Earn your degree and professional skills
The health information management curriculum focuses on developing well-rounded professionals who are able to maintain, synthesize and analyze data in the healthcare industry. Course work focuses on how to optimize the acquisition, storage, retrieval, use and analysis of information in healthcare settings, with the ultimate goal of improving patient outcomes.
The online bachelor's degree in health information management at SNHU is unique in its combination of healthcare topics, healthcare-specific IT applications and health informatics. This approach provides a valuable background for those seeking to advance their careers in health information management regardless of their previous college coursework. Additionally, students with an associate’s degree or certificate in healthcare administration or one of the allied health fields can expand their skills and their opportunities with the health information management degree.
At SNHU, you can earn your health information management degree online. Our 24/7 virtual campus lets you complete course work and interact with other students in your program whenever your schedule allows.
Required Core Courses
General Education program: 45 credits
BIO-210: Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology
Discussion/comparison of the principles of mammalian form and function. Includes molecular and cellular mechanisms of major processes (such as muscle contraction, neural transmission, and signal transduction) and examines the structure and function of the 11 organ systems of the human body. Laboratory exercises (BIO-210L) to follow lecture topics.
IHP-340: Statistics for Healthcare Professionals
This course explores the basic statistical concepts of inference, variability, and statistical significance. Statistical methods used to describe data, quantify relationships and to test for differences between means will be studied. Parametric statistics will be the main focus but some common nonparametric tests will be introduced. The course will focus on the interpretation of published research findings.
HCM-200: Introduction to Health Information Technology
This course describes the use of information technology and the role of HIT professionals in the development of the electronic health record. It introduces the health information infrastructure and systems along with healthcare informatics, including applications, technology, privacy, and security.
HCM-215: Coding & Classification Systems
The purpose of this course is to provide students with the basic ability to identify nomenclatures and classification systems as well as assign codes using the appropriate principles, guidelines, and conventions and apply ICD-10-CM and ICD conventions' rules and guidelines.
HCM-220: Healthcare Data Management
This course examines the design and the use of medical databases. Students will learn how to implement business rules and data modeling to develop medical information management systems. The course further explores database applications for decision support including evidence-based practice, alerts, allergy management, and identification of gaps in care. Students will design databases and systems that reflect privacy and security requirements of HIPAA and HITECH Act.
HCM-310: Pathophysiology and Pharmacology Concepts
This combined Pathophysiology and Pharmacology course will examine alterations in the normal physiology of body structures, as well as concepts of pharmacodynamics, biochemistry, and pharmacokinetics across the lifespan. The relationships among evidence and many variables impacting pathophysiology and pharmacology, such as culture, genetics, religion, gender, lifestyle, economics, and age, will also be explored. Implications related to pathophysiological and pharmacological concepts will be applied to health informatics.
HCM-340: Healthcare Delivery Systems
This course provides an overview of the nature, organization, and function of the continuum of health services found in the United States. Emphasis is placed on the interrelation of cultural, economic, political and social aspects of health care delivery at the federal, state and local level. Topics include health care costs, accessibility of services, governmental influence on health care delivery, private industry role in health care, services for the medically indigent and elderly, ethical issues regarding transplants, reproductive technology, end of life decisions and funding.
HCM-345: Healthcare Reimbursement
This course explores some of the major issues facing the healthcare industry and the effect that public policy and business environment has on a healthcare organization. Emphasis is on supply and demand theory, reimbursement systems, managed care, charge-master management, Case-mix management, DRG prospective payment, insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, governmental regulations, accessibility, eligibility, budgeting, and planning. Students learn to use informational and research tools to make effective management decisions.
HCM-350: Communication and Technologies
In this course students will learn to manage health data elements, data sets (i.e. HEDIS, UHDDS, OASIS) and databases as well as perform a data quality assessment and integrity review. Health information archival and retrieval systems, as well as data capture tools and technologies (i.e. forms, data input screens, templates, other health record documentation tools), will be analyzed. Students will review healthcare taxonomies, clinical vocabularies nomenclatures (such as ICD-9-CM, ICD-10-CM/PCS, CPT, SNOWMED-CT, DSM-IV). Topics will include severity of illness systems, data integrity, coding audits, CCI, electronic billing, patient identity management policies, and X12N. Additionally, the course will review charge-master management, revenue cycles, and audit processes (i.e. compliance and reimbursement).
