university of north florida proposal for the creation of a ... · systems—cdss; computerized...

Graduate Certificate in Health Information Technology (GCHIT)

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH FLORIDA

Proposal for the creation of a


Version 6: September 14, 2010

(Please do not distribute it without the express consent of the HIT Team)

Graduate Certificate Description

This graduate certificate program will prepare both healthcare professionals (HCPs) and information technology professionals (ITPs) for the Health Information Technology (HIT) work environment. This graduate certificate will be offered by faculty from the Brooks College of Health and the School of Computing. The Certificate will position HCP graduates to be ready for automation in health care environments in the US, and will prepare ITP graduates to better understand these environments for which software systems need to be built, integrated with other systems, and maintained. The 12-credit program consists of the following graduate courses: Fundamentals of Health Information Technology (3 credits), Health Information Technology and the Regulatory Environment (3 credits), Health Information Technology Software Applications (3 credits), and Health Information Technology Capstone Project (3 credits).

Target Markets

Individuals desiring employment and/or knowledge in fields where the integration of clinical healthcare, public health administration, and information technology is occurring or will soon occur prompted by recent federal legislation (e.g., The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act—HITECH Act; and Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act—PPACA.)

Businesses, healthcare institutions, government agencies or any hiring entity that requires HIT leaders that have a common knowledge base in clinical terminology, healthcare policy, and information technology.

Admission Requirements

Undergraduate or graduate degree/s in the following: Computing/Information Technology, Health Administration, Nursing, and Medicine; OR other related undergraduate or graduate degree/s AND equivalent health- or IT-related work experience. This will be a Selective Admission Program.

Plan of Study


Fall semester: Fundamentals of Health Information Technology Spring semester: Health Information Technology and the Regulatory Environment Summer semester: Health Information Technology Software Applications Fall semester: Health Information Technology Capstone Project

First Offering

Fall semester of 2011

Delivery

Understanding that students in the GCHIT will be working adults with other responsibilities, courses will be delivered via a blended/hybrid format. Distance students and local students will be placed together in groups, and they will be required to use Elluminate Live! for synchronous discussions within each group in addition to asynchronous discussions via e-learning. The students will be required to attend three Saturday class sessions. These sessions will be at the beginning of the semester, midpoint in the semester and at the end of the semester, respectively. Dates will be made available prior to the first day of class. Other sessions will include online activities such as discussion blogs, individual and group application of course materials to current issues and case studies, and independent research on current topics in health information technology. Emphasis will be placed on case study applications and independent research as a means for students to: apply the concepts developed in the graduate certificate courses to real-world scenarios; synthesize material about the internal and external environments; think critically about content and context; and gain case-based experience as preparation for the GCHIT capstone project course.

Graduate Learning Outcomes

Upon the successful completion of this graduate certificate, students should be able to:

1. Utilize information technology to evaluate outcomes of care, health care delivery, and quality improvement efforts.

2. Work collaboratively with transdisciplinary teams to design and implement health information technology projects in the healthcare environment.

3. Analyze the regulatory environment and its technical/organizational concerns, as they relate to compliance for specific agency requirements and policies.

4. Analyze, help develop, utilize, and procure software systems that assist healthcare professionals in the secure management and exchange of patients’ electronic health records (EHR).

5. Model, document, and propose the redesign of different types of process workflows within healthcare organizations to attain predefined quality goals.


6. Integrate and apply content from clinical disciplines, health administration, and information technology into a comprehensive and practical framework for working with healthcare software systems.

Description of Courses Detailed course descriptions are attached to this document.

The HIT Team

In alphabetical order:

Michele Bednarzyk, DNP, ARNP, BC. School of Nursing. Email: [email protected] Pamela Chally, PhD, RN. Dean, Brooks College of Health. Email: [email protected] Valerie Johnston, PhD, MBA, FACHE. Department of Public Health. Email:

[email protected] Li Loriz, PhD, ARNP, BC. Director, School of Nursing. Email: [email protected] Helen Morse, MBA. Community Consultant. Email: [email protected] JoAnn Nolin, JD. Chairperson, Department of Public Health. Email: [email protected] Arturo Sanchez-Ruiz, PhD, MS. School of Computing. Email: [email protected] Judith Solano, PhD. Director, School of Computing. Email: [email protected]

