BSc HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT


BSc HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Health Information Management (HIM) professionals design and manage health information systems, with special attention to quality and privacy of health information, in a wide range of settings such as hospitals, managed and ambulatory care, insurance and pharmaceutical companies, consulting firms, and public health organizations.

This Bachelor degree program in Health Information Management (HIM) prepares professionals responsible for the developing, managing and safeguarding the most confidential patient data, including medical histories, laboratory test reports, diagnoses, treatment plans, insurance information, medications, and the notes of doctors and nurses. They work as a critical link between doctors, insurance providers and patients; they manage health records in a way that is consistent with the clinical, fiscal, administrative, ethical and legal requirements.

The HIM graduate will gain the competency which will enable them effectively interact with other healthcare professionals and administrators, and provide healthcare data for patient care, research, quality improvement, strategic planning, reimbursement, and related managerial functions. The GhanaCU graduates of this program will be equipped with the relevant knowledge and skills to innovatively analyze, design, implement, and evaluate health information systems.

As many other schools, which offer degrees in Health Information Management, do, this HIM program prepares graduates to be professionals who are experts in managing patient health information and medical records, administering computer information systems, and coding the diagnoses and procedures for healthcare services provided to patients. However what makes GhanaCU’s HIM program unique is the graduates’ expertise in disease surveillance, spatial epidemiology and all the accompanying Public Health Geographical Information Systems applications in the development, analysis and interpretation of disease maps.  Attention will also be given to the creation of interactive health facility and patient location digital maps connected to the relevant databases or medical information.

RATIONALE FOR THE PROGRAM

Healthcare professionals (including doctors, nurses, health researchers, etc) rely on reliable health data to deliver, manage and finance quality healthcare. It is HIM professionals that play a critical role in collecting, maintaining, and analyzing the health data for these other health professionals. HIM professionals are experts in managing patient health information and medical records, administering computer information systems, and coding the diagnoses and procedures for healthcare services provided to patients. Health Information Management (HIM) is a profession that combines health data, information technology, information systems and management.

In today’s healthcare environment, there is a recognized need for professional handling of health information to enhance depth of their understanding of technology and its possible applications for storing, retrieving and manipulating information. Additionally, they have to also acquire adequate knowledge and understanding of the ways clinicians, managers and consumers actually use information

and how the present systems of information provision could be improved for the ultimate benefit of better, and cost-effective patient care.

To prepare for an exciting career that combines expertise in clinical medicine, management, information technology, electronic health record systems, and finance, Ghana Christian University College offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Information Management (BScHIM). The program prepares graduates to administer Electronic Medical/Health Records systems and prepare health informatics reports that doctors, nurses, and other health care providers rely on to deliver quality health care.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the program, you should be able to:

  • Analyze the requirements of information users.
  • Design information strategies.
  • Manage and evaluate information systems projects.
  • Propose policies to support evidence-based practice and decision making.

EMPLOYMENT PROSPECTS

CAREER DESTINATIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES

HIM graduates work in a variety of settings, such as hospitals, health planning agencies, computer companies, consulting firms, information systems vendors, ambulatory care centers, research centers, rehabilitation facilities, and insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies.  Other destinations include:

  • Research Institutions
  • Academic Institutions,
  • Government health departments,
  • Ministry of Water and Irrigation
  • Ministry of Environment and natural resources
  • United Nations, WHO
  • Health Care Insurance Organizations
  • Non-Governmental Organizations

Job titles may include the following:

  • Health Records Administrator
  • Health Information Systems Expert
  • Health Information Manager
  • Medical Records Consultant
  • Disease Classification and Coding Expert
  • Health Education Librarian
  • Health Geographer
  • Public Health Information Officer
  • Health Insurance Manager
  • Health Information Researcher
  • Medical Statistician
  • Biostatistician

Graduates of our Health Information Management programs are eligible to register for the national credential examination offered by the Allied Health Professions Council, Ghana.

BSc (Hons) Health Information Management

Program Structure.

