The Health Information Technology program will train you to work in a field which combines healthcare and technology. You will learn to use a variety of electronic methods to track and manage peoples health and healthcare. Careers include positions such as health information technician, medical coder, medical records technician and security consultant. Many settings, including hospitals, doctors’ offices, government agencies, insurance and health maintenance organizations, always need people with this training.
The program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). Students who successfully complete the program obtain an associate of applied science (AAS) degree and are eligible for certification as a registered health information technician (RHIT) via an examination.
- HIT courses are offered only during the day, although courses in the liberal arts and sciences may be offered in the evenings and on weekends.
- Students are required to complete two professional practice experiences at participating health care facilities.
- Students must earn a C or better in each HIT class to progress in the program. Students have only two opportunities to pass a HIT course.
- BMCC students wishing to transfer into the HIT program must have a grade-point average of 2.0 or above and completed all remedial course requirements.
Transfer Options
BMCC has articulation agreements with several four year colleges to allow you to seamlessly continue your education there without any loss of credits.
Explore Careers
BMCC is committed to students’ long-term success and will help you explore professional opportunities. Undecided? No problem. The college offers Career Coach for salary and employment information, job postings and a self-discovery assessment to help students find their academic and career paths. Visit Career Express to make an appointment with a career advisor, search for jobs or sign-up for professional development activities with the Center for Career Development. Students can also visit the Office of Internships and Experiential Learning to gain real world experience in preparation for a four-year degree and beyond. These opportunities are available to help BMCC students build a foundation for future success.
Contact
Professor Patricia Vander Hoff
Program Director
pvanderhoff@bmcc.cuny.edu
Related Communities
Requirements
Health Information Technology Academic Program Maps
Required Common Core
Flexible Core
Program Requirements
You must complete four semesters of classroom and lab-based HIT didactic courses:
- This course introduces students to medical terms and abbreviations associated with each body system and applicable diseases as well as associated diagnostic and therapeutic tests. Students are also introduced to the anatomy and physiology for each body system and pharmacology options for treatment of diseases including name and category of medication and method of delivery. The correlation between medical terms, diagnosis and treatment of diseases, and medical coding is also covered.
Corequisites: HIT 111, HIT 112, BIO 425, and MAT 150 - This course introduces students to the variety of functions and credentials associated with the health information management (HIM) profession. Students are also introduced to the legal requirements regarding documentation based on type of facility, health information technologies specific to the profession, and organizations that provide data that influences health care services.
Corequisites: HIT 110, HIT 112, BIO 425 and MAT 150 - This course will expose students to the different types of health insurance, payment systems based on type of services provided (e.g., long term, ambulatory, acute, outpatient, rehab, home health, and skilled nursing), components of the billing process, and the monitoring and controlling functions of the revenue cycle. Students will also be introduced to the strategies to improve the delivery and payment of healthcare services (e.g.), value-based, pay-for-performance).
Corequisites: HIT 110, HIT 111, BIO 425 and MAT 150
- This course develops an understanding of computer technology through the exploration of software packages on personal computers. The applications include word processing, spreadsheet, and database management. Students will also learn computer terms and concepts as well as the historical, social and economic implications of computer technology for our society.
Course Syllabus - Students will learn the cause, risk factors, treatment, and prevention of diseases of the body. Students are required to complete an assignment that requires them to review medical charts and identify diseases and procedures relevant for billing purposes according to the current official ICD-CM coding guidelines.
Prerequisites: HIT 110, HIT 111 and HIT 112
Corequisites: HIT 209, HIT 215, CIS 100 and BIO 426 - Students will learn to apply the diagnostic and procedural coding guidelines for the current ICD-CM/PCS coding systems. Students will review inpatient charts and assign the appropriate codes for diagnoses and procedures, enter the codes into an Encoder, and assign a diagnostic related group (DRG). Students will also complete coding exercises covering specific diseases (e.g., AIDS, Neoplasms) and procedures to learn applicable coding guidelines.
Prerequisites: HIT 110, HIT 111, and HIT 112
Corequisites: HIT 206, HIT 215, CIS 100, and BIO 426 - This course covers all federal and state laws (e.g., HIPAA) that are applicable to the HIM profession. It will also cover the legal principles applicable to malpractice, New York State statutes, different types and completeness of consent forms requirements, legally acceptable release of confidential medical information including special situations (e.g., mental, drug dependence or AIDS diagnoses), and legal terms utilized within the profession.
Prerequisites: HIT 110, HIT 111 and HIT 112
Corequisites: HIT 206, HIT 209, CIS 100 and BIO 426
- This is a supervised learning experience in affiliated clinical sites that enables the student to acquire competence in health information management procedures directly related to the course content of all previous HIT courses. Students are required to complete three projects assigned from the clinical site. Each student completes a coding software program that contains six learning modules. Students are also introduced to the "Encoder" software program, pharmacology, and reimbursement systems (e.g., prospective payment).
Prerequisites: HIT 206, HIT 209, HIT 215, CIS 100 and BIO 426
- This course will introduce the important components of Health Information Technologies (HIT) and elements, functions and operational environment of modern Health Information Systems (HIS) and their role in delivery and management of health care services, with specific emphasis on Electronic Health Records (HER). The students will apply personal productivity software and internet tools to explore their impact on healthcare delivery systems and will be introduced to the components of a Health Information System with focus on database, networking and security concepts that govern it. The students will also be exposed to handling and processing patient information, tracking patient diagnostics and results, creating patient billing, maintaining medical documentation, and managing workflow. Examples of HIS applications such as Personal Health Records (PHR) and Health Information Exchanges (HIE) will be used as case studies to highlight the design and implementation considerations of Health Information Systems. Prerequisites: HIT 203, HIT 204, HIT 207, HIT 208, HIT 210 and CIS 100 Corequisites: HIT 331, HIT 332 and HIT 333
- This course covers the use of review methodologies required by third party reimbursement agencies to insure that patients receive appropriate medical care. The principles of form design and quality control procedures will be examined. Students will design and create a quality evaluation form, then complete an evaluation of the quality and completeness of inpatient charts and submit a written report with graphs to illustrate and support their findings. An assessment exam of previous HIT courses is given the first week of classes as per accreditation requirements.
Prerequisites: HIT 203, HIT 204, HIT 207, HIT 208, HIT 210, BIO 426 or departmental approval
Corequisites: HIT 334 and CIS 207 - This course is a continuation of HIT 209 in further learning the current ICD-CM and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) coding system. Students are required to code ambulatory and inpatient charts utilizing a software to assign a Diagnostic Related Group. Students will be introduced to other coding systems and clinical terminologies (HCPCS, SNOMED) and perform in class activities of each coding system.
Prerequisite: HIT 210
Corequisites: HIT 332 and CIS 207
- This course covers the theories and techniques of management in the HIM profession. Students demonstrate their knowledge and understanding through laboratory exercises and a group project that focuses on a fictional hospital and HIM department that will be presented to the class. An assessment exam of previous HIT courses is given the first week of classes as per accreditation requirements.
Prerequisites: HIT 332, HIT 334 and CIS 207
Corequisites: HIT 430 - This is a supervised learning experience in affiliated clinical sites that enables the student to perform health information management (HIM) functions related to all previous HIT courses. The focus of this practice experience is on management and coding functions. Students are required to complete three projects assigned from the practice site.
Prerequisites: HIT 331, HIT 332, HIT 333 and CIS 106 or CIS 207 or departmental approval
Corequisites: HIT 421, HIT 422, HIT 423 and CIS 206 or CIS 207
Note
- Students who do not take the HIT-specific BIO 425 course may be required to take CHE 118 or CHE 121 as a prerequisite.
- For students whose first language is not English, SPE 102 will satisfy this requirement.
- Students enrolled in PPE courses are required to obtain a physical exam and liability insurance. Moderate rates for the insurance are available. Students are responsible for their own transportation expenses when fulfilling PPE requirements. Students receive no monetary compensation when fulfilling PPE requirements. All students are required to show proof of physical examination, per New York State Department of Health requirements for hospital personnel.
Please note, these requirements are effective the 2017-2018 catalog year. Please check your DegreeWorks account for your specific degree requirements as when you began at BMCC will determine your program requirements.
Accreditation
The Health Information Technology program accreditor of the Borough of Manhattan Community College is the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). The College’s accreditation for the Associate Degree in Health Information Management has been reaffirmed through 2026-2027. All inquiries about the program’s accreditation status should be directed by mail to CAHIIM, 200 East Randolph Street, Suite 5100, Chicago, IL, 60601; by phone at (312) 235-3255; or by email at info@cahiim.org.
Individuals that complete the requirements for this program will earn an Associate Degree in Applied Science in Health Information Technology and be eligible to sit for the Registered Health Information Technician Certification Exam.
Student Achievement Data
Class of 2023
- 11 graduates
- 73% graduated in 2 years
- 56% working in HIM within 1 year
- 33% pursuing a bachelor’s degree
- 100% (4/4) RHIT exam passage rate
- 78% (7/9) strongly agreed that their academic experience met their expectations and 22% (2/9) agreed that their academic experience met their expectations
Class of 2022
- 14 Graduates
- 50% employed in HIM within 1 year
- 43% of the graduates are pursuing another degree
- 38% graduated in 2 years
- 72% of the graduates strongly agreed that the program met their academic expectations; 21% generally agreed that the program met their academic expectations; and 7% generally disagreed that the program met their academic expectations.
