The Health Information Management Technology program is a sequence of courses designed to provide students with the technical knowledge and skills necessary to process, maintain, analyze, and report health information data according to legal, accreditation, licensure and certification standards for reimbursement, facility planning, marketing, risk management, utilization management, quality assessment and research. Program graduates will develop leadership skills necessary to serve in a functional supervisory role in various components of the health information system.
The Health Information Management Technology program accreditor of Atlanta Technical College is the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). The College’s accreditation for Associate of Applied Science degree in Health Information Management Technology has been reaffirmed through 2022. All inquiries about the program’s accreditation status should be directed to:
Program Description
The Health Information Management Technology program is a sequence of courses designed to provide students with the technical knowledge and skills necessary to process, maintain, analyze, and report health information data according to legal, accreditation, licensure and certification standards for reimbursement, facility planning, marketing, risk management, utilization management, quality assessment and research. Program graduates will develop leadership and technical skills necessary to serve in a vast array of roles from analysts to supervisory and project management in various components of the health information system.
Mission Statement:
The Health Information Management Technology (HIMT) program supports the mission and commitment of Atlanta Technical College to provide educational opportunities to individuals that will enable them to obtain the knowledge, skills, and work ethics required for job acquisition, retention, and advancement in the Health Information Management Technology field. Upon successful completion of the HIMT program, graduates will be eligible to sit for the National Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) exam.
Accreditation:
The Health Information Management Technology program accreditor of Atlanta Technical College is the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). The College’s accreditation for Associate of Applied Science degree in Health Information Management Technology has been reaffirmed through 2022. All inquiries about the program’s accreditation status should be directed to:
CAHIIM
200 East Randolph Street
Suite 5100, Chicago, IL, 60601
(312) 235-3255
info@cahiim.org
Programmatic Accreditation
The Health Information Management Technology program accreditor of Atlanta Technical College is the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). The College’s accreditation for Associate of Applied Science degree in Health Information Management Technology has been reaffirmed through 2022. All inquiries about the program’s accreditation status should be directed to:
CAHIIM
200 East Randolph Street
Suite 5100, Chicago, IL, 60601
(312) 235-3255
info@cahiim.org
Career Information
Occupation
Health Information Technologists, Medical Coding Specialists, Billing Specialists, and Release of Information Specialists
Career Projections
The number of jobs in this field is expected to increase by 19.1% nationally and 24.1% in the State of Georgia over the next several years. Estimated salaries in this field start at $40,000 a year.
Labor market data was compiled using Economic Modeling Specialists, international and is updated annually.
Careers
To learn more about HIM careers visit: https://careerassist.ahima.org/
Career Coach
Please select the following link to review additional career information on Career Coach.
Admission Requirements
General College Admissions Requirements
Program Admissions Requirements
• Must be 18 years of age.
• Official high school or GED transcript is required to apply.
• Achievement of minimum program admission scores in Reading, Language, and Math.
• Transfer of previous post-secondary credits will be determined by the Enrollment Services and HIMT Program Director.
HIMT Program Entrance Requirements
• Must ensure that transfer courses from other approved institutions of higher education are no more than five (5) years old; these include MATH 1111, BIOL 2113, BIOL 2113 Lab, BIOL 2114, BIOL 2114 Lab, ALHS 1090, and (CAHIIM) HIMT occupational courses.
• Maximum transfer credits to accept from other approved institutions and/or CAHIIM accredited programs of higher education is 25%. Only 6 transfer credits from another CAHIIM will be accepted, excluding HIMT 2460 course.
• The Health Information Management Technology Degree program requires student to complete ALL required pre-requisites and have a minimum of CGPA 2.5 or higher.
• HIMT Information Session is required prior to starting the HIMT occupational courses. Virtual information sessions are scheduled once a month, on the 4th Thursday at 4:30pm. To register for the virtual sessions, students must email their first and last name with student 900# to aspence@atlantatech.edu to receive access information.
