09-28-2011
ASSESSING READINESS TO OFFER NEW DEGREE PROGRAMS
Assessing Readiness to Offer New Degree Programs is a supplemental campus-based document that will
a) Inform the academic program development process and
b) Illustrate the unit’s readiness to offer the proposed degree program.
The proposing unit is expected to
a) Submit the assessing readiness document with the proposed program’s planning document and
b) Update the assessing readiness document as unit conditions change for submission with the
proposed program’s request to establish.
Part One: Assessing Need for the Program
Need for the Program
● Provide detailed information regarding linkages to the university mission, vision, and strategic plan,
and the impact of the proposed program on other unit programs.
● What is the societal need for the proposed program? Project the current and future need for
graduates with this degree at the regional, state, and national levels.
● What are the expected enrollment patterns for the proposed program over the next five years; what is
the enrollment target within five years of establishment? What evidence is there that the proposed
program and this unit can attract quality students?
The proposed Master of Science degree in health informatics and information management (MS HIIM) will
provide trans-disciplinary education in health care and information technologies and systems.
Linkages and Impact
The proposed degree program aligns with the strategic plans of the university and the college. The mission of
East Carolina University (ECU) is to serve as a national model for public service and regional transformation.
Thus, ECU offers undergraduate and graduate programs that prepare students to compete and succeed in the
21st century and in the global economy. The proposed degree prepares graduates to plan, design, implement,
and evaluate health information technologies and systems of the 21st century, in collaboration with fellow
professionals with backgrounds either in health care or in information technologies and systems. Moreover,
the proposed degree addresses a specific aspect of ECU’s mission: “Saving lives, curing diseases, and
positively transforming health and health care” and addresses a component of ECU’s Strategic Directions:
“ECU will save lives, cure diseases, and positively transform the quality of health care for the region and state.”
Health informatics and information management enhances the ability of health care systems to deliver quality
health data and information where and when practitioners need them; thus, supporting this vision and mission.
The faculty members in the department of health services and information management (HSIM) strongly
believe that it is important for us to be proactive leaders in our profession and to plan a graduate level degree
program in order to meet what will soon become the required academic standard for eligibility to sit for the
registered health information administrator (RHIA) registration exam. Furthermore, as more health information
management professionals are called on to help design and implement health care information systems they
will need training in health informatics and electronic health information systems. Therefore, implementing the
proposed program will result in the termination of the baccalaureate degree in health information management
(HIM). However, the department (unit) has another baccalaureate degree - health services management (HSM)
and two post-baccalaureate certificate programs (health informatics and health care administration). The
proposed program will be a potential educational progression for the health services management
baccalaureate graduates. It will be a potential graduate degree for the health informatics certificate students.
It will have no impact on the students of the health care administration certificate because this certificate is
offered independently or in conjunction with the MBA or MPA programs.
Societal Need
At the regional, state, and national levels, a societal need exists for HIIM professionals who understand both
the health care environment and information technologies and systems.
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At the regional level, health care organizations such as the University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina;
Home Health & Hospice Care (3HC); Nash Health Care Systems; Lenoir Memorial Hospital, East Carolina
Neurology; are in the process of adopting electronic health record (EHR) systems. Moreover, local health care
organizations, such as University Health Systems and Craven Regional Hospital Center, have begun to
express a preference for HIIM professional prepared at the graduate level.
The Department held a symposium “Informatics in Health Care” in conjunction with Eastern Area Health
Education Center on Nov. 20, 2008. In addition to departmental faculty, principal participants included the
Director of Health Sciences Library, the executive director of NCHICA, and the director of education for AHIMA.
The intent of the symposium was to examine the importance of health informatics in a changing health care
environment, profile national initiatives in Health Informatics & Information Management (HIIM) in Higher
Education, and discuss the core subject matter that comprises a health informatics curriculum. About half of
the 45 attendees remained after a panel discussion in order to ask questions about graduate study in health
informatics and information management in general and more specifically, about the Department‘s proposed
program at ECU. As a result of this symposium, we believe that there is a target group in eastern North
Carolina interested in pursuing an MS in HIIM.
