NEIT debuts Health IT-management degree

By Richard Asinof
Contributing Writer
Twitter: @RichardAsinof

EAST GREENWICH – A new associate in science degree in Health Information Management Technology is being offered by the New England Institute of Technology, in response to the needs of the health care industry, college officials announced on Nov. 18.

The new curriculum is a full-time, six-quarter program that may be completed in as little as 18 months. Classes are scheduled to begin on Jan. 3, 2012.

The new health IT program was developed in response to the federal mandate that health care providers – everyone from physician offices, hospitals, and long-term care facilities to community-based health centers, outpatient care centers, and home health care services – be proficient in electronic health records beginning in 2014.

The development of the program was funded in part through a $2.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.

The new curriculum combines elements of health care, business, and information technology, according to Thomas F. Wylie, provost and senior vice president.

Coursework involves medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, health data requirements and standards, healthcare reimbursement methods including clinical classification, billing and coding systems, data analysis, database security and management, confidentiality of personal health information, and quality improvement methods.