Health Information Technology/Medical Coding

Some courses may require appropriate test score or completion of basic math, basic English and/or reading courses with a “C” or better.

• BIOL 1106: READ 0900 or appropriate placement score
• HITM 2000: MATH 0801 or appropriate test score and instructor approval
• HITM 2245: MATH 0801 or appropriate test score
• HITM 2261: Successful completion of first three semesters of HIT program and instructor permission

By completing this program, students will achieve the following learning outcomes.  

1. Successful completion of the degree will allow the student to sit for the Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) exam.
2. Successful completion of the degree will allow the student to work in a hospital/healthcare setting beginning as an entry-level supervisor.
3. Successful completion of the degree will allow the student to sit for a number of coding credentials, such as the CCA, CCS, CCS-P, CPC, CPC-H.
4. Successful completion of the degree will allow the student to work in a hospital, clinic, public health facility, insurance company, or related facility.
5. Successful completion of the degree will allow the student to deal with confidential patient information and work in the area of release of information.
6. Successful completion of the degree will allow the student to transfer to a four-year degree program in Health Information Management.
7. Successful completion of the degree will allow the student to further their career path by continuing their education in Tumor Registry.

Minnesota law requires that any person who provides services that involve direct contact with patients and residents at a health care facility licensed by the Minnesota Department of Health have a background study conducted by the state. An individual who is disqualified from having direct contact with patients as a result of the background study, and whose disqualification is not set aside by the Commissioner of Health, will not be permitted to participate in a clinical placement in a Minnesota licensed health care facility. Anoka Technical College will withdraw any student who is disqualified by the Minnesota Department of Health. The student is responsible for requesting the commissioner to reconsider the disqualification.

The Health Information Technology accreditor of Anoka Technical College is the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). The College's accreditation for the associate degree in Health Information Technology has been reaffirmed through 2021. All inquiries about the program's accreditation status should be directed by mail to CAHIIM, 200 East Randolph Street, Suite 5100, Chicago, IL 60601: by phone at (312) 235-3255; or by email at info@cahiim.org.

Student Achievement/Outcomes

Graduation Rate: The percentage of a school's first-time, first-year undergraduate students who complete the HIT program within 150% of the published time for the program.

Employment Rate: The percentage of graduates from the HIT program who are employed within one year of graduation. Information based on graduation survey results.

Exam Pass Rate: The percentage of students who tested and passed the RHIT certification exam as first-time test takers.

The Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM) determined that completion of the Health Information Technology (HIT) program prepares a student to take the national licensure examination for AHIMA RHIT (Registered Health Information Technology) exam. Passage of the national exam is required for licensure in all 50 U.S. states and U.S. protectorates. Therefore, the HIT program MEETS educational requirements needed to obtain professional licensure in all 50 states and U.S. protectorates. The state board will evaluate each application in its entirety to make a final decision regarding professional licensure/certification. Additional requirements such as state-specific examinations, background checks, fees, additional training, experience and coursework, etc. may apply. 

Our program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM) which is a requirement for sitting for the certification exam. Our program prepares students for the AHIMA RHIT (Registered Health Information Technology) exam. Passing the RHIT exam leads to national certification which is recognized in all states. Therefore, we have determined that our programs meet the certification requirements for all states. https://www.ahima.org/certification-careers/certifications-overview/

To obtain the contact information for the licensing boards, please see this link.

If you have additional questions related to being licensed in a different state or licensure in general, please contact, Georgina Sampson or Jody Sandberg.

STATISTICS

Students can choose to complete this program part-time. Part-time students will take longer to complete their program than students who follow the full-time sequence listed on the official program guide (see the program guide PDF under the LINKS section to the right). Because every course may not be offered each semester, it is important for part-time students to reach out to their faculty advisors for help in planning their long-term, part-time course sequence. Refer to the below PDF document for first semester part-time course options and further information.