Student Performance/Graduation Requirements
• Students must maintain a minimum 2.5 cumulative grade point average (CGPA) and complete all required courses with a “C” or better to graduate.
• A signed document acknowledging that the commission of a felony before or during their enrollment in this program may prevent or impede graduates from obtaining certification as a Health Information Technician.
• Students are required to complete drug testing and/or background checks at their own expense prior to enrolling in course HIMT 2460 - Health Information Technology Practicum.
Blood and Airborne Pathogens
Students enrolled in Category I and II programs at Atlanta Technical College will be performing tasks in which there is a normal occurrence for exposure to blood, other potentially infectious body materials, and airborne pathogens.
These tasks will be performed in the classroom, laboratory, and clinical activities for each occupational training program/course. Students will be required to present documentation of Hepatitis B and Tuberculosis immunizations as a result of potential occupational exposure. Students should contact their program directors for more information. Policies and procedures regarding blood and airborne pathogens may be reviewed at https://tcsg.edu/tcsgpolicy/tcsg_policy_manual.pdf.
Program Contact Information
Aletta Spence, MHA, RHIA, CCS
Health Information Management Technology
Program Director
404.225.4465
aspence@atlantatech.edu
Program Length and Cost
Minimum Program Length in Semester Terms: 6 terms
Program Credit Hours: 64-65
Estimated Program Cost: $12,770
Required Courses
General Education Courses (15 Credits)
Area I – Language Arts/Communication (3 Credits)
Area II - Social/Behavioral Sciences- (3 Credits)
Area III - Natural Sciences/Mathematics – (3 Credits)
| | Select one of the following Math Courses | |
| MATH 1101 | Mathematical Modeling | 3 |
| | Or | |
| MATH 1103 | Quantitative Skills and Reasoning | 3 |
| | Or | |
| MATH 1111 | College Algebra | 3 |
Area IV – Humanities Fine Arts- (3 Credits)
| | Select one of the following courses | |
| ARTS 1101 | Art Appreciation | 3 |
| | Or | |
| ENGL 2130 | American Literature | 3 |
| | Or | |
| HUMN 1100 | Introduction to Humanities | 3 |
Health Information Management Technology Core (13 Credits)
Take all the courses listed below:
Occupational Courses (39-40 Credits)
Specialization
Revenue Cycle Specialization (13 Credits)
Take the following courses:
| HIMT 1400 | Coding and Classification - ICD Basic | 4 |
| HIMT 1410 | Coding and Classification - ICD Advanced | 3 |
| HIMT 2400 | Coding and Classification - CPT/HCPCS | 3 |
| HIMT 2410 | Revenue Cycle Management | 3 |
Data Analytics Specialization (12 Credits)
Starts Spring 2024
Take the following classes:
| HIMT 2375 | Healthcare Coding | 3 |
| | And | |
| HIMT 2600 | Introduction to Data Management | 5 |
| | Select one of the following courses | |
| CIST 1220 | Structured Query Language (SQL) | 4 |
| | Or | |
| CIST 1210 | Introduction to Oracle Databases | 4 |
Total Credit Hours: 64-65
Program Outcomes
1. The graduate will be able to perform functions to collect, store, and retrieve medical records and reports in electronic health records system.
2. The graduate will be able to apply supervision and leadership tools to manage the health care office.
3. The graduate will be able to distinguish the difference in primary and secondary records systems, content and structure of health care data sets, and elements of patient data and the complication of medical information throughout the patient's course of treatment in a health care facility.
4. The graduate will be able to demonstrate knowledge and skills to code, classify index diagnoses and procedures for reimbursement, standardization, retrieval and statistical analysis.
5. The graduate will be able to perform qualitative and quantitative analysis of health records for accuracy and completeness.
6. The graduate will be able to demonstrate knowledge of legal policies, regulations and industry standards related to handling patient information, medical records and healthcare data integrity.