Revised 08/2009

HIM 233 - Electronic Health Records Management (3 CR.)

Course Description

Studies new trends in management and processing of health information with emphasis on the electronic health record (EHR). Covers the definition, benefits, standards, functionality, confidentiality and security, and impact of the EHR in the healthcare environment. Explores implementation of the EHR including infrastructure required, project management techniques, information technology systems, workflow processes, and redesign in various healthcare settings. Discusses legal issues created by implementation of the EHR. Lecture 3 hours per week.

General Course Purpose

This course will provide a foundation for student learning, introducing concepts and technologies of the electronic medical records, computerized medical records, computer-based patient records, electronic chart and other terms as they relate to the health care information systems.

Course Prerequisites/Corequisites

Prerequisites: HIM 130, HIM 230 and program placement into the Health Information Management degree program or Clinical Data Coding Career Studies Certificate or permission of the instructor

Course Objectives

Upon completing the course, the student will be able to:

  • Apply clinical vocabularies and terminologies used in the organization’s health information systems; collect, organize, and present data; and use specialized databases to meet specific organization needs (e.g., medical research, disease registries)
  • Apply electronic information system policies and procedures required by national health information initiatives; participate in the implementation of legal and regulatory requirements related to the health information infrastructure
  • Participate in the planning, design, selection, implementation, integration, testing, evaluation, and support for organization-wide information systems; use technology, to ensure data collection, storage, analysis, and reporting of information; apply policies and procedures to the use of networks to facilitate the EHR; and apply knowledge of data base architecture and design
  • Use specialized software in the completion of HIM processes such as record tracking, release of information, coding, grouping, registries, billing, quality improvement, and imaging; use appropriate electronic or imaging technology for data/record storage
  • Query and generate reports to facilitate information retrieval; and design and generate reports using appropriate software; maintain archival and retrieval systems for patient information stored in multiple formats; and coordinate, use, and maintain systems for document imaging and storage
  • Protect data integrity and validity using software or hardware technology; apply departmental and organizational data and information system security policies

Major Topics to Be Included

  • Introduction to Healthcare Information Systems
  • Fundamentals of Information Systems
  • Information Systems for Managerial and Clinical Support
  • Information Security
  • Electronic Health Record
  • Information Systems Life Cycle
  • EMR versus the traditional PMR