OUT-OF-STATE INSTITUTION PROPOSAL To Offer a Program in Nebraska

Transcription

1 OUT-OF-STATE INSTITUTION PROPOSAL To Offer a Program in Nebraska Institution: Herzing University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Omaha School of Massage and Healthcare of Herzing University) Program: Health Information Management (HIM), Bachelor of Science (BS) Institution s Existing Degree in Same or Similar Discipline: BS in Health Information Management at other Herzing locations Proposed Site(s) for Delivery: Omaha, Nebraska Proposed Start Date: January 6, 2010 Introduction Herzing University has operated for over 40 years as a private, career-oriented campus with its home office and online programs based in Milwaukee. There are currently nine physical campuses in eight states with programs ranging from certificates to master s degrees, in business, computer technology, public safety, design, nursing, and health care (including health information management). Herzing University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The Omaha School of Massage Therapy (OSMT) was established in 1991, offering a diploma program and continuing education courses in massage therapy. In 2008 OSMT was purchased by Herzing University. In 2009 the Commission approved Herzing University to offer an AS degree in therapeutic massage in Omaha. This proposal is for authorization for Herzing University to offer a bachelor of science degree program in health information management in Nebraska. REVIEW CRITERIA A. Demonstrated Need and Demand for the Program in the Area to be Served Herzing states that employment opportunities in healthcare facilities are on the rise. They cite Nebraska Workforce Development which calls the career Hot, with 103 estimated annual openings in the Omaha area. Commission staff searched the Workforce Development Web site to determine the specific occupational reference used. It appears that the numbers Herzing cites are for Medical and Health Services Managers. Workforce Development lists the educational qualifications for this occupation as a master s degree and provides a description much broader than just HIM. In addition, the 103 estimated openings are for Nebraska; 50 are in Omaha. Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education October 22,

2 Herzing also used to determine the current number of job openings in the area. The search revealed 364 advertised openings within a 30 mile radius of Omaha and an additional 108 positions within a 50 mile radius. Some of the listings may require a master s degree and duplicate listings often show up in simplyhired.com, so the actual openings may be considerably less. Clarkson College offers the only CAHIIM accredited baccalaureate degree program in the Omaha area for health information management. (See Section H. for more information on accreditation.) Clarkson s bachelor s degree in Health Care Business has three major areas from which to choose: health information management, informatics, and management. The first student will graduate from their program this year. Bellevue University offers a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management, but it focuses on the broader aspects of management, such as marketing and human resources, rather than solely on information management. Herzing estimates 20 to 24 students will enroll in their first class. The quantifiable evidence is weak. However, this is a growing field and there is only one fairly small program currently in the Omaha area. B. Quality of Program of Instruction to be Offered in the State The baccalaureate degree in health information management is designed to be a continuation of the AS degree in medical billing and insurance coding. It requires a minimum of 124 semester credit hours and is identical to the program offered on seven other Herzing campuses. The program consists of 68 credit hours in health information management, 37 hours of general education courses, 17 hours of electives, and two hours of personal development courses required for graduation. Within the HIM courses there are four credit hours of internship required. The general education courses are appropriate for a BS degree and include information literacy; English composition or literature; speech; computer applications; mathematics; natural science with a lab component; social or behavioral science; cultural diversity; and humanities with a critical thinking focus. As a BS program, the curriculum includes research methodologies and several additional science courses, including epidemiology and applied health care statistics; anatomy and physiology; and pathophysiology and pharmacology. The core courses would be offered on the Omaha campus. The general education courses would be available through Herzing s Online Campus. Students could also take comparable general education courses from another accredited institution and apply them to the BS degree. Following the public hearing, Herzing informed the Commission that the number of clock hours a student would spend in the internship is 180. They have contacted Alegent Health systems regarding clinical sites. Alegent has indicated an interest in partnering with Herzing. The college also stated that they intend to contact other local health clinics and insurance companies for possible clinical placements if the program is approved. There are no state requirements for working in the field of health information management in Nebraska. One national accrediting body provides programmatic accreditation for institutions desiring accreditation for their programs. (See Section H. for more information on accreditation.) Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education October 22,