Main Contact

Arturo Sanchez-Ruiz, PhD, MS. School of Computing. Email: [email protected]. Office Phone: 904-620-1314. Fax: 904-620-2988


UNIVERSITY OF NORTH FLORIDA Brooks College of Health

Graduate Certificate in Health Information Technology (GCHIT) Version 5: July 27, 2010

Course: Fundamentals of Health Information Technology Contacts: Michele Bednarzyk, DNP, ARNP, BC School of Nursing

Brooks College of Health Email: [email protected] Li Loriz, PhD, ARNP, BC School of Nursing Brooks College of Health Email: [email protected]

Prerequisites: Admission into the Health Information Technology Certificate Program. Course Description: This course introduces students to the concepts and practices of health information technology. Topics include, but are not limited to: introduction to the health information technology discipline; major applications and commercial vendors; decision support methods and technologies; information systems design and engineering; and new opportunities and emerging trends. Student Learning Outcomes: Upon the successful completion of this course, students should be able to: Explain the role of health information technology in revolutionizing healthcare delivery,

administration, education, and clinical research. Distinguish the various types of healthcare information, including data, knowledge, sources,

and standards. Develop simple health information technology product procurement plans. Explain decision analysis methods commonly used in patient healthcare. Analyze obstacles and success factors for implementing and integrating information and

decision support technologies in healthcare.


Discuss the management and policy implications of introducing health information technology applications into healthcare for process efficiency and quality improvement.

Demonstrate teamwork skills to mediate the communication between healthcare professionals and information technology personnel.

Describe and explain fundamental concepts such as: Electronic Medical Records (EMR); Electronic Health Records (EHR); Personal Health Records (PHR); Security and privacy of EMR, EHR, and PHR; EHR certification; Health Information Exchange (HIE); Regional Health Information Offices (RHIOs); Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN); and The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC).

Course Contents: 1. Course overview and introduction.

a. Basic concepts in Health Information Technology. b. Outstanding issues. c. Decision analysis methods commonly used in patient healthcare. d. Acquisition, representation, storage and use of biomedical data. e. Legal and Ethical issues in Health Information Technology. f. Relationships, differences, and similarities between Health Information Technology

and other health-related fields, including—but not limited to: Health Informatics, Medical Informatics, Nursing Informatics, Biomedical Informatics, Health Information Management, Health Information Administration, eMedicine, eHealth, and Telemedicine.

2. Major Applications and Commercial Vendors. a. Core properties of EHR and its certification b. Essential data elements c. Clinical workflow, analysis, integration, and redesign d. Case studies e. Personal health records f. Clinical documents and natural language processing (NLP) g. Core components of EHR systems (software architecture) h. Types of EHR systems, including—but not limited to: Clinical Decision Support

Systems—CDSS; Computerized Physician Order Entry System—CPOE, and Healthcare Financial Systems—HFS.

i. Interfacing with medical devices and other EHR systems 3. Data interoperability.

a. Knowledge representation and ontologies b. Medical controlled vocabularies and classification systems c. Electronic data exchange standards in healthcare

4. Decision Support Methods and Technologies. a. Clinical decision support system (CDSS)

i. Evidence-based medicine and knowledge-based expert systems ii. Representation, execution, and sharing of medical knowledge

iii. Success factors for implementing CDSS b. Computerized prescriber order entry (CPOE)


i. Introduction to CPOE ii. Known issues in CPOE implementations

5. Information systems development. a. Fundamentals of Software Engineering b. Working with relational database management systems and other data repositories

6. Evaluation and procurement of EHR systems a. Human-computer interaction issues and usability testing b. End user adoption and acceptance c. Outcomes evaluation d. Procurement of EHR systems

Bibliography: 1. Johns, Merida L. (2007) Health Information Management Technology: An Applied

Approach (2nd edition). Chicago, IL. American Health Information Management Association.

2. Johns, Merida L. (2007) Health Information Management Technology: An Applied Approach Student Workbook (2nd edition). Chicago, IL. American Health Information Management Association.

3. Abdelhak, M., Grostick, S., Hanken, M.A., & Jacobs, E. (2007) Health Information: Management of a Strategic Resource (3rd edition). Philadelphia, PA: Saunders.

4. Abdelhak, M., Grostick, S., Hanken, M.A., & Jacobs, E. (2007) Study Guide to Accompany Health Information: Management of a Strategic Resource (3rd edition). Philadelphia, PA: Saunders.

