Table of Contents
2 Collaborative at a Glance
3 Accreditation
3 Take Aim on a Healthcare Profession
4 Program Overview
4 Diversity
5 24/7 Convenience
5 Personalized Attention
5 Affordability
6 Virtual Support Services
7 Hardware and Software Compatibility
7 Sample Course Module
OUR ADVANTAGES ADD UP TO AN
7 Application Process
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its program or activity. For information regarding the non-discrimination policy, see tbr.edu/offices or call 615-366-3920.
#0411.
© 2011. Tennessee Board of Regents. All Rights Reserved.
The Collaborative at a Glance
Under the direction of the Tennessee Board of Regents
available to you. Your degree is awarded from the
(TBR), the Regents Online Health Information Technology
college you choose as your “home campus.” Your
program initiative allows students to complete coursework
transcripts and diploma will not differentiate whether
required to obtain an AAS degree in an online format.
your courses were taken online or on campus.
Through extensive cooperation and collaboration among
TBR community colleges, students can earn an AAS degree
www.rodp.org
in Health Information Technology from:
rodphelpdesk@tbr.edu
Chattanooga State Community College
Dyersburg State Community College
Roane State Community College
Each institution offers the same curriculum and all
Volunteer State Community College
courses are taught by qualified faculty from the colleges.
Walters State Community College
When you enroll as a Regents Online student, you
select a “home campus” from the school choices
1-888-223-0023
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Accreditation – A Quality Indicator
Accreditation is a process of validation in which colleges and
universities of higher learning are evaluated. It’s an indicator
The Associates of Science degree in Health
Information Technology is accredited by:
to enhance the quality of education and training provided.
Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics
and Information Management Education (CAHIIM)
233 N. Michigan Ave., 21st Floor
Chicago, IL 60601-5519
Website: www.cahiim.org
All five TBR community colleges offering the Health
CAHIIM program accreditation permits HIT graduates to
Information Technology degree are accredited by the
take the Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT)
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
national credentialing exam available from the American
that an institution or program meets standards of quality
and that there is a commitment to continuously seek ways
Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).
Take Aim on a Healthcare Profession
with a Bright Future
The Health Information Technology (HIT) field is one of
develop a broad range of clinical and technological
the few health-related occupations in which there is no
skills, as well as knowledge of federal and state laws and
direct patient care. It employs professionals who are
regulations.
responsible for the quality of medical or health records.
Registered Health Information Technicians (RHITs) often
Most RHITs work in hospitals, but can also be found in a
fill these positions.They have the responsibility to verify
variety of other healthcare settings including office-based
health records for completeness and accuracy and
physician practices, nursing homes, home health agencies,
to properly input data and information into computer
mental health facilities and public health agencies. Organizations
systems. Other duties may include: maintaining and
using patient data or health information such as pharmaceutical
using a variety of health information indices; special
companies, law and insurance firms, and health product
registries and storage retrieval systems; retrieving and
vendors may also need to employ RHITs in their businesses.
analyzing computerized health data; and controlling the
use and release of health information. Additionally,
Employment of medical records and health information
health information professionals code health records
technicians is expected to increase by 20%, much faster
for reimbursement.To do so, they must regularly
than the average for all occupations through 2018.* Growth
communicate with physicians to ensure accuracy, clarify
will result from an increase in the number of medical tests,
diagnoses, and obtain any supplementary information
treatments, and procedures combined with an aging
needed to update a patient's file.To fulfill these
population that requires more healthcare. Additionally,
responsibilities, health information technicians must
healthcare reform initiatives are focused on taking
healthcare recordkeeping from a paper-based system to an
electronic data management system.This national push for
advanced health information technology along with the
enormous need for qualified healthcare professionals makes
Health Information Technology a smart career move.
*Source: Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11
edition published by the U.S. Department of Labor.
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Health Information Technology
– Regents Online Program Overview
The Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree program in Health Information Technology is specifically designed
to prepare you for employment in maintaining health records in a variety of healthcare facility settings.
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The program requires you to:
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Successfully complete 13 semester hours of prerequisite courses prior to acceptance into the HIT program
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Successfully complete 66 semester hours (including prerequisites) of courses within four calendar years
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Participate in Professional Practice experiences at assigned healthcare facilities in your final two semesters
of study.The experiences may be simulated or “hands-on” and require face-to-face interaction with faculty
and/or clinical site supervisors.
Upon graduation, you are eligible to sit for the written
Experienced RHIT credential holders have solid
RHIT exam administered by the American Health
potential for advancement to management positions,
Information Management Association (AHIMA).
especially when combined with a Bachelor's degree.
Faculty and Classroom Diversity
– A Winning Combination
As a Regents Online HIT student, you gain access to
Your online classmates are from all walks of life — a
highly-qualified faculty members from both your “home
recent high school grad with sights set on a fast-track
campus” and other TBR colleges. For example, your
career path, a mom trying to juggle a family while
Anatomy & Physiology course might be taught by a
working at the local hospital on the day shift, a displaced
faculty member from Roane State while your Coding and
worker looking to establish roots in a new profession,
Classification course is delivered by a professor from
or an empty nester looking to reenter the job market in
Chattanooga State. Our diverse pool of educators from
a profession that can provide an additional source of
across the collaborative gives you exposure to a wide
income. Odds are you will find someone with work
range of opinions, perspectives and experiences that you
experiences and personal demands similar to your own.
might not otherwise receive in a traditional online setting.
