Bachelor's Degrees
Contact
Connie RendaMA, RHIA, CHDA
Program Director/Assistant Professor
Health Information Technology
Health Information Management
crenda@sdccd.edu
619-388-2606
Office S-308
Dean of Health Sciences and Public Service
619-388-2789
Office S-300
San Diego Mesa College
7250 Mesa College Dr.
San Diego, CA 92111
Health Information Management
Health Information Management Program
Description
At the March 16, 2015, California Community College Board of Governors meeting, the members voted unanimously to approve San Diego Mesa College’s Health Information Management (HIM) Bachelor of Science degree as one of the fifteen community college pilot programs to be offered in the state. The HIM program received Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC), Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) approval.
The Bachelor of Science degree in Health Information Management program provides accessible, high-quality industry-approved instruction designed to prepare students to work at a management level in a variety of healthcare settings including acute and subacute hospitals, outpatient clinics, government health agencies, and electronic health records industry vendors. The Health Information Management program is seeking accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management (CAHIIM). Graduates of the program will be eligible to sit for the national certification exam once the accreditation has been approved.
View HEIT/HIMS Information Session
The Health Information Management Bachelor of Science degree program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management (CAHIIM). Graduates of the program are eligible to write the national accreditation examination of the American Health Information Management Association, and upon passing this exam become designated as an RHIA (Registered Health Information Administrator). Check CAHIIM.org for more details.

Admission Pathways
Student Learning Outcomes
Graduates of the HIM program will be able to:
- Apply the laws of patient record confidentiality, privacy, and compliance
- Use and design data, databases, and healthcare systems
- Demonstrate and apply knowledge of the principles of personnel management
- Develop a financial plan for a health information management department
- Demonstrate mastery of the principles of health information management
- Analyze healthcare data; assimilate data and information
Career Options
Graduates obtaining their Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) certification are qualified to be a Health Information Department Manager or Director, a Coding Manager, a Healthcare Systems Manager, a Data Analyst, a Quality or Compliance Coordinator, or a College/University Professor of Health Information Technology or Health Information Management.
Directed Clinical Practice Requirement
Students accepted into this program will be required to successfully complete DCP, clinically-based courses held in health care facilities. These facilities may require background checks, including fingerprinting and drug screening, as a condition of placement at the clinic. Refusal to submit to a background check, or failure to meet clearance criteria established by the health care facility, may prevent placement in DCP courses and thus, it may not be possible to successfully complete the program. Health care facilities also require adherence to strict standards of conduct. Facilities may refuse educational access to any person who does not adhere to the facility’s standards of safety, health and ethical behavior. This may be cause for removal from the program.
Tentative Fall Schedule
Session 1
(8 week)
Mondays 5-8pm | HIMS 408 Ethics in Healthcare Administration |
Wednesdays 5-9pm | HIMS 405 Fundamentals of Health Information Management |
Session 2
(8 week)
Mondays 5-9pm | HIMS 410 Healthcare Informatics |
Wednesdays 5-8pm | ENGL 401 Advanced Writing for Healthcare Professionals |
Health Information Management
Lower Division Courses Required for the Degree
General Education Requirement
In addition to the courses required in the major, students must complete a general education (GE) option to complete the program. The GE requirement can be completed at any point in the program.
General Education Options:
Courses: | Units | |
MEDA 55 | Fundamentals Human Anatomy and Physiology | 3 |
PSYC 101 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
MEDA 110 | Medical Terminology | 3 |
MEDA 115 | Pathophysiology | 3 |
Total Units = 12 |
Courses: | Units | |
ENGL 205 | Critical Thinking and Intermediate Composition | 3 |
HEIT 110 | Introduction to Health Information Technology | 4 |
HEIT 130 | Computer Basics for Health Information Technology | 1 |
HEIT 135 | Pharmacology | 1 |
HEIT 140 | Health Law | 3 |
HEIT 155 | Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) Coding | 3 |
HEIT 160 | Healthcare Reimbursement | 2 |
HEIT 214 | ICD 10-CM | 3 |
HEIT 215 | ICD 10-PCS | 3 |
HEIT 256 | Hospital Statistics | 3 |
HEIT 266 | Directed Clinical Practice (DCP) A | 2.5 |
HEIT 267 | Directed Clinical Practice (DCP) B | 2.5 |
Total Lower Division Units = 31* |
*In addition to the courses required in the major, students must complete a GENERAL EDUCATION OPTION
Upper Division Courses Required for the Degree
Courses: | Units | |
HIMS 405 | Foundations of Health Information Management | 4 |
HIMS 408 | Ethics in Healthcare Administration | 3 |
ENGL 401 | Advanced Writing for Healthcare Professionals | 3 |
HIMS 410 | Healthcare Informatics | 4 |
PSYC 401 | Organization Psychology for the Healthcare Professional | 3 |
HIMS 415 | Healthcare Analytics | 4 |
HIMS 418 | Topics in Legal and Compliance Issues for Healthcare Professionals | 4 |
HIMS 420 | Principles of Finance for Health Information Management | 3 |
CISC 401 | Database Management and Design for the Healthcare Professional | 4 |
HIMS 425 | Revenue Cycle Management | 3 |
HIMS 430 | Human Resources Management in Healthcare | 4 |
HIMS 435 | Project Management in the Healthcare Setting | 3 |
HIMS 440 | Leadership and Strategic Management for Healthcare Professionals | 4 |
HIMS 445 | Healthcare Information Systems Analysis and Design | 4 |
HIMS 455 | Applied Research Project in Health Information Management | 3 |
HIMS 460 | Advanced Directed Clinical Placement | 1 |
Total Upper Division Units = 54 |