At the state level, there is a demand that health information be used to improve health and wellness. For
example, the proposed degree addresses a recommendation of UNC Tomorrow – 4.5.3 “UNC should lead in
utilizing health information to improve health and wellness in North Carolina.” The mission statement of the
North Carolina Healthcare Information and Communications Alliance (NCHICA) echoes this concept as this
consortium is dedicated to “improving health and care in North Carolina by accelerating the adoption of
information technology and enabling policies.” The North Carolina Occupational Trends of the Labor Market
Information (LMI) Division Employment Security Commission project that “Medical and Health Services
Managers” will show an annual positive change of 2.41%.
http://eslmi23.esc.state.nc.us/projections/OccEmpAvgJobNeeds.asp?AreaType=01&Area=000037&PeriodID=
07 (unfortunately, HIIM professionals are not separately tracked).
At the national level, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects a growth rate of 16% for “Medical and
Health Services Managers” through 2016 http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos014.htm. Separating out the role of
health information managers in this section, the BLS states that “Health information managers are responsible
for the maintenance and security of all patient records”. According to their analysis of the HIMSS Analytics™
database, Hersh and Wright forecast that approximately 50,000 informatics professionals are currently needed
in order to meet the predicted growth in the adoption of electronic health care information systems.
http://www.billhersh.info/hit-workforce-hersh.pdf
Recent regulations enacted by the Federal Government require that all health care providers maintain
electronic patient records and that these records be secure. As a result, health information managers must
keep up with current computer and software technology and with legislative requirements. In addition, as
patient data become more frequently used for quality management and in medical research, health information
managers ensure that databases are complete, accurate, and available only to authorized personnel.
Events at the national level are further driving the need for HIIM graduates. The American Reinvestment and
Recovery Act (ARRA) of 2009 included $19 billion to promote the adoption and use of health information
technologies, particularly electronic health records (Blumenthal, 2009). Federal efforts to promote the adoption
of EHRs include payment incentives that are tied to their meaningful use. For example, the Obama
administration’s emphasis on the national adoption of electronic health records has resulted in the allocation of
$110M for Health IT initiatives in the latest proposed federal budget
http://www.ihealthbeat.org/articles/2010/2/2/obamas-budget-plan-includes-110m-for-health-it-initiatives.aspx#
The deployment of electronic health records by physicians and hospitals in the U.S will require the expertise of
professionals trained in health informatics, information management, and electronic health record
implementation.
Moreover, in October 2009, Dr. David Blumenthal, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology,
cited the vital role that HIIM professionals will play in leading the way toward the successful adoption of EHR
systems. Dr. Blumenthal explained that HIIM professionals are well-positioned to play this role because they
are trained to focus on the usability of systems rather than on the technology itself. He emphasized that such
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09-28-2011
a perspective is necessary for ensuring the successful migration to EHR systems.
http://www.ahima.org/events/convention/keynotes-speakers.html.
Internally, within the discipline at the national level, there is a progression to graduate education for
certification (Rollins, 2008). The HIIM profession recognizes that the drive to adopt EHR systems requires
HIIM professionals who can plan, design, and analyze EHR systems across interlocking and partnering
national health care enterprises, state agencies, regional health information exchanges, and federal agencies.
Thus, the accrediting organization for degree-granting programs in the discipline, the Commission on
Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM), is in the process of
adopting accreditation standards for graduate health informatics programs http://cahiim.org/initiatives.html and
has adopted competencies and standards graduate health information management programs
http://cahiim.org/applyaccredgrad.html . Eligibility to sit for the national registration examination is dependent
upon being a graduate of an accredited program.
The Council of Graduate Schools indicates that the number of nontraditional graduate students has risen
dramatically and projects this trend to continue. (Redd, 2007) Generally, many of the potential non-traditional
graduate students are working professionals seeking a career-change. For example, at the College of St.
Scholastica where a Master’s degree in HIM has been offered since 1999, approximately one third of its class
is comprised of HIM professionals seeking additional education to advance their careers. On the other hand,
the rest of their master’s level students come from other fields such as secondary education, computer
technology and other health professions looking to change careers. (Rollins, 2008).
Many career-changers desire Internet-based, asynchronous delivery because they are place-bound either by
current jobs or family responsibilities. Thus, the proposed degree also meets the needs of society by being
available in two modes of delivery: (a) face-to-face and (b) Internet. The Department has delivered course
work and degrees via the Internet since 2000 for the HIM program and since 2003 for the HSM program.
