Health Information Management

Please Note: Beginning January 2020, new students will not be admitted to the HIM degree program.

This program provides an overview of Healthcare organizations and delivery systems, foundations in Health Information Management, and career-enhancing courses such as Medical Terminology, Medical Coding, Insurance and Reimbursement, and Legal Issues in Healthcare.

Program Goal

The Health Information Management program will prepare confident, ethical, and competent entry-level health information technicians to become valued members of an ever-changing Healthcare delivery system. Graduates will have the skills, knowledge, and desire for lifelong learning required to meet the needs of our community and to succeed in Health Information Management fields.

Program Outcomes

Students who graduate from this program will be able to:

• Code diagnostic and procedural data for optimal reimbursement and assist with maintaining revenue cycle and compliance with third party payer guidelines
• Manage, process and analyze health data (electronic, paper or scanned) to ensure an accurate and complete medical record and cost effective processing
• Formulate and implement health information policies and systems that meet with all national and state laws and regulatory guidelines
• Apply principles of management and provide leadership to staff
• Participate in Performance Improvement and other quality initiatives

This program boasts:

• A 94% average retention rate over the past year. Support services are available to students so they can successfully complete the program.
• A 95% completion/graduation rate over the last 2 years.
• A 100% employment rate among 2016 program graduates directly in the health care field.

Graduate Highlight

Victoria Seager, Class of 2015
Job Title: Trauma Registry Analyst

“I am currently the Trauma Registry Analyst within the Trauma and Acute Care Surgery department at Elliot Hospital in Manchester. We are a small department focused on providing quality care to patients who are traumatically injured within our community. My main day to day interaction is with the Trauma Program Manager and the PI and Injury Prevention Coordinator. The department uses the data that I input into the registry to evaluate care, look for areas of PI (Performance Improvement), and monitor trends of injuries. My responsibilities call on my HIM degree on a daily basis, such as chart abstraction, accurate and comprehensive injury coding following ICD10 standards, aggregating and analyzing PI data, presentation of data, data validation and assuring appropriate measures are in place to meet compliance with HIPAA. I love that HIM offers such diversity in areas I can work, and has also afforded me the opportunity to allow to work some of my days at home via remote access. I am planning on becoming a Certified Specialist Trauma Registrar within the next year, and then going on to achieve my bachelor’s degree in order that I can continue to grow in my career. Manchester Community College was instrumental in helping me gain me the start that I needed in the HIM field. The faculty was supportive and always went above and beyond to help me succeed. I recommend the HIM profession to anyone interested in learning the other side of medical care. The opportunity for advancement is fantastic and there are so many diverse career opportunities within HIM, which creates for an exciting and challenging work environment.”

Program Policies

• Students may need to travel up to 45 minutes from MCC campus for practicum placement.

Admission Requirements

• Must Complete the Accuplacer and place into College Comp I (ENGL110XM or ENGL110M) and Quantitative Reasoning or Quantitative Reasoning - Corequisite (MATH145M or MATH145XM) or better (waived if transfer credit in math and English awarded).
• Following the Accuplacer, contact Jacqueline Poirier, College Counselor, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or (603) 206-8102 for an informational meeting to discuss Accuplacer course placement results (waived if above transfer credit award).
• Prior to practicum, all students must complete a certified background check, drug screening, proof of immunizations, health insurance, liability insurance, TB, Flu and any other required screenings a practicum site may request.

Transfer Credit Policy

Students may transfer credits earned at other accredited institutions provided a minimum grade of "C" has been earned in courses in medical terminology and allied health (AHLT), coding (MCOD) and science (BIOL). Appropriate transfer credits may be accepted in a five-year time frame.

Accreditation

The Health Information Management Associate of Science program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM).

Students who meet requirements of our accredited program are eligible to sit for the national qualifying examination for certification as a Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) through the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). Manchester Community College has a 100% pass rate for first time test takers on the RHIT national exam.

Employment Opportunities

The field of Health Information is projected to grow at a rapid pace and, according to the U.S. Dept. of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of health information technicians is expected to increase by 20% through 2018. Graduates will have employment options that include: Coding Specialist, HIM Department Director or Supervisor, Clinical Data Analyst, Privacy, Information Security or Compliance Officer, Quality Improvement Specialist, and others. Choices for employment range from hospitals to physician practices, ambulatory care centers, rehabilitation facilities, insurance and pharmaceutical companies, consulting firms, software and IT vendors and government agencies.

Technical Standards

• Have the ability to walk, sit, and stand for long periods of time (2 hours) in succession.
• 20-20 vision (with or without accommodation).
• Successfully pass a criminal background check (cost incurred by student).
• Possess and maintain both personal health and professional liability insurance while on Practicum. This professional liability insurance coverage is purchased through MCC's Bursar's office.
• HIM students are required to confer with HIM program faculty prior to course selection and registration every semester.

Progression

• A grade of "C" or better required for all AHLT, MCOD, BIOL, and HLIM courses.
• Courses may be retaken only once.

Health Information Management Degree

* alternatively, students can take Human Anatomy and Physiology I (BIOL110M) and Human Anatomy and Physiology II (BIOL120M)

Medical Coding Professional Certificate

Unprecedented changes in healthcare have created an overwhelming and unmet demand for qualified medical coders. The U.S. Dept. of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a 51% increase in the need for medical coders during the next five years. In addition to medical reimbursement, coding is used for planning and research, to track diseases and by hospital administrators to determine if facilities are used effectively.

Medical coding requires the coder to abstract information from the patient record and combine it with their knowledge of reimbursement and coding guidelines to optimize physician payment. This coding curriculum will train participants to code for medical offices, clinics, mental health facilities, and hospitals. Successful completion of this certificate will prepare you to sit for a national coding exam.

Students must achieve a minimum grade of "C" (73.33) in all courses in order to receive the Medical Coding Professional Certificate.

Admission Requirements

Must complete the Accuplacer and place into ENGL110XM or ENGL110M College Composition I with Corequisite or College Composition I.

* alternatively, students can take Human Anatomy and Physiology I (BIOL110M) and Human Anatomy and Physiology II (BIOL120M)