Health Information Specialist

Develop your career with the Health Information Specialist program.

Students will be introduced to the foundation of medical terminology through a thorough study of the roots, prefixes, and suffixes which form medical language. Students will also learn the vocabulary used in various medical specialties. Spelling, definitions, and pronunciation are stressed.

Number: MED103
Credits: 3.00
Type: Allied Health

This course will provide students with an introduction to the historical development of medical nomenclature and classification systems including ICD-9-10-CM, CPT-4 and HCPCS coding. This course concentrates on the coding of diseases and abstraction of clinical diagnostic data from source documentation in order to produce reimbursement from third party payors. Also included in this course will be an overview of the medical billing cycle including coverage of Hospital Billing Applications.

Prerequisite: MED103 or permission to waive.

Number: MED201
Credits: 3.00
Type: Allied Health

This course will provide the groundwork for understanding the rules and responsibilities of allied health care providers in an administrative role. The course will cover topics such as electronic health records management, written and oral communication skills, understanding the complexity of the health insurance industry, scheduling and monitoring patient appointments, and the overall administrative duties that impact a health care facility.

Prerequisite: MED103
Students must receive a minimum grade of a C (70%) to continue. Students may receive a grade of D (60-69%) but will be required to repeat the course.

Number: MED208
Credits: 3.00
Type: Allied Health

This course will introduce for discussion a variety of ethical issues that healthcare professionals may encounter during the course of their careers. Emphasis will be placed on the importance of ethical and professional behavior in the healthcare workplace. In depth discussions, textbook assignments and role playing will provide guidance to students in how to successfully manage patient relationships, protect patient privacy in compliance with the Health Insurance Privacy and Accountability Act as well as understand the distinct job responsibilities of the myriad of employees who comprise the typical health-care organization.

Number: MED111
Credits: 3.00
Type: Allied Health

This course will provide the student with hands-on experience in using the Medisoft practice management software to organize the flow of information, maintain the appointment calendar, generate reports, accurately prepare third-party billings and the posting of payments received from third party payors and patients. The course is intended as a lab experience, simulating an actual medical front and back office environment.

Number: MED221
Credits: 3.00
Type: Allied Health

This course introduces students to the health information management profession, the health information department and the health record. Basic concepts and techniques covered will include health record content, assembly, analysis, control, storage, retention, retrieval, form design and control, indices and registers, and filing systems for both paper and electronic health records.

Prerequisites: MED103 & GEN115 or permission to waive

Number: MED215
Credits: 3.00
Type: Allied Health

This course will leverage and build upon the skills acquired in Introduction to Medical Billing and Coding and concentrates on application of coding skills and analyzing operative reports and consultation notes. These reports and other cases simulate real world out-patient clinical and hospital ICD-9-10, CPT, and HCPCS. Included will be the application of learned skills to EOB denial analysis, collection procedures, and the appeals processes as well as the study of Electronic Records Management. This course will prepare students to study for the coding certification exam.

Prerequisite: MED201 or permission to waive.

Number: MED203
Credits: 3.00
Type: Allied Health

This course introduces the student to health insurance and reimbursement. In this course the student will become familiar with common medical billing practices, the health insurance industry, legal and regulatory issues and differences in reimbursement methodologies. The student will learn principles of medical billing related to proper claim form preparation, submission, and payment processing, and adjudication. This course is recommended for anyone who is preparing for a career in a medical billing department at a physician’s office, clinic, or other healthcare entity, and as a claims examiner for insurance carriers. Case studies will be provided to simulate a realistic experience in completing insurance forms.

Prerequisite: MED 208, MED 203

Number: MED212
Credits: 3.00
Type: Allied Health

This course provides an introduction to hospital reimbursement methodologies. The course will focus on basic reimbursement methodologies for inpatient settings, including Medicare acute and skilled inpatient reimbursement guidelines, Prospective Payment Systems, relationship between coding and Diagnosis Related Groups (DRGs) assignment, and coding compliance.

Prerequisite: MED203

Number: MED206
Credits: 3.00
Type: Allied Health

In this course, students develop their reading comprehension and written communication skills. Different styles of writing are examined as students develop writing proficiency through practice in planning, outlining and editing. In addition to regular class meeting times, students are required to participate in a ten week Writing Lab component which counts as ten percent of the grade for English Composition. For the Day College, the Writing Lab is graded as a Pass or Fail.

Prerequisite: Proficiency Examination and/or ACE108.

Number: GEN125
Credits: 3.00
Type: General Education

This course introduces Excel spreadsheet concepts using software in the Windows environment. Topics to be covered include: creating the Excel worksheet, formulas, functions, enhancing spreadsheets with graphs and charts, analyzing spreadsheet data (what–if analysis) and working with large worksheets.

Number: ACC127
Credits: 3.00
Type: Accounting

In this course, students will examine the concepts and applications of Microsoft Word & PowerPoint. Students will use these technology tools to create business documents, marketing materials, and develop effective business presentations that will prepare them for today’s information based business environment.

Number: BUS122
Credits: 3.00
Type: Business