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.