HCM-360: Coding and Classifications Systems II
The Communication and technologies course will review and evaluation an assortment of technologies including: data, information, and file structures (data administration, data definitions, data dictionary, data modeling, data structures, data warehousing, database management systems), system interoperability, data sharing, Health Information Exchanges (HIE), and the Nation-wide Health Information Infrastructure (NHIN).
HCM-420: Ethical and Legal Considerations of Healthcare
Students in this course examine the role of health care policy and legal, regulatory, and quality control in ethical decision making in healthcare. Students explore concepts and principles of health care policy, legal control, ethical conduct, and regulatory environments and their application to the health care environment. The impact of health care policy and multicultural, socioeconomic, political, legal, and regulatory factors on health care systems is explored.
HCM-430: Healthcare Quality Management
The goal of this course is to introduce students to the management of operations and explore how healthcare organizations can use advance methods to improve healthcare processes, delivery, and outcomes. Specific focus will be on analyzing cycle times (e.g., patient wait times), measuring productivity, streamlining process flows, tracking outcomes and performance metrics, and generally improving health management processes and health outcomes. The process improvement will be measured by how it can improve quality of care and safety of healthcare delivery, reduce waste, and reduce costs. The role of technology and innovative approaches in improving continuing quality improvement in healthcare delivery will be presented.
HCM-450: Healthcare Management and Finance
This course focuses on the concepts, principles, tools, finances and strategies used in managing operations within a performance improvement model. Students will explore problem solving and decision making models as well as tools and techniques for planning, organizing, directing, controlling, reporting, and improving the productivity and performance of resources within a Health Information Management Department. Additionally, topics will include healthcare finance (payer mix, investment, bond rating, capitalization), bookkeeping, accounting principles, budgeting processes (capital and operating), and cost/benefits analysis.
HCM-480: Health Information Management Capstone
The capstone course is the culminating experience for the Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management or the Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management - Professional Practice Concentration. This course builds on the concepts of all courses students have taken within the program of study. The capstone course provides students with the opportunity to integrate and synthesize the knowledge and skills acquired throughout their course work in an original comprehensive project, and to assess their level of mastery of the stated outcomes of their degree program in Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management or the Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management - Professional Practice Concentration.
IT-201: Computer Platform Technologies
This course provides the hardware/software technology background for information technology personnel. Hardware topics include CPU architecture, memory, registers, addressing modes, busses, instruction sets and a variety of input/output devices. Software topics include operating system modules, process management, memory and file system management. Also included are basic network components and multi-user operating systems. Offered every year.
CIS-100 or IT-100
IT-204: Introduction to Data and Information Management
This course provides students with an introduction to the foundations of data and information management, centered around the core skills of data management and database organization. The course will focus on identifying organizational requirements for data and information, modeling the requirements using relational techniques, implementing the models into a database using a database management system, and understanding the issues of data quality and data security. The course will also introduce the framework of enterprise information management and the growing need for managing data and information in organizations effectively to support decision making and competitive advantage.
QSO-340: Project Management
As modern organizations have become more complex, they have also become more project-driven. This course uses a basic project management framework in which the project life-cycle is broken into organizing, planning, monitoring and controlling the project. You will learn the methodologies and tools necessary at each stage for managing the projects effectively in terms of time, cost, quality, risk and resources.
Electives: 9 credits
Free Elective Credits: 21
Total Credits: 120
Health Information Management Degree Learning Outcomes
Your in-depth course work in the SNHU health information management degree program will increase your understanding and develop your expertise in specific information management applications. Upon earning your online bachelor’s in health information management, you will be able to:
- Apply health data structure, standards and regulations to manage clinical classification systems and reimbursement
- Analyze the uses, risks and management of health statistics and biomedical research data and support performance improvement programs
- Interpret and apply current laws, regulations, policies and healthcare ethics as they relate to decision-making in healthcare delivery and systems
- Implement and manage hardware and software technologies to ensure effective data collection, storage, analysis and reporting of information
- Evaluate information system applications for their capacity to meet the needs of healthcare organizations
- Use current management principles to propose solutions and develop project management plans that solve organizational challenges
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