Western Technical College
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Health Information Technology

  • Associate of Applied Science
Health Information Technology image

Program Number: 

105301

Program Credits: 

62.00

Estimated Total Cost: 

$10,000.00

Typical Start: 

Summer
Financial Aid Eligible

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.

To view the Health Information Technology program’s required disclosure on professional licensure, please click here [1].

*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 2018-2019 Graduation Employment Stats

Graduates14
Graduates Responding8
Employed in Related Occupation5
Employed in Non-related Occupations1
Seeking Employment1
Continuing Education1
Not in Labor Market1

Salary Data - Related Employment

Part TimeFull Time
Responding15
Average Hours Per Week40
Median Hourly Wage$17.90
Hourly Wage Range $17.90-$17.90
Median Annual Salary $37,232.00

Respondents in Related Occupations

No occupations reported.

Career Opportunities

Health Information Technician
Medical Records Technician
Patient Information Coordinator
Medical Coder
Medical Billing Specialist

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: 

Yes

Application Fee: 

$30 Application Fee

Program Specific Requirements

Additional 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 [2]
  • Background Check [3]
  • 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 [4] 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 [5]).  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 [6]). 

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 [7].

CAHIIM Accredited Program Logo

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 [8]

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 [9] self-service portal when registering for class.

First Term

Gen Anatomy & Physiology
Course Number: 10806177
Credits: 4.00
Intro to Sociology
Course Number: 10809196
Credits: 3.00

Second Term

Digital Literacy for Healthcare
Course Number: 10501107
Credits: 2.00
English Composition 1
Course Number: 10801136
Credits: 3.00
Foundations of HIM
Course Number: 10530162
Credits: 3.00
Human Disease For Hlth Profes
Course Number: 10530182
Credits: 3.00
Medical Terminology
Course Number: 10501101
Credits: 3.00

Third Term

Healthcare Law & Ethics
Course Number: 10530178
Credits: 2.00
ICD Diagnosis Coding
Course Number: 10530197
Credits: 3.00
ICD Procedure Coding
Course Number: 10530199
Credits: 2.00
Speech
Course Number: 10801198
Credits: 3.00

Fourth Term

Intro to Psychology
Course Number: 10809198
Credits: 3.00
Introductory Statistics
Course Number: 10804189
Credits: 3.00

Fifth Term

CPT Coding
Course Number: 10530184
Credits: 3.00
Healthcare Revenue Management
Course Number: 10530159
Credits: 3.00
Healthcare Stats and Analytics
Course Number: 10530163
Credits: 3.00
HIT Capstone
Course Number: 10530166
Credits: 1.00
Intro to Health Informatics
Course Number: 10530164
Credits: 3.00

Sixth Term

Health Quality Management
Course Number: 10530161
Credits: 3.00
Intermediate Coding
Course Number: 10530165
Credits: 3.00
Management of HIM Resources
Course Number: 10530167
Credits: 3.00
Professional Practice
Course Number: 10530196
Credits: 3.00

Western Technical College
400 7th Street North
La Crosse, Wisconsin
54601

608-785-9200
800-322-9982


Links
[1] https://www.westerntc.edu/sites/default/files/programs/documents/Professional_Liscensure_Disclosure.pdf
[2] https://www.westerntc.edu/sites/default/files/programs/documents/HIT_Essential_Functions.pdf
[3] https://www.westerntc.edu/sites/default/files/programs/documents/Viewpoint_Background_Check_Instructions.pdf
[4] https://www.westerntc.edu/college-advisors
[5] http://www.cahiim.org/
[6] http://www.ahima.org/
[7] mailto:info@cahiim.org
[8] mailto:BrownT@westerntc.edu
[9] https://mywestern.westerntc.edu/