Department of Health Informatics & Information Management

Nursing Buidling, Suite 204
Round Rock Campus
T: 512-716-2840 F: 512-716-2827
http://www.health.txstate.edu/HIM

Health information management (HIM) improves the quality and efficiency of healthcare by ensuring information is available when and where needed to support clinical decisions. HIM professionals manage, analyze, apply, and protect healthcare data and information systems. The profession encompasses services in planning, collecting, aggregating, analyzing, and disseminating individual patient and population clinical data. Health informatics, data analytics, and cybersecurity are growing elements of the rapidly expanding field.

The Master of Health Information Management (MHIM) degree program is both an entry point for those seeking to enter the HIM field and a way for current professionals to advance their careers with a relevant graduate degree. The program is offered entirely online and includes a variety of options and concentrations to address multiple student interests.

Projected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to be among the fastest growing occupations in the United States, HIM is an excellent career choice for students seeking a healthcare profession that combines interest in computer science, business, management, legal procedures, leadership, and healthcare research. HIM professionals play key roles in making the healthcare system work by performing needed data collection, analysis, protection, and dissemination of information that physicians, nurses, and other clinicians and administrators need to provide quality patient care.

HIM graduates work in a broad range of settings that span the continuum of healthcare, including hospitals, physician practices, nursing homes, home health agencies, mental health facilities, and public health agencies. Other settings include government agencies, insurance companies, research institutions, cybersecurity and information technology firms, and electronic health record software vendors.

The MHIM program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education. Upon completion of the degree, graduates of the program are eligible to sit for the Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) examination offered by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).

Applications for the MHIM program may be submitted through The Graduate College at any time and are reviewed on a rolling basis.

Immunization Requirements

It is the policy of the College of Health Professions that each student must provide a health report completed by a physician or licensed healthcare provider and must take specific immunizations before the student can be placed in a clinical or internship assignment. Information on these requirements and the required forms may be obtained through the Department of Health Information Management.

Background Check and Drug Screening

As a condition for placement in professional practice sites, students may be required to have a background check and/or drug screening and/or meet other specific requirements as set by individual sites. Information on these requirements may be obtained through the Department of Health Information Management.