Georgia Perimeter College Faculty Senate New Program of Study

of 9 Georgia Perimeter College Faculty Senate New Program of Study Number: Date Submitted: Date approved: Title of Proposal: Create new program - Bachelor of Science Health Informatics Initiator and Place of Origin: Lee McKinley, Newton Campus Date Approved by Curriculum Committee(s): Course Curriculum Chair(s): [sign if committee agrees; attach comments] Proposal connected with other Proposal(s), #(s): Implementation date of the Proposal: Fall 2011 The (Name of Campus) Campus Faculty Senate has reviewed this proposal. Signed: Date: (Campus Chair) The NEWTON (Name of Campus) Campus Library Director has reviewed this proposal. (Only required for new courses, programs, or curriculum) Signed: Date: (Library Director) The BUSINESS & NURSING (Name of Discipline) Academic Dean has reviewed this proposal. Signed: Date: (Academic Dean) This Proposal has met Senate procedural requirements and is ready for Senate review and action. Signed: Date: (Faculty Senate Chair)

of 9 Georgia Perimeter College Faculty Senate New Program of Study New Program of Study: BACHELOR OF SCIENCE HEALTH INFORMATICS Total Credit : 124 A. Rationale The need to effectively manage large health data sets efficiently with optimal security is growing. The 2008 Bureau of Statistics projected a need for 35,000 more health informatics specialists (HIS) by 2018 and the Health Informatics Systems Database shows a need for an additional 40,000 HIS in hospital settings to meet the growing need of managing patient information. An additional 50,000 HIS workers are projected to be needed by 2013 to accommodate the increased use of electronic health record information used in health care. The development of this program at Georgia Perimeter College is in alignment with its mission. Students who come to GPC are diverse and able to access higher education at an affordable cost while preparing them to function in a global society. The health information management degree will allow students the ability to actively participate in global society through information systems. In addition, as students learn with other students in the professional programs at GPC, teamwork will be fostered, and students graduating from the program will be able to meet the growing need of this profession. B. Criteria (Answer each of the following questions yes, no, or not applicable. A short explanation may be included where necessary.) 1. Are the objectives of the institution met? YES 2a. Have you discussed this proposal with the Library Director of at least one campus? YES 2b. Does that Library Director agree that library holdings are adequate to support this course? (If not, attached plan for correcting deficiencies.) YES 3. Will suitable space for classrooms and labs be available? YES 4. Can the program be offered in the near future? YES 5. Will the program appear in the catalog and the schedule? YES 6. Will this program require hiring new personnel? NO 7. Does the program overlap with any other program? NO 8. Will the program transfer to the senior colleges and universities? YES 9. Has the need for the program been adequately demonstrated? (A description of the methods and results of marketing techniques to determine sufficient enrollment to justify the course may be inserted at the end of this document.) YES

of 9 10. Will the addition of this program affect the present balance within a department or between departments? NO 11. Have the budgetary implications of this change been assessed? (Insert a five year budget plan at the end of this document.) YES 12. Is the program compatible with the core curriculum? YES 13. Has this proposal been discussed with the Academic Deans? YES ORIGINATED WITH DEANS AND ACADEMIC VICE PRESIDENT C. Other Questions 1. Approval of this program would necessitate a deletion of the following program(s): NONE 2. This program would be taught on the following campus(es): NEWTON, CLARKSTON, ONLINE 3. Is this program offered at other USG institutions? YES MACON STATE COLLEGE, GEORGIA HEALTH UNIVERSITY (MEDICAL COLLEGE OF GEORGIA) D. Briefly describe how this program will help meet the objectives of the College. The Bachelor of Science in health information systems program supports Georgia Perimeter College s strategic plan and being the first 4- year degree offered at GPC, will have high priority. The program will strengthen student success by offering students the opportunity to participate in the global workplace and will be taught by a team of faculty with demonstrated teaching excellence. In addition, this program will foster teamwork as interdisciplinary faculty will come together to provide instruction in the program. The production of well-qualified students who obtain their RHIA certification (Registered Health Information Administrator) will contribute to the economic workforce in the State of Georgia by their ability to fill vacancies existing in this segment of health care. GPC is known for student access and thus will bring diverse learners to the program and offer students interested in the field of health informatics the opportunity to obtain an affordable Bachelor of Science degree.