Year One

Semester One

Course No. Course Name T P C
HSHI 1513 Human Physiology and Anatomy I 2 2 3
HSHI 1533 Medical Terminology I 2 2 3
DSBU 1513 Financial Accounting I 2 2 3
DSBU 1533 Management & Organisational Behaviour 3 0 3
DSGE 1512 Logic and Reasoning/Critical Thinking 2 0 2
HSEN 1512 Communication Skills I 2 0 2
GCU 1203 Sign Language 3 0 3
TMGE 1512 Business Ethics from Christian Perspectives 2 0 2
Total   15 6 18

 

Year One

Semester Two

Course No. Course Name T P C
HSHI 1523 Human Physiology and Anatomy II 2 2 3
HSHI 1543 Medical Terminology II 2 2 3
SCIS 1523 Intro to Geographical Information Systems 2 2 3
SCIS 1543 Computer Systems 1 4 3
SCIS 1562 Introduction to Web Designing 1 3 2
HSEN 1522 Communication Skills II 2 0 2
HSBU 1543 Financial Accounting II 3 0 3
Total   13 13 19

 

Year Two

Semester One

Course No. Course Name T P C
HSHI 2513 Pathophysiology for Health Information Management 2 2 3
HSHI 2533 Introduction to Health Information Systems 2 2 3
HSHI 2553 ICD Coding 2 2 3
SCMS 2513 Probability and Statistics 3 0 3
SCIS 2513 Object Oriented Programming 2 2 3
SCIS 2533 Database Management Systems I 3 4 3
Total   14 13 18

 

Year Two

Semester Two

Course No. Course Name T P C
HSHI 2523 Procedural CPT/HCPCS Coding 2 2 3
HSHI 2543 Healthcare Database Design and Development 1 4 3
HSHI 2563 Healthcare Systems 3 0 3
HSHI 2583 Introduction to Pharmacology 2 2 3
HSHI 2623 Introduction to Clinical Documentation 1 4 2
HSHI 2513 Sign Language 2 2 3
Total   11 14 17

 

Year Three

Semester One

Course No. Course Name T P C
HSHI 3643 Health Statistics 2 2 3
HSHI 3533 Health Data Security 1 3 2
HSHI 3553 Research in Health Information Management 1 4 3
HSHI 3573 Introduction to Epidemiology 3 0 3
HSHI 3592 Professional Practice Experience I (Health Records) 0 4 2
HSHI 3613 Biostatistics Fundamentals 2 2 3
HSHI 3633 Medical Sociology 2 0 2
Total   10 16 18

 

Year Three

Semester Two

Course No. Course Name T P C
HSHI 3663 Human Resource Management in Healthcare 2 2 3
HSHI 3523 GIS and Public Health 2 2 3
HSHI 3542 Health Information Technology Implementation 2 2 2
HSHI 3563 Healthcare Reimbursement Systems 2 2 3
HSHI 3582 Electronic Health Record Systems 1 4 2
HSHI 3622 Health Law and Ethics 2 0 2
HSHI 3643 Informatics Project Management 2 2 3
Total   13 18 18

 

Year Four

Semester One

Course No. Course Name T P C
HSHI 4513 HIM Dissertation I 0 6 3
HSHI 4533 Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) 2 2 3
HSHI 4552 Customer Care in Healthcare 2 0 2
HSHI 4573 Health Economics 2 2 3
HSHI 4593 Strategic Management for Healthcare 3 0 3
HSHI 4613 Introduction to R Computing 1 4 3
HSHI 4632 Professional Practice Experience II (Health Mapping) 0 4 2
Total   10 18 19

 

Year Four

Semester Two

Course No. Course Name T P C
HSHI 4523 HIM Dissertation II 0 12 6
HSHI 4542 Hospital Risk & Disaster Management 2 1 2
HSHI 4563 Clinical Trials 2 2 3
HSHI 4583 Spatial Epidemiology 2 2 3
SCIS 4623 Principles of Demography 2 2 3
SCGR 4502 Attachment  & Business Planning 0 4 2
Total   8 18 18