Ph.D. - East Carolina .Web viewTHE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA APPENDIX C: REQUEST FOR AUTHORIZATION

Ph.D.

ECU, Master of Science in Health Informatics and Information Management, 30

THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA

APPENDIX C: REQUEST FOR AUTHORIZATION TO ESTABLISH A NEW DEGREE PROGRAM

8/2/2011

Constituent Institution:

East Carolina University

School/College:

College of Allied Health Sciences

Department:

Health Services and Information Management

Program Identification:

CIP Discipline Specialty Title:

Medical Informatics

CIP Discipline Specialty Code:

51.2706.123.000

Level (B, M, I, Prof, D):

M

Exact Title of the Proposed Degree:

Master of Science in Health Informatics and Information Management

Exact Degree Abbreviation (e.g., BA, BS, MA, MS, EdD, PhD):

MS

Does the proposed program constitute a substantive change as defined by SACS?

Yes

No

X

a) Is it at a more advanced level than those previously authorized?

Yes

No

X

b) Is the proposed program in a new discipline division?

Yes

No

X

Proposed date to establish degree program (allow at least 3-6 months for proposal review):

Month:

August

Year:

2013

Do you plan to offer the proposed program away from campus during the first year of operation?

Yes

X

No

If yes, complete the form to be used to request establishment of a distance education program and submit it along with this request.

TABLE OF CONTENT

3EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

5I.DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAM

9II.JUSTIFICATION FOR THE PROGRAM (Narrative Statement)

20III.PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS AND CURRICULUM

26IV.FACULTY

30V.LIBRARY

31VI.FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT

33VII.ADMINISTRATION

36VIII.ACCREDITATION

36IX.SUPPORTING FIELDS

37X.ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

37XI.BUDGET

38XII.EVALUATION PLANS

40XIII.REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The master of science in health informatics and information management (MS HIIM) is a trans-disciplinary academic program at the intersection of the disciplines of computer and information science and technology, health services administration and management, and more importantly the dynamics between the two.

The program is designed to prepare individuals to be informaticians as well as information management professionals who can work proficiently with clinicians and health services administrators to develop clear and effective health information strategies for their health care organizations, as well as carry out these strategies using a variety of applications. The establishment of the program meets both the vision of American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and the need for health informatics and health information management workforces in the state of North Carolina and beyond.

In addition to learning the technical aspects of health care data and information management, students will learn how to develop strong management skills crucial for planning, designing, implementing and evaluating a variety of system-wide health information systems including electronic health records, clinical decision support systems as well as computerized provider order entry systems. The proposed master of science in health informatics and information management prepares individuals for managerial, supervisory, executive, as well as other leadership positions in health information systems.

The program will:

1. prepare more advanced health informatics and health information management professionals to meet the expanding needs of North Carolina.

2. train health informatics and health information management professionals competent in the knowledge-based, data driven health care environment.

3. develop leaders capable of leading the implementation of health information technologies to add value to patient care.

4. provide continuing education opportunities for practicing health care providers and administrators, or information technology professionals.

It is expected that students who enter the MS HIIM will have completed an undergraduate degree in a health sciences or computer and information sciences, with at least one programming and at least one statistics courses in the previous five years. The MS HIIM requires at least 48 hours, including 36 hours of core courses and 12 hours of concentration courses in one of the three options: non-thesis, thesis or Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA). The curriculum is designed based on standards published by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management (CAHIIM).

The MS HIIM program builds on existing faculty strengths and courses in the College of Allied Health Sciences, College of Business, and College of Technology and Computer Science at East Carolina University. Many courses are existing courses in our health informatics and health care administration certificate programs. The MS HIIM is to replace the Bachelor of Science degree in health information management at ECU. Therefore, the program will be able to be operational with limited additional resources.

There are other masters programs in health informatics, nursing informatics or clinical informatics available in the state. However, they are not geographically near the proposed program at ECU. Additionally the MS HIIM program at ECU will be the only one offering an RHIA option and having its entire curriculum available online among all UNC constituent institutions. The strong growth of our online health informatics certificate has indicated a need of such training in health informatics and information management. The program will seek accreditation from CAHIIM once it is established.

I. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAM

A. Describe the proposed degree program (i.e., its nature, scope, and intended audience)

The master of science in health informatics and information management (MS HIIM) is a trans-disciplinary academic program at the intersection of the disciplines of computer and information science and technology, health services administration and management, and more importantly the dynamics between the two. The program is designed to prepare individuals to become informaticians or information management professionals who can work proficiently with clinicians and health services administrators to develop clear and effective health information strategies for their health care organizations, as well as carry out these strategies using a variety of applications. In addition to learning the technical aspects of health care data and information management, students will learn how to develop strong management skills crucial for planning, designing, implementing and evaluating a variety of system-wide health information systems including electronic health records, clinical decision support systems as well as computerized provider order entry systems. The proposed MS in HIIM prepares individuals for managerial, supervisory, executive, as well as other leadership positions in health information systems.

A clear strategy of health informatics and information management helps health care organizations ensure secure access to information, enhance decision making, maintain financial balance, and improve the quality of patient care and patient outcomes. Professionals in health informatics and information management are skilled in collecting, managing, interpreting and analyzing patient data. Additionally, they receive the training necessary to assume leadership positions related to these functions. They support and interact with all levels of an organization, clinical, financial, and administrative, that employ patient data in decision making at all levels. Health information managers have traditionally worked with paper-based data systems. Moreover, they typically worked in record systems contained within a single organization. However, the health care environment is rapidly adopting information technology to manage health care data across entire regions with dozens of health care organizations. Therefore, these health information managers must advance their training to understand and apply principles of health informatics in order to be effective health care data/information managers.

The proposed MS in health informatics and information management (MS HIIM) aims to fill this need of advanced training. The focus of the MS in HIIM is not to train students as computer technicians or programmers, but, rather, to educate and train them to understand the strengths and weaknesses of computer technology and information systems. Furthermore, students in the MS HIIM program will learn how to implement and manage information systems in a dynamic and complex health care environment.

The program will:

1. Prepare more advanced health informatics and health information management professionals to meet the expanding needs of North Carolina.

2. Train health informatics and health information management professionals competent in the knowledge-based, data driven health care environment.

3. Develop leaders capable of leading the implementation of health information technologies to add value to patient care.

4. Provide continuing education opportunities for practicing health care providers and administrators, or information technology professionals.

The degree program will be offered both on campus and through distance education; therefore, it will be delivered in two modes: (a) face-to-face and (b) online. Delivering the curriculum in both modes meets the needs of distinct learning styles and life situations of the pro