Program Outcomes
- Living responsibly
- Refining professionalism
- Cultivating passion
- Apply data governance principles to ensure the quality of health data
- Apply coding and reimbursement systems
- Model professional behaviors and ethics
- Apply informatics and analytics in data use
- Apply organizational management techniques
Admission Requirements:
College Requirements
Application:
Application Fee:
Program Specific Requirements
To enroll in the Health Information Technology program, first apply for admission to the College, then read the program’s Essential Functions and complete a background check. You can find links to these documents below. In addition, you must complete the prerequisites for General Anatomy and Physiology with a grade of “C” or better. Please see the details below.
- Health Information Technology Essential Functions [1]
- Health Information Technology Background Check form [2]
- General Anatomy and Physiology Prerequisites
- One year of High School or one term of Developmental or College Biology
- One year of High School or one term of Developmental or College Chemistry
- Contact the Welcome Center to make an appointment with a Health & Public Safety College Advisor [3] to complete your Intent to Enroll form.
Accreditation
Western Technical College’s Health Information Technology program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM; www.cahiim.org [4]). The College’s accreditation for the Associate Degree in Health Information Technology has been reaffirmed through 2020. Graduates of the program are eligible to take the national accreditation exam offered by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA; www.ahima.org [5]).
All inquiries about the program’s accreditation status should be directed by mail to CAHIIM, 233 N. Michigan Avenue, 21st Floor, Chicago, IL, 60601; by phone at 312.233.150; or by email at info@cahiim.org [6].
CAHIIM Reporting Requirements
Program Mission
The mission of the Health Information Technology Program at Western Technical College is to prepare students to become part of a credentialed workforce to support the needs of the health care industry.
Program Goals
The program’s goals reflect the principles and ethics of the Health Information field and support the College’s strategic goals which focus on recruitment, retention, student learning and satisfaction, financial stability and effectiveness of systems and processes. Target outcomes written for each goal are used to evaluate the program on an annual basis.
| Focus | Goal |
|---|---|
| Curriculum | The program will continuously assess the appropriateness and effectiveness of the curriculum, to verify minimum curriculum content, and experiences required to enable students to meet entry level competencies. |
| Students and Grads | The program will annually assess the educational readiness of students and graduates to enter the workforce by demonstrating at least the AHIMA entry-level curriculum competencies through student learning outcomes. |
| Faculty Development | 100% of all faculty who have responsibility to deliver academic components of the program will maintain continuing competence in the areas in which they teach; with the program demonstrating how it will assure that faculty development occurs and is targeted to improve faculty subject knowledge. |
| Communities of Practice Outreach | The program will respond at least on an annual basis to the needs of its communities of practice. The program will demonstrate how it serves as a source of continued education for the HIM professional community. |
| Advisory Committee | The Advisory Committee will assist program faculty with development and revision of the curriculum and program goals, monitor needs and expectations and ensure responsiveness to change. |
National Accreditation Examination
Students who graduate from an accredited Health Information Technician program are eligible to take the national accreditation examination of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). Earning the credential Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) leads to increased salaries, career advancement and job mobility.
Recent examination results for Western’s Health Information Technology program graduates are as follows:
|
Western Candidate Summary
|
National Summary | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting Period | 1st Time Testers | Percentage Passing | Percentage Passing |
| January 2017-December 2017 | 10 | 90% | 70% |
| January 2018-December 2018 | 9 | 100% | 75% |
| January 2019-December 2019 | 11 | 85% | 76% |
Graduate Employment Stats
Graduate follow up is conducted 6 months following graduation. Recent follow up data for Western’s Health Information Technology program graduates are as follows:
|
2016
|
2017
|
2018 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graduates | 13 | 8 | 10 |
| Graduates Responding | 10 | 4 | 5 |
| Employed in Related Occupation | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| Employed in Non-related Occupation | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Seeking Employment | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Continuing Education | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Not in Labor Market | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Graduation Rates
| Graduation Year |
2017
|
2018
|
2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students Entering/Graduating by Calendar Year |
16/8
|
15/10
|
12/14 |
| Graduation Rate by Calendar Year |
50%
|
67%
|
86% |
| Students Entering/Graduating by Academic Year | 12/8 | 16/10 | 15/14 |
| Graduation Rate by Academic Year | 67% | 62.5% | 93% |
Enrollment Rates
| Enrollment Year |
2017
|
2018
|
2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year-End Enrollment/Max Enrollment | 23/36 |
25/36
|
26/36 |
| Enrollment Rate | 64% |
69%
|
72% |
Revised: January 2020
Additional Information
Program Contact
Tamra Brown
Program Chair, Health Information Technology
608-785-9549
BrownT@westerntc.edu [7]
Courses
The following list is not the official course list for this program. It is intended to give students an idea of what coursework will be required.
Current students should use the MyWestern [8] self-service portal when registering for class.