In summary, ECU can be part of the regional, state, and national movement to educate a top and middle
management workforce in the health care sector by offering a MS in HIIM.
Hersh, W., Wright, A. 2008 (April 17) Characterizing the Health Information Technology Workforce: Analysis
form the HIMSS AnalyticsTM Database http://www.billhersh.info/hit-workforce-hersh.pdf
Blumenthal, D. 2009 (April 9). Stimulating the adoption of health information technology. New England Journal
of Medicine 360(15):1477-1479.
Rollins, G. (2008). Mastering HIM: An expanding field sparks interest in graduate education. Journal of
AHIMA, 25-29.
Redd, K. (2007). Data sources: The rise of “older” graduate students. Council of Graduate Schools. Retrieved
Feb. 10, 2010 from www.cgsnet.org/portals/0/pdf/DataSources_2007_12.pdf.
Expected Enrollment Patterns
General Background
It is expected that enrollment patterns for the proposed MS degree would parallel past patterns of Bachelor of
Science degree with a major in health information management (HIM) and recent patterns in the on-line postbaccalaureate certificate in health informatics.
Recent events may favor larger enrollments. As a result of the recent economic crisis, career-changers
(unemployed or underemployed) and traditional students are looking for fields with steady employment. Thus,
many seek jobs and careers in the health care sector because, in the current environment, it is one of the few
sectors that continue to project and realize job growth. Moreover, with the current emphasis in health
information technology and, in particular in EHR systems, many individuals not desiring direct patient or client
care may turn to health informatics and information management.
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Sources of Potential Students
We expect the students in the program at ECU to come from five different sources:
1. Professionals holding at least an undergraduate degree in health sciences or computer and
information technologies. Unemployed, underemployed, or working professionals with these degrees
may seek upgrades to their skills and knowledge and thus expand their job marketability by receiving a
master’s degree in health informatics.
2. Individuals desiring entry-level positions in health information administration. Since 1968, the BS with
a major in HIM (formerly medical records administration) has been offered at East Carolina University.
Despite the program’s rigor, consistent student interest in the major has resulted in an entering class
between 15 to 20 students. Since the initiation of the online HIM degree in 2005, entering cohorts
have averaged 25 students. The graduates of the program are eligible to take the national Registered
Health Information Administrator (RHIA) certification exam. The undergraduate HIM program will be
terminated once the master’s program is established; therefore, for those students who desire to get
the RHIA credential, the master’s program, particularly the RHIA option, will be available for that
purpose. Please note we will continue to offer the undergraduate HSM program.
3. Individuals in the post-baccalaureate health informatics certificate at ECU. Since fall 2008, the HSIM
department has offered a graduate certificate in health informatics and since then has received more
than 150 inquiries from prospective students interested in pursuing this option for graduate study.
Currently 41 students are registered in the certificate program and many of them are interested in
pursuing further study in this field. A master’s degree program in HIIM would be a natural complement
for the certificate graduates. The certificate program graduates will be able to transfer 15 credit hours
from the certificate into the MS; thus, a certain number of students can begin by taking core courses in
the certificate and then opt to transfer into the master’s degree program.
4. Baccalaureate health services management (HSM) graduates at ECU. The Department also has an
undergraduate program in HSM that graduates approximately 60-70 students annually. Given the
transition of health care to a paperless environment, understanding information technology and
information systems becomes crucially important for the graduates to be well rounded in their
managerial practice. These graduates may desire the department’s internal educational progression.
5. Baccalaureate graduates in information technology and systems (IT&S). These graduates may desire
advanced education in health care that would expand their career possibilities. The department is
currently collaborating with the Department of Technology Systems to offer a BS in information
technology with a concentration in healthcare information technology. The graduates from the program
will also be recruited to the MS HIIM program.
All five streams of potential students for the proposed MS in HIIM will be required to meet the same prerequisites of admission into the program.
