Healthcare Administrative Specialist A.A.S. Degree

HEALTHCARE ADMINISTRATIVE SPECIALIST A.A.S. DEGREE

Program Course Requirements

Fall Semester – First Year

BIOL 1510  Essentials of Human Biology (3 cr)  OR  BIOL 1404 Human Biology (3 cr)

COMP 1120  Introduction to Computer Applications (3 cr)

ENGL 1501  Writing Fundamentals for Healthcare Professionals (1 cr)

HINS 1148  Introduction to Healthcare Technology and Biomed (1 cr)

HINS 1163  Medical Office Procedures (3 cr)

HINS 1165  Medical Records Management (3 cr)

HINS 1360  Medical Terminology (3 cr)

Total – 17 Credits

Spring Semester

BUSN 1166  Business Communications (3 cr)

HINS 1120  Introduction to Healthcare Information and Security (1 cr)

HINS 1140  Healthcare Delivery Systems (3 cr)

HINS 1142  Healthcare Information Systems (3 cr)

HINS 1144* Healthcare Pharmacotherapy (2 cr)

HINS 1150* Introduction to DX and Procedure Coding (3 cr)

Total – 15 Credits

Fall Semester – Second Year

HINS 2144  Legal Aspects of Healthcare (2 cr)

Additional Required Core Course (3 cr)

General Education (9 cr)

Total – 14 Credits

Spring Semester

HINS 2148  Healthcare Management and Organization (2 cr)

HINS 2172* Reimbursement Methods (2 cr)

Additional Required Core Course (3 cr)

General Education (6 cr)

Total – 14 Credits

GRADUATION REQUIREMENT – 60 CREDITS

*Denotes Prerequisites

Click here to download the Healthcare Administrative Specialist AAS Degree Program Planning Form (PDF)

Career Description: Healthcare Administrative Specialist is ideal for individuals who would like a career in healthcare, but are not interested in the hands-on patient care. The medical community depends on educated staff to collect, interpret, analyze, protect and organize medical information so that it may be used for continuity of care, reimbursement, and quality improvement. Health administrative professionals work closely with providers, nurses, researchers, and other healthcare staff to contribute to the quality of patient care behind the scenes.

Program Information: The 60-credit Healthcare Administrative Specialist Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) program graduate is prepared to assume duties in the field including basics of ICD and CPT coding, reimbursement methodologies, quality assessment, legal, accreditation, and electronic health record systems. In addition to the diploma skills, graduates of the A.A.S. program will be able to use and maintain electronic applications and work processes to support healthcare business procedures, workflow, and reform; identify and prevent fraud and abuse while maintaining corporate compliance including HIPAA and HITECH; conduct analysis to ensure the documentation in the health record supports the diagnosis and reflects the patient’s progress, clinical findings, and discharge status; and to support physician reimbursement and revenue cycle management.

Special Program Requirements:

In addition to the program requirements listed above, students must meet the following conditions in order to graduate:

1. College Cumulative GPA Requirement: The cumulative grade point average (GPA) must be at least 2.0
2. College Technical Core GPA Requirement: The cumulative GPA of credits in the technical core of the diploma or degree must be at least 2.0
3. Residency Requirement: students must complete 25% of their credits at Central Lakes College.

Admissions: The A.A.S. degree and diploma are offered as full-time programs. Students can start at the beginning of fall or spring. This program is a combination of in-class room, hybrid (both in-class and online), and online formats. Students pursuing the A.A.S. degree will find the second year courses are offered in an online format to allow for employment while completing the degree.

Career Opportunities: Employment opportunities exist in hospitals, clinics, long-term facilities, nursing homes, physician offices, medical group practices, behavioral health facilities, insurance agencies, home health agencies, consulting firms, government agencies, insurance based healthcare companies, and medical supply organizations. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: * 2012 Median Pay: $32,618 per year or $15.68 per hour * Website: http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes436013.htm

Career Titles: This program will help students prepare for a wide range of careers including the following: Admitting Clerk, Patient Service Representatives, Registrar, Release of Information Clerk, Scheduler, Patient Accounts Representative, Insurance Claims Analyst, Clinical Data Specialist, Medical Coder, Quality Data Analyst, Quality Improvement Technician, Reimbursement Specialist, Compliance Technician, and Health Information Technician.

Program Outcomes:

Graduates will be able to:

• Demonstrate understanding of how their role fits into and affects their department, other departments, and the organization;
• Identify and utilize appropriate technologies used to capture, retrieve, and maintain information from internal and external sources;
• Apply knowledge of human structure and function, diseases and disorders, and medical terminology as it relates to their healthcare role;
• Apply policies, procedures, and regulation standards surrounding issues of access and disclosure of protected health information and organizational compliance;
• Evaluate the revenue cycle management process (emphasis on billing procedures);
• Analyze the documentation in the health record to ensure it supports the diagnosis and reflects the patient’s progress, clinical findings, and discharge status;
• Demonstrate effective verbal and written communication within the healthcare environment;
• Describe positive work behaviors, personal traits and attitudes desirable in members of a healthcare team; and
• Understand accepted ethical practices with respect to cultural, social, religious and ethnic differences within the healthcare environment.

Transfer Opportunities: Contact an admissions representative for information regarding transfer opportunities.