Information systems, data storage, and information retrieval are all key parts of the healthcare industry. The health informatics programs in Kentucky are working to prepare students for a career in this growing field. There has been a growth of:
- federal and state privacy laws
- electronic records
- an increasing number of mobile devices on the job in most hospitals and clinics.
Information systems have become a key way to increase efficiency and patient access throughout Kentucky and nationwide. Informatics professionals work to create efficient information systems that:
- are highly secure
- adhere to federal privacy laws
- stay within state regulations governing:
- patient data access
- legal access to patient records
- other key regulations
Both two-year and four-year programs in this field are offered to Kentucky’s students.
Eastern Kentucky University
Department of Health Promotion and Administration
Founded in 1874, Eastern Kentucky University is one of the state’s oldest and largest public institutions of higher education. Today, the school serves nearly 16,000 students in a variety of science, high-tech, and liberal arts disciplines. It’s consistently ranked as one of the best undergraduate values in Kentucky because of its relatively low tuition rates and high job placement statistics. The Department of Health Promotion and Administration is the fastest-growing department at the school. It and oversees programs in:
- healthcare administration
- health information systems
- public health
The department utilizes several on-campus computer labs that are shared with the Computer Science Department. It emphasizes the importance of internships and professional experience throughout its four-year informatics program.
B.S. in Health Care Administration and Informatics
All students must complete the university core curriculum, which includes classes in:
- science
- English
- foreign language
- the humanities
- social sciences
Beyond this core, students will take a health sciences core as well. In this core series of classes, they’ll learn about:
- the structure and organization of hospitals and clinics
- the nature of medical industry ethics
- common health concerns that affect the public health sector
Students will then build on their understanding of informatics throughout their actual major. This major focuses on:
- information systems design and deployment
- software design for hospitals and healthcare organizations
- the federal regulations that govern data security and patient confidentiality
Students are required to get an internship during their third and fourth years of study at the school. This can be arranged by the on-campus career office at the student’s request.
Accreditations: Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM), Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Contact
Eastern Kentucky University
Department of Health Promotion and Administration
Begley 420
521 Lancaster Avenue
Richmond, Kentucky 40475
Phone: (859) 622-1142
Email: karen.hunter@eku.edu
Program Website
Hazard Community and Technical College
Department of Information Technology
Hazard Community offers students the ability to attend classes on one of its five campuses throughout Kentucky. However, there are some classes only offered on the main campus. This program results in an Associate of Science degree after two years of study. It generally consists of more career-focused classes than the typical bachelor’s degree program in this same field.
The Department of Information Technology maintains computer labs on all five campuses that students actively use during their coursework. It oversees internship placement during the student’s second and final year of study. The program also offers students the chance to “shadow” an informatics profession early on, giving them a sense of what they’ll learn and understand as the curriculum advances.
A.S. in Health Information Technology
The A.S. in Health Information Technology starts students off with a core of liberal arts classes in basic:
- math
- computer science
- composition
The rest of the program is focused entirely on:
- health information technology
- computer science in a healthcare setting
- management of information systems in a hospital or clinic
Students also take classes in healthcare law and industry ethics. The school requires all students to pass this class to demonstrate an understanding of the laws that will govern their design, deployment, and support of information systems for modern healthcare providers.
Accreditations: Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM), Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Contact
Hazard Community and Technical College
Department of Information Technology
1 Community College Dr.
Hazard, KY 41701
Phone: (606) 436-HCTC
Program Website
Jefferson Community and Technical College
Department of Information Technology
Serving Louisville, KY and its surrounding suburbs, Jefferson Community and Technical College is the largest public, two-year institution in the state of Kentucky. The school’s A.S. degree in Health Information Technology is offered by the Department of Information Technology. It’s structured in an identical way to the program offered by Hazard Community and Technical College. All students will participate in at least one internship on-campus. They’ll take part in laboratory experiences that turn classroom theory into real computer use and systems design. Students also have the opportunity to shadow a current informatics professional. Here they can learn what the job entails and how their coursework directly relates to their efficient, ethical execution of key responsibilities in this profession.
A.S. in Health Information Technology
The community college core emphasizes the humanities and liberal arts during the student’s first semester. The Department of Information Technology also requires students to excel in:
- computer science
- mathematics
- information systems
All students must take six credits of mathematics, including at least on upper-level math class. They must also take and pass classes in:
- healthcare law and ethics
- healthcare privacy laws and regulations
- computer programming
- information systems management and design
- network security
- major operating systems
A required internship must be arranged during the second and final year of the program.
Accreditations: Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM), Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Contact
Jefferson Community and Technical College
Department of Information Technology
109 East Broadway, Louisville, KY 40202
Phone: (502) 213-5333
Program Website
National College – Louisville
Department of Health Sciences
Based in Virginia, National College offers small campuses throughout its home state, as well as:
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Tennessee
The college is a for-profit alternative to Kentucky’s community colleges. It also offers online programs, though its A.S. Health Information Management program is offered only at the school’s Louisville campus. The school regularly competes with Jefferson Community and Technical College for students. It offers a similar program that emphasizes the importance of :
- patient privacy
- federal regulations of healthcare information systems
- secure design of information systems to guard against hackers and malicious external attacks
A.S. in Health Information Management
Students in the National College program take a course load heavy with information security and network security concepts. That’s because National places a high premium on being able to protect healthcare systems and networks from outside attacks and hackers. The program also requires:
- demonstrated proficiency in high-level mathematics
- an understanding of computer science and computer programming
- the ability to design customer hardware and software solutions that are useful to hospitals and clinics in everyday practice
A new component of the program also focuses on the role of mobile devices in healthcare informatics.
Accreditations: Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM), Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools
Contact
National College – Louisville
Department of Health Sciences
4205 Dixie Hwy.
Louisville, KY 40216
Phone: (502) 447-7634
Program Website
Western Kentucky University
Department of Health Information Management
Western Kentucky University is the state’s fastest-growing public institution, with more than 21,000 students and dozens of construction projects that promise to bring even more students to campus in the future. The school is one of only two in the state to offer a fully accredited Bachelor of Science degree in Health Information Management. It has a required two-part internship and numerous opportunities for on-campus networking through:
- student organizations
- professional events
- job fairs
- career center programming
B.S. in Health Information Management
A strong university core focuses on the liberal arts and humanities. Students can expect to take these courses mostly during their first three semesters at WKU. Within the Health Information Management program itself, all students must take 9 credits of mathematics, including at least one class in finite or discrete math. All students will also take up to 6 credits of computer science and programming classes. They must take the university’s healthcare ethics and law course to comply with regulations put forth by the CAHIIM accrediting organization.
Classes focus both on broad information systems design and the unique requirements of information systems for healthcare organizations. The two-part internship program runs during the student’s final two years on campus. It’s comprised of two separate, part-time, semester-long internships in a nearby hospital or clinic.
Accreditations: Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM), Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Contact
Western Kentucky University
Department of Health Information Management
1906 College Heights Blvd.
Bowling Green, KY 42101
Phone: (270) 745-5065
Email: admission@wku.edu
Program Website
A Strong Start for Healthcare Informatics Professionals in Kentucky
The health informatics options in Kentucky range from two-year degree programs to bachelor’s degrees in the field. They provide a wealth of information that pertains to:
- secure system design
- ethical handling of patient information
- alignment of informatics practices with:
- federal guidelines
- regulations
- privacy laws
The health informatics programs in Kentucky are a solid start for any healthcare professional interested in the data-centered segment of the industry. They will help job candidates land a rewarding job in this growing field.