The health information management (HIM) and biomedical informatics (BMI) professions have proceeded historically along separate but parallel paths. There are historic differences in their professional roles, educational programs, and certification, but both professions have a common interest in the optimal acquisition, use, and analysis of information to improve the quality, safety, and cost of health care.
Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) is a leader and innovator in BMI education. In the meantime, the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) has released its Vision 2016 Blueprint for HIM education, which calls for increasing the entry level of education for Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA), the highest HIM credential, to the master’s degree level. OHSU has had HIM professionals in its BMI program for many years, but now desires to expand its BMI program to a larger segment of the HIM professional community.
To this end, OHSU is pleased to announce we are implementing two new additions to our program to meet the needs of HIM professionals and those who aspire to be. The first is a new track in our Graduate Certificate Program that is seeking accreditation from the Commission for Accreditation of Health Informatics and Information Management (CAHIIM) so that graduates who complete the curriculum will be eligible for RHIA certification. The second is approval of our master’s degree programs by CAHIIM, which will certify that they meet their curricula criteria.
The new track of the Graduate Certificate Program will launch in the fall of 2008, although those wanting to enroll sooner can do so and take courses that already exist and will be part of the new track. We anticipate that those who graduate from the program will be eligible to sit for the RHIA exam shortly after graduate in June, 2009. The program is completely on-line, although courses may be taken on-campus as well. Applications will be available in April of 2008. For more information, contact the HIM Director and Assistant Professor, Joanne Valerius, MPH, RHIA.
We anticipate that our existing master’s degree programs will require little if any changes to obtain CAHIIM approval. The are currently two master’s degree programs, which differ only in their terminal project. The Master of Science degree requires a research thesis, whereas the Master of Biomedical Informatics (professional master’s) requires a shorter capstone project. Both degrees are offered on-campus and on-line, although the latter option requires two on-campus one-week short courses. Those interested in OHSU BMI master’s programs can apply through the established application process. For more information, visit http://www.ohsu.edu/ohsuedu/academic/som/dmice/academics/applying.cfm
- Letter from the Program Director
- AHIMA's Quality Healthcare through Quality Information Video (requires high speed internet connection. Windows Media Player or Real One Player must be installed to view this video.)
- If you are considering applying to our HIM program, you can find information about matriculation on the AHIMA (American Health Information Management Association) website at http://himcareers.ahima.org.
- For information on careers in Health Information Management, see http://careerassist.ahima.org.
- To subscribe to Advance, a newsletter for HIM professionals, go to http://www.advanceforhim.com.
News of Note from AHIMA Advantage E-alert:
Special E-Alert
Volume 10, Issue 16 Volume 10, Issue 15 Volume 10, Issue 14 Volume 10, Issue 13 Volume 10, Issue 11 Volume 10, Issue 9 Volume 10, Issue 7 Volume 10, Issue 6
Volume 10, Issue 5:
Report Calls for Improved Validation Methods for Increased Use of EHRs and PHRs. A report recently released by Connecting for Health finds that a mix of established and emerging validation techniques are needed to help stimulate the growth of new electronic health services, including personal health records. The report, "Connecting Americans to their Health Care: Consumer Authentication for Networked Personal Health Information," recommends federal organizations, such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology, research identity validation techniques to help set benchmarks. It calls for increased use of authentication technologies to verify a person's identity. To read more of the report, see
http://www.connectingforhealth.org/
commonframework/docs/T7_consumer_authen.pdf. This and other issues of AHIMA Advantage E-alert are free to AHIMA members.
For information about student membership, see
http://www.ahima.org/membership/. If you would like to receive more information as it becomes available, please
complete the form below and we will add you to our e-mail list.