Web Resources: 1. AHRQ National Resource Center for Health IT (http://healthit.ahrq.gov/) 2. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology

(http://healthit.hhs.gov/) 3. Health IT Stimulus News (http://www.ihealthbeat.org/) 4. OpenClinical (http://www.openclinical.org/) 5. CPOE.org (http://www.cpoe.org/) 6. Certification Commission for Health Information Technology—CCHIT

(http://www.cchit.org/) 7. American Medical Informatics Association—AMIA (https://www.amia.org/) 8. Healthcare Information and Management Systems Association—HIMSS

(http://himss.org/ASP/index.asp) 9. National eHealth Collaborative—NeHC (http://www.nationalehealth.org/) 10. Department of Health & Human Services: Health Information Privacy—HIPAA

(http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/) 11. Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act—HITECH Act

(http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/coveredentities/hitechact.pdf)




Course: Health Information Technology and the Regulatory Environment Contacts: Valerie Johnston, PhD, MBA, FACHE

Department of Public Health Brooks College of Health Email: [email protected] JoAnn Nolin, JD Department of Public Health Brooks College of Health Email: [email protected]

Prerequisites: Fundamentals of Health Information Technology

Course Description: This course explores the use of information technology to support regulatory compliance, daily operations, performance improvement, and decision-making in healthcare organizations. The course studies the regulatory environment and the technical and organizational issues related to compliance with regulatory agency requirements and policies. The course emphasizes the use of health information technology to enable competitive advantage. Student Learning Outcomes: Upon the successful completion of this course, students should be able to: Discuss federal and accrediting agency requirements that directly or indirectly impact the use

of health information technology. Discuss the role of health information technology in managing information and knowledge

for internal and external uses. Explore uses of health information technology to support patient care, revenue cycle

management, routine operations, and management decision-making. Explore uses of health information technology to support regulatory compliance. Research, examine and discuss current trends in health information technology in the context

of the health care regulatory environment.


Course Contents: 1. Overview of the regulatory environment for healthcare organizations related to health

information technology, including—but not limited to—the Joint Commission (JCAHO); standards and federal requirements of the Health Information Technology Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH); the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA); and relevant regulations from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC).

2. Overview of the concepts and approaches to quality and performance improvement in healthcare organizations, including—but not limited to—continuous quality improvement, six sigma, patient safety, and outcomes management.

3. Techniques for data management and analysis, as well as for information and knowledge representation and management, including—but not limited to—process design, evidence-based practice, ontologies, neural networks, genetic algorithms, data warehousing, and data mining.

4. The use of health information technology to support regulatory compliance. 5. The use of health information technology for clinical and administrative decision support. 6. The use of health information technology to support performance improvement, clinical

research and health services research. Bibliography: 1. Huang, Q.R. (2007). Competencies for graduate curricula in health, medical and biomedical

informatics: a framework. Health Informatics Journal, 13(2), 89-103. 2. Oliver, K.B., Dairymple, P., Lehmann, H. P., McClellan, D.A., Robinson, K.A., & Twose, C.

(2008). Bringing evidence to practice: a team approach to teaching skills required for an informationist role in evidence-based clinical and public health practice. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 96, 50-57.

3. Fetter, M.S. (2009). Improving information technology competencies: Implications for psychiatric mental health nursing. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 30, 3-13.

4. Garde, S., Harrison, D., & Hovenga, E. (2005). Skill needs for nurses in their role as health informatics professionals: A survey in the context of global health informatics education. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 74, 899-907.




Course: Health Information Technology Software Applications Contact: Arturo Sanchez-Ruiz, PhD, MS

School of Computing College of Computing, Engineering, and Construction

Email: [email protected] Prerequisites: Fundamentals of Health Information Technology. Health Information Technology and the Regulatory Environment. Course Description: This course covers fundamental concepts associated with the development, utilization and procurement of software systems that assist healthcare professionals in the management and exchange of patients’ electronic health records (EHR). Topics discussed include, but are not limited to: EHR software system architectures; EHR software system development concerns; interoperability among EHR software systems; national regulations, recommendations, and standards that guide the development and define the certification of EHR software systems; utilization of EHR software systems through the study of exemplary and current products; and methodologies to build analyses that support the procurement of EHR software systems. Student Learning Outcomes: Upon the successful completion of this course, students should be able to: Analyze and describe the main architectural components of EHR software systems. Analyze and describe the relationships among fundamental concerns that inform the

development of EHR software systems. Given a specific EHR software system, analyze and describe its main architectural

components. Given a specific EHR software system, analyze and describe how it implements fundamental

development concerns. Given a specific EHR software system, describe and apply the process required to certify it

according to national regulations, guidelines, and standards.


