Health Care Information Systems, B.S.

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Department of Health Professions

College of Health and Human Sciences

Available Program Format(s): In-Person

About the Program

Health Care Information Systems (HCIS) entails a wide array of skills needed to use and support computer systems used by hospitals, clinics, and health systems to provide care to the sick and injured. The field calls for professionals with knowledge of the health care industry, network administration, database administration, data querying and analysis, and support of clinical information systems, including the electronic medical record (EMR). Graduates will be qualified to take a leadership role in the information systems services of a health care organization, a health data analysis team, or an entrepreneurial venture in the health care industry.

Student Outcomes

Describe the various components of the health care system in the United States and the interrelationships between such components;
Demonstrate the ability to assess, prioritize, and formulate a management response to issues in legal compliance, human resources, financial management, and formulate a strategic plan for a health care organization;
Define the various components of the information systems used in a health care organization, the data they gather, their use in providing patient care and supporting administrative functions, the interrelationships between applications, and how combinations of data from various applications can be used to address management challenges in today’s health care organization;
Demonstrate basic skills in computer device networking, telecommunications, information systems security, database administration, clinical information application support, and business web site design; and
Synthesize understanding of a business or clinical issue in a health care organization and formulate a plan of action to use information systems resources to address that issue.

General Degree Requirements

To earn a degree, students must satisfy all requirements in each of the four areas below, in addition to their individual major requirements.

Program Requirements

A total of 120 semester hours are required for graduation.
A grade of C or better is required for each course in this program to count toward the bachelor’s degree. Students should note that programs differ in the minimum grade required.
Students can contact the Department of Health Professions at 303-615-1200 or the Department of Computer Information Systems at 303-615-0660 for advising.
New or transfer students interested in the Bachelor of Science in Health Care Information Systems can also seek advising through the College of Health and Human Sciences Advising Office at 303-615-1099.

General Studies Requirements: 33 credits

Students should consult the General Studies Requirements for a list of courses that fulfill the General Studies Requirements for degree completion.

Written Communication (6 credits)
Oral Communication (3 credits)
Quantitative Literacy (3 credits)
Arts and Humanities (6 credits)
Historical (3 credits)
Natural and Physical Sciences (6 credits)
Social and Behavioral Sciences (6 credits)
Global Diversity (0 or 3 credits**)

** Students will fulfill the global diversity requirement by taking an approved course within one of the following categories: arts and humanities; historical; natural and physical sciences; or social and behavioral sciences.

Ethnic Studies & Social Justice Requirement: 0 or 3 credits

Students should consult the Ethnic Studies & Social Justice Graduation Requirement for a list of courses that fulfill the ESSJ Requirement for degree completion.
Many programs include courses that meet this requirement. Students should consult with their advisor to determine what program courses may fulfill this requirement.

Required Core Courses: 51 credits

(24 semester hours from the computer information systems curriculum)
CIS 2010 - Foundations of Information Systems Credits: 3
CIS 2110 - Structured Problem Solving in Information Systems Credits: 3
CIS 3030 - Business Web Page Development Credits: 3
CIS 3060 - Database Management Systems Credits: 3
CIS 3230 - Telecommunication Systems and Networking Credits: 3
CIS 3460 - Data Warehousing and Mining Credits: 3
CIS 3500 - Information Systems Security Credits: 3
CIS 4030 - Web Site Administration Credits: 3
and

(27 semester hours from the health care management curriculum)
HCM 3030 - Health Care Jurisprudence Credits: 3
HCM 3150 - Health Care Organization and Management Credits: 3
HCM 3400 - Human Resources Management in Health Care Credits: 3
HCM 3500 - Health Care Research Methods Credits: 3
HCM 3600 - Health Information Systems Credits: 3
HCM 4030 - Financial Management in Health Care Credits: 3
HCM 4150 - Electronic Medical Record Applications and Support Credits: 3
HCM 4300 - Strategic Management in Health Care Credits: 3
HCM 4350 - Health Care Information Systems Applications Credits: 3

Elective Courses: 9 credits

Students select nine (9) semester hours of electives from the following list:

CIS 3050 - Fundamentals of Systems Analysis and Design Credits: 3 *
CIS 3145 - Business Application Development Credits: 3 *
CIS 4060 - Advanced Database Management Systems Credits: 3 *
CIS 4260 - Database Administration Credits: 3 *
CIS 4280 - Network Installation and Administration Credits: 3 *
CIS 4370 - Data Science and Big Data Analytics Credits: 3 *
HCM 2500 - Health Care Management Foundations, Professionalism, and Applications Credits: 3 *
HCM 3200 - Managing Quality in Health Care Credits: 2 *
HCM 3550 - Leadership in Health Care Credits: 1 *
AGE 3800 - Long-Term Care: Managing Across the Continuum Credits: 3 *

Senior Experience: 3 credits

Students select a minimum of 3 semester hours from:

CIS 4920 - Health Care Information Systems Internship Credits: 3
or
HCM 4920 - Health Care Information Systems Internship Credits: 3
*Courses requiring additional prerequisite

Summary of Requirements

General Studies Requirements	33 credits
ESSJ Requirement	0-3 credits
Required Core Courses	51 credits
Required Electives	9 credits
Senior Experience	3 credits
Unrestricted Electives	21-24 credits
Total for the Health Care Information Systems Major, B.S.	120 credits

Required courses for the major may also count for General Studies and ESSJ requirements, so the total credits listed may be greater than the number required to complete the degree. Therefore, it is important that you work with your advisor to make sure you are meeting requirements for your degree.