Enrollment Targets
The table below shows the number of students (full time and part-time) and generated student credit
hours. A 20% attrition rate has been factored in the calculation. It assumes that a full time student
enrolls for 9 graduate credit hours per semester in spring and fall semesters and 6 credit hours in the
summer (24 total credit hours per year) and a part-time student enrolls for 2 credit hours each in fall
and spring semesters (12 credit hours per year). We expect a steady admission of 20 full time and 13
part-time students in year 5.
Year
1
2
3
Full time
Admitted
10
13
15
Part-time
Admitted
5
7
9
Total Full Time
Enrolled
Total Part-time
Enrolled
10
23
28
5
12
21
Head
Count
15
35
49
Adjusted Head
Count
SCHs
12
28
39
240
557
739
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4
18
11
33
32
65
52
941
Full time Admitted: Number of full time students admitted during the year
Part-time admitted: Number of part-time students admitted during the year
Total Full Time Enrolled: Number of full time students enrolled (students admitted in the past two years)
Total Part-time Enrolled: Number of part-time students enrolled (students admitted in the past four years)
Head Count: Total number of students enrolled.
Adjusted Head Count: 80% of total head count after factoring in 20% attrition rate.
SCHs: Student Credit Hours generated.
The MS HIIM will replace the BS in HIM program that currently generates about 960 average undergraduate
SCHs as in program category III
Note that the Department intends to discontinue its baccalaureate program in HIM and use its baccalaureate
degree in HSM as an internal feeder. Thus, the student credit hours generated in the proposed MS in HIIM
are under the master’s (category III) funding matrix rather than the undergraduate funding matrix (186.23
rather than 404.28).
Attracting Quality Students
Some of the Department’s HSM graduates should be interested in a graduate program that combines health
care administration with HIIM. These graduates will be a known quantity and a product of a certified program
in HSM. In terms of evidence, the results of an informal e-mail survey sent to past HSM graduates and current
HSM seniors indicated that 30% of respondents were interested in obtaining an MS in HIIM at ECU.
The proposed MS in HIIM will appeal to IT&S graduates and professionals interested in transitioning to the
health care sector. As baccalaureate graduates, these individuals exhibit the ability to complete goals. In
terms of evidence 15 out of 61 (24.6%) of inquiries received through the fall 2009 semester about the health
informatics courses (certificate and potential master’s degree) came from individuals outside health care.
Finally, the proposed MS HIIM should attract practicing health professionals. For example, it will be a valuable
resource for nurses in the eastern Carolina region who must meet certification requirements in Informatics
Nursing established by the American Nurses Association’s (ANA) credentialing organization, American
Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) http://www.nursecredentialing.org/NurseSpecialties/Informatics.aspx.
Furthermore, current registered health information administrators (RHIAs) in the eastern Carolina region will
be interested in upgrading their knowledge and skills for career advancement. In fact, 68% of respondents to
an e-mail survey sent out to the membership of North Carolina Health Information Management Association
(NCHIMA, state-level professional organization) expressed an interest in pursuing a master’s degree program,
if it were available at ECU. Therefore, it is believed that the proposed MS HIIM would be able to attract quality
students.
Comparison to Similar Programs in Other Universities
● How common is this type of program nationally and what about the proposed program would enable it
to particularly stand out from the others? What would it take to become a nationally recognized
program in this area?
Nationally, there are currently 34 HIIM programs; 6 are CAHIIM accredited master’s degree programs in
Health Informatics and/or Information Management.
Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business in partnership with the Duke Center for Health Informatics will
begin offering an interdisciplinary Master of Management in Clinical Informatics degree. It is a one year
program designed to prepare physicians, nurses and health care administrators for IT management careers in
health care, medical research, government and consulting. The degree program that HSIM proposes will
target students from a variety of backgrounds such as IT and health care. Full-time students will take 2-2.5
years to finish the program while part-time students will take 3-3.5 years to finish the entire program. In
addition,unlike Duke’s program our proposed degree program will also offer an RHIA certification track.
A related program in nursing informatics exists at Duke and at UNC Chapel Hill; however, their programs are
specific to nursing applicants who must hold a BSN as a pre-requisite for admission into the program.
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Four of the existing 34 national HIIM programs are situated in the southeast and mid-Atlantic regions and are
potential competitors for North Carolina residents interested in graduate level health informatics and
information management programs. The institutions and their program descriptions are as follows:



The Medical College of Georgia (MCG) and University of Tennessee at Memphis (U of T) both offer a
Post baccalaureate master’s degree in health Informatics and information management but do not
offer an RHIA certification track.