3 C. Quality of Teaching Faculty Committee Draft Herzing intends to hire additional faculty for the Omaha program once CCPE has given approval to their application. University policy for faculty teaching in allied health fields in which Herzing offers a bachelor s degree requires instructors to hold at least a master s degree in the discipline and to have expert knowledge in the field. General education courses will be offered online. Herzing reports that all distance learning faculty are provided training on distance learning methodologies and pedagogical support in developing course materials. They are also monitored in the quality of delivery of their online courses. Herzing lists 16 faculty members who teach online and four on the Omaha campus. All have at least a master s degree, four hold doctorates, and two are completing doctorates. The staff members listed for Omaha include faculty in business (EdD in progress), health information management (MA), professional development (master s), and library literacy (MA). D. Quality of Library and Support Services The on-site library is relatively small, but includes volumes pertinent to health information management, such as anatomy and physiology, business, English, health issues, and ethics. Herzing reported at the time of their approval to award the AS in massage therapy that they intended to add volumes on general education topics to the on-site collection. Those materials were to be in place by the time they began offering the general education courses in July. A Herzing representative verified at the public hearing that the volumes had been added. Students may also check out books from any Herzing University library through interlibrary loan. There is online material available through two library consortia, NebraskAccess and the Library and Information Resources Network. Computers are available in the library and wireless Internet access is available throughout the primary campus building. The second building has a computer room and library annex. There is a part-time librarian, a financial aid office, and a career services center. Students receive assistance in resume writing, honing interview skills, and identifying employment opportunities. E. Legal Form and Ownership Herzing Incorporated is a for-profit organization incorporated in the state of Wisconsin. The proposal included copies of incorporation documents. Herzing, Inc. has filed with the Nebraska Secretary of State to operate in Nebraska. F. Financial Soundness & Ability to Fulfill Commitments to Students college appears fiscally sound. Herzing University provided audited financial statements for fiscal year 2007, with supplemental information on the current financial status. The financials were reviewed by Commission finance staff. Overall, the The tuition for the general education courses would be $370 per semester credit hour and $390 for the HIM courses. Total cost of attendance for the baccalaureate degree program would be Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education October 22,

4 approximately $47,620, which includes tuition, books, and lab fees. This is less than the current tuition and fee charges at Clarkson College, which Commission staff estimated to be approximately $58,179 in fall 2009 for the bachelor s degree in health care business. Herzing provided a copy of the college catalog, including the federal return policy for Title IV funds (financial aid), college withdrawal policy, and college refund procedures. G. Program Location The primary campus building for Omaha School of Massage and Healthcare of Herzing University is located at 9748 Park Drive in Omaha. The 10,000 square foot building houses the massage therapy program that includes a clinic and spa, a student lounge/kitchen, a library, and six administrative offices. The health information management program would be located at 5400 S. 99 th Street in Omaha in a building previously used by OSMT and recently acquired for expansion of programs. The S. 99 th Street building would be developed in two phases. The first, recently opened for two diploma programs, includes a classroom, fully equipped science lab, a computer classroom, a library annex, a student break area with vending machines, and an administrative/faculty office. During the second phase, an additional classroom would be added along with a lab designed specifically for the proposed physical therapy assistant program. H. Accreditation Herzing University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Fully accredited since 2004, the college was recently granted authority to offer the Master of Business Administration degree. The Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM) is a national accrediting body for degree-granting programs. It does not appear that any of Herzing s BS programs in HIM are CAHIIM accredited, although such accreditation is not required. At the public hearing a Herzing representative stated that they will seek CAHIIM accreditation for the Omaha program. I. Transferability of Credits Since Herzing University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, students should be able to transfer credits in the same manner as they transfer credits earned at any other regionally accredited institution. Public Hearing A public hearing was held on September 23, 2009 at the State Office Building in Omaha. The Commission was represented by Kathleen Fimple, Jason Keese, and Miste Adamson- DaMoude. Commissioner Carol Zink served as the hearing officer. Mr. Steve Carper, President of Omaha School of Massage and Healthcare of Herzing University, spoke in support of the application. In response to specific questions from Commissioner Zink and Dr. Fimple, Mr. Carper provided the following additional information. Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education October 22,

5 Once the courses for the AS in medical billing and insurance coding have been completed, the courses for the BS degree in HIM would be entirely online. The diploma program in medical billing and insurance coding was recently initiated. One full-time faculty member has been hired to serve as the program director for medical assisting and medical billing and insurance coding. He will also oversee the HIM program. He holds a master s degree in biology and has experience teaching in the private sector. The college has hired a new on-site librarian. The library collection now includes additional texts in general education subjects, including psychology, sociology, critical thinking, English, and biology as well as volumes in business fields. Herzing has not investigated the ability of an associate degree from another Omaha school to feed into the proposed BS degree. Any student wanting to do so would have his or her courses evaluated for acceptance by the college academic dean. Other Herzing campuses offering this degree do not have programmatic accreditation. However, Herzing intends to seek the CAHIIM accreditation for Omaha. There was no testimony in opposition. Ms. Carla Dirkschneider, program director for the Health Care Business health information management baccalaureate program at Clarkson College, testified in a neutral capacity. Her testimony included the following points. She was happy to see that Herzing planned to seek accreditation because her experience was that employers did not want to hire students from unaccredited programs. While the proposed program requires a four credit hour internship, she was concerned that more hours would be needed for accreditation. If more hours were added, she questioned where the clinical sites would come from. When asked what were typical clinical sites, she replied that the majority were at acute care settings, but students also served in insurance companies, medical clinics that house their own records, corrections facilities, research corporations, and design firms. In response to a question, she provided an estimate of enrollments and graduates from her program. The associate degree program has approximately 27 students currently enrolled and graduates about five per year. The baccalaureate program has approximately 23 students currently enrolled and will graduate its first student this year. Clarkson hopes that the baccalaureate will eventually graduate ten per year. The number of graduates is relatively low because the majority of their students attend part-time. Committee Recommendation: Approve and encourage Herzing University to: 1.) ensure that students taking technology-focused courses are adequately prepared to succeed, 2.) seek programmatic accreditation at their earliest convenience, and 3.) develop a plan for identifying sufficient clinical sites. Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education October 22,