Program Overview

University of the Incarnate Word Health Sciences Program

The University of the Incarnate Word offers a comprehensive Health Sciences program designed to provide students with a thorough understanding of the healthcare industry. The program includes a range of courses that cover various aspects of health sciences, including medical terminology, health information management, and healthcare administration.

Major Course Descriptions

The following courses are part of the Health Sciences program:

• BIOL 1401: Diversity of Life and Laboratory - This course studies the diversity of living organisms, structure and function of plants and animals, ecology, and evolution.
  • Designed for non-majors
  • Serves as a laboratory science requirement for the core curriculum
  • Fee required
• HSCI 2310: Health Sciences I - This course is a survey of math and chemistry concepts as related to the health sciences.
  • Emphasizes basic mathematical definitions and concepts
  • Covers chemistry topics related to the health sciences, including inorganic, organic, and biochemical concepts
  • Prerequisite: BIOL 1401
• HSCI 2312: Medical Terminology - This course is designed to familiarize students with the language of medicine.
  • Covers the components of medical terminology, including word roots, combining forms, suffixes, and prefixes
  • Discusses the systems of the body
• HSCI 2315: Medical Coding - This course provides entry-level training in medical coding.
  • Covers Current Procedural Terminology 4 (CPT-4), International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9-CM) Volumes I and II, and HCFA Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS)
  • Emphasizes medical claims processing and record management
• HSCI 2317: Medical Insurance Practice - This course teaches procedures for completing insurance claims and various financial methods used in medical offices.
  • Covers insurance billing, collecting, and records processing
• HSCI 2320: Health Sciences II - This course is a survey of the fundamentals of anatomy and physiology for the health sciences.
  • Covers the language of medicine, organization of the body, cellular foundations, and tissues and membranes
  • Discusses body systems, including skeletal, muscular, integumentary, cardiovascular, lymphatic and immune, respiratory, nervous, sensory, endocrine, gastrointestinal, urinary, and reproductive
  • Prerequisite: HSCI 2310
• HSCI 2327: Introduction to the Electronic Health Record - This course provides an overview of the information entered into and extrapolated from an electronic health record (EHR).
  • Covers information storage and imaging, organizing data exchanges through web databases, and real-time data collection
• HSCI 2330: HIPAA Compliance and Certification - This course provides an overview of the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy and security rules and compliance tasks.
  • Covers analysis, training, and technology needed to properly plan and implement privacy and security policies
• HSCI 2340: Information Technology and Systems - This course explores electronic health record terminology and the information systems life cycle.
  • Covers project management, strategic planning, and migrations from the current state
  • Develops skills in selecting, negotiating for, implementing, and operating the electronic health record and its corresponding databases
• HSCI 3305: Basic Cardiac Rhythm Interpretation - This course enables students to interpret basic cardiac rhythms in healthcare-related settings.
  • Covers heart anatomy, physiology, dysrhythmia interpretation, and treatment
• HSCI 3310: Healthcare Organizations and Administration - This course provides students with the opportunity to learn leadership competencies and identify opportunities in public and private healthcare sectors.
  • Introduces students to medical personnel, institutions, and healthcare delivery systems
  • Covers competing needs of providers and payers and how these two systems interact with each other
• HSCI 3315: Introduction to Administrative Medical Assisting - This course covers topics including the history and development of the medical profession and its specialties.
  • Discusses the role and function of the medical assistant and medical assisting organizations
  • Covers principles of interpersonal relationships, professional attitudes, medical ethics, and law
• HSCI 3317: Healthcare Communication - This course presents theory and research in health communication.
  • Covers interaction between parties and providers, communication in healthcare organizations, privacy, and confidentiality
• HSCI 3320: Healthcare Data Management - This course analyzes healthcare data management theories focusing on the role of the Health Information Manager.
  • Covers managing processes for health data structure and content for compliance with standards, regulations, and accreditation
• HSCI 3330: Legal Issues in Healthcare - This course provides students with an understanding of law, regulation, and court decisions that affect healthcare organizations.
  • Covers key federal and state laws, including regulatory, scope of practice for practitioners, and patient protection
• HSCI 3340: Third Party Payment Systems - This course includes the history of healthcare systems in the United States.
  • Emphasizes insurance systems, including quasi-insurance systems like PPOs
  • Covers various payment systems, such as FFS, RBRVS, DRGs, and their impact on traditional insurance systems
• HSCI 3350: Epidemiology and Public Health - This course offers an introduction to the principles, concepts, and methods of epidemiologic research.
  • Emphasizes understanding epidemiological information, the concept of risk, and tools used to evaluate health problems and policies at a population level
• HSCI 3355: Healthcare Ethics and Law - This course explores the theories, models, and principles that serve as guides for ethical behavior within the healthcare context.
  • Covers the complexities created by science and technological advances, healthcare settings, and patient diversity
• HSCI 4310: Healthcare Policy - This course is an introduction to healthcare policy issues in the U.S.
  • Explores the three branches of government and their role in shaping healthcare policy
• HSCI 4320: Biostatistics and the Health Sciences - This course introduces students to research method techniques and common statistical applications of importance to healthcare managers.
  • Emphasizes the study of statistical techniques for problem-solving and decision-making
• HSCI 4330: Health Sciences Research Methods - This course provides an introduction to basic methods for undertaking research and program evaluation within health services organizations and systems.
  • Covers survey design and evaluation, and aids students in carrying out policy research, social science research, or program impact evaluation within health delivery systems.