24/7 Convenience on Your Terms
The HIT program is designed to address the needs of
including weekends. No commuting, no parking fees,
the adult learner and working professionals through a
no childcare arrangements, no last minute shift changes.
24/7 asynchronous online delivery model. Courses are
You plan your education around your busy work and
available to you at home, at work, on the road, at the
family schedule. You can register online, buy your books
library or on vacation; any time of day or night,
and visit the library anytime, anywhere!
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Personalized Attention
As an HIT student, your progress will be regularly
You must maintain a grade of “C” or better in
monitored, and an advisor will be available to provide
all required courses and complete designated
advice and counsel. Your grades are evaluated at the
pre-requisite/co-requisite courses to remain in
end of each semester by the director of the program.
the program.
Affordability and Value
– A Wise Financial Choice
Why pay more and possibly incur significant student
and private institutions.We even offer an e-Rate for
loan debt when you can go through Regents Online
students who are not residents of Tennessee.
and earn an affordable education from a respected
school? On a comparative basis, Regents Online
For a current tuition and fee schedule, visit our website
courses and programs can be up to half the cost of
at www.rodp.org.
programs offered by other online education providers
Financial aid may be available to those who qualify.
www.rodp.org | rodphelpdesk@tbr.edu | 1-888-223-0023
Access to Virtual Support Services
Your academic success is very important to us. As
As an HIT student, the Virtual Library provides you
a Regents Online student, you have access to a wide
with access to:
array of support services throughout your online
learning experience.
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CINAHL®, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied
Health Literature database with full text. Regarded as
the authoritative resource for nursing and allied
Virtual Bookstore – No more waiting in line to buy
health professionals, it provides indexing for almost
books! The Virtual Bookstore makes it easy to buy
3,000 journals, contains more than 1,000,000
books and software online from the comfort of your
records, searchable cited references for more than
home. Log on to the Virtual Bookstore website,
select your course, load your shopping cart, checkout
1,150 journals, and full text for 329 journals, plus
legal cases, clinical innovations, critical paths, drug
records, research instruments and clinical trials.
and pay with a major credit card or book voucher. It
doesn’t get much easier than this!
Nursing & Allied Health Collection Comprehensive
database provides full text for nearly 400 journals
Virtual Library – When you need to conduct
covering the areas of nursing, biomedicine, health
research for a term paper or are interested in
sciences, consumer health and allied health disciplines.
learning more about a specific medical disorder, our
Virtual Library is open 24/7 to assist you in your
search for information. Instead of spending hours in
vain looking for information on the Internet, turn to
Health and Wellness Resource Center provides instant
access to nearly 400 health/medical journals, numerous
reference volumes, over 700 health videos, hundreds of
pamphlets and health-related articles from general
the Virtual Library’s collection of online databases,
interest publications in addition to a broad collection
journals, reference materials, eBooks, directories and
of Gale reference titles.
streaming videos for the info you need. All of these
resources are available at no cost to you. If you need
PubMed Central with over 1,500,000 articles from
help getting started, simply turn to our highly-trained
over 450 journals.
librarians available via email, live chat and reference
desk phone support for quick and friendly assistance.
CINAHL is a registered trademark of EBSCO Publishing.
Take the Next Step – Point
Your Future in a New Direction
Perform a Hardware and Software
Compatibility Check
Try a Sample Course Module!
If you’re concerned about how your computing
test drive and learn how the Desire2Learn platform
resources will perform in an online learning
delivers courses to your desktop. It’s a great way to
environment, it’s easy to find out by performing a
see just how easy it is to navigate through a course.
Not convinced that online learning is for you? Take a
simple system check. Just visit the link shown below
Visit http://elearn.rodp.org/
and you’ll find out how your system stacks up.
and log in with the following credentials:
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Username: guest
www.rodp.org/current-students/technical-support
Password: guest
Getting Started – The Application Process
Application to the HIT program is a two-step process.
STEP ONE:
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Apply directly to the “home campus” of your choice and receive acceptance
as a degree seeking student in good standing
Obtain a grade of “C” or better in the following pre-requisite courses:
Computer Applications
Medical Terminology
Introduction to Health Information Technology
Anatomy & Physiology I
Students are required to obtain at least a "C" in all HIT courses to stay in the HIT program.
Maintain an overall GPA of 2.0 or higher
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STEP TWO:
Students admitted to the program must comply with specific enrollment and retention
requirements to continue in the program. Enrollment and retention criteria include,
but are not limited to:
Satisfactory drug/alcohol screenings
Satisfactory criminal background check
Satisfactory documentation of health
Liability insurance coverage
Immunization against specified communicable diseases
Satisfactory performance (pass) in professional practice experiences
Achievement of core performance standards
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www.rodp.org | rodphelpdesk@tbr.edu | 1-888-223-0023
www.rodp.org
rodphelpdesk@tbr.edu
1-888-223-0023