Health Information Management

This course provides a foundation for the development and application of the fundamentals of health information management. Throughout the course students study the history and evolution of health records keeping, including the evolving roles and functions involved in health information management and the transformation from hard copy to electronic documentation. The primary focus of this course will be on the role of the Health Information Management Professional within the healthcare system. It will include the regulations and professional standards that are required for the management of health information, including health data sources, data collection, use and disclosure and the various systems used to house health information. In addition, it will demonstrate how this pertains to care and treatment of the client and support the concept of the patient record as a tool for care, research and education.

In this course, students learn effective, practical writing and computing skills for successful communication in Health Information Management. An emphasis will be place on maintaining a professional environment for communicating and learning. Students learn how to use the institutional database, learning management system, and MS Suite. Emphasis will be placed on the application of these systems to produce well-written documents for the Health Information Management field.

This course introduces students to terminologies, nomenclatures and classification systems, basic coding guidelines, the importance of data quality and the uses of coded data. Students learn the primary clinical coding systems used for hospital data in Canada. Folio software is used to teach the coding of diagnoses and interventions. Students navigate the search engines needed to find codes in the abstracting software and identify the differences between coding classifications. CIHI coding conventions and standards are taught in conjunction with this course to provide the student with the understanding that coding and data quality work simultaneously.

Students explore the current model of Health Care delivery in Canada including the role of provincial and federal governments. Trends and issues in utilization and allocation of health services in Canada are studied. Students begin to learn health care laws and investigate how legislation and professional regulation influences health information management practices and patient care.

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In this course, students study the human body in health and disease. Students learn each body system according to its structure and function, pathological conditions, disease etiology, diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. The study of each system combines medical terminology, anatomy and physiology and clinical pathophysiology.

This field placement provides the student with an opportunity to perform foundational skills in a Health Information Management related work setting under the supervision of a qualified professional. This seven day practicum will provide the student with an opportunity to apply the learned theory and skills taught within the first and second semester.

Note: To be eligible for placement the student must have successfully completed the first semester and be on track to successfully complete semester 2.

This course will provide HIM students the opportunities to learn more about the functions, roles and responsibilities of the modern manager with emphasis on privacy and confidentiality.  The course material builds on the administrative, technical and science skills learned in other HIM core courses.  The courses will focus on the principles of management and the needs of the customer in the health care industry.  The course will encourage students to integrate their knowledge of health information and data management with the fundamentals of management theory in preparation as a professional seeking employment within a health care or related agency.

In this course, students prepare for their field placement in a health care facility or agency. Students focus on professionalism, communication skills, including writing techniques and strategies, listening, speaking and nonverbal skills, and critical thinking skills. Resume writing, interview preparation and career planning are discussed. Students reflect on their strengths, skills, knowledge and suitability for working in a professional environment with personal health information.

This course builds a student’s ability to use nomenclatures and classification systems, basic coding guidelines, the importance of data quality and the uses of coded data. Students learn the primary clinical coding systems used for hospital data in Canada. Folio software is used to teach the coding of diagnoses and interventions. Students navigate the search engines needed to find codes in the abstracting software and identify the differences between codes within a classification. CIHI coding conventions and standards are taught to provide the student with the understanding that coding and data quality work simultaneously. This course will focus on abstracting ambulatory patient information according to the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System – Emergency Department.

In this course, student’s use a relational database application to create a database to be used for managing health information for a fictional small clinic. Students learn how to create tables, enter data, build queries on data, and create useful reports. Discussions of database maintenance with emphasis on the consistency, accuracy and confidentiality of health information occur.

In this course, students study the human body in health and disease. Students learn each body system according to its structure and function, pathological conditions, disease etiology, diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. The study of each system combines medical terminology, anatomy and physiology and clinical pathophysiology. BIOL 1060 is a continuation from BIOL 1050.

In this course, students participate in a field placement experience to intentionally integrate concepts learned in the classroom into a professional environment. Students reflect on their professional experience and behaviours to identify goals for further development as an HIM professional. Students will be complete this placement at a hospital and demonstrate entry level skills for release of information and clinical coding.Note: To be eligible for placement the student must be on track to successfully complete semester 3.

In this course, students evaluate the evolving role of electronic systems within the context of the field of health information management. Students learn about the different types of electronic systems being implemented in Canadian hospitals and health care facilities. Furthermore, students discuss the larger scheme for electronic health data and systems across Canada and the organizations and committees involved in developing the electronic health record in Canada. Common information and data standards, to support consistent and comparable collection and reporting of clinical and administrative data to meet the information needs of users.

This course will prepare students with the analytical and business intelligence skills to analyze health information from multiple or single sources. During the course students will respond to queries, anticipate the types of information clinicians, administrators, government, and other external agencies need, identify the appropriate sources of data, understand the limitations of data and its sources, and utilize software packages that allow for analysis and presentation of the data.They will apply their statistical knowledge when completing routine statistical reporting requirements based on case study examplesFocusing on introductory statistical principles and calculations students will learn determine statistical significance of the findings and demonstrate their ability to calculate basic descriptive statistics. Students will demonstrate their knowledge of statistical principles by considering how data will be analyzed and how it will be presented.

This course enhances a student’s ability to use coding guidelines, the importance of data quality and the uses of coded data. Students learn the primary clinical coding systems used for hospital data in Canada. Folio software is used to teach the coding of diagnoses and interventions. Students navigate the search engines needed to find codes in the abstracting software and identify the differences between coding classifications. CIHI coding conventions and standards are taught in conjunction with this course to provide the student with the understanding that coding and data quality work simultaneously. A focus on abstracting ambulatory patient information according to the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System – Day Surgery.

This course will provide a strong foundation in the theories and concepts of leadership and management. This includes understanding the business aspects of health care organizations, the principles of human resource management and concepts relating to organizational behaviour and culture. Students will use case studies based on real-life HIM scenarios to move their knowledge from theory to application and analysis.

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The focus of the course will be on developing an understanding of the concepts of Decision Support/Utilization Management programs within a health care system. National and provincial health data sources (such as CIHI, DAD and NACRS databases) as well as current reporting software programs will be used for analysis and presentation of the data.

This is the final practicum experience of the Health Information Management Program - a four-week placement with a health care facility. Students will complete an administrative or research project for a health care organization.

Note: To be eligible for placement the student must be on track to successfully complete semester 4.

This is the final course focusing on classification systems, coding guidelines, the importance of data quality and the uses of coded data. Students learn the primary clinical coding systems used for hospital data in Canada. Folio software is used to teach the coding of diagnoses and interventions. Students navigate the search engines needed to find codes in the abstracting software and identify the differences between coding classifications. CIHI coding conventions and standards are taught in conjunction with this course to provide the student with the understanding that coding and data quality work simultaneously. A focus on abstracting inpatient information according to the Discharge Abstract Database.

In this course, students are introduced to scientific research principles and applications to HIM. Students explore the different methods, techniques and study considerations that need to be addressed when designing a scientific research study in the field of HIM. Emphasis is placed on the ability to apply specific methodological research approaches to collection and presentation of health information.

This course provides an introduction to quality management theories, concepts and practices. Students will focus on developing and implementing appropriate processes, policies and practices to improve the quality of the data collection and production. Management techniques such as strategic planning, critical pathways, project management, change management and standard setting are explored.

This course will focus on developing a project management plan for a major research or administrative project for a health care organization.