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Program Overview

The Summer 2008 program is no longer accepting applications Single courses may be available » Next program starts: Summer 2009 Details will be posted in Winter Program location: UW campus, Seattle Sign up to receive e-mail updates >> Contact a program representative >>   Program at a glance >>

This twelve-month, 53-credit post-baccalaureate certificate program (formerly known as Health Information Administration) is for individuals seeking to work with health informatics and health information management, health data systems, and emerging electronic health record systems in health care. A post-baccalaureate program indicates that it is for those persons who have obtained a bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited institution of higher education. Courses cover health care delivery systems, national health information technology initiatives, clinical processes, legal, regulatory and compliance issues, finance and revenue cycle management, and management of patient health information in multiple settings.

A key focus is the use of technology in the collection and use of personal health data. Many facets of privacy and security of health information are embedded in several courses throughout the program. Students learn about clinical data systems, systems analysis, leadership skills, diagnostic coding and vocabularies, performance improvement and preventing errors in the health care environment, and how health data supports research and public health. Certificate recipients are eligible to take the American Health Information Management (AHIMA) national certifying examination.

Participants in this program develop skills to:

• Relate patient data, health information and clinical systems to care management

• Manage paper and electronic health record systems and information business processes in health care organizations - hospitals, ambulatory care, long-term care, and research and advocacy settings

• Work with industry partners on policy initiatives for advancing health information standards and technology development

• Lead teams in designing system solutions to health information business processes in health care organizations

• Develop policies and procedures for patient privacy and security practices, and other areas of health information management

• Perform health data analysis, interpretation and presentation for clinical and administrative decision support

• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to achieve integrated systems solutions across a spectrum of health industry settings

While this program is designed to be completed in one academic year, some students choose to complete the program over a period of two years. One- and two-year certificate program tracks are available. Applicants are asked to specify in their application the program track they wish to pursue. Students who wish to complete all HIHIM courses in one year should plan a four-evening (Monday-Thursday) schedule. Students opting to complete the program in two years typically attend classes two to three evenings per week. An evening Bachelor of Science degree in Health Informatics and Health Information Management is also available; if you are interested in the evening degree program, please visit www.evedegree.washington.edu.

Selected job titles of recent program graduates include Health Information Management Specialist, CIS Application Specialist, Manager of Media Advice Systems, Clinical Research Data Coordinator, Decision Support Analyst, and Hospital Privacy Coordinator.

For more information about a career in HIHIM, visit the department Web site.

Contact a Program Representative

If you have questions about this program, please call 206-685-8936 in the greater Seattle area, or 888-469-6499. To speak with HIHIM program staff, call 206-543-8810.

Related Programs

• Bachelor of Science in HIHIM
• Certificate Program in Healthcare Regulatory Compliance
• Certificate Program in Information Systems Security
• Certificate Program in Medical Management
• Executive Master of Health Administration (M.H.A.) degree program