Given a suite of EHR software systems, conduct analyses that inform the development of interoperability connectors among them.

Given a specific EHR software system, describe its scope and utilization—in general, and also in the context of a specific healthcare organization.

Conduct EHR software system procurement analyses for the specific needs of a healthcare organization.

Course Contents: 1. Role of Information Technology in Healthcare: Health Information Technology (HIT). 2. Characterization of data and information in HIT for Healthcare Organizations from Legal,

Ethical, and Knowledge Engineering standpoints. 3. Fundamental Software Engineering Concepts. 4. Modeling of healthcare organizations and their needs. 5. Electronic Health Record (EHR) Software Systems. 6. Comparisons between EHR Software Systems and other HIT-Related Software Systems

(e.g., Clinical Decision Support Systems—CDSS; Computerized Physician Order Entry System—CPOE, and Healthcare Financial Systems—HFS.)

7. EHR Software System Development Concerns. 8. EHR Software System Architectures. 9. National regulations, guidelines, and standards for the certification of EHR Software

Systems. 10. Interoperability among EHR Software Systems and Health Information Networks. 11. Utilization of EHR Software Systems through the study of exemplary products. 12. Methodologies for the procurement of EHR Software Systems for Healthcare Organizations. 13. Introduction to Biomedical Informatics. Bibliography: 1. Lillian Burke and Barbara Weill. Information Technology for the Health Professions. Third

Edition. Prentice-Hall, 2008. ISBN: 013159933X. 2. Edward H. Shortliffe and James J. Cimino. Biomedical Informatics: Computer Applications

in Health Care and Biomedicine. Third Edition. Springer, 2006. ISBN: 0387289860. 3. Eta S. Berner. Clinical Decision Support Systems: Theory and Practice. Second Edition.

Springer, 2006. ISBN: 0387339140.




Course: Health Information Technology Capstone Project Contacts: Michele Bednarzyk, DNP, ARNP, BC School of Nursing

Brooks College of Health Email: [email protected] Valerie Johnston, PhD, MBA, FACHE Department of Public Health Brooks College of Health Email: [email protected] Li Loriz, PhD, ARNP, BC School of Nursing Brooks College of Health Email: [email protected] JoAnn Nolin, JD Department of Public Health Brooks College of Health Email: [email protected] Arturo Sanchez-Ruiz, PhD, MS School of Computing College of Computing, Engineering, and Construction Email: [email protected]

Prerequisites: Fundamentals of Health Information Technology Health Information Technology and the Regulatory Environment Health Information Technology Software Applications

Course Description: This capstone course is intended to integrate and apply content from clinical disciplines, health administration, and information technology—studied in the prerequisite courses—into a


comprehensive and practical framework for working with healthcare software systems. Interdisciplinary student teams will be challenged to put the skills, theories, and strategies acquired into practice in order to develop a major health information technology project in some segment of the health industry. Student Learning Outcomes: Upon the successful completion of this course, students should be able to: Describe fundamental concepts studied in prerequisite courses, and explain the relationships

among them. Apply, adapt, and extend the concepts, techniques, and practices studied in prerequisite

courses to solve specific health information technology-related problems for specific healthcare environments.

Effectively document, justify, and communicate implemented health information technology solutions to appropriate healthcare environment stakeholders and peers.

Effectively collaborate with appropriate healthcare environment stakeholders and peers in the development of solutions to specific health information technology-related problems.

Course Contents: 1. Modeling of health information technology status for healthcare organizations. 2. Elicitation of health information technology requirements for healthcare organizations,

including—but not limited to—concerns such as healthcare workflows, interoperability, security, privacy, performance, fault tolerance, quality of service, and mandated certification requirements.

3. Analysis and design of health information technology solutions. 4. Incremental implementation of health information technology solutions. 5. Evaluation of health information technology solutions and healthcare organization process

improvement. 6. Team collaboration and training best practices. Bibliography: Specific bibliography will depend upon the specific capstone project.

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