Program Description:
The Health Information Management Technology program is a sequence of courses designed to provide students with the technical knowledge and skills necessary to process, maintain, analyze, and report health information data according to legal, accreditation, licensure and certification standards for reimbursement, facility planning, marketing, risk management, utilization management, quality assessment and research. Program graduates will develop leadership skills necessary to serve in a functional supervisory role in various components of the health information system.
The Health Information Management accreditor of Georgia Northwestern Technical College is the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). The College’s accreditation for Associate degree in HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT has been reaffirmed through 2022. All inquiries about the program’s accreditation status should be directed by mail to CAHIIM, 200 East Randolph Street, Suite 5100, Chicago, IL, 60601; by phone at (312) 235-3255; or by email at info@cahiim.org.
Upon graduation from a CAHIIM accredited HIT program, students will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination. Upon successful completion of the exam, students will receive the RHIT credential through the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).
Program Outcomes
Program Outcomes for the Health Information Management Technology (HIMT) Program at Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) Associate of Science Degree.
For Academic Year 2022 the Health Information Management (HIMT) program at GNTC compiled the following results:
- 6 of 9 graduates passed the RHIT credentialing exam on the first attempt, for a pass rate of 66.7%.
- All 7 students in AY22 graduated, for a graduation rate of 100%.
- The program has an in-field job placement rate of 78%.
For further information regarding the accreditation status of the HIMT program at GNTC, visit the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management (CAHIIM) website.
Entrance Dates:
Beginning of any semester for pre-occupational curriculum and spring and fall semesters for HIMT occupational curriculum.
Entrance Requirements:
The Health Information Technician (HI61) Certificate Must Be Completed Before Application Can Be Made To Enter The Health Information Management Technology (HI13) Associate of Applied Science Degree Program
| Age: |
17 years old for entrance into pre-occupational curriculum |
| |
18 years old for entrance into occupational program curriculum |
Other:
- Completion of application to the HIMT program and related procedures during the semester in which the Health Information Technician (HI61) Certificate is completed.
- Ability to comply with health related standards and meet essential skill requirements, with or without accommodations, including immunization records if required by Clinical Affiliation.
- For admission to the HIMT degree program, a student must maintain an average GPA of 2.8 in all the general education courses and the occupational courses in the pre-health information management technology track found in the Health Care Science technical certificate of credit.
- Liability insurance payment during the semester prior to the practicum course (HIMT 2460).
- Background Check during the semester prior to the practicum course (HIMT 2460).
- Students transferring from other HIMT programs must complete 25% of their coursework at GNTC to receive a degree from GNTC. All HIMT courses taken at other programs must be evaluated for transfer credit to the HIMT program here at GNTC.
Retention Policies:
Students must maintain a semester GPA of 2.0 or better. A “C” or (70) or better must be achieved in each course in order to progress to the next semester of the program.
Program Final Exit Point:
Program graduates will be eligible to sit for the Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) examination. Students prepare for this examination through a series of practice tests and successful completion of an RHIT-styled Exit Exam during the HIMT 2460 (Health Information Technology Practicum) course. Currently, 100% of the students taking the RHIT exit exam at the end of the HIMT 2460 course pass with a grade of 75% or better.
General Education Courses (20 Credit Hours)
| ENGL 1101 | Composition and Rhetoric | 3 |
| XXXX xxxx | Humanities/Fine Arts Elective | 3 |
| XXXX xxxx | Social/Behavioral Sciences Elective | 3 |
| | | |
| MATH 1103 | Quantitative Skills and Reasoning | 3 |
| | OR | |
| MATH 1101 | Mathematical Modeling | 3 |
| | OR | |
| MATH 1111 | College Algebra | 3 |
| | | |
| BIOL 2113 | Anatomy and Physiology I | 3 |
| BIOL 2113L | Anatomy and Physiology Lab I | 1 |
| BIOL 2114 | Anatomy and Physiology II | 3 |
| BIOL 2114L | Anatomy and Physiology Lab II | 1 |
Pre-Health Information Management (14 Credit Hours)
| MATH 1127 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 |
| HIMT 1100 | Introduction to Health Information Technology | 3 |
| HIMT 1151 | Computer Applications in Healthcare | 4 |
| HIMT 1250 | Health Record Content and Structure | 2 |
| | | |
| ALHS 1090 | Medical Terminology for Allied Health Sciences | 2 |
| | OR | |
| BUSN 2300 | Medical Terminology | 2 |
Occupational Curriculum (31 Credit Hours)