The University of Pittsburgh offers a master’s degree either with or without an RHIA track
The University of Alabama at Birmingham offers a master’s degree in HI; however, without an RHIA
track.
Furthermore, the proposed MS HIIM at ECU stands out from its regional competitors by offering a master’s
degree that includes a RHIA option that will qualify individuals to take the American Health Information
Management Association’s (AHIMA) RHIA registration exam. As a result, compared to the institutions
mentioned above, the proposed degree program at ECU would appeal to a wider market of customers: those
looking to acquire the specific knowledge and skills related to HIIM without committing to the RHIA option;
those holding bachelor’s and master’s degrees from other fields seeking a master’s degree program that will
prepare them as health care information professionals qualified to sit for the AHIMA RHIA registration exam;
and finally, those who already hold the RHIA credential and are looking to upgrade their professional career
status in health care information management by earning a graduate level degree in HIIM. Unlike the above
programs, the proposed MS in HIIM at ECU will offer both on-campus and distance education options for
completing the degree.
Accreditation Standards
● Are there accreditation standards or requirements that will affect this program? If so, describe in detail
how the proposed program will meet those standards or requirements.
We are committed to developing an MS in HIIM that will be nationally recognized and accredited. The
proposed MS HIIM at ECU will become accredited) by the Commission on Accreditation of Health Informatics
and Information Management education (CAHIIM). There are accreditation standards and requirements that
will affect a potential master’s degree program in health informatics and information management. CAHIIM
promulgates standards for master’s level programs in health informatics and information management.
Graduates of accredited health information management programs are eligible to sit for the national
registration examination (registered health information administrator, RHIA). The department’s faculty
members intend to apply for program review by CAHIIM and to perform a program self-study in order to
become a fully-accredited master’s program in health information management (as previously stated, health
informatics standards are currently under review). Therefore, a track will be included for individuals interested
in becoming credentialed RHIAs. As a result, faculty planners will consider standards for CAHIIM program
accreditation as well as specific programmatic accreditation standards for RHIA credentialing when designing
the curriculum for the proposed program. These standards are codified in CAHIIM’s program accreditation
manual. The current baccalaureate program is accredited by CAHIIM. The faculty planners will utilize the
same mechanism as used for the baccalaureate program to earn and maintain accreditation for the RHIA track
in the master’s degree.
Once the program is operational and accredited, it will be able to market itself via recognized professional
organizations such as the American Medical Informatics association (AMIA), the Health Care Information and
Management Systems Society (HIMSS), AHIMA, and the North Carolina Healthcare Information and
Communications Alliance (NCHICA).
Part Two: Assessing Readiness of Current Faculty
●
Complete the Faculty Information Sheet (attached, with instructions for downloading from Sedona) for
each individual who will serve as a core faculty member, actively involved in delivering the proposed
program.
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●
Provide a summary of faculty readiness in the unit to include the cumulative totals of the following:
o Number of core faculty at each rank who will be actively engaged in this program.
