Related Programs

CAHIIM Accredited

The bachelor's and master's degree programs at The College of St. Scholastica are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM).

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Issue 1 | November 2012

Curriculum | Online B.S. HIM

The B.S. in HIM program curriculum emphasizes the application of technology to the practice of HIM. It also focuses on building lifelong problem-solving and critical-thinking skills as well as written and verbal communication skills.

The focus of the curriculum is to produce leaders in the field of health information management. Students are given opportunities throughout the curriculum to develp the leadership skills that will help them uphold the leadership tradition of the program.

Program Requirements

To earn a Health Information Management bachelor's degree from The College of St. Scholastica you will need:

128 earned semester credits
32 of the 128 semester credits earned through The College of St. Scholastica
42 of the 128 upper division credits (numbered 3000 or above)

Included in the total credits are:

Technical level HIM courses transferred from HIT program, when applicable
HIM courses earned via the online undergraduate HIM program.
General education/liberal arts courses earned through St. Scholastica or a local college]
Elective credits.

Required Courses

CIS 3105 - Management Information Systems

Provides an understanding of the ways in which computer- based information systems are used in organizations. This course involves students in the process of developing and modifying information systems which support crucial problem solving and decision-making in organizations. Prerequisite: CIS 1004.

CIS 3107 - Database Modeling

Provides an understanding of fundamental concepts in the management of data, hands-on experience with a small-scale database management system, and an awareness of the application of business data base management systems. Lab exercises involve use of a relational DBMS to load, update and retrieve information from a database. Prerequisite: CIS 1007.

HIM 3311 - Managing Human Resources

Overview of quality management principles; supervisory management related specifically to managing health information services; employee selection, training and development; labor relations and employee relations; managing difficult employees and implementing disciplinary policies; employee performance; evaluation and compensation. Prerequisite: HIM 2110.

HIM 4315 - Management Tools and Strategie

Problem solving and decision making techniques; performance and production monitors; tools and techniques for process improvement and workflow analysis; project management; financial management concepts essential for managing departmental operations; the healthcare financial environment; financial statements, capital and operational budgeting. Prerequisite: HIM 3311.

HIM 4411 - HIS Strategies & Applications

Principles of information systems development; user involvement in application design and implementation; review and assessment of existing and emerging health care information systems applications. Prerequisites: HIM 4222, HSC 2203, CIS 3105, 3107, 3108.

HIM 4421 - Alternative Health Record Syst

Health record content and format; regulatory and accreditation requirements; privacy & security requirements, data standards and classification systems; computerized information systems; reimbursement and compliance issues; quality measures and reporting, and current trends and issues in a variety of types of primary healthcare settings. Prerequisite: HIM 4231, HIM 4232.

HIM 4530 - Progression Prog Clin Visits

Clinical Visits is a component of the professional practice experience for students in the distance/online program. Students visit and learn about the information systems in specialty or unique non-hospital settings, agencies or facilities. Prerequisites: Permission of HIIM Department.

HIM 4540 - Progression Prog Admin Proj

Administrative Project is a component of the professional practice experience for students in the distance/online program. The focus is on defining and conducting a faculty-approved practice-related project with the support of an on-site mentor. Prerequisites: Permission of HIIM Department.

HIM 4550 - Progression Prog Affiliation

Management Affiliation is a component of the professional practice experience for distance/online students. It provides a supervised professional practice experience that focuses on management or other approved practice environment. The Management Affiliation can be completed in hospitals, medical centers, clinics or other alternative settings across the United States. Prerequisites: Permission of the HIIM Department.

HIM 4556 - Seminar in HIM

Seminar is a student-centered experience revolving around internship experiences. Students discuss and present professional practice experiences; share learning experiences, and present project work. In addition, employment preparation and career opportunities are a focus. HIM professionals in unique career settings are invited to interact with the students. Preparation for the credentialing examination is explored to help the student transition successfully into the professional world. Prerequisite: HIM 4555 or HIM 4530, 4540, 4550.

TRS 3311 - Rel Prspctvs Health Care Ethic

Explores a variety of concrete biomedical ethical problems within our society and the healthcare system from a religious and ethical perspective. This course examines the role of new technologies, the threat of dehumanization, the questions of euthanasia, patients' rights, genetic engineering, transplantation and fetal research from Catholic and Protestant ethical thinkers.

Required Non-HIM Courses

As a part of the educational requirements for a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Information Management, the following required courses must be completed with a grade of C or better and may either be taken at St. Scholastica or transferred from an accredited college or university.

Anatomy and Physiology (dissecting lab course. If A/P course taken in HIT program did not have a dissection lab, CSS has a one credit on-line lab course that meets the lab requirement)
Pathophysiology
Statistics (must be a research based course)
Human Resource Management
Introductory computer course with competence in word processing, spreadsheets, databases, e-mail and Internet
General education courses that meet the general education requirements of The College of St. Scholastica.

Transferring Credits

The College of St. Scholastica will accept credits in transfer from any post-secondary accredited college or university. Grades earned must be a C or better for transfer. To transfer credits an official transcript must be sent directly to St. Scholastica.

Online undergraduate HIM students who earned their HIT education through the AHIMA Independent Study (ISP) courses from 1980-1999 will be granted a total of 24 college level credits for their education. An official transcript from AHIMA is needed to transfer the credits. ISP graduates must also take the following courses:

HIM 3132 Medicolegal Issues
HIM 4231 Clinical Quality Management
HSC 2203 U.S. Health Care System (also available as an on-line course)

And must also take the following challenge exam:

HIM 4232 Ambulatory Reimbursement Systems (CPT coding)

Graduates of the AMRA Correspondence course (1963-1979) must take challenge exams or courses to earn credit for the courses listed above plus the following:

HIM 2110 Concepts & Principles of HIM
HIM 2111 HIM Technologies in Practice
HIM 2101 Medical Language

And the following challenge exam:

HIM 3211 Classification of Health Data (ICD-9-CM coding)

Graduates from both programs will also need to take:

HIM 2102 Pharmacotherapeutics, 1 credit, offered on-line every fall

Foundational Courses

Students without a two-year HIT degree or whose HIT curriculum doesn't indicate a comparable course will also need to take the following foundational courses either on-line through CSS or at a local college:

Vertebrate Anatomy and Physiology with a lab
Introductory computer course
Managing Human Resources (HIM 3311)
US Health Care System (HSC 2203)
Fundamentals of (HIM 2112)
Medical Language (HIM 2101)
Pharmacotherapeutics (HIM 2102)
Medicolegal Issues (HIM 3132)
Classification of Health Data: ICD-9-CM (HIM 3211)
Clinical Quality Management (HIM 4231)
Ambulatory Reimbursement Systems: CPT (HIM 4232)
Directed Practice Internship (HIM 4520)

Request Information

Contact Us

Jay Parsons

Admissions Counselor
(877) 287-8750
jparsons@css.edu

A conversation with
department chair
Ryan Sandefer

Alum Beth Haenke Just
shares her experiences at St. Scholastica.

2nd Annual LaTour/Eichenwald Forum

5:30 p.m. | June 3, 2013
Mitchell Auditorium
The College of St. Scholastica campus

Free and open to the public. Registration requested.

More information

Keynote speaker: Patty T. Sheridan, MBA, RHIA, FAHIMA

Patty T. Sheridan, MBA, RHIA, FAHIMA, (ex-officio - President/Chair, AHIMA Board of Directors) will provide the keynote address at this year's LaTour Eichenwald Forum on HIM Leadership and Innovation.