of 9 E. Program of Study YEAR 1 & 2 (CURRENT GPC CORE II) Area A (9 hrs) ENGL 1101* 3 ENGL 1102* 3 MATH 1113 or higher 3 AREA B (5 hrs) COMM 1201* 3 Choose 2 3 hours ATEC 1201 1 RSCH 1203 1 SURB 1105 (a) 3 AREA C (6 hrs) ENGL 2111* 3 ENGL2112* 3 ENGL 2121* 3 ENGL 2122* 3 ENGL 2131* 3 ENGL2132* 3 ARTS 1301* or higher 3 FILM 1010* 3 Foreign Language 1002* or higher 3 HUMN 1301 or higher 3 MUSC1301* or higher 3 PHIL 2010* or higher 3 RELI 1301* or higher 3 THEA 1301* 3 NOTES: ENGL 1102 or 1102 H with a C or better must be taken prior to any 2000 level ENGL AREA D (11 hrs) Choose 1 sequence (8 hrs) CHEM 1211 and CHEM 1211L 4 CHEM 1212 and CHEM 1212L 4 PHYS 2211 and PHYS 2211L 4 PHYS 2212 and PHYS 2212L 4 Choose 1 MATH 2431 (b) 4 MATH 2432 (b) 4 MATH 1431 3

of 9 NOTES: MATH 1113 with C or better must be taken prior to MATH 2431 (b) or MATH 1431 MATH 2431 with C or better must be taken prior to MATH 2432 (b) MATH 1431 is recommended for GPC Health Informatics students AREA E (12 hrs) HOURS Required Course Below POLS 1101* 3 Below HIST 1111* or HIST 1112* Below HIST 2111* or HIST 2112* 3 course Below ANTH 1102* 3 ECON 2105* 3 GEOG 1101* 3 PSYC 1101* 3 SOCI 1101* 3 AREA F Major Elective Requirements ( 18 hrs) Required Courses below ACCT 2101 3 BIOL 1611 & BIOL 1611L 4 BIOL 1612 & BIOL 1612L 4 BISM 2601 3 below ACCT 2102 3 BUSA 2106 3 CSCI 1300 3 NOTES: One credit hour carried over from Area D = 18 hrs All Core Courses are existing courses at GPC CHEM 1211 & 1211L must be taken prior to BIO 1611 & 1611L BIO 1611 & 1611 L must be taken prior to BIO 1612 & BIO 1612L ACCT 2101 must be taken with a C or better prior to ACCT 2102 Additional Requirements 2-4 hrs HOURS PHED 1101 1 below PHED 2006 3 PHED 2022 3 * Honors section may be taken in lieu of regular section; contact Honors Coordinator at campus where course is listed

of 9 CRN Course Name Credit HIMS 3000 Medical Terminology 2 HIMS 3050 Health Law & Ethics 2 HIMS 3100 Healthcare Delivery Systems 2 HIMS 3150 Introduction to Health Information Systems 3 HIMS 3200 System Methodology and Design 3 HIMS 3250 Database Design 3 HIMS 3300 Health Data Management I 3 HIMS 3301 Health Data Management II 3 HIMS 3350 HIMS Practicum I 3 HIMS 3400 Coding and Data Classification 3 HIMS 3450 Coding and Reimbursement 3 HIMS 3500 Health Informatics Issues Seminar 1 HIMS 4000 Health Statistics and Research Methods I 2 HIMS 4001 Health Statistics and Research Methods II 2 HIMS 4100 Health Finances and Budgets 3 HIMS 4150 Health Informatics I 3 HIMS 4151 Health Informatics II 3 HIMS 4200 HIMS Practicum II 3 HIMS 4250 Electronic Health Record 2 HIMS 4300 Healthcare Management 3 HIMS 4350 Human Resource Management in Healthcare 4 HIMS 4400 Fundamentals of Diseases and Therapy 3 HIMS 4450 Management Practicum 3 Total Program 62 All Professional Program Courses are newly developed at GPC All courses are required for the program ALL OF THESE COURSES WILL NEED TO BE CREATED; MOST BY CURRICULUM COMMITTEES THAT COMPRISE OF MEMBERS FROM MULTIPLE DISCIPLINES (NURSING, BUSINESS, MATH/CSCI, SCIENCE). PENDING APPROVAL OF NEW PROGRAM, NEW COURSE PROPOSALS WORK SHOULD BEGIN IMMEDIATELY. HIMS 3000, 3050, 3100, 3150, 3200, 3250, 3300, and HIMS 4250 WOULD NEED PRIORITY TO BEGIN THE PROGRAM.