 3 Assistant Professors, 5 Associate Professors and 2 Full Professors
o Number of core faculty with experience directing theses/dissertations
 4
o Number of scholarly and professional activities related to proposed degree (with emphasis on
the past 5 years): 120
 Number of publications related to proposed degree in past 5 years
 80
o Number of grants & contracts submitted and awarded related to proposed degree
 14 submitted (8 Res, 6 Svc); 9 awarded (5 Res, 4 Svc) Amount awarded: Res
$101,684; Svc $110,198;
o Invited research presentations outside ECU
 31 (AHIMA 2011, Annual Convention and Exhibit, Salt lake City, Utah; AHIMA 2010
AOE, New Orleans, LA; Business and Health Administration Association (BHAA)
Chicago, Ill; AUPHA Annual Meeting 2009 Chicago, Ill; AHIMA 2009 AOE, Las Vegas,
Nevada; 25th (2009) Annual Pacific Rim Conference on Disabilities, Honolulu, Hawaii;
Association of University Programs in Health Administration 2009 Annual Meeting in
Chicago, IL; AHRD 2008 International Research Conference, Panama City, Florida;
HIMSS 2008 conference, Orlando, Florida; National Nursing Centers Consortium’s
Nurse-Managed Health Centers: Policy Solutions in Improving Health Care for All
2007 Conference; 38th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences
(HICSS'05); Kuwait University, Health Information Administration Program, Faculty of
Allied Health Sciences, Kuwait , Kuwait Ministry of Health and Faculty of Allied Health
Sciences Center, Kuwait University; AHIMA annual AOE, Nashville, Tennessee)
o Patents/disclosures/copyrights
 0
o Participation in scholarly collaborations with other universities, laboratories, & centers
 3 – Korea University, Seoul, South Korea, University of Tennessee at Memphis; University of
Pittsburgh
o Service on related national/international boards or committees
 Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA) Knowledge
group and Planning Committee
 National Commission on Certification of the American Health Information
Management Association
 Formal Education Committee of National Cancer Registrars Association
 AHIMA FORE Research Committee
 AHIMA Approval Committee for Certificate programs
 AHIMA Educational Strategy Committee
 Perspectives in Health Information Management Editorial Review Board
 AHIMA FORE Scholarship Review Committee
 HIMSS, Review presentation proposals for the HIMSS 2008 Conference, Orlando,
Florida
 CAHIIM panel of surveyors
 Fellow, American College of Health Care Executives
 Louisiana Board of regents research Competitiveness Subprogram
Part Three: Assessing Adequacy of Instructional/Research Facilities and Personnel to Support the
Program
Instructional and Research Facilities
● Describe existing space and specialized equipment to be devoted to the proposed program within the
context of the space and equipment currently assigned to the unit/s.
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The current HIM baccalaureate program will be discontinued once the master’s program is in place.
Therefore, existing space and equipment that is assigned to the HSIM unit will be sufficient.
●
How will assignment of this space to the proposed program impact existing programs?
The proposed MS in HIIM will utilize classrooms in the Health Sciences Building (HSB), including the
HSIM Lab (HSB 4405). These are the same instructional facilities currently used for the Baccalaureate
HIM program
●
Describe additional facilities or specialized equipment that would be needed over the next five years.
The MS in HIIM will require two additional faculty offices and one office for graduate assistants.
Requirements for specialized equipment will be driven by advances in the discipline.
●
Describe current holdings in library resources in the proposed program and projected library resources
needed to support the proposed program.
Current holdings related to health information management are sufficient. Expanded holdings in the
area of health informatics (research journals and texts) are needed. Examples of needed journals
include Health Information Management Journal, Health Information Systems and Telemedicine,
Infocare, Medical Informatics, Medinfo, and Studies in Health Technology and Informatics.
●
Describe the adequacy of unit computer resources. If additional resources are needed, give a brief
explanation and an estimate for the cost of acquisition. Include classroom, laboratory, and other
facilities that are not currently used in the capacity being requested. (Collaborate with ITCS to
determine feasibility of adding these resources, particularly in the areas of mainframe computer usage,
networking requirements, statistical services, network connections, and student computer labs.)
Current computer resources and facilities are adequate.
●
Provide e-mail verification of consultation with Office of Space Management about the feasibility of
new or additional space needs for the proposed program
See attached e-mail from Bruce Flye, Office of space management and the above bullet item about
additional space requirements.
Personnel
● What additional personnel would be needed to make the proposed program successful for growth and
development over a five-year period?
o Faculty
We project that 2 additional FTEs will be needed. The unique offerings of the HIM baccalaureate
degree total approximately 34 semester hours (3 FTE). We are envisioning a 45 semester hour
master’s (39 semester hours for the non-RHIA option and 45 for the RHIA option; 5 FTE). Note that,
because of other teaching responsibilities in the department’s baccalaureate program (HSM) or our
administrative appointments, current faculty can only be .25 to .5 FTE to the new master’s program.
For example, the departmental chair, Dr. Xiaoming Zeng is only .25. In addition, the differential in
workload: 12 s.h. per semester at the undergraduate versus 9 s.h. at the graduate also affects the
assignment of courses.
o
o
o
Post-doc associates None
Research technicians None
Graduate assistants
2 (to support research and teaching)
This will depend on the distribution of students. If most of the students are Distance
Education students, no GA positions will be requested and funded using state funds.
