Jobs in the health information administration field are growing faster than the national average. UToledo graduates are highly marketable.
The health information administration program (HIA) at The University of Toledo in Ohio blends medicine, management, finance, information technology and law. You can earn a health information administration degree at UToledo on campus or completely online.
The healthcare industry relies on health information administrators for their expertise in legally and accurately collecting, documenting, storing and sharing records.
What is Health Information (HI)?
Health Information is human information. It’s the data related to a person’s medical history, including symptoms, diagnoses, procedures and outcomes. A health record includes information such as a patient’s history, lab results, X-rays, clinical data, demographic data and notes.
What is Health Information Management (HIM)?
HIM is the practice of acquiring, analyzing and protecting digital and traditional medical information vital to providing quality patient care. It is a combination of business, science, and information technology.
What does a health information professional do?
HI professionals are highly trained in the latest information management technology applications. They care for patients by caring for their medical data and are responsible for the quality, integrity, security, and protection of patients’ health information.
For more information, watch this short video, What Is HIM? or visit the American Health Information Management Association website.
UToledo graduates in health information administration are highly marketable. As the industry grows more complicated HIA jobs are rising faster than the national average.
Options. UToledo's health information administration program offers three options for students to earn a bachelor's degree. All prepare students for the national Registered Health Information Administration (RHIA) examination and to become a credentialed health information professional.
Strong job prospects. The U.S. Department of Labor predicts that jobs for health information specialists will increase by more than 50,000 new positions in the next decade. More than half of new HIA graduates with a bachelor's degree find jobs with salaries in the $30,000 to $50,000 range.
Online classes. UToledo’s HIA classes are offered only online. (UT’s online HIA program has been lauded as one of the country’s best.) Other courses and electives can be completed on campus.
Good prep for the RHIA certification exam. UToledo undergraduate students in their final semester of the HIA program can qualify to test early for the Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) certification. This credential enhances your marketability in the competitive healthcare industry. Employers may pay more if you have it.
Accreditation. UToledo’s HIA online degree program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management (CAHIIM). The majority of HIA courses are certified by Quality Matters, which monitors the quality of online courses.
UToledo Virtual Labs. Labs and virtual computers on UToledo's campus are available 24/7. HIA students use software exclusive to UToledo's health information administration program.
Get professional practice experience.
"Initially, I enrolled in the CHIA for personal enrichment. The more courses I completed, the more appealing I found health information administration. For my professional practical experience, I was very fortunate to collaborate with the Hospital Council of Northwest Ohio in creation of their Information Security Policy. This was an incredibly rewarding experience, and I was very proud to be associated with an organization that helps so many people and is dedicated to enhancing the health status of the citizens of northwest Ohio."
Mary Gorman, RHIA, CHDA SQL Data Quality Specialist, Burns Consulting Associates, Inc. CHIA '13
UT’s curriculum in health information administration offers valuable classroom as well as practical work experiences. Undergraduate students sometimes add on a minor in business or communications.