of 9 Description of how the program demonstrates demand and a justification of need in the discipline and geographic area and is not unnecessary program duplication: The need to effectively manage large health data sets efficiently with optimal security is growing. The 2008 Bureau of Statistics projected a need for 35,000 more health informatics specialists (HIS) by 2018 and the Health Informatics Systems Database shows a need for an additional 40,000 HIS in hospital settings to meet the growing need of managing patient information. An additional 50,000 HIS workers are projected to be needed by 2013 to accommodate the increased use of electronic health record information used in health care. The employment projections nationwide for health informatics specialist are estimated to increase by 50% in the next ten years (Department of Labor, Employment Projections, 2008). In the State of Georgia, Eight of the 20 fastest growing jobs in the State of Georgia are related to health services and five are related to computer technology of these occupations have higher than average wages (Georgia Department of Labor, 2011). According to recent studies and published information, openings in this field are projected to be some of the fastest growing through 2014; with projections of an increase over 30% for informatics specialist between the years 2006-2016. Currently only 2 other Universities in the state offer a 4 year degree in health informatics. Both of these universities are outside the Atlanta metro area. Georgia Perimeter s proposed program is different in that the location and number of diverse health centers offering clinical practicum opportunities are rich. In addition, having a variety and number of practicum sites available to students will offer the opportunity educating more students and matching them with potential employers. While both USG institutions offer robust health informatics curriculums, each has a focus more towards the informatics or health components. Georgia Perimeter College s (GPC) curriculum is a blending of both components without one component being elevated in the curriculum. Since Georgia Perimeter College s primary goal is to remain the largest access institution, this program will afford more students an opportunity to earn a 4- year degree and provide more options to the thousands of health science students at GPC. There are a number of online proprietary schools that offer the program; however, these programs are fully and only online and can be a substantial cost to the consumer. There are some course offerings at various 2-year and technical institutions that can contribute to a program of health informatics, although without the degree, students cannot take the national certification exam and thus will not meet the needs of the state and nation.

of 9 Fiscal, Facilities, Enrollment Impact, and Estimated Budget First Year Second Year Third Year Fourth Year FY FY FY FY I. ENROLLMENT PROJECTIONS 40 40 50 50 II. EXPENDITURES EFT Dollars EFT Dollars EFT Dollars EFT Dollars Personnel reassigned or existing positions existing existing existing existing Faculty 7 7 7 7 Part-time Faculty 1 3 4 8 Graduate Assistants 0 0 0 0 Administrators 0 0 0 0 Support Staff 0 0 0 0 Fringe Benefits 0 Other Personnel Costs 0 Total Existing Personnel Costs 0 Personnel new positions Faculty Part-time Faculty Graduate Assistants 0 0 0 0 Administrators 1 0 0 0 Support Staff 1 0 0 0 Fringe Benefits Other personnel costs Total New Personnel Costs Start-up Costs (one-time expenses) 8000 0 0 0 Library/learning resources 5000 0 0 0 Equipment 2000 0 0 0 Other Physical Facilities: construction or major renovation 0 0 0 0 Total One-time Costs 10,000 0 0 0 Accreditation Program accreditation will be sought from the Commission on Accreditation of Health Informatics and Information Management Education within one year of start date.

of 9 Objectives of the program: 1. Provide the knowledge and skill set needed to be successful on the Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) certification exam 2. Foster critical thinking and problem solving skills required in health care 3. Develop and enhance communication skills needed for professional leadership Student Learning Outcomes: 1. Perform as a health informatics specialist in a variety of settings, demonstrating an understanding of the legal and ethical principles of health informatics. 2. Articulate appropriate medical terminology, common disease alterations and treatments for these alterations to function within the health care system. 3. Demonstrate information literacy and effective communication. 4. Apply knowledge of business, computer information and health concepts in an integrated manner. 5. Perform as a leader in teams and business organizations. 6. Analyze, design, implement, and support Relational Database Management Systems (RBMS) 7. Demonstrate an applied understanding of data coding, data classification and the function of these in health care reimbursement 8. Develop and implement a health informatics project that involves the application of research methods, statistics and analysis. Program Outcomes: 1. Pass rates on the national certification exam for GPC students will be at or above the national percentile each year. 2. GPC students will be employed within 6 months post graduation from program. 3. GPC graduates will be recognized as leaders in healthcare informatics in the state. Needs the program will meet: 1. Increase face-to-face learning opportunities in health informatics within the State 2. Assist the State in meeting the supply of a high-demand occupation 3. Provide a seamless progression of education for those seeking degree