Healthcare Administration, Health Informatics Concentration, B.S.

Program Description:

Throughout the healthcare systems in the United States and worldwide, healthcare informatics is a growing field. Openings of positions connected to healthcare informatics increase every day as healthcare organizations struggle to find qualified candidates. Health care informatics includes a range of positions involved with the collection, handling, and processing of clinical information for a variety of purposes, from billing to medical quality assurance (see Jobs For the Future: www.jff.org).

Learning Objectives:

• Apply a range of concepts and tools to support the design and implementation of health informatics systems and documentation;

• Understand the main principles and practices of healthcare data management and how information technology can help improve patient care the efficiency of healthcare delivery;

• Discuss regulatory and ethical issues in the management of health data;

• Develop the knowledge and skills to manage data and data systems;

• Comprehend the challenges and opportunities of working effectively with other people across the organization;

• Identify ways to enhance the privacy and security of healthcare data.

Careers:

A degree with emphasis on health informatics will help graduates gain a competitive advantage in the field. Health informatics professionals are in demand, as healthcare organizations continue working to create electronic health records (EHRs) to satisfy federal regulations, improve patient care and cut medical costs.  Professionals who are already in the healthcare industry often expand their horizons when they seek training in health informatics, and thus transition from their earlier occupations as nurses, technicians, pharmacists, and many others to new career advancement opportunities in an industry that is rapidly embracing digital technology.

Jobs in the health informatics field include clinical information analyst, assistant informatics nurse, clinical quality analyst, Chief Information Officer for a healthcare organization, specialists on medical records, and many others.  The median salary for health informatics experts from zero to five years of experience was $60,000 in January 2016.