Part-time Options

All Anoka Technical College students seeking an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) in Health Information Technology must earn a grade of “C” or higher in every course in the program.

To see how this may transfer into other Anoka Technical College programs or into another college, please visit:

• Minnesota Transfer or
• Anoka Technical College transfer student  

The health information management (HIM) professional is an important connection between doctors, patients, insurance providers and other health care professionals within the field. By maintaining, collecting and analyzing health information, the HIM professional makes an important behind the scenes contribution to the delivery of quality care. Besides working with cutting-edge technology, HIM professionals are experts in the field of patient health information and health records.

• verifying health records completeness and accuracy and proper entry into computer systems.
  
  
• utilizing computer applications to assemble and analyze patient data.
  
  
• coding diagnoses and procedures for reimbursement and research.
  
  
• compiling and maintaining registry data.
  
  
• assuring patient privacy and data security.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in its Occupational Outlook Handbook, projects that employment for health information technicians is expected to grow much faster than the average.

Credentialed health information technicians (RHITs) can look forward to many expanding career opportunities due to increasing patient privacy/data security legislation and computerization of health information. 

Wage information is available from the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. 

Georgina Sampson
GSampson@anokatech.edu

Jody Sandberg
JSandberg@anokatech.edu

Enrollment Services
EnrollmentServices@anokatech.edu
763-576-7710

By completing this program, students will achieve the following learning outcomes.  

1. Essential professional and technical knowledge.
2. Effective written and oral communication skills.
3. Skills in using resources and technology.
4. Problem solving.
5. Teamwork.
6. Critical thinking skills.
7. Eligible to work in any healthcare setting.
8. Eligible to sit for the CCA exam.
   
   

Minnesota law requires that any person who provides services that involve direct contact with patients and residents at a health care facility licensed by the Minnesota Department of Health have a background study conducted by the state. An individual who is disqualified from having direct contact with patients as a result of the background study, and whose disqualification is not set aside by the Commissioner of Health, will not be permitted to participate in a clinical placement in a Minnesota licensed health care facility. The college will withdraw any student who is disqualified by the Minnesota Department of Health. The student is responsible for requesting the commissioner to reconsider the disqualification.

The Medical Coding Specialist diploma can prepare students to sit for the national certification examination to become a Certified Coding Associate (CCA) or the Certified Procedural Coding-Apprentice (CPC-A) credentials.

Placement Rate: 87%
Graduate Satisfaction Rate: 100%
Employer Satisfaction Rate: 100%

(Program Outcomes for 2017)

Students can choose to complete this program part-time. Part-time students will take longer to complete their program than students who follow the full-time sequence listed on the official program guide (see the program guide PDF under the LINKS section to the right). Because every course may not be offered each semester, it is important for part-time students to reach out to their faculty advisors for help in planning their long-term, part-time course sequence. Refer to the below PDF document for first semester part-time course options and further information.

Part-time Options

All Anoka Technical College students seeking a diploma in Medical Coding Specialist must earn a grade of “C” or higher in every course in the program.

• Minnesota Transfer or
• Anoka Technical College transfer student  

1. Analyze medical record documentation in order to assign diagnostic and procedures codes.
2. Provide important information for the health care reimbursement process.
3. Assist in medical research and statistics.

Medical coding specialists analyze health record documentation in order to assign and/or ensure that valid codes are applied to medical diagnoses and procedures to facilitate reimbursement, analysis of patient outcomes and statistics. The coding specialist must have a thorough understanding of the content of the health record in order to be able to locate information to support or provide specificity for coding.

The U.S. Department of Labor Statistics in its Occupational Outlook Handbook projects that employment for health information technicians is expected to grow much faster than the average.

Wage information is available from the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. 

Georgina Sampson
GSampson@anokatech.edu

Jody Sandberg
JSandberg@anokatech.edu

Enrollment Services
EnrollmentServices@anokatech.edu
763-576-7710