Health Information Management
Associate Degree Program
Timely and secure patient information is crucial to delivering reliable and affordable healthcare. With a Health Information Management (HIM) degree, you'll play a critical role in managing patient information. Health information professionals are charged with protecting patient privacy, providing secure information to legitimate users, and maintaining effective health information systems. Delaware Tech’s comprehensive HIM program will provide you with the skills to compile, analyze, manage and report health information for a variety of applications. The program incorporates clinical experiences that will allow you to put your knowledge into practice.
New federal laws requiring the development of health information networks and the use of electronic health records are driving the need for credentialed information managers, and this need is predicted to grow over the next decade. Successful HIM graduates will work in diverse environments including hospitals, rehabilitation centers, physician offices, health departments and corporate settings such as pharmaceutical companies. If you've always wanted to be part of a technology-driven field, are detail-oriented, and have strong computer skills, Health Information Management may be the career for you!
Academically ready students can apply to the program following the guidelines of the Allied Health competitive admission process. Interested applicants should review the information provided here and contact their program advisor for application requirements.
This program is offered at the Wilmington campus.
What You Can Do
In this program, you will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to prepare you for positions as:
- Clinical Systems HIMS Administrator
- Coding Manager
- Customer Service Supervisor
- Document Imaging Supervisor
What You Will Earn
Competitive starting salaries range from $ 26,000 - $35,000.
What You Will Learn
Program Graduate Competencies
The Program Graduate Competencies listed below identify the major learning goals related to your specific program of study and identify the knowledge and skills you will have when you graduate to be successful in your chosen field.
- Synthesize knowledge of medical sciences, clinical classification systems, vocabularies, and terminologies to effectively use, apply, and interpret health data.
- Analyze data to identify trends through the use of health information technologies.
- Apply legal, regulatory, privacy, and security standards to employ policies and procedures for health information collection, access, and disclosure.
- Synthesize knowledge of health data and payment methodologies to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of revenue cycle processes.
- Interpret regulatory, coding, legal, and clinical documentation standards to develop, implement, and evaluate compliance.
- Consistently demonstrate leadership through the appropriate interpretation and evaluation of professional behaviors and ethical standards.
Core Curriculum Competencies
The Core Curriculum Competencies listed below identify what you will be able to do as a graduate, regardless of your program of study. You will acquire these core competencies through general education courses and program-specific coursework. You will be expected to use relevant technology to achieve these outcomes:
- Apply clear and effective communication skills.
- Use critical thinking to solve problems.
- Collaborate to achieve a common goal.
- Demonstrate professional and ethical conduct.
- Use information literacy for effective vocational and/or academic research.
- Apply quantitative reasoning and/or scientific inquiry to solve practical problems.
Contact Wilmington:
Shelley Sullivan
Department Chair, Instructor, and Program Advisor
ssulli23@dtcc.edu
(302) 571-5355
The Health Information Management Associate in Applied Science degree is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). Further information is available at www.cahiim.org.
- Program Application (submission dates in effect)
- Cost Analysis Sheet
- Technical Standards
- Attend an Information Session
Student Outcomes Information
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | Average | |
| Graduation Rate (Students who started the program and received a degree within 150% of time) |
57% (8/14) |
62% (8/13) |
42% (5/12) |
54% |
| Certification Exam Pass Rate (Registered Health Information Technician [RHIT]) |
100% (5/5) |
100% (5/5) |
67% (2/3) |
92% |
| Employment Rate (six months post-graduation, of those seeking employment) |
88% (7/8) |
88% (7/8) |
75% (3/4) |
85% |