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In that scenario, faculty will pursue other supporting mechanism such as grant funding
or federal financial aids.
o
●
Other staff
No additional SPA are needed as elimination of the baccalaureate HIM degree will offset any
additional work associated with the MS in HIIM.
What will be needed to recruit such individuals and what is the recruitment market like?
Competitive salaries and benefits will be needed to recruit faculty members. The recruitment market
will be competitive. However, while challenged, the Department of Health Services and Information
Management has been successful in the past five years in recruiting faculty members. Our success
has been based on the reputation of ECU as a high tech environment; our relationship with doctoral
programs in the field, such as the University of Pittsburgh; the desirability of the new facilities of the
College of Allied Health Sciences; and the program’s reputation of quality with a focus on scholarship.
Moreover, the reputations of North Carolina and, specifically, eastern North Carolina, as a thriving
state and area have aided recruitment.
Part Four: Assessing Financial Resources to Support the Program
●
Describe existing financial resources to be devoted to the proposed program.
Funding that is currently devoted to the baccalaureate program in HIM will be assigned to MS HIIM.
●
Describe what additional financial resources would be needed over the next five years and their
proposed sources of funding.
Projected additional financial resources would be to keep pace with inflation. Proposed sources of
funding for additional graduate assistants (beyond 4) would be externally funded grants.
● What new financial resources will come to the university based on the projected increase in enrollment?
Funding that is currently devoted to the baccalaureate program in HIM will be assigned to MS HIIM. New
financial resources will come from the additional tuition fees generated by graduate hours versus undergraduate
hours (see table below).
Fall
2011
Undergraduate
Graduate
Difference
On-Campus
DE
On-Campus
DE
In-state
$139.50 per
credit hour
$113.00 per
credit hour
$197.60 per
credit hour
$174.00 per
credit hour
+$58.10/$61 per
credit hour
Out-ofstate
$663.50 per
credit hour
$538.00 per
credit hour
$797.28 per
credit hour
$703.00 per
credit hour
+$133.78/$165 per
credit hour
The UNC-GA funding model also has a differential for undergraduate versus graduate Category 3
(allied health): 406.24 undergraduate SCH per instructional position versus 186.23 master’s SCH per
instructional position. This differential is positive in the direction of the master’s program. We expect
that the normal faculty position allocation process of new faculty positions for departmental growth will
be sufficient to satisfy the new faculty needs of the proposed program. Furthermore, projected
revenues for years 1 and 2 should be satisfactory to support the addition of two faculty lines in years 2
and 3.
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●
●
Will the program students contribute to the financing of the program through teaching, research, and
clinical practice? NO
What are your plans for the program if the financial resources anticipated for the program (enrollment,
external support, etc.) are 25% lower and 50% lower than expected?
As the university and system have consistently supported the baccalaureate program in health
information management for the past 40 years, it is anticipated that the current level of support will
remain in effect. Reductions of 25% or 50% have not occurred in the past and are not anticipated.
However, if such reductions do occur, the HSIM department is prepared to offer the MS in HIIM with its
existing complement of faculty. Furthermore, as explained in the request for authorization to establish
section IV B on page 28, we will adopt several strategies if additional funds are unavailable for faculty
lines: have adjunct faculty members teach lower division courses; combine sections to release course
load; and suspend the offerings of several HSM electives with low enrollment numbers.
In addition to being more cost effective in the delivery of courses, we will also seek support in the form
of external grants in order to help support the proposed program. After the first five years and when
the program grows beyond the capability of our current infrastructure, we expect that financial support
for new facilities and equipment will come from three possible sources: the normal budget and
resource allocation process at the university to accommodate the program growth; grant opportunities
from federal and private foundations; and funding and/or in-kind support from local industry partners.
For example, in year 5 it is expected that the program faculty will apply for and earn $200,000 in grant
awards.
Part Five: Assessing External Support and Collaboration
●
List active grants/contracts specifically related to the proposed program.
