SINCLAIR COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Health Information Management - Associate of Applied Science

SINCLAIR COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Health Information Management - Associate of Applied Science
Health Information Management (HIM) professionals are experts in the field of managing and
protecting patient health information, administering computer information systems and coding
the diagnoses and procedures for health care services provided to patients in accordance with
medical, administrative, ethical, legal, accreditation and regulatory requirements of the health
care delivery system.
Course Curriculum
ALH 1140: Fundamentals of Disease Processes
BIO 1121: Human Anatomy & Physiology I
BIO 1222: Human Anatomy & Physiology II
BIS 1221: Specialized Computer Applications for Health Information Management
ENG 1101: English Composition I
HIM 1101: Medical Terminology
HIM 1110: Health Information Processing
HIM 1165: Drug Classification for Coding
HIM 1201: Introductory Medical Office Coding
HIM 1204: Medicolegal & Ethics in Healthcare Records
HIM 1217: Alternative Health Records & Registries
HIM 2110: Ambulatory Coding
HIM 2144: Quality Improvement, Statistics & Research
HIM 2145: Health Information Resource Management
HIM 2165: Healthcare Data in Reimbursement
HIM 2211: Inpatient Coding
HIM 2233: Healthcare Information Systems
1

SINCLAIR COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Health Information Management - Associate of Applied Science

HIM 2252: Professional Practice Experience

HIM 2278: Health Information Management Capstone
Course Option: {COM 2211 OR COM 2206} 3 credit hours
Course Option: {PSY 1100 OR SOC 1101} 3 credit hours
Course Option: MAT 1270}{ MAT 1130 OR

Course Descriptions:
ALH 1140: Fundamentals of Disease Processes - Pathological changes associated with the
most commonly occurring diseases of each body system. Correlates changes with patient's
response, diagnostic studies, and treatment modalities.
BIO 1121: Human Anatomy & Physiology I - The first course in a two-semester sequence
studying the structure and function of the human body. Topics include introductory terminology,
biochemistry, cytology, the integumentary system, the skeletal system, the muscular system, the
nervous system and the endocrine system.
BIO 1222: Human Anatomy & Physiology II - The second course in a two-semester sequence
studying the structure and function of the human body. Topics include the cardiovascular system,
the lymphoid system, immunity, the digestive system, the urinary system and the reproductive
system. Two classrooms and two lab hours per week.
BIS 1221: Specialized Computer Applications for Health Information Management Specific features of Microsoft Office applications for medical reports, narrating presentations,
Auto filters, form creation and software integration.

SINCLAIR COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Health Information Management - Associate of Applied Science

ENG 1101: English Composition I - In English Composition I students learn reflective,

analytical and argumentative writing strategies, incorporating sources and personal experience.
Students will negotiate between public and private rhetorical situations and purposes to achieve
academic literacy. They will write multiple drafts using a recursive writing process as they work
toward fluency in style and mechanics.
HIM 1101: Medical Terminology - Basic prefixes, roots and suffixes; terminology including
anatomic, diagnostic, symptomatic, procedural, eponymic terms and standard abbreviations
required for a working knowledge and understanding of the language of medicine.
HIM 1110: Health Information Processing - Foundations of health information management,
the Health Information Management profession, including health care systems and organization
of HIM functions, data quality, access and retention, patient and healthcare data and data
collection methodologies. Discussion of classification systems, clinical vocabularies and
nomenclatures.
HIM 1165: Drug Classification for Coding - An overview of the major drug classifications,
common drugs in each class, conditions for which drugs are administered and their general
effects to assist medical coders in analyzing health care documentation for coding and
reimbursement applications.
HIM 1201: Introductory Medical Office Coding -Introduction to principles, guidelines and
conventions for assigning ICD-9-CM or ICD-10-CM diagnostic codes and CPT procedure codes
to patient encounters for physician services.
HIM 1204: Medicolegal & Ethics in Healthcare Records - Evaluation of health care records
as legal documents; special emphasis on policies and procedures concerning release of medical
3

SINCLAIR COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Health Information Management - Associate of Applied Science

information and protecting patient confidentiality; principles and organization of the judicial
system; health care fraud and abuse and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
(HIPAA) regulations. Ethical issues in health care settings addressed.
HIM 1217: Alternative Health Records & Registries - Organization and operation of a
hospital cancer program emphasizing registry case finding, accession, indexing, abstracting and
follow-up of cancer data. Purposes, uses and handling of health information, departmental and
facility administration, licensing and accreditation requirements and introduction to payment
systems in long-term care and home health care.
HIM 2110: Ambulatory Coding -Introduction to principles, guidelines and conventions for
assigning ICD-9-CM or ICD-10-CM diagnostic codes and CPT procedure codes to patient
encounters for outpatient facility services. Students should possess proficiency in basic medical
terminology and human anatomy and physiology.
HIM 2144: Quality Improvement, Statistics & Research -Organization and analysis of data in
health care quality programs including quality assessment and monitoring, utilization and risk
management and medical staff credentialing. Theory and application of health care statistics
including data definitions, computation of formulae and research principles.
HIM 2145: Health Information Resource Management -Planning, organizing, staffing,
budgeting and analysis of management systems along with job standards and performance
evaluations emphasizing development of supervisory management, leadership and
communication skills
HIM 2165: Healthcare Data in Reimbursement -Organization of health care delivery system
including managed care and capitation. Theory and use of reimbursement systems such as
4

SINCLAIR COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Health Information Management - Associate of Applied Science

Diagnostic Related Groups, Ambulatory Payment Classifications, Resource-based Relative Value

Scale. Discussion of data flow from admission to billing and analysis of case mix. In addition,
other external forces, such as Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and Recovery
Audit Contractors,
HIM 2211: Inpatient Coding -Introduction to principles and coding conventions for using ICD9-CM and/or ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS for coding inpatient records. Students should possess
proficiency in medical terminology and human anatomy and physiology.
HIM 2233: Healthcare Information Systems -An in-depth look at the use of information
systems technology in the health care delivery system. Includes information security, electronic
clinical systems and health records
HIM 2252: Professional Practice Experience -Practical application of health information
management processes, including health information retrieval, qualitative and quantitative
analysis of health data, record completion by practitioners, release of health information,
document scanning, revenue cycle functions, coding, statistical reporting, hospital-wide and HIM
department quality improvement and various other registries and department functions utilizing
medical data. Ten directed practice hours per week at an approved off-site location.
HIM 2278: Health Information Management Capstone - A variety of specially designed
projects, student oral presentations, case studies, simulations, interviewing, resumes and two
mock accreditation exams.
COM 2206: Interpersonal Communication - Exploration of the development, maintenance
and termination of interpersonal relationships. The focus is on effective verbal and nonverbal
interactions between two people, highlighting methods of initiating and maintaining effective
5

SINCLAIR COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Health Information Management - Associate of Applied Science

communication with, and understanding of, others through learning and applying interpersonal
communication theory.
PSY 1100: General Psychology - University-parallel course covering history and systems of
psychology, behavioral research methods, physiology of behavior, sensation, perception,
learning, memory, consciousness, cognition, personality, lifespan development, gender, social
psychology, motivation, emotion, stress, mental disorders and therapies.
Course Option: MAT 1270}{ MAT 1130

SINCLAIR COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Health Information Management - Associate of Applied Science

Unofficial Transcript

SINCLAIR COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Health Information Management - Associate of Applied Science

Professional Activities and Personal Achievements

Certificate for Medical Coding and Billing Specialist

AHIMA Membership

SINCLAIR COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Health Information Management - Associate of Applied Science

Professional Practice Experience

Eagle Home Health Care
Home Health Agency
It is my hope to gain real world experience in the daily functions of a healthcare office while
continuing my education in preparation for taking my RHIT exam. My time spent working at
Eagle Home Health Care has enabled me to observe and participate in the filing of the OASIS
Data Set, transcribing patient assessment forms and auditing patient files and records. I look
forward to the opportunity to continue my work and to gain the necessary skills needed for
advancement in my field.