Health Information Management Program Receives Accreditation

The University of Cincinnati’s (UC) health information management program was recently accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM).

Based in the College of Allied Health Sciences, the program is one of only 11 accredited undergraduate distance-learning programs in health information management.

CAHIM accreditation allows students to take the national credentialing examination to become a registered health information administrator.

Professionals with degrees in health information management are responsible for medical records, information systems and other services related to health-care quality. They work in various settings, including private practice, hospitals, insurance companies and government agencies.

“Health information management is a growing field of health care—one that has become even more necessary over the last decade,” said program director Gail Smith. “The push to electronic medical records and other initiatives focused on patient safety and quality improvements in the health-care setting is really driving up the need for experts in this field.”

UC’s health information management distance-learning program began in January 2005. The program has enrolled 92 students in 28 states and will add 21 students during the summer quarter.

Students enrolled in the program have already completed an associate’s degree in health information technology and earn their bachelor’s in health information management in just over two years.

UC’s College of Allied Health Sciences has implemented other successful distance-learning programs in clinical laboratory sciences and speech-language pathology—the latter designed specifically for a group of students traveling between New York and Israel.