2010 Robert Campbell; Association of American Colleges and Universities, “Health Professional Education:
Venue for Collaboration and Community Service; $2,500
2010 Robert Campbell, Pitt County Memorial Hospital Foundation; Community Benefits and Health
Initiatives Grant; The Jean Mills Health Symposium, $10,274
2011 Leigh Celluci; *Start-up package, fund research related to social collaborative aspects of Health
Information Technology Regional Extension Centers*$50,000
●
Describe existing collaborative efforts related to the proposed program with community or state
agencies, other institutions of higher education, federal laboratories or agencies, national centers, or
other external organizations.
No collaborative efforts exist with community or state agencies, other institutions of higher education,
federal laboratories or agencies, national centers, or other external organizations. However, the
proposed program has internal collaborations:
 The baccalaureate program in health information management has been collaborative with
another degree program in the department, health services management. The two
baccalaureate programs have shared courses.
 It is anticipated that ECU’s health services management program will serve as a feeder for the
master’s in health informatics and information management.
 The health services management program is a degree completer for associate degree
practitioners in allied health. Thus, these individuals now will have master’s level education
available to them.
 In collaboration with the Industrial technology program, HSIM offers a health information
technology concentration for the BS in Industrial technology The department’s postbaccalaureate certificate in health informatics or master’s degree in health informatics and
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information management will now be available to College of Technology and Computer
Science graduates.
 The department has post-baccalaureate certificates in health care administration in
collaboration with ECU’s College of Business (MBA) and Thomas Harriot College of Arts and
Sciences (Political Science, MPA)
 The HSIM department will collaborate with the Department of Public Health in the Brody
School of Medicine in offering a certificate program in community health center administration
●
How do you plan to use external funding to support the proposed program? To what agencies
or programs would proposals be submitted and with what time frame?
We made two grant proposals related to Health IT training. The first grant proposal “Regional
Partnership to Expand the Health Information Technology Workforce in Eastern North Carolina” was
sent to the Department of Labor (DOL) with a total requested amount of $4.92 million. The second
grant proposal “National Center for Health IT Curriculum Development, Training and Dissemination”
was sent to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) with a total requested amount of
$2.28 million.. Unfortunately these grant submissions did not result in awards, However, in the future
we intend, also, to actively pursue grant opportunities from the Office of National Coordinator for
Health Information Technology to support University training in Health IT.
o
What indications are that the proposed program addresses significant problems of stated interest to
funding agencies?
See the July 22, 2009 Federal register Department of Labor Employment and training Administration
(ETA) report and refer to page 36256, “Health Information Technology”. Workforce needs of
approximately 40,800 new HIT occupations by 2012 will, for example, require training and preparation
of master’s trained faculty to teach at the 2 year college level. The addition of master’s level programs
to “train the trainers” should help in this effort http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-17416.pdf.
o
How well does the proposed program align with state and national initiatives as stated by the indicated
governmental agencies? See above bullet
o
How well does the proposed program align with state and national initiatives as stated by the indicated
foundations or other non-governmental sources? N/A
o
What kind of university investments will be needed to leverage external support and over what time
period? The insitituion will offer start-up packages to help seed grant based research activites for new
faculty
o
Faculty information sheets –
Faculty Information Sheet
Provide a sheet for each faculty member who will be actively engaged in delivering the proposed program. To
facilitate this process, the APD Faculty Information Template is available on the Sedona website. The report
should be downloaded, saved as a MSWord file, and revised to include additional information requested
below. (The publications query for the template is set for a five-year period. To extend that parameter, or for
other Sedona questions, please contact Dr. Michael Poteat.)
Faculty information sheets are to be updated at each step of the program planning process.
Name:
1.
Rank
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2.
Degrees
3. Teaching Experience related to proposed degree (with emphasis on the past five years)
a. Overall nature of workload assignments
(%teaching/%research/%service/administration/clinical practice)
b.
Courses
c.
Graduate student supervisory experience (theses/dissertations)
4. Scholarly & Professional Activities related to proposed degree (with emphasis on the past five
years)
a.
Publications/Scholarly Activity related to proposed degree
b. Status of Grants & Contracts submitted related to proposed degree (including agency
names, years of funding, collaborative partners)
c.
Invited research presentations outside ECU
d. Patents/disclosures/copyrights
e. Participation in scholarly collaborations with other universities, laboratories, & centers
f. Service on related state/national/international boards or committees
5.
Other
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