Health Information Foundations Certificate

Program Overview

Health Information Foundations Certificate

Summary

This Certificate of Completion is designed to provide students with foundational knowledge and skills in health information to enter the workforce directly upon completion of the certificate or to seek further study in the field. Shoreline Community College works closely with local advisory committees comprised of industry professionals to ensure students receive the knowledge and skills currently in demand by employers.

What You’ll Learn

• Utilize electronic health records for common tasks performed in healthcare facilities.
• Describe patient clinical record contents and current practices in coding and classification systems.
• Identify the components of fee setting, prospective payment systems and how to optimize insurance reimbursements.
• Explain Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance requirements and billing procedures for various healthcare settings.
• Describe legal and ethical issues related to managing health information, including the release and security of confidential data.
• Apply knowledge of medical and clinical terminology, anatomy and physiology, human diseases and pharmacology.
• Apply the steps in processing a release of information request.

Courses & Requirements

Program Description:

This Certificate of Completion is designed to provide students with foundational knowledge and skills in health information to enter the workforce directly upon completion of the certificate or to seek further study in the field. Shoreline Community College works closely with local advisory committees comprised of industry professionals to ensure students receive the knowledge and skills currently in demand by employers.

Certificate of Completion (29 Credits)

Grade of 2.0 or better for each individual course in the program required.

Program Prerequisites:

• Computer literacy (basic computer application skills including working in PC Windows environment).

Program Requirements:

• BIOL& 170 Human Biology
• ENGL& 101 English Composition I
• or
• BTWRT 215 Business Communications
• HIIM 134 Medical Terminology
• HIIM 125 Hospital and Clinic Patient Records
• HIIM 170 Legal Aspects of Health Care
• HIIM 180 Intro to Reimbursement and Coding
• HIIM 245 Release of Information Management Practice

Certificate Completion

To have this Certificate added to your transcript, after completion of all required courses please contact the Office of Instruction.

Program Advisors:

• Melanie Meyer, PhD, RHIA, CPHQ, CCS (Advises last names A-L)
• Gloria Anderson, MEd, RHIA, CCS (Advises last names M-Z)

Program Information:

• Length of Program: 29 Credits
• Completion Award: Certificate of Completion
• Enrollment: Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring
• Approximate Quarterly Costs: $0 (in addition to tuition, books and parking)

Careers & Opportunities

The job outlook for entry level health information positions is very good. These positions can have a wide range of job titles including Patient Access Coordinator or Representative, Patient Access Scheduling Coordinator, Patient Access Specialist, Patient Access Technician, Patient Care Coordinator, Patient Services Representative, Risk Adjustment Representative, Surgery Scheduler, Health Information Management (HIM) Technician, HIM Assistant, Registration Specialist, among others.

Potential employers include: Hospitals, nursing homes, medical and dental offices, insurance companies, community health centers, public health agencies, urgent care centers, behavioral health centers, rehabilitation facilities, and home health agencies.

Sample Degree Map

The following outline is designed to provide you with an example of what the sequence of courses might look like. We strongly encourage every student to meet with an Academic Advisor or program faculty member to ensure they have met the prerequisites and to adapt this example to meet individual needs.

• Quarter 1 - Typically Fall
  • Writing course such as:
    • ENGL& 101 English Composition I
    • BTWRT 215 Business Communications
  • BIOL& 170 Human Biology
• Quarter 2 - Winter
  • HIIM 125 Hospital and Clinic Patient Records
  • HIIM 134 Medical Terminology
• Quarter 3 - Spring
  • HIIM 170 Legal Aspects of Health Care
  • HIIM 180 Intro to Reimbursement and Coding
• Quarter 4 - Summer
  • HIIM 245 Release of Information Management Practice

Tuition & Fees

Estimated Tuition & Fees

(does not include additional program or course fees, books, or supply costs)

• Per Quarter
  • WA-Resident: $126.47 (1 credit), $632.35 (5 credits), $1,387.14 (12 credits)
  • Non-WA resident, US citizen, & Eligible non-citizen On Campus: $246.49 (1 credit), $1,232.45 (5 credits), $2,487.04 (12 credits)
  • Non-WA resident Non-US citizen: $327.01 (1 credit), $1,635.05 (5 credits), $3,408.94 (12 credits)
  • Non-WA resident, US citizen Online Only: $144.67 (1 credit), $723.35 (5 credits), $1,571.08 (12 credits)

Estimated Additional Costs

• Approximately $75 - 150 per course, depending on course selected

Ways to pay for school

Federal aid, scholarships, grants, and more are available to help you pay for school.

Program Outline

Careers:

• Job outlook for entry-level health information positions is very good.
• Potential job titles include:
• Patient Access Coordinator or Representative
• Patient Access Scheduling Coordinator
• Patient Access Specialist
• Patient Access Technician
• Patient Care Coordinator
• Patient Services Representative
• Risk Adjustment Representative
• Surgery Scheduler
• Health Information Management (HIM) Technician
• HIM Assistant
• Registration Specialist
• Potential employers include:
• Hospitals
• Nursing homes
• Medical and dental offices
• Insurance companies
• Community health centers
• Public health agencies
• Urgent care centers
• Behavioral health centers
• Rehabilitation